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The University of Mississippi on Monday announced the upcoming launch of its new Center on Collegiate Gambling, which researchers describe as the “first of its kind in the nation” amid rising national concern about betting on collegiate sports.

The center was approved by the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees in February and will cost about $700,000 a year. It was conceived to study the “heightened risks” for college students and student athletes caused by the rapid growth of legalized sports betting and online gambling, its founders said. Researchers said the center will now begin hiring staff.

IHL’s approval of the center follows the release of survey results by University of Mississippi researchers showing that 39% of Mississippi college students gambled in a variety of formats in the past year. Of those who engaged in sports betting, 6% of Mississippi college students met criteria for problem gambling as defined by the American Psychiatric Association.

“We really think that this is an issue that affects Mississippi at large,” Hannah Allen-King, executive director of the university’s William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing and assistant professor of public health, said in a news release. “And so, we’re trying to work with our legislators as they debate policy change around gambling in the state.”

Commercial sports betting was effectively banned with a few exceptions until 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a 1992 prohibition. Mississippi allows sports betting now, but only inside casinos.

After the 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision, sports gambling companies launched a full-court press lobbying campaign to bring sports betting to tens of millions of mobile phones around the country, an effort reported to be the fastest expansion of legalized gambling in American history. The companies have poured money into lobbying state legislators, including those in Mississippi.

But Mississippi has remained one of the few holdout states, largely due to fears that legalization could harm the bottom line of the state’s casinos and increase the prevalence of gambling addiction. That hasn’t stopped a thriving black market from taking hold in the state.

In 2024, illegal online betting in Mississippi made up about 5% of the national illegal market, which is about $3 billion in illegal bets in Mississippi, proponents said that year. Supporters of legalization say people will place online sports wagers regardless of whether the practice is legal, so the state should regulate and tax it.

The state House has voted, for the third year in a row, to legalize mobile sports betting during the ongoing 2026 legislative session. But Senate leaders have said they plan to let the measure die again.

Nevertheless, college campuses have become hubs of activity for sports betting and, increasingly, gambling addiction. This has prompted calls for research into mobile sports betting’s growth and impact on young adults. The new center will aim to produce such research, which its founders say is lacking without a national research center in the U.S. dedicated solely to the study of collegiate gambling.

The academic research will focus on college student gambling behaviors ranging from card games to proposition betting and prediction markets. The center will also promote “evidence-based policies and programs to prevent harm,” including training counselors to help students struggling with gambling.

Eight University of Mississippi counselors have already received the certification to better equip them to identify gambling addiction in students, the researchers said.

The rise of collegiate gambling has also led to increased threats directed at athletes, whose performance is now closely tracked by gamblers.

“In a state like Mississippi where we don’t have a lot of professional sports teams, college sports are such a big part of our culture, and a large part of our state population follows and cares about college sports,” Allen-King said. “We’ve seen that it can impact the mental health of student-athletes who are getting threatened and harassed because people are losing money because of their performance during games.

Daniel Durkin, an associate professor of social work who is also one of the center’s founding members, said raising awareness of sports gambling’s prevalence on college campuses will be a central goal.

“Part of the issue right now is everybody’s just having a good time,” Durkin said. “Look at the ads; gambling’s fun. Everybody’s doing it. The seriousness of the issues has not really come to the forefront yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority on Monday sounded skeptical of state laws that allow the counting of late-arriving mail ballots, a persistent target of President Donald Trump.

The court heard arguments in a case from Mississippi that also could affect voters in 13 other states and the District of Columbia, which have grace periods for ballots cast by mail. An additional 15 states that have more forgiving deadlines for ballots from military and overseas voters also could be impacted.

A ruling is expected by late June, early enough to govern the counting of ballots in the 2026 midterm congressional elections.

The court challenge is part of Trump’s broader attack on most mail balloting, which he has said breeds fraud despite strong evidence to the contrary and years of experience in numerous states.

Several conservative justices gave voice to some of Trump’s complaints. Justice Samuel Alito wondered about the appearance of fraud in situations where “a big stash of ballots” that arrive late “radically flipped” an election.

