If you enjoyed learning about ALEC-connected legislators, I'll blow your mind with this list

A month ago, I unveiled a list of Mississippi legislators who are members of ALEC.  Well, what about a list of Mississippi politicians (most legislators) who've hung out with an even more insidious group?  A group that the Republican National Committee has condemned and advised Republicans not to fraternize with?  A group that the Conservative Political Action Committee deems racist? A group described thusly by the Southern Poverty Law Center:

Since (the RNC asked Republicans not to go in 1999), the group has become even more extremist, writing that blacks are "a retrograde species of humanity," attacking "Jewish power brokers," publishing anti-Semites like Edgar J. Steele, and comparing pop singer Michael Jackson to an ape. But none of this has stopped politicians in four Southern states, especially Republicans in the CCC (Council of Conservative Citizens) power base of Mississippi, from attending and speaking at local CCC functions.

You'd want to know who was palling around with these racists, right?

I found out what Education Chairman John Moore (R - Brandon) said so on state-funded SuperTalk radio yesterday morning. WOW.

Yesterday morning, I asked what I'd missed by not catching Rep. John Moore's interview on the Gallo Show.  Sure, Rep. Moore (R - Brandon) spent time asking listeners to the Gallo Show to work to unseat people who vote against Moore's beloved charter schools bill.  There's nothing odd or wrong about that.  It's what he said at the end of the interview with Paul Gallo that should curl your hair.

Maybe THIS is why Barbour didn't run for president...Huffington Post reveals ties between BGR and Iran nuclear program

Go ahead and put this in the "there's no way you saw this coming" category.  The Huffington Post is reporting on former Governor Haley Barbour's ties to the Iranian nuclear program. From the article:

GOP power broker Haley Barbour's lobby shop, BGR Group, represents a Russian bank that has financed a company that helped build Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant, according to corporate documents and lobbying disclosure records. The bank is owned by a secretive oligarch, Mikhail Fridman, who has met at least twice with White House officials in the last few years, according to visitor logs.

The first thing that strikes me about this is how tenuous the connection is: Gov. Barbour's firm represents a Russian bank that lent money to a nuclear power company that had contracts with Iran, who built a nuclear power plant which will enrich uranium that can be used in nuclear weapons.  Furthermore, this happened during the period of time when Barbour was Governor, and ostensibly not involved with the management of BGR.

This is coming to light, of course, because of Barbour's dalliance with the idea of running for president.  In a field not exactly full to the brim with capable Republicans, Barbour would have had a good shot at the Republican nomination.  Mysteriously, though, Barbour backed away from the race after supposedly reading an opposition research report on himself.  Speculation has been abundant about what it was in the report that led Barbour to give up the ghost.  I'm not sure we'll ever know, but this may have been a factor.

That doesn't mean Barbour is immune to criticism on this issue, as his incendiary rhetoric about Iran now rings more than a bit hollow.  To hear Barbour talk, you'd think he'd start a war with Iran yesterday, if it were up to him.  Yet his partners at BGR have been making money off of the company financing the construction of Iran's nuclear program.  There's more than a touch of hypocrisy there.

Interesting read at the Washington Post about the House Education Committee meetings over the Mississippi charter schools bill

Mike Sayer of Southern Echo provides an in-depth account of the scene at the House Education Committee over the last two days.  The charter schools bill is stuck in the committee, and the vote keeps getting pushed back as supporters of the bill struggle to flip "no" votes.  The battle will resume next week, and Sayer's article builds the back story very well.  It's a fascinating read, and you can find it here.

The vote on the Workers Compensation Destruction Act

Here's the vote on the Workers Compensation Destruction Act.  The two sellouts were Rep. Jody Steverson (D - Ripley) and Rep. Bennett Malone (D - Carthage).

