Yall Politics:Yall Politics - The Definitive Guide to Politics in Mississippi 2013-05-24T14:44:25Z Copyright (c) 2013, Staff of Y'all Politics ExpressionEngine tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:05:24 tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35120 2013-05-24T13:43:24Z 2013-05-24T14:44:25Z Staff of Y'all Politics May 23, 2013

CONTACT: Chris Gallegos



AS SENATE BREAKS, COCHRAN OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FARM BILL PROGRESS

Senator Looks Forward to Farm Bill Passage in Senate after Memorial Day Break

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), ranking member on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee, today said he looks for forward to the Senate passing a new farm bill after the Memorial Day break.

Cochran and Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) on Thursday afternoon thanked their colleagues for the progress made during the week-long beginning debate on the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 (S.954, the farm bill). The Senate will resume consideration of the measure June 3.

“We’ve made true progress in developing what I think can be a very important contribution toward a legislative framework to help enable American farmers to compete in the international marketplace and to sustain the jobs that flow from their work throughout the country,” Cochran said.

“At a time when in some places jobs are hard to find, this farm bill represents a job creator. It’s a step toward strengthening our economy, not just in rural America but in municipalities throughout the country,” he said.

As part of the farm bill debate, Stabenow and Cochran are working to manage the more than 200 amendments filed to S.954.

“I’m pleased to join the Chairwoman Stabenow in predicting that we are moving in the right direction. We’ve covered a lot of important issues, taken up a good many amendments, had votes, and free and full discussion,” Cochran said.

The Senate farm bill would achieve $24 billion in savings by restructuring the farm safety net, streamlining and consolidating conservation programs, and eliminating waste, fraud and abuse within the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

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Chris Gallegos
Office of U.S. Senator Thad Cochran
Committee on Appropriations - Minority ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35119 2013-05-24T11:36:37Z 2013-05-24T12:37:38Z Staff of Y'all Politics Billy Hudson says he would vote to expand program

Sen. Billy Hudson said he expects Gov. Phil Bryant to call a legislative special session on June 28 to address Medicaid.

Hudson, R-Purvis, shared the information during the Forrest County Board of Supervisors’ meeting on Thursday.

The state Legislature ended its 2013 session in early April at a partisan impasse over Medicaid. Democrats, pushing to expand the program per the Affordable Care Act, blocked passage of reauthorization and funding bills after the House Republican leadership refused to allow debate or a vote on expansion.

Without a reauthorization bill, the state’s Division of Medicaid will expire July 1.

Hattiesburg American
5/23 ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35118 2013-05-24T11:33:30Z 2013-05-24T12:35:32Z Staff of Y'all Politics Region residents named, retained on state boards

Hamp Smith and Ralph David Ritch say they did not seek positions on the state boards they currently serve on to garner political power or wealth.

Ritch laughs when asked how much he makes for serving on the Mississippi Board of Chiropractic Examiners.

“I couldn’t tell you,” said Ritch, who lives in Tupelo but since 1975 has operated a chiropractic clinic in Fulton.

Smith said he serves on the state Board of Contractors representing electrical contractors to help improve the contractor profession in the state and “to safeguard the consumers from unscrupulous contractors.”

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
5/24/13
]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35117 2013-05-24T11:31:20Z 2013-05-24T12:33:21Z Staff of Y'all Politics Presley orders disposition of natural gas excess cash


Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley entered an order yesterday directing the City of Pontotoc to dispose of excess natural gas revenues in a manner that benefits the system's 6,625 customers that are served in Pontotoc and Union County.

The excess cash was accumulated over a period of years when the rates charged to customers were not approved by the Public Service Commission.

Pontotoc's unrestricted cash balance in its natural gas operations is $2,871,464.


