What to expect: Republicans Love Low Wages

As we enter the 2016 legislative session, Cottonmouth will be sharing a series of posts on what to expect. This is the first time the Republicans have held both chambers and the executive branch. We'll be focusing on a few issues early on, and we'll be watching as the session progresses. 

Mississippi workers don’t get paid very much. For the most part, the pay is less than less than very much. Most agencies have been decrying the problem for years, along with college leaders who are training Mississippians to go work in other states. Our Republican leadership has pretty much ignored the problem for the past 12 years, but there are two things that might bring it to the forefront in the next year.

First, prominent Republican-appointees are taking the issue to the media. MDOC head Marshall Fisher has been complaining about the poor pay rate and high turnover rate of correction officers since before his first day on the job. In interviews last week with the newly appointed foster-care head, Justice David Chandler criticized how social workers are paid less than teachers. While the legislature did find a way to raise teacher pay a few years ago, Mississippi teachers are still some of the lowest paid in the country. And yes, social workers are paid less than teachers – a lot less.

Second, the complete lack of income growth across the country (and, of course in our own state) will be a presidential issue next year. There is no avoiding the topic, as much as Republicans may want to. So far, no elected officials are making better pay their issue. For starters, in every agency, most of the pay rates for each job are so much lower than even our southern counterparts, it’s hard to even know where or how much to begin with – it’s really that bad. It’s easy for politicians and the state to get away with paying people less when they promote the retirement and healthcare benefits. However, the actual take home pay for most people, especially starting out is not anywhere equal to the dream of “two cars and a boat,” that Governor Bryant is touting with workforce training. Plus, most of these jobs (social workers, teachers) require a four-year college degree. So, not only are people taking home $1515/month*, but they also are probably paying off some sort of student loan.

Republicans might offer incremental raises to the lowest paid workers, or to MDOC officers and DHS workers, or some combination, but it’s doubtful they’ll be able to raise the pay to 1) attract quality candidates who will stay or 2) compete with other states’ pay rates. Perhaps, this will wait until 2019.

*Where this math came from: Entry level DHS job posting in Hinds County has a pay rate of $23,643. When entered into an online take-home pay calculator, without taking anything for retirement or additional medical insurance payments, and factoring this at the single and no dependents rate, take home pay was approximately $1515/month.

Some info on the outfit behind the child support privatization legislation

Here's how the Associated Press reported the details of the fraudulent service of process problem YoungWilliams had to deal with back in 2010:

According to Harris' order, Jernigan filed a sworn affidavit with the court clerk stating he served April Gray of Ocean Springs on May 6. But Gray was jailed at the Jackson County Adult Detention Center at the time and could not have received the document.  

YoungWilliams is a Jackson company that had a $23 million (contract) with the Mississippi Department of Human Services to seek child support court orders.  

The process servers claimed they delivered papers to people who were incarcerated and even to a woman who had been dead for two years, court records show. 

Now they want legislation that would put them in charge of overdue child support collection.

More on the privatization of child support collection

Earlier today, David posted on the House passing a bill that would privatize the collection of child support in Mississippi.  The Sun-Herald had a story on it today as well, and pointed out that lobbyists for YoungWilliams Child Support Services are behind the legislation.

That name rang a bell, but I couldn't remember why.  Then a fellow lawyer reminded me:  they were the outfit who hired process servers who lied about serving defendants in child support cases.

Privatizing Child Support: Follow the Money

It seems that every day there is a new program that Mississippi legislative Republicans suggest need privatization. Whether it's PERS, Medicaid, or public schools, it seems like these state Republicans would prefer to do just about anything to offer a few more kickbacks to corporations.

So, it should come as no surprise that the house passed a measure that would privatize child support today, and would allow a company to "rake in millions."

What is somewhat surprising, though, is that this one has been done before. And failed miserably.  From The Clarion Ledger:

Mississippi used a Virginia-based company, Maximus Inc., to collect overdue child support from 1995 to 2000.
"I remember the disaster that Maximus was," Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, said during the debate Wednesday.
Maximus spent more but collected less money for overdue child support payments in Hinds and Warren counties, on average, than DHS did in the rest of the state from 1996-2000, according to a report issued in October 2000, by the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review.

What's the definition of insanity again?  Trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different response.

Or perhaps it's not about functionality. Perhaps we should just follow the money. As Rep. Steve Holland (D-Plantersville) suggested:

"It's a greased pig already. Somebody up on high already knows who's going to get this contract"

Read more here: http://www.sunherald.com/2013/02/12/4464951/top-republicans-push-child-support.html#storylink=cpy