YP – Inauguration Day 2021: What Mississippi political leaders are saying
The Presidential Inauguration was held Wednesday on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States.
See what Mississippi political leaders are saying on the historic day.
YP – President Trump pardons 3 supported by Senator Wicker, others
Early Wednesday morning in the waning hours of his term, President Donald Trump granted pardons to 73 individuals and commuted the sentences of an additional 70 individuals, according to a release from the White House.
Among those were three individuals supported by Mississippi political leaders. See who they were.
YP – In one of his first acts, President Biden revoking 1776 Commission
In December 2020, former President Donald Trump appointed a commission aimed at putting patriotic American education back in the classroom. Former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant was among those appointed to the President’s 1776 Commission.
The 1776 Commission, appointed for two years, was to have produced a report on the founding principles of the nation while providing guidance on how the federal government could prioritize advancing those founding principles through grants and other educational activities within schools. It was viewed as a counter to the 1619 Project that was being used in classrooms where America was portrayed as systemically racist.
Now, in one of his first acts as President, Joe Biden will revoke and dissolve the 1776 Commission as he and his administration rush to advance “racial equity.” The Biden Administration said in a release Wednesday that the 1776 Commission “has sought to erase America’s history of racial injustice.”
MSDH daily COVID-19 reporting
Today MSDH is reporting 1,702 more cases of COVID-19 in Mississippi, 64 deaths, and 217 ongoing outbreaks in long-term care facilities. The total of #covid19 cases for the year is now 256,827, with 5,638 deaths. Case details and prevention guidance at https://t.co/YCv9xPyJDk pic.twitter.com/o8Wp8MDy62
— Mississippi State Department of Health (@msdh) January 20, 2021
YP – Bill offered to put 90 day clock on Governor and Lt. Governor appointments
State Senator David Parker, a Republican from Desoto County, filed a bill in the 2021 Session that would create a 90-day time frame in which the Governor and Lt. Governor would be required to fill vacant offices.
According to SB 2196, the clock would begin ticking as soon as the office became vacant and if an appointment is not made by the Governor in 90 days, the power to do so would transfer to the Lt. Governor. The Lt. Governor would then be required to make the appointment “as soon as practicable.”
In the same vein, the Lt. Governor would have 90 days for his appointments before they would then roll over to the Governor’s office.
YP – Ag Commissioner Gipson previews the Dixie National Rodeo, talks Yazoo pumps, more with YP
Mississippi Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson joined Y’all Politics Wednesday morning to give a preview of the 2021 Dixie National Rodeo and provide an update on where things stand with the Yazoo pumps.
YP – Bill of the Day: New age of tobacco purchase moved to 21
In this Bill of the Day, it would attempt to change the legal age for the purchase of tobacco from 18 to 21.
HB 227 authored by Representative Clark will be known as the “Mississippi Tobacco Minimum Legal Sale Age of 21 Act.” The legislation offers reasoning for moving the age including that young people are most susceptible to addictive properties of tobacco products and are more likely to become lifelong users.
An estimated 5.6 million children up to 17 are projected to die too early from tobacco-related illnesses. Tobacco use also impacts the mind of young people, this includes electronic smoking devices which has tripled recently.
YP – Bills to watch for the 2021 Legislative Session
Lawmakers returned to the Mississippi State Capitol for the 2021 Legislative Session on January 5th.
See a list of bills to watch as business continues for the 90 day session.
WDAM – MDOC: Mississippi inmates among safest from COVID-19
The Mississippi Department of Corrections announced Wednesday that the state’s prisoners are among the safest in the nation when it comes to COVID-19 infections and deaths, citing data from the inmate advocacy group the Marshall Project.
MDOC reported 1,383 positive COVID-19 cases and 21 deaths out of the 17,000 inmates in the state’s prison system.
Mississippi’s COVID-19 death rate for inmates is lower than other southern states such as Florida, Georgia and Texas, according to MDOC, and the total number of inmate deaths from the virus is the lowest of all southern states.
WJTV – Hosemann Family Foundation creates scholarship for future educators
The Hosemann Family Autism Foundation has created an annual scholarship award for graduate students studying and pursuing careers in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) through the Mississippi State University College of Education.
The nonprofit foundation was established in 2017 by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and his wife Lynn, along with their children, to improve access to and the quality of educational, therapeutic, medical and behavioral health-related services for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families in Mississippi.
