Stay up-to-date on what’s in the news with the Y’all Politics Daily Roundup.
YP – Insurance Commissioner Chaney: Biden’s tax proposal will drive property insurance higher for Mississippians
Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney is raising awareness of what President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” tax proposals making their way through Congress could mean to Magnolia State property owners.
Chaney joined Y’all Politics on Thursday to outline just how much the Democrats’ tax proposal will cost the nearly 500,000 property owners in Mississippi. The Biden plan will drive insurance prices higher, causing consumers at all income levels to suffer financially, not just those earning over $400,000/year as the President has promised.
The average Mississippi family’s property insurance premiums could rise as much as $230 due to the provision that would increase the price of international reinsurance, the financial backstop that allows the U.S. insurance market to function.
YP – Mississippi businesses speak out against proposed IRS reporting
Lawmakers in D.C. are discussing a Biden Administration proposal that would require banks and financial service providers to report transactions in Mississippians personal or business bank accounts.
The Mississippi Economic Council and Mississippi Bankers Association are opposed to this proposal because they say it would be an infringement on personal and business privacy without any grounds for suspecting tax fraud.
The proposal initially called for reporting any and all $600 balances or $50 transactions a month, $600 annually. The updated proposal raises the minimum threshold to $10,000. However, it could still encompass thousands of Mississippi residents and place onerous and costly requirements on the state’s financial institutions and professional tax preparers.
YP – Mississippi prisons will reopen to visitors in November
The Mississippi Department of Corrections announced that all state prisons will reopen to visitors on November 1, 2021. This comes after a three-month-long moratorium. Visitation was originally stopped on July 27 due to the spike in COVID-19 cases.
Commissioner Cain said, “Given the drop in COVID cases, it is appropriate and beneficial for inmates to be able to see their relatives and reopening will also allow for them to participate in more programs. We’re trying to return to normal but not too fast. Fortunately, we had some of the lowest rates of inmate COVID cases in the nation and it’s because we took the initiative to sanitize and vaccinate.”
MSDH COVID-19 Reporting
Today MSDH is reporting 422 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, nine deaths, and 28 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. State #covid19 totals: 500,708 cases, 9,977 deaths, and 1,358,499 persons fully vaccinated. Full information: https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/oXPXolPfqG
— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) October 21, 2021
YP – MDE releases achievement gap report for 2020-21
In the 2020-2021 school year, there were 442,627 students enrolled in public school in the State of Mississippi, a decline of over 5% from the previous year.
MDE’s analysis of public-school enrollment for the 2020-21 school year shows that a drop in kindergarteners and spike in homeschoolers have driven the statewide decline in enrollment last year.
Homeschool enrollment increased from 18,758 in 2019-20 to 25,489 in 2020-21, removing an additional 6,731 students from public-school attendance rolls.
Today, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) released achievement gap data for students who took statewide assessments in English language arts (ELA) and mathematics in the 2020-21 school year.
YP – Wicker, Hyde-Smith again oppose Democrats’ efforts at federal takeover of elections
On Wednesday, Mississippi U.S. Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker voted to block debate and discussion of the Freedom to Vote Act (S.2747), a bill that addresses voter registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, and campaign finance.
It is the third version of a partisan-driven effort by congressional Democrats to dictate how states conduct elections. In June, Senators Wicker and Hyde-Smith joined the other 48 Republican Senators in blocking debate on the Democrats’ “For the People Act” (S. 1), a similar bill to S.2747.
Senator Wicker stated on Wednesday that the Senate rejected yet another attempt by national Democrats to execute a federal takeover of local elections on a narrow partisan basis. Every Republican Senator opposed the vote to start debate on the Democrats’ voting rights bill.
Thompson speaks on House holding Bannon in contempt of Congress
"There isn’t a different set of rules for Mr. Bannon. He knows this. He knows there are consequences for outright defiance. And he’s chosen the path toward criminal contempt by taking this position.”
Watch Chairman @BennieGThompson's full statement: pic.twitter.com/tqtHVkctjD
— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) October 20, 2021
YP – Wicker, Hyde-Smith commend $10.6 million defense contract for Golden Manufacturing, Co., Inc.
U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith commended a $10.6 million award to Golden Manufacturing, Co., Inc. in Tishomingo County to produce trousers for the U.S. Army and Navy.
The contract represents the second one-year extension to the original $15.9 million award issued in 2019 to provide various trousers for the Department of Defense. In 2020, Golden Manufacturing Co. Inc. was awarded $10.62 million to produce military trousers and slacks.
Palazzo addresses Democrats’ spending
Socialist spending sprees are robbing American tax payers to fund policies that jeopardize our freedoms, jobs, and security! We can’t afford to let this continue. Listen to my interview with WLOX-TV to hear why I’m standing firm against spending TRILLIONS more. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/CHMGtj2Qwk
— Steven Palazzo (@CongPalazzo) October 21, 2021
YP – HYDE-SMITH: Even ‘scaled back’ Democrat IRS surveillance dragnet deserves a fight
Mississippians should not be lulled into complacency with talk of President Biden and his allies in Congress backing off their dangerous tax surveillance plan—the one in which practically every dollar flowing in or out of your bank account would be reported to the Internal Revenue Service.
Thousands of Mississippians who contact my office are rightfully alarmed and outraged at the idea of the IRS collecting the details of their personal financial information as part of a scheme to pay for President Biden’s massive plan to expand the federal government. They see straight through the Democrats’ ruse that this will only target super wealthy tax evaders.
WTVA – IHL Board extends MSU President Mark Keenum’s contract
The state college board has renewed the contract of Mississippi State University (MSU) President Mark Keenum.
The extension is for four years. He’s been president for 13 years.
“While Dr. Keenum did not seek a pay increase or other compensation, the Board sees the wisdom in taking steps to invest in retaining the effective and visionary leadership that Dr. Keenum has brought to MSU,” IHL Board President Dr. Walt Starr said. “It is prudent on their part to incentivize stability and continuity in leadership as the institution moves forward. The plan relies on private dollars and requires no additional taxpayer funds.”