WTVA
5/23 ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35116 2013-05-24T08:38:43Z 2013-05-24T09:39:45Z Staff of Y'all Politics Moody's downgrades Jackson water & sewer bonds to A1 from Aa3

Moody's issued the following statement on Jackson (Emphasis added by JJ):

Rating Action: Moody's downgrades to A1 from Aa3 the rating on the City of Jackson's (MS) Water and Sewer System Revenue Bonds; Outlook remains negative
Global Credit Research - 21 May 2013
Assigns A1 rating to the City of Jackson's (MS) $90 million Mississippi Development Bank Special Obligation Bonds, Series 2013 (City of Jackson, Mississippi Water and Sewer System Revenue Bond Project)

New York, May 21, 2013 --
Moody's Rating Issue: Special Obligation Bonds, Series 2013 (City of Jackson, Mississippi Water and Sewer System Revenue Bond Project); Rating: A1; Sale Amount: $90,000,000; Expected Sale Date: 05/22/2013; Rating Description: Revenue: Government Enterprise


Jackson Jambalaya
5/24/13 ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35115 2013-05-23T14:58:26Z 2013-05-23T17:54:27Z Staff of Y'all Politics
This all began back in the 2011 session, if you will recall, when the Mississippi House led by former Speaker Billy McCoy and fellow Democrats, including Reapportionment Chairman Tommy Reynolds, attempted to pass a redistricting plan aimed at protecting their then majority.

The Senate, led then by Lt. Governor Phil Bryant, held the line and passed their own version of a redistricting plan. McCoy refused to appoint a conference committee, instead choosing to seek court intervention alongside the NAACP.

State legislative elections were held in the old districts in November 2011 and voters ousted McCoy's boys, placing Republicans in charge of the Mississippi House. The GOP also expanded their numbers in the Senate.

With the leadership of new Speaker Phillip Gunn and Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, the House and Senate methodically and deliberately went to work on redistricting, approving the revised lines during the 2012 session under the necessary parameters defined by the Voting Rights Act, meaning the new districts are compact, they uphold communities with common interests and black voting strength isn't weakened.

In September 2012 the Department of Justice approved the maps, essentially ending the question of whether there would be a second legislative election in as many years. But the NAACP (urged on by sympathetic Democrats in the legislature) continued their fight, carrying it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. And, without comment, the U.S. Supreme Court ended this saga Monday.

A number of state and legislative leaders deserve accolades for their work on this effort. Just to name a few:

- former Senator Merle Flowers and Rep. Bill Denny for their legislative leadership as Chairs of Reapportionment;
- Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann for providing the essential argument on which the case hinged;
- Lt. Governor Tate Reeves, Speaker Phillip Gunn, and Speaker Pro Tempore Greg Snowden for their strong leadership in both chambers, guiding the legislation through the process;
- Governor Phil Bryant for effective use of his legislative role as Lt. Governor and his willingness to use the Governor's bully pulpit to make the case to the people of Mississippi.

The next round of redistricting will come after the 2020 census and after the 2019 elections, meaning the redistricting battle we saw this time and the uncertainty of having to potentially run twice should be less of an issue then since the legislature will have adequate time to address the matter without feeling pressed to get the job done prior to an election.

So for now, we'll see what effect these new maps have on the legislature when voters go to the polls come 2015. One thing we do know is that five pairs of representatives will potentially face off (if they seek reelection) setting the stage for more Mississippi political drama. However, conventional wisdom says that the GOP will maintain control of both chambers for the perceivable future.
]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35114 2013-05-23T12:02:17Z 2013-05-23T19:47:18Z Staff of Y'all Politics BILL MINOR: Big lobbyists thrive in secretive group

With all the hullabaloo about the IRS clamping down on federal tax exemptions for Tea Party and kindred organizations, public attention has been diverted from a bigger threat: groups that are fronts for corporate giants who secretly warp state governments to suit their interests.

Several weeks ago the Mississippi mouthpiece for the American Legislative Exchange Council, otherwise ALEC, blasted me for writing critically about ALEC. Such an innocent-sounding outfit must not be dangerous, huh? We’ll see.

Steve Seale, identified as chairman of an ALEC advisory council, also happens to be the highest-paid lobbyist who prowls legislative halls at Mississippi’s state house. He wrote that I was “misguided,” in characterizing ALEC, plus some other less-flattering potshots, for not understanding ALEC is just a good old American “think tank” that is growing ideas to make the country better.

