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After bitter debate — and accusations of lawmakers lying and profiteering — the state House killed a Senate bill aimed at creating a legislative alternative to the Mississippi medical marijuana program voters overwhelmingly added to the state Constitution in November.

But the Senate on Wednesday evening tried a hail Mary on the marijuana bill. Lawmakers inserted the Senate measure’s language into a House bill dealing with research on cannabidiol, or CBD oil, for patients with seizures or other illness, known as “Harper Grace’s Law.” The amended bill — which could revive the Senate’s medical marijuana proposal — passed 29-19, with Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann overruling objections that the amendment improperly altered an unrelated bill.

Sen. Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, author of the medical marijuana bill, offered the amendment as a chance to “give (the House) a second bite at the apple.”

If the House doesn’t go for the last-ditch effort, the question of whether Mississippi will have a medical marijuana program anytime soon rests with the Supreme Court, which is set to hear next month a challenge to the voter-passed Initiative 65 marijuana program.

After multiple parliamentary challenges to Senate Bill 2765 ground business to a halt in the House on Wednesday — the deadline for its passage by that chamber — Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, motioned the bill to be “laid on the table.” With the House later adjourning for the day, this killed the measure. Many lawmakers applauded when Lamar made the motion. The bill had brought hours of heated debate in the Senate, and its passage in the House, facing bipartisan opposition, was in doubt even after House amendments.

Before the bill was killed, Rep. Joel Bomgar, R-Madison, an ardent supporter and financial backer of Initiative 65, accused Lamar of running “a ruse” and said the bill was aimed at “screwing over everybody who voted for Initiative 65.” Bomgar in committee last week had successfully gutted the Senate bill with an amendment to substitute the language voters passed with Initiative 65. But he claimed this week that his amendment was improperly altered before the bill came to the floor and on Wednesday claimed Lamar planned to revert back to the Senate version all along after Lamar tried to offer a new amendment.

“The people have spoken on this,” Bomgar said. “… The Supreme Court will rule in a month. There’s no reason for this (bill) … Nobody believes this will turn into anything approaching Initiative 65.”

Lamar responded: “The gentleman just lied to everybody in this body.” He said he was trying to match the bill’s language as close as possible to Initiative 65 and keep the measure alive to have further negotiations with the Senate.

“This baby has fallen in my lap, and I’m just rocking it,” Lamar said. After multiple parliamentary challenges on the bill and amendments, Lamar made the motion that killed the measure.

Rep. Jill Ford, R-Madison, a vocal opponent of Initiative 65, during floor debate called for an Ethics Committee investigation into whether any House members have improper financial interests in the potential medical marijuana industry. She was told she would have to file such a request in writing, which she later did, citing legislative rules and a provision in the state Constitution that elected officials cannot personally benefit from their official actions. Ford would not say at whom her claims were aimed.

“I’d rather not say,” Ford said after the House action. “There are possibly people in here who could financially benefit, and I was to make sure we as a body are following the rules and law when we’re voting on bills and amendments.”

Bomgar declined comment or interview this week, as he has done for about a year.

READ MORE: Mississippi’s medical marijuana mess

Senate Bill 2765 was originally a legislative alternative to the medical marijuana program voters overwhelmingly approved in November with Ballot Initiative 65, which is now being challenged in the state Supreme Court. The bill passed the Senate only after much wrangling and a “do-over” vote in the wee hours of the morning in mid-February. It was initially drafted to create its own medical marijuana program, regardless of whether the court upholds the voter-passed program. But it was amended during heated Senate debate to take effect only if the courts strike down the voter-passed program.

The legislative move had many Initiative 65 supporters crying foul, claiming the Legislature was trying to usurp the will of the voters. After lawmakers failed for years to approve use of medical marijuana despite a groundswell of public support, voters took matters in hand in November with Initiative 65.

A key difference between Initiative 65 and the Senate’s proposal is that under the voter-passed initiative, the Legislature cannot tax marijuana sales, nor spend any money the program generates. The Senate proposal would levy taxes and fees on cultivators, dispensaries and patients that some lawmakers estimated could bring hundreds of millions of dollars into state coffers.

Hosemann on Wednesday evening said he doesn’t understand why many proponents of Initiative 65 are opposing the Senate efforts. He said if the high court strikes down Initiative 65, and the Senate backup is not passed, there will not be a state medical marijuana program in the short run. He vowed “100 percent” that the Senate plans to keep the “trigger” language in the bill, that the legislative marijuana program would be enacted only if the court strikes down the voter-approved one.