SB 2576 House Vote

***BREAKING*** - Workers Compensation Destruction Act passes House floor after votes flip

Well, there it is:  the Workers Compensation Destruction Act is now heading to conference, where 6 hand-picked legislators (3 House members chosen by Speaker Gunn, 3 Senators chosen by Lt. Gov. Reeves) will return a conference report which will be voted upon by the respective bodies in the last days of the session.

Given the fact that SB 2576 passed the Senate and now the House with only difference being the reverse repealer, you can look for the Workers Compensation Destruction Act to become law on July 1, 2012.

*UPDATE - Find out how they voted here.

Workers Compensation Destruction Act before the House

Workers Compensation Destruction Act before the House right now.  Rep. Mark Formby (R - Picayune) is arguing the bill now.  As of last night, the bill did not have enough votes for passage.  Watch live here.

***Developing throughout the afternoon - Votes still not there on charter schools

This was the scene moments ago when the House Education Committee began its meeting today to take up the charter schools bill, SB 2401.  Rep. John Moore (R - Brandon), the chairman of the committee, decided that the vote would be put off until another meeting of the committee later this afternoon.  That is a big signal that there still are not enough votes to pass the charter schools bill out of the committee, and that Rep. Steve Massengill (R - Hickory Flat) is standing his ground.

A break from the madness: Footage of Andrew Zimmern at Appetite for Jackson

Andrew Zimmern (left) and Chef Ryan Bell (right)

A couple of months ago, Andrew Zimmern of the Travel Channel came to Jackson to support an event called "Appetite for Jackson", which was a fundraiser for the Jackson Miracle League.  The Miracle League offers an opportunity for children with learning and developmental disabilities to play organized baseball.  Starting a chapter in Jackson was the dream of Parlor Market founder Craig Noone.

Well, Zimmern was shooting footage for his new television series entitled "Appetite for Life", and stopped by.  The footage has been released on the web, and can be viewed here.  Great job in the video by Tom Ramsey of Underground 119 and Ryan Bell, formerly of Parlor Market and now of Walker's.  Even better job by everyone who organized the event.

Y'all go watch, continue to support our Jackson restaurants, and consider contributing to the Miracle League of Jackson by going here.

Meet Your Chairmen, Part 3 - Rep. John Moore (because sometimes one introduction just isn't enough)

As we wait for Rep. Moore to resume his assault on public education in Mississippi at today's House Education Committee meeting, here are more fun facts from Rep. Moore's past for your reading pleasure.

Back in its Fall 2004 Intelligence Report, the Southern Poverty Law Center mentioned Rep. Moore's name among other notable Mississippi Republicans who enjoyed a close relationship with the Council of Conservative Citizens, a white supremacist organization formerly headed by Richard Barrett.

Apparently, Barrett and Moore's relationship was a very close one as Moore was named a beneficiary in Barrett's will (alongside the Government of Iran).  To read more about Barrett and the Council of Conservative Citizens, check here and here.  

Assuming Rep. Moore is successful in his efforts to dismantle Mississippi's K-12 program, it'll be interesting to see what he and the CCC come up with as a replacement.

Only 2 members of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee come from districts that supported the Personhood Amendment

Now that the bill to effectively end abortion in Mississippi is sitting in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, perhaps a look at how the constituents of the members of that committee voted on the Personhood Amendment:



Dean Kirby (R - Pearl), Chairman - 56.1% AGAINST
Hob Bryan (D - Amory), Vice-Chairman - 51.8% AGAINST
David Blount (D - Jackson) - 70.4% AGAINST
Terry C. Burton (R - Newton) - 50.3% AGAINST
Nancy Adams Collins (R - Tupelo) - 54.9% FOR
Merle Flowers (R - Southaven) - 52.1% AGAINST
Hillman Terome Frazier (D - Jackson) - 79.7% AGAINST
Alice Harden (D - Jackson) - 82.4% AGAINST
Josh Harkins (R - Flowood) - 58.6% AGAINST
W. Briggs Hopson III (R - Vicksburg) - 66.2% AGAINST
Gary Jackson (R - French Camp) - 54.8% AGAINST
Kenneth Wayne Jones (D - Canton) - 71.3% AGAINST
Rita Potts Parks (R - Corinth) - 61% FOR
Willie Simmons (D - Cleveland) - 72% AGAINST
Tony Smith (R - Picayune) - 59.2% AGAINST
Melanie Sojourner (R - Natchez) - 58.6% AGAINST
Gray Tollison (R - Oxford) - 63.8% AGAINST
Bennie L. Turner (D - West Point) - 64.4% AGAINST
Brice Wiggins (R - Pascagoula) - 62.9% AGAINST