Read more: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35113 2013-05-23T12:00:04Z 2013-05-23T13:01:05Z Staff of Y'all Politics Medicaid viewed favorably in state poll

While Mississippians overall have an unfavorable impression of the controversial federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, they like individual aspects of the law, including expanding Medicaid.

A poll conducted by the Joint Center for Economic and Political Studies found that 58.6 percent of Mississippians have a favorable view of expanding Medicaid to cover those earning up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level with the federal government paying the bulk of the costs.

But when asked detailed questions about whether they wanted to expand the program, it was supported by a smaller majority of 52.6 percent – compared to 37.4 percent who wanted to keep the program as it is.

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal
5/22/13

]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35112 2013-05-23T11:58:46Z 2013-05-23T12:59:48Z Staff of Y'all Politics Wicker Demands Answers from Administration on FAA Salary Bonuses

Office of the Senator Roger Wicker, U.S Government has issued the following news release:

U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), a member of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee joined a group of 17 senators in writing a letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Huerta demanding an explanation regarding bonuses awarded to FAA employees earlier this year in advance of sequestration budget cuts.

The Wall Street Journal reported this week that the FAA notified employees in January of salary bonuses. Three months later, the FAA announced a plan to implement across the board furloughs due to sequestration, which resulted in travel delays for airline passengers. In April, Congress passed legislation that provided the FAA additional flexibility to transfer funding within the agency to prevent reduced operations and staffing.

In the letter, the senators wrote, “We are very concerned by these reports as they once again indicate both a lack of sound business management and a failure by the FAA to adequately plan for implementation of sequestration. At the time when sequestration was one month away, the FAA’s leadership ignored Secretary LaHood’s specific guidance and awarded bonuses.”

aviationpros.com
5/22/13 ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35111 2013-05-23T11:58:23Z 2013-05-23T12:58:24Z Staff of Y'all Politics

“We are aggressively marketing tax forfeited properties. The City of McComb and Pike County are also committed to selling these properties and generating more money for their local tax rolls,” says Secretary Hosemann. “Tax forfeited properties are a drain on the community, the State, and your local tax rolls. I commend the city and county for their foresight and look forward to working with them on returning these properties to private use.”



Currently, the Secretary of State’s Office holds over $66.2-Million worth of property forfeited to the State for non-payment of ad valorem taxes. There is approximately $303,000 of tax forfeited property located in Pike County.


“We are thankful to the Secretary of State for initiating and encouraging the sale of these properties,” says Mayor Rawlings. “We are committed to getting these properties back on the tax rolls for a better city and county.”


“Pike County hopes this tax-forfeited land sale is a success and looks forward to working with Secretary Hosemann in his goal of returning these properties to productive use and to get them back on the tax rolls,” adds Andrew Alford, Pike County Administrator.


The goal of the Secretary of State’s Office is to work with local governments to determine which properties may be marketed for private ownership, and which properties may be transferred to local governments for public use.


To learn more on obtaining tax forfeited properties, please visit the Secretary of State’s website at: http://www.sos.ms.gov/publiclands/pike/.

5/22/13 ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35110 2013-05-23T11:56:15Z 2013-05-23T12:57:16Z Staff of Y'all Politics Dems work on Miss. Medicaid expansion proposal

Mississippi legislative Democrats say they're working on proposals to keep Medicaid alive and funded in the budget year that starts July 1.

They say they're doing this in case Republican Gov. Phil Bryant calls a special session before the end of June.

However, Bryant said last week he believes he can run Medicaid without legislative authorization — even with no budget in place.

AP
5/22/13 ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35109 2013-05-23T11:55:06Z 2013-05-23T12:56:07Z Staff of Y'all Politics Fervor grows for Tuscaloosa Marine Shale

Mississippi’s leaders expect a parade of oil drillers to converge on the southwest corner of the state and are happy to cover the cost of striking up the marching music.

When a potential to fill seven billion barrels awaits, let’s get cracking, they say.