Defending the state law, Mississippi Solicitor General Scott Stewart pointed out that the Trump administration and its allies in the case have yet to submit a single case of fraud due to late-arriving mail ballots.

The court’s liberal justices indicated they would uphold state laws with post-Election Day deadlines.

“The people who should decide this issue are not the courts, but Congress, the states and Congress,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor said.

Forcing states to change their practices just a few months before the election risks “confusion and disenfranchisement,” especially in places that have had relaxed deadlines for years, state and big-city election officials told the court in a written filing.

California, Texas, New York and Illinois are among the states with post-Election Day deadlines. Alaska, with its vast distances and often unpredictable weather, also counts late-arriving ballots.

Lawyers for the Republican and Libertarian parties, as well as Trump’s administration, are asking the justices to affirm an appellate ruling that struck down a Mississippi law allowing ballots to be counted if they arrive within five business days of the election and are postmarked by Election Day.

Justices worried over the slippery-slope problems that could arise no matter who wins the case.

Ballots could be received until the start of the next Congress, two months after the election, Justice Neil Gorsuch suggested.

On the other side, Justice Elena Kagan said the logic of the challenge to late-arriving ballots also would be used to rule out early voting and absentee ballots.

Limits on early-voting also seemed to bother Chief Justice John Roberts, who seemed the conservative member of the court most likely to side with Mississippi.

The court also grappled with whether state laws allowing for late-arriving ballots from military and overseas ballots could survive.

Last year, Trump signed an executive order on elections that aims to require votes to be “cast and received” by Election Day. The order has been blocked in pending court challenges.

At the same time, four Republican-dominated states — Ohio, Kansas, North Dakota and Utah — eliminated grace periods last year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures and Voting Rights Lab.

The issue at the Supreme Court is whether federal law sets a single Election Day that requires ballots to be both cast by voters and received by state officials.

In striking down Mississippi’s grace period, Judge Andrew Oldham of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote that the state law allowing the late-arriving ballots to be counted violated federal law.

Oldham and the other two judges who joined the unanimous ruling, James Ho and Stuart Kyle Duncan, all were appointed by Trump during his first term.

Update, 3/23/2026: This story has been updated with additional details.

Most sane people who have witnessed the way the Mississippi Legislature sets a final state budget – all willy-nilly in a flurry of last minute haggling late of a Saturday night – have come away thinking there has to be a better way.

House Speaker Jason White is one of those. A veteran House lawmaker, when he became speaker in 2024, he vowed to end the college-student-who-put-off-writing-a-paper method of setting most of a multi-billion dollar state budget late on a Saturday night. Last year, he put that into action, with House leaders going home for the week and declining to parlay on “conference weekend.”

But things had already gone off the rails before then, when the Senate accidentally agreed to a sea-change tax policy bill because of typos in their offer. Instead of allowing the Senate to fix its error – as is custom – the House adopted the typo tax bill and sent it to the governor, who signed it into law.

The House and Senate GOP leadership were so sideways with each other they ended the session without setting a budget. The governor used one of his few powers over the legislative branch, and called them back into special session. A governor cannot control what lawmakers pass in a special session, but he sets the agenda on what they can consider.

House and Senate leaders have been pretty sideways with each other this session on most major issues. That has most people at the Capitol, including many lawmakers, wondering, first, if there will be a true conference weekend this coming Saturday and Sunday and, second, whether the Legislature will again cede some of its budget-setting power to the governor this year.

This brings up a legislative conundrum: Scurrying at the last moment to set a budget can be a bad way to do things, and mistakes happen. On the other hand, legislatures require deadlines to ever get anything done, else the 174 elected A-type personalities would keep debating ad infinitum. Also, legislatures typically don’t like handing any of their power over to a governor.