Rep. Andy Gipson (R - Braxton) gets busy amending Senate bills in committee, trying to save House bills floundering in Senate

Word is that Rep. Andy Gipson (R - Braxton) has amended two Senate bills this morning in an effort to save the House anti-immigrant bill and the House forced transvaginal ultrasound bill.  Rep. Gipson amended SB 2549, a counterfeit goods measure, to include the language of the HB 488.  HB 488 was referred by Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves (R) to Senate Judiciary B yesterday, where many think it will die.  Rep. Gipson also amended SB 2771, a bill to increase the penalty for manslaughter against a child, to include the language from the forced transvaginal ultrasound bill, HB 1196.  HB 1196 was also referred to Senate Judiciary B yesterday.

With Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves' pronouncement, the Personhood supporters have won the war; abortion to be effectively outlawed in Mississippi *UPDATED at 10:38 a.m.

What appeared to be one of the greatest surprise political victories in recent Mississippi history looks as though it will have been for naught.  In November, Mississippians overwhelmingly defeated the Personhood Amendment, which would have banned abortion in Mississippi.  But just a few months later Personhood-supporting legislators, many of whom were elected by districts that voted down Personhood, began offering legislation that would undo Personhood's defeat.

One of those bills was HB 1390.  On March 13, 2012, HB 1390, aimed at closing Mississippi's only abortion clinic, passed the House floor after contentious debate.  The bill was then transmitted to the Senate and assigned to Public Health and Welfare, chaired by Sen. Dean Kirby (R - Pearl).  After assigning the bill, Lt. Governor Tate Reeves (R) issued the following press release:

Rep. John Moore (R - Brandon), Chairman of the House Education Committee, on state-funded SuperTalk radio this morning...

I don't listen to the hate circus that is SuperTalk radio outside of the Ramsey family shows, so I missed Rep. John Moore (R - Brandon) on the Gallo Show.  But as I understand it, he said some pretty inflammatory things regarding the charter schools bill that is stalled in his own majority-Republican committee.  Did anyone listen in?  (Not that I expect anyone who listens to that echo chamber to share vignettes of John Moore sticking his foot in his mouth with the readers of this blog, but it's worth a shot.)

***BREAKING*** - Intrigue builds as House Education Committee may not pass Senate charter school bill

Representatives were called into Republican Speaker Philip Gunn's office today prior to the House Education Committee meeting, at which the Senate charter schools bill was to be presented.  The intention of the meeting was to press Education Committee members into voting for the bill.  The effort may not have worked, however, as Chairman John Moore (R - Brandon) announced during the committee meeting that there had been a late development. The bill was laid on the table subject to call, and the committee adjourned until tomorrow morning.  There's much more, though.

Women's Rights march set for Thursday, March 29 in Jackson, Mississippi

From a Women Are Representing press release:

JACKSON, MS - Women Are Representing (W.A.R.) will host a rally, silent protest and march in Jackson, Miss., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 29.  W.A.R. is the Mississippi chapter of Unite Women, a national organization formed to unite Americans in the fight to preserve women's rights.

Last fall, a majority of Mississippi voters -- 58% -- said "NO" to the Personhood Amendment. Despite that fact, 29 bills concerning reproductive health have been introduced this year in Mississippi's legislature, each ambiguously defining limits to our medical care. W.A.R. believes Mississippi legislators should focus on issues of importance to all Mississippians rather than continuing to ignore the views of the citizens they represent.