So far, state officials are getting the answer they wanted when they extended a lucrative tax break to energy production companies prepared to drill horizontal wells more than 10,000 feet below ground to reach what is known as the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS). The expectation is to extract Texas-size amounts of oil and liquid natural gas drillers have known about for decades but only in recent years have perfected a cost-effective hydraulic fracturing technique that frees the oil and gas from the shale deposits in which it has been trapped for eons.

Mississippi Business Journal
5/17/13

Houston’s Goodrich Petroleum is as close to fully committing to the TMS play as a company gets without an outright declaration. “In all, it is shaping up to be a busy and exciting time in the TMS during the summer and into the fall of 2013,” said Walter ‘Gil’ Goodrich, company CEO and vice chairman, in a first quarter earnings report last month. ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35108 2013-05-23T11:54:53Z 2013-05-23T12:54:54Z Staff of Y'all Politics Mississippi Power could be hot topic at Southern Co. stockholders' meeting

Questions about the abrupt departure this week of Mississippi Power President Ed Day are likely to be asked during the annual meeting of Southern Co. stockholders today in Pine Mountain, Ga.

The meeting will start at 9 a.m. It will not be shown live but video will be posted later in the day.

Representatives of the Sierra Club said in a conference call Tuesday they will use the shareholders' meeting as an opportunity to ask about the cost overruns at the power plant under construction in Kemper County and the leadership changes at Mississippi Power.

Sun Herald
5/21/13 ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35107 2013-05-23T11:52:22Z 2013-05-23T12:52:23Z Staff of Y'all Politics
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) has joined an effort to prevent the federal government from committing excessive taxpayer money to expand state Medicaid programs by co-sponsoring the “Preventing an Unrealistic Future Medicaid Augmentation Plan (FMAP) Act.”

The bill cosponsored by Wicker, S. 963, allows states to expand their Medicaid program but repeals the provision in the “Affordable Care Act” obligating already scarce federal taxpayer dollars from being used for the expansion.

“For far too long, Washington has overpromised and underperformed,” Wicker said. “Our nation’s debt is nearing $17 trillion, and we continue to borrow more than 40 cents for every dollar we spend. Although I am committed to repealing Obamacare in its entirety, this bill focuses on the fact that the federal government simply does not have the resources to fulfill the promises contained in the health-care law.”

“Many Mississippians depend on Medicaid for their medical care. Unfortunately, the expansion of the program under Obamacare is unsustainable and could ultimately lead to the program’s demise. Throwing money at a broken system does nothing to fix the real problems facing Medicaid recipients. Congress should take steps to provide real reform of Medicaid for people who rely on it for their care.”

“This legislation would provide a more realistic rate at which the federal government could fund Medicaid expansion in participating states, while providing an accurate understanding of the federal government’s true ability to meet or break promises in Obamacare. The irresponsible spending in Washington must stop, and it is time for a national conversation about our priorities and actual ability to fund entitlement programs.”

The bill is sponsored by Senators Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.).

# # #

Ryan J. Taylor
Communications Director
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) ]]> tag:yallpolitics.com,2013:index.php/yp/post/1.35106 2013-05-23T11:50:41Z 2013-05-23T12:51:43Z Staff of Y'all Politics Obamination, mistakes do happen; but lies do not happen by accident

There has been a lot of commentary about the scandals enveloping the Obama White House. At the risk of repetition, here are a few more thoughts.

No, strike that. This needs to be repeated, from every possible outlet, until the American people realize the seriousness of what is going on. The chain of scandals relating to the Benghazi cover up, IRS targeting of conservatives, and Department of Justice intrusion into Associated Press journalists' phone records represent a chilling pattern of behavior by our government. And, that behavior emanates from the tone set at the top.

I am not talking about the increasingly unserious partisanship between Democrats and Republicans. Not only are people sick of it, the pettiness of Washington is becoming a dangerous tranquilizer. President Obama's flacks (including many in the media) are furiously spinning their own shocking actions into a mere partisan witch hunt by desperate Republicans. Move on, nothing to see here, just the usual Washington noise.

Cory T. Wilson is a Madison attorney with Heidelberg Steinberger Colmer & Burrow, P.A. Follow Cory on Twitter, @CoryWilsonMS, or email cory@corywilson.ms.
5/22/13 ]]>