Here’s a refresher on how budget setting went last year:

House gives Senate 5 p.m. deadline to come to table, or legislative session ends with no state budget

Legislative session crashes, budget dies over feuding between GOP House, Senate leaders

Mississippi lawmakers end 2025 session unable to agree (or even meet about) state budget

Tempers flare, ‘Demon chipmunk’ reads bills as Mississippi lawmakers try to pass a belated state budget

Gov. Reeves will call special session next week to pass state budget

House passes bill that threatens Mississippi’s Medicaid funding, then skedaddles, leaves Senate holding bag

Quote of the Week

“Is that even legal?” – Rep. Dan Eubanks

“It’s not illegal.” – Rep. Lee Yancey

This was an exchange on the House floor between the two lawmakers over a bill that would allow people outside of Mississippi to be certified by a Mississippi physician to use medical marijuana.

In Brief

State’s credit outlook improved from negative to stable

S&P Global Ratings has moved Mississippi’s outlook from negative to stable, a move that can help the state and taxpayers with better rates when borrowing money.

The agency had lowered Mississippi’s outlook to negative in 2024, citing concerns about weak state economic trends, continuing tax cuts the state’s government pension plan.

S&P’s new outlook cites the state’s “commitment to structural budget balance and maintenance of healthy reserves … despite modest revenue decline from recent tax reductions and generally slower economic growth compared with that of the U.S.” It also cites pension plan changes lawmakers made last year that it said should help stabilize the system. – Geoff Pender

Wiggins wants to revive civics ed proposal

Before the legislative session ends, Sen. Brice Wiggins wants to reup his proposal to require civics education in high school.

SB 2292 would have required high schoolers to complete a civics class before being able to graduate,  but it was never taken up by the House Education Committee.

Though no bill has been altered yet, Wiggins, a Republican from Pascagoula, said that “options exist” to revive the proposal and he’s looking into doing so. – Devna Bose

Prison health measure in negotiation

The House has invited further negotiation on legislation introduced for a second year by Rep. Justis Gibbs, a Democrat from Jackson, that would ensure that if prisoners are forced to use strong cleaning chemicals, prison officials must provide them with protective equipment such as face masks, gloves, protective helmets and eye protection.

The measure is a response to the case of Susan Balfour, who died of breast cancer after she said prison health care providers failed to offer her necessary medical screenings and treatment.

Last year, the measure died in negotiations with the Senate. The Senate has been reluctant to advance proposals to improve prison health care in Mississippi. The House bill came out of the House Corrections Committee with the support of Republican Chairwoman Becky Currie, who has vowed to continue pushing to pass a slate of prison health care reforms before the legislative sessions concludes. – Michael Goldberg

Ice storm aid bills considered

House and Senate bills to defray the costs of repairs from the damage of the recent winter storm are headed to final negotiations.

Both HB 4069 and SB 3229 would allow the state to borrow money to loan to Entergy and other electric providers to help with the cost of repairs from the recent winter storm.

The bills are similar to one that was passed to assist after Hurricane Katrina. Legislators have said that this would prevent providers from passing along the costs to customers. They estimate costs to Entergy alone will be around $200 million. – Katherine Lin

Diaper tax break added to ag bill

The House last week passed an amendment to exempt diapers from sales taxes to a bill that would provide an exemption for some agricultural and logging equipment.

The Senate has invited more debate on the issue.

Rep. Dana McLean, a Republican from Columbus, successfully offered the amendment for the tax break on diapers. She said that when lawmakers passed a ban on abortions, they vowed to help mothers and babies, “and that includes what we can do in terms of tax exemptions to help take care of children.” – Katherine Lin

By the Numbers

$390 million

Amount of annual budget increase the Mississippi Division of Medicaid is asking lawmakers for, after federal COVID-19 dollars for the agency have dried up.

More Legislative Coverage

Senate revives PERS proposals. Plan would pump $1B into retirement system

Senate proposals that would put more than $1 billion into Mississippi’s government pension system are back in play after being killed by the House earlier this legislative session. Read the story.

Lawmakers in Mississippi consider bill to restrict abortion medication

House lawmakers are deliberating sending a bill to Gov. Tate Reeves that would make it illegal for doctors to prescribe medication that could be used to induce abortion to patients in Mississippi. Read the story.

Mississippi Medicaid asks legislators to boost budget after COVID-19 funds run out

Lawmakers have been stunned by the agency’s request for a significant increase from last year and baffled by budget requests made by the agency and governor’s office, which differ by tens of millions of dollars. Read the story.