“We have so many issues in this state that ultimately affect our health: poverty, illiteracy, high dropout rates, obesity, heart disease and diabetes, infant mortality and STDs,” event coordinator Jill Butler said.

“These are not political issues. These are health and social issues vital to the lives of every citizen and family in this state.”

“We hope every Mississippian will join us on this day to show our legislators that we want them to focus on Mississippi children and families who are here now.”

The march will begin at 10 a.m. at Smith Park (Corner of Yazoo and N Congress Streets,) and end at the Capitol, where a rally and silent protest will be held until 2 p.m. This is a come as you are, come and go event.

For more information (or to join the group), contact W.A.R. at WomenAreRepresenting@gmail.com.

Hinds County Democratic Women to meet Saturday in Jackson

From a press release of the Hinds County Federation of Democratic Women:


Hinds County Democratic Women Have Tea on March 31, 2012

JACKSON — Women of the Hinds County Federation of Democratic Women will have
an annual membership tea at the Municipal Art Gallery this Saturday. The membership
has invited the Honorable Gloria Williamson to speak to their membership about women
becoming involved in Mississippi politics.

The tea is being held from 2:00pm to 5:00pm and light refreshments and drinks will be
provided. There will be a small silent auction during the event, and women around Hinds
County are invited to attend and learn how to become politically active.

“We want to encourage and nurture women around our county, to become apart of the
political process and not allow the conservative agenda to run their lives for the next
four years” said Ayana Smothers-Cole, President of the Hinds County Federation of
Democratic Women.

Anyone can become a member if they identify with the ideas of the Democratic Party,
and who want to become a part of the movement that supports respect the rights of
women in our county.

For further details, please contact the Hinds County President at ayanasmotherscole@gmail.com

First District Democratic Convention to be held at Oxford High School this Saturday

Here's the text of a press release from Rickey Cole, Executive Director of the Mississippi Democratic Party:

OXFORD - Over 200 Democrats representing the twenty-two counties of the First Congressional District will convene at 10 AM on Saturday, March 31st at Oxford High School for their quadrennial convention.  The congressional district convention will elect six delegates and one alternate to attend the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, NC this September.  Thirty-seven candidates are vying for those seven highly-coveted national delegate and alternate positions. 

 

The convention will also elect fifteen Democrats from the first congressional district to serve as members of the state Democratic executive committee for the 2012-16 term, and will have preliminary discussions on the state party platform issues to be presented at the state convention on June 2 in Jackson.

 

Guest speakers expected to attend include Congressional Nominee Brad Morris, US Senate Nominee Albert Gore, and other party leaders.

 

The convention is open to the press and public.  All interested persons are welcome to attend.

Rep. Jessica Upshaw (R - Diamondhead) and Speaker Philip Gunn (R - Clinton) team up to kill pardon hearings

Two days ago, I mentioned that Rep. Jessica Upshaw (R - Diamondhead) raised a point of order in an attempt to kill the Baria-Moak Amendment on SB 2195.  The Baria-Moak Amendment would require a public hearing before a pardon could be granted.  Had such a law been in place prior to former Governor Haley Barbour's Pardonpalooza in January, the public would have at least been aware that a large number of people were seeking relief from Barbour.

Word underneath the Capitol dome is...

Word underneath the Capitol dome is that House Republicans pushing the Workers Compensation Destruction Act don't have enough votes to win the battle on the House floor.  With help from MASI, they've been pushing hard this week to get those votes, but have been unsuccessful thus far.

Reportedly, the Workers Compensation Destruction Act won't be called up today, but will instead be called up Thursday.

LEGISLATURE PASSES BILL TO RAISE ABW OF BEER TO 8%

Finally, we'll be able to purchase craft beer in Mississippi come July 1, 2012...so long as Gov. Phil Bryant (R) signs the bill.