“Our senators believe that the people in Mississippi voted on medical marijuana and they deserve to have that … a backup plan,” Hosemann said. He called opposition saying lawmakers are trying to usurp the will of the voters or greatly alter what they passed, “subterfuge.”

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Mississippi lawmakers passed a bill that allows residents to buy medicines like Sudafed and Claritin-D that contain ephedrine or pseudoephedrine without a prescription. 

If signed by Gov. Tate Reeves, the law would go into effect on January 1, 2022.

Mississippi is currently one of only two states still requiring a prescription for medicines containing pseudoephedrine. The Legislature passed a bill adding the prescription requirement in 2010.

One of the main factors in federal and state-level restrictions on the sale of both ephedrine and pseudoephedrine is their use for the manufacture of methamphetamine. Their use is less prevalent in that process now than they were when restrictions like this were introduced, as alternatives have become cheaper and more widely available. 

Ephedrine is also banned by the NCAA, MLB, NFL, and PGA as a performance enhancing drug. 

Though the bill would somewhat open up the sale of these substances in Mississippi, it still comes with substantive regulations. A person purchasing a medication containing these substances without a prescription has to be at least eighteen years old, sign a record for each purchase and provide a copy of their Mississippi ID.

Pharmacies selling products authorized under the bill also have to use the National Precursor Log Exchange (NPLEX) system, which tracks the sale of both substances in the United States, for each purchase.

The bill also prevents “pharmacy hopping” to stockpile these stimulants by limiting an individual’s purchase of medications containing them to 3.6 grams in one day and 7.2 grams per month.

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Mississippi Today Editor-At-Large Marshall Ramsey talks with Jackson native and nationally known comedian Rita Brent about success, meditation, creativity, talent and what it’s like when your career is sideswiped by a pandemic. Brent discusses her journey from National Guard drummer to stand-up comedian — and beyond. A great episode for anyone who has a dream.

This is Episode 5 of Mississippi Stories.

The post Mississippi Stories: Comedian Rita Brent appeared first on Mississippi Today.

A few of us were tramping up and down the overgrown, sometimes prickly fairways of the former Colonial Country Club golf course in northeast Jackson near dusk recently. Renowned golf course designer Rob Collins was explaining the routing of a proposed par-4 hole when Luke Guarisco, who owns the property, pointed in another direction.

“Well, would you look at that,” Guarisco interjected. So we did. More than a hundred yards away, a herd of at least 20 deer, in no apparent hurry, pranced through dappled sunlight in another abandoned fairway right there in the middle of the city.

If Collins and Guarisco have their ways, those deer will soon have the company of golfers for the first time since Colonial shut down operations in 2014. Their vision: Brazen Head, a 12-hole public golf course in a city that badly needs quality public golf.

You read right: 12 holes, a nod to the past and possibly the future of golf. The Old Course at St. Andrews, the birthplace of golf, once consisted of 12 holes. Prestwick Golf Club, another historic Scottish links course, hosted the first 12 Open Championships on its original 12-hole layout. No lesser a golf authority than Jack Nicklaus has touted 12-hole rounds as the future of golf because of the time constraints of modern lifestyles.

And there’s this: 12 holes is what the available 100 acres of gently rolling land at old Colonial will best accommodate. (A 200-unit luxury apartment complex already occupies part of the old Colonial property.)

Will it happen? It is not a certainty, but Guarisco, a Baton Rouge-based investor, has hired the renowned King-Collins golf design group of Chattanooga to design and then operate the course. Guarisco, who says he is putting up “a huge hunk of my own change,” is looking for additional investors. He may not have to look far because King-Collins has an impressive track record.

This Brazen Head project seems less a long shot than was Sweetens Cove, a nine-hole course a half-hour west of Chattanooga in South Pittsburg, Tenn., one of golf architecture’s darlings of the 21st century. Sweetens, opened in 2014, has been chosen Tennessee’s top golf course and No. 50 in the U.S. by Golfweek. In 2017, the New York Times called it “The Little Course that Could.” Every available tee time (Thursday-through-Sunday) has been booked April 1 through Oct. 15 on the golf course’s website.

Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning, an avid golfer, is among the chief investors in Sweetens Cove.