We are in the midst of a seismic shift in wealth. This phenomenon, often referred to as the “Great Wealth Transfer,” describes the unprecedented movement of assets from the Baby Boomer generation to their heirs – an estimated $105 trillion by 2048. And women are poised to inherit most of this.

J.P. Morgan Wealth Management’s 2025 Investor Study found that women are not only set to receive significant wealth – they’re actively working to build it on their own. Ninety-three percent of women surveyed who are expecting an inheritance aren’t relying on it to reach their goals.

Here are a few tips for women to consider in their wealth-building journey.

Create a financial roadmap

A detailed, well thought out plan is important. J.P. Morgan’s study found that 90% of those surveyed with a plan feel confident about reaching their financial goals, compared to 49% without one.

Your plan should reflect your unique goals, priorities and circumstances. Consider your investment horizon and risk tolerance, and remember to revisit your plan regularly as life evolves.

Are you saving up for goals like buying a house, sending your kids off to college or retiring early? Where do you want to be in the next five, ten or twenty years? Everyone’s financial situation is unique, so it’s important to think about these questions and build a plan that is unique to your life.

Women tend to live longer than men on average. Many take career breaks or care for family members, which can influence long-term planning. It’s important to adjust your strategy with these factors in mind.

Where to start with investing

Don’t let misconceptions hold you back. Starting to invest doesn’t require a large sum, and beginning early can be beneficial. The earlier you start, the more time your money has to potentially grow over the years. Understand your overall financial situation, set clear goals and develop a long-term plan.

It’s important to also make sure you’re covered for unexpected expenses that come up before you start to invest. Build up a cash emergency fund, typically enough to cover three to six months of expenses, and pay down any high-interest debt.

Taking charge of your finances

The good news is that women are taking charge of their finances. J.P. Morgan’s research found that 75% of women respondents make financial decisions with their partner or take the lead themselves. For those who have a spouse or partner, it’s important for each person in the relationship to play an active role in the process.

Building wealth can be empowering for many women. The same survey found that 73% of women respondents said money gives them “security,” while 64% of Gen Z and Millennial women associated it with “freedom.”

The power of having a team

Some people find it helpful to work with a financial advisor, so you don’t have to tackle things alone. An advisor can help you craft a plan tailored to your needs and keep you on track throughout your lifelong financial journey. If you expect to receive an inheritance, you should also consult with estate planning and tax professionals.

No matter where you are on your wealth-building path, education is key. It’s so important to be an informed investor, and there are plenty of resources out there to help. You can find a library of free educational resources at chase.com/theknow.

As the landscape of wealth continues to evolve, women have a unique opportunity to shape their financial futures and those of generations to come. By staying informed and planning ahead, women have the tools to help them confidently navigate the Great Wealth Transfer and set themselves up for financial freedom.

The views, opinions, estimates and strategies expressed herein constitutes the author’s judgment based on current market conditions and are subject to change without notice, and may differ from those expressed by other areas of J.P. Morgan. This information in no way constitutes J.P. Morgan Research and should not be treated as such. You should carefully consider your needs and objectives before making any decisions. For additional guidance on how this information should be applied to your situation, you should consult your advisor.  

JPMorgan Chase & Co., its affiliates, and employees do not provide tax, legal or accounting advice. You should consult your own tax, legal and accounting advisors before engaging in any financial transaction.  

Investing involves market risk, including possible loss of principal, and there is no guarantee that investment objectives will be achieved. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. 

Diversification and asset allocation does not ensure a profit or protect against loss. 

J.P. Morgan Wealth Management is a business of JPMorgan Chase & Co., which offers investment products and services through J.P. Morgan Securities LLC (JPMS), a registered broker-dealer and investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC.  

MINNEAPOLIS — Amaya Battle hit a tiebreaking jump shot with less than a second left, lifting Minnesota past Mississippi 65-63 in the second round of the women’s NCAA Tournament on Sunday to reach the Sweet 16 for the first time in 21 years.

Battle, who finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, took the inbound pass near the paint and dribbled out along the baseline for more space before swishing the winner and landing on her back.