I'll have the House vote as soon as it's posted.  You can see how the Senate voted here.

Looks like the workers compensation bill has been skipped for the day

It appears as though Rep. Gary Chism (R - Columbus) will not be calling the workers compensation bill up for a vote today.  That can only mean that he and MASI were not successful in twisting enough arms last night and today to get SB 2576 through the House floor.  The deadline to pass SB 2576 from the House is Tuesday, April 3rd.

Inventory tax credit scheme passes house; corporate welfare bill will take $350M from state coffers

At a time when the Republican budget slashes funding for education and virtually every other state service, the Republican House has passed a bill that would slash $350,000,000.00 from the state general fund over the next 6 years.  HB 536 would do away with the inventory tax by giving corporations tax credits against the ad valorem taxes they pay.

Rep. Jeff Smith (R - Columbus) pushing an inventory tax credit scheme that would take approximately $350,000,000.00 from state general fund

Rep. Jeff Smith (R - Columbus) is pushing an effective repeal of the inventory tax that he thinks will lead to more businesses coming into Mississippi.  In short, it's another gimmick to pad the wallets of the PACs who funded Republican election efforts this past year.  Rep. Smith has admitted that this legislation would cost the state about $350M between now and 2019.

The bill would work by giving manufacturers an increasingly large tax credit for ad valorem taxes paid.  By 2019, manufacturers and distributors would get a dollar-for-dollar credit.  By the end of FY2019, this legislation would have taken approximately $350M out of the state coffers.  There is no plan to replace that money, it will have to come from new businesses that are supposed to be brought in by the lure of no inventory taxes.

Audiovisual problems with the House live feed this morning may keep people from following debate on Workers Comp bill

There are problems with the microphones and the voting machine in the House this morning, but it appears as though House staff is working through it.  One of the first items on the agenda will be SB 2576, which is an attack on the rights of Mississippi workers.

***BREAKING*** - Workers Compensation legislation read the third time, may be debated tomorrow

The eyes of workers across the state are on the Capitol, waiting on the House to debate SB 2576, the twin brother of HB 555.  The language in SB 2576 is horrible for the working folks of Mississippi, and has been defeated once already by the House.  You can read about the language in SB 2576 here.

When called up on the calendar today, the bill was read for the third time rather than being debated.  That is a parliamentary move by proponents of the bill that signals they do not have the votes to pass the bill at this time. There will be some heavy leaning on House members tonight to get them to switch their votes from HB 555.  I'll be watching the vote tomorrow, and will let you know who, if anyone, switches.

Rep. Jessica Upshaw (R - Diamondhead) tries to kill public hearing requirement on pardons

Just now, Rep. Jessica Upshaw (R - Diamondhead) has just entered a point of order on the Baria-Moak amendment that would require a public hearing before a pardon could be granted.  The amendment has been set aside for the moment.  If Speaker Gunn's lawyers grant Rep. Upshaw's point of order, the amendment will be dead.

Considering that the Republican leadership has killed every single last piece of legislation that would prevent something like Barbour's Pardongate from happening again, I doubt the amendment will make it far.

Pending amendment would require public hearing before pardons can be granted

Rep. David Baria (D - Bay St. Louis) and Rep. Bobby Moak (D - Bogue Chitto) have offered an amendment to the Parole Board extension legislation that would require a public hearing before any pardon may be granted.  It will be interesting to see how the vote goes.  The amendment is being debating at this moment.

A look at who is behind the Mississippi immigration legislation

I've touched on HB 488 a bit, which is Arizona/Alabama-style anti-immigrant legislation.  It cleared the House back on March 14th after a contentious debate, and now awaits committee assignment in the Senate.  The question has to be asked: why are non-border states like Alabama and Mississippi the hotbed of anti-immigrant legislation?  Well, it always helps to know who is pushing legislation.  In the case of HB 488, we can find out by looking at where its language came from.