The No. 4 seed Gophers (24-8) swarmed their senior point guard in a frenzied celebration, before regrouping for the final possession. Tianna Thompson’s 3-point try for the No. 5 seed Rebels (24-12) from the top of the key on the other end hit the front of the rim and fell short.

Mara Braun scored 17 points for the Gophers, including the tying 3-pointer with 1:17 remaining before helping force a shot-clock violation by the Rebels on the ensuing possession. Sophie Hart, who added 10 points, gave the Gophers their first lead since early in the third quarter with a determined drop-step to the basket for a short bank shot with 18 seconds left.

Latasha Lattimore answered Hart with the tying layup with 3 seconds remaining, before Battle sent the Gophers to Sacramento, California, to face the winner of Monday’s game between No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 8 seed Oklahoma State.

Cotie McMahon fouled out for Mississippi with 4:22 left with 15 points, putting the senior transfer and leading scorer on the bench for the crucial final stretch, as the Rebels went the next 3:41 without scoring.

___

AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-womens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness

The U.S. Supreme Court could soon end Mississippi’s practice of counting mail-in absentee ballots that arrive after Election Day, a decision that could have a ripple effect nationwide and sow confusion for November’s midterm elections. 

The high court will listen to oral arguments on Monday to determine whether a Mississippi law that allows election workers to process mail-in absentee ballots for up to five days after the election, as long as the ballots are postmarked by Election Day, conflicts with federal law. 

Mississippi is among 18 states and the District of Columbia that accept mailed ballots received after Election Day, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The state Legislature enacted a law in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to give voters a grace period for mailing their ballots. 

In 2024, the Mississippi Republican Party, the Republican National Committee, a Mississippi voter and a county election official filed the federal lawsuit challenging the five-day window.  The state Libertarian Party filed a similar lawsuit a few weeks later, which was combined with the first suit. 

The parties argued that the state law conflicted with the federal law setting the Tuesday after the first Monday in November as the “election day.”

U.S. District Judge Louis Guirola Jr., a George W. Bush-appointed judge, initially ruled last year in Gulfport that there was no conflict between the state and federal laws.

“Congress set a national election day to avoid the ‘evils’ of burdening citizens with multiple election days and of risking undue influence upon voters in one state from the announced tallies in states voting earlier,” Guirola wrote. “Neither of those concerns is raised by allowing a reasonable interval for ballots cast and postmarked by election day to arrive by mail.”  

But a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit Court of Appeals later reversed him, and the full court declined to rehear the case. 

Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office is defending Secretary of State Michael Watson in court and has argued that the five-day window after Election Day does not provide additional days for voters to cast a ballot. Rather, it’s simply an extra cushion for election workers to count the ballots. 

“Under federal law, election day is the day for voters to conclusively choose federal officers. Voters make that conclusive choice by casting — marking and submitting — their ballots by election day,” Fitch’s office wrote in court papers. 

The Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in the spring. If it rules in favor of the political parties, it would essentially invalidate the states that have a mail-in grace period law on the books.

The Mississippi Legislature passed a so-called “trigger” bill this year that would abolish the five-day grace period if the court rules against the state. The governor has until Monday to sign the bill into law or veto it. 

As Republicans surged to take control of  state government in the 1990s and 2000s, no two Democratic Mississippi politicians were more despised by members of the upstart party than Ronnie Musgrove and Billy McCoy.

McCoy served from 2004 until 2012 as the last Democratic speaker of the Mississippi House while Musgrove served from 1996 until 2000 as the state’s last Democratic lieutenant governor and from 2000 until 2004 as Mississippi’s last Democratic governor.

They also served together in the Mississippi Legislature – for a time with Musgrove as chair of the Senate Education Committee and McCoy as head of House Education.

In more recent times, observers of the Mississippi Legislature have been perplexed with the ongoing feud that seems to be occurring between the Republican leadership of the House and Senate. That tension appears particularly intense between Senate Education Chair Dennis DeBar of Leakesville and his House counterpart, Rob Roberson of Starkville.

After the Senate Education Committee killed a House bill that, among other things, would send public funds to private schools, some school choice supporters, including House Speaker Jason White, either faked outrage or were unfamiliar with what is often part of the legislative process – bills routinely being killed.

But at any rate, after the Senate Education Committee by a vote of the members, not solely on the action of DeBar, killed the school choice proposal, Roberson killed all the Senate Education bills.

The actions were just the latest of the ongoing tensions between House and Senate Republicans. How could fellow Republicans be at such odds with each other?

“All things old are new again.”

In the 1995 session, as Education Committee chair, McCoy killed a Senate bill that was especially important to Musgrove.

The massive bill proposed a number of things, including beginning the process of the state moving to a new funding formula – the Mississippi Adequate Education Program. When eventually enacted in 1997, the formula was credited by education experts as helping Mississippi avoid losing a costly school equity funding lawsuit such as those other states had faced. In addition, among other important items, the bill in 1995 would have provided an annual $6,000 salary supplement for teachers earning master certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

McCoy ultimately supported most of the items in the bill. And like Musgrove, McCoy played a key role in their ultimate passage into law.

But for whatever reason, perhaps because of the number of issues rolled up in the one bill, McCoy, a strong-willed Prentiss County farmer, killed the legislation in the 1995 session.

Musgrove, also from north Mississippi – a Panola County attorney and also strong-willed – was not happy. He killed the House education bills.

“I thought it was important he understood the Senate also should have a voice in the process,” Musgrove, now an Oxford resident, recalled recently.

And what eventually happened? Like with all legislative sessions, accommodations and compromises were made to ensure the bills needing to be passed to keep the public schools open were passed. Legislative rules were suspended and key bills were revived.

The Mississippi Adequate Education Program was not passed that year. But it became law two years later and McCoy, like Musgrove and others, played a key role in its passage.

Despite that 1995 disagreement and many others, McCoy and Musgrove worked together to enact major changes besides MAEP, including historic teacher pay raises, the humane air-conditioning of public school classrooms, the enactment of a 1-cent sales tax dedicated to education, the inclusion of teachers on the state employee insurance program and many others.

The former governor recalls a negotiation with McCoy where he proposed taking a portion of the 1-cent sales tax and providing teachers an annual allocation to buy classroom supplies.

“He said, ‘Musgrove, that is the best idea you have had,’” Musgrove remembered.

McCoy died in 2019.

Musgrove said while he and McCoy butted heads, they both cared deeply about public education and never lost respect for each other, though they often cursed each other and killed each other’s bills.

Sometimes, that is just part of the legislative process.

Senate proposals that would put more than $1 billion into Mississippi’s government pension system are back in play after being killed by the House earlier this legislative session.

Sen. Daniel Sparks, a Republican from Belmont, has revived six of his dead proposals that would make changes to the state’s Public Employees’ Retirement System by inserting that language in House Bill 4073. The amended bill passed the Senate on Tuesday.

The proposed changes would put $1 billion into the state retirement system over 10 years, starting with $500 million this July, and an additional $50 million a year over 10 years for cost-of-living increases. 

The retirement system, which covers about 350,000 public employees or retirees and represents about 10% of the state’s population, has unfunded liabilities of about $26 billion.

Last year, to try to shore up the underfunded system, the Legislature created a new plan with fewer benefits for people hired after March 1o of this year. It’s a hybrid of a defined contribution plan, similar to the 401(k) system many private employers offer, and a defined benefit plan, which the state has had for decades.  

But opponents of last year’s changes say that many public employees, paid at an average of $50,000 a year, are incentivized to work for the state because of the promise of robust retirement benefits at the end of their years of service. The reduced benefits, they say, could make it harder to attract and retain workers.

Some state Democrats want to get rid of the new “Tier 5” category entirely. While Sparks’ revisions roll back some of the components that would impact new hires, he still believes the new category is necessary.

“There are lots of things I don’t want to do, but we have to run a balanced budget,” he said. “My number one commitment from Day One is to meet our obligations for Tier 1 through Tier 4 and pay them everything they’re owed, but for the next tier we had to be more sensible.”

Most notably, Sparks’ changes would bring down the years of service required to retire with full benefits from 35 to 30 for all state employees hired after March 1 and put $50 million in a fund to go toward cost-of-living increases for Tier 5 employees. 

While cost-of-living adjustments aren’t guaranteed for state employees that fall into the new bracket of the retirement system — it’s something the Legislature must vote on every year — Sparks said this specific allocation sends a message that it’s a priority for the state. 

“We mean what we say,” he said. 

The amended bill would also make clear that every state employer shares a portion of the state’s unfunded PERS liabilities, correct a quirk in state law that doesn’t allow state employees to make catch up contributions to Roth retirement plans, and sweeten the pot for retirees who want to return to work. 

Currently, people who have retired from state service can return for pay at 25% of their highest four years of service, or they can return part-time for half-pay, all while drawing full benefits. One provision of the bill would also allow people to come back to work at up to 80% of their position’s salary and get insurance benefits. 

Only elected officials, K-12 superintendents and administrators at community colleges and universities are excluded. 

“We’re losing all this institutional knowledge,” Sparks said. “Through this, they can return to work and we can get their knowledge and mentorship and fill vacancies.”

The House on Friday declined to agree on the bill. That means the chambers negotiate and try to come to agreement before next week’s deadline to keep the legislation alive. 

The House’s major PERS proposals are still alive and included in the chamber’s teacher pay raise plan. But Senate leaders say they’re not interested in taking up the House’s bill, so it’s likely to die on the March 26 deadline.

University of Mississippi Medical Center revenue fell roughly 20% below budget in February, the month a cyberattack struck the hospital system and led it to cancel all elective surgeries and appointments for nine days. 

The medical center was about $34.2 million short of its expected $194.1 million in operating revenue in February, according to budget reports. But hospital leaders say they anticipate revenue will rebound as patient care charges logged on paper during the attack are input into the hospital’s computer system and as the medical center reschedules postponed surgeries. 

“We really think that we won’t see the true catch-up picture, until maybe even, you know, March, April, the end of the fiscal year,” said Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMMC’s vice chancellor for health affairs at an Institutions of Higher Learning committee meeting Wednesday. The state’s fiscal year ends June 30. 

In February, UMMC closed clinics statewide and canceled scheduled appointments and surgeries after discovering a cyberattack on its IT systems, forcing the shutdown of computer systems that hold patients’ electronic health records. 

UMMC is the state’s largest public medical system, operating seven hospitals and 35 clinics statewide, and it provides a significant level of care to low-income and uninsured patients regardless of their ability to pay.

For nine days, medical staff cared for patients using paper charts — some for the first time in their careers — and without access to Wi-Fi or phone lines. The hospital resumed normal operations on March 2.

Roughly 650 surgeries were delayed during the cyberattack, said Jennifer Sinclair, UMMC’s chief financial officer. She said canceled appointments and surgeries have been rescheduled, and their financial impact should appear in revenue figures in coming months. 

Woodward said clinic and operating room hours have been extended to accommodate postponed appointments. 

Attacks using ransomware, or malicious software that holds computer systems or data hostage in demand for a payment, can have severe financial consequences for hospitals beyond a ransom, said Dr. Christian Dameff, an associate professor and co-director of the Center for Healthcare Cybersecurity at the University of California San Diego. 

“They require, afterwards, a lot of money to try to shore up defenses,” Dameff said. “These are types of things that can cause systemic issues or risks to financial solvency for some organizations.” 

A 2020 cyberattack on the University of Vermont Medical Center resulted in the academic medical center losing access to its electronic medical record system for 28 days and cost the system about $65 million, according to Vermont Public. Like the attack on UMMC, it led to canceled health appointments and impeded residents’ access to specialized care.

Other UMMC expenses are on budget, and the hospital’s net income is about $8.6 million behind budget for the year, Sinclair said. 

Sinclair said all patient care charges from the same time period as the cyberattack should be reflected in the electronic system by the end of March, which means next month’s financial statements will likely more accurately show the impact of the cyberattack. 

“That will catch up in March and will get a better reflection of what impact really was,” Sinclair said.