Said Collins, who has a landscape architecture degree from Mississippi State, “During the entire design and construction process we thought Sweetens was really special, but, honestly, it has been successful beyond our wildest dreams.”

Now, he and partner Tad King have golf course projects in the works all over: New York, Nebraska, Georgia, Texas, and in Memphis (a re-design of the historic nine hole Overton Park municipal golf course).

Collins says he is “especially pumped” about the Jackson project because of the site itself. “Sweetens Cove was designed on a dead-flat piece of ground, no elevation change at all,” Collins says. “We had to move a whole lot of dirt to get the effect we wanted. Here, we’ve got land that reminds me of Texas hill country, a gently rolling terrain with all those great, old oak trees. The possibilities are really endless. We’d move some dirt around, but nothing like what we had to do at Sweetens Cove.”

King-Collins has designed 12 holes that would offer a nine-hole course with an additional three-hole loop.

Says Guarisco, an avid golfer himself: “A golfer will be able to play all day or just play the three-hole loop on the way home from work or even on a lunch break. When Rob suggested a 12-hole layout, I loved the idea, especially the way those guys (King-Collins) design their courses. There are only nine holes at Sweetens Cove, but you hit every club in the bag. It’s challenging, but it’s a whole lot of fun, too. And they design in a way that requires minimum maintenance, which if you are an investor, you like to hear.”

Other than golf, Guarisco is taking a no-frills approach. There will be no swimming pool, no tennis courts and no lavish clubhouse. At Sweetens, the golf course operates out of a humble building known as The Shed. 

“The emphasis is all on golf. We will have a first-class, affordable public golf course,” Guarisco said.

As for additional investors, Guarisco remains positive to the point he believes construction could begin this autumn.

Said Guarisco, “We’re very confident we will will have a successful capital raise driven by the King-Collins vision and the success of Sweetens Cove.”

The post A new public golf course at Jackson’s old Colonial CC? That’s the plan. appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Read the story behind the cartoon here.

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A Senate bill, opposed by many of the state’s historians, that would give the governor and lieutenant governor authority to appoint members of the Mississippi Archives and History board of trustees was overwhelmingly defeated Tuesday in the House.

Just 18 House members voted for the proposal and 104 opposed it, and it appeared likely that other members who voted for the bill would change their vote before the end of the day. It is historically unusual for a bill that has passed out of committee to suffer such a resounding defeat before the full House.

The bill, the subject of broad public scrutiny this session, would have made the nine-member board that governs the Department of Archives and History subject to appointment by the governor and lieutenant governor and to confirmation by the Senate. Currently, board members appoint their own successors, who are subject to Senate confirmation.

About 50 Mississippi historians wrote a letter in opposition to the bill, asking lawmakers to “not interfere with the independence of an entity that has done so much good work for our state.”

Historians and others noted the agency had received national accolades and has been praised for the opening and operation of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the Mississippi Museum of History. Many feared that giving appointments to the governor and lieutenant governor would introduce politics into the governance of the agency that preserves and documents the state’s history and maintains various historical sites.

Early in debate of the legislation on the House floor Tuesday, it became obvious that Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Chair Randy Boyd, R-Mantachie, was not confident of the bill’s passage.

He told members, “We just want to look at the agency to see if there is a need for some minor changes.”

Boyd amended the Senate bill to ensure it could not go to the governor, but instead to a conference committee of House and Senate leaders to see if the “minor changes” were needed.

But Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, the House minority leader, said if members opposed changing the governance of the agency, they should vote against the bill now. They did.

Though efforts could be made to force another vote on the bill later this week, it would be highly unlikely for such an endeavor to succeed considering the margin by which the proposal was rejected.

Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, asked Boyd, “if you make the best biscuits in town, why would you change the recipe?” Boyd countered that his wife does make the best biscuits, but she always is trying new things with her recipe.

Sen. Mike Thompson, R-Long Beach, the author of the legislation, said the proposal would change the Archives and History Board so that its members would be selected like the governing boards of many other state agencies.

Sen. John Polk, chairman of the Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee, said having the governor and lieutenant governor make appointments would bring new thought and ideas to the board and prevent myopic thinking.

Some feared the bill was an effort to remove the focus or at least lessen the focus on aspects of Mississippi history that might place the state in a bad light, such as the state’s struggles involving slavery and racial issues.

READ MORE: House advances bill that would entangle Mississippi Archives and History board in politics

Before the 2021 session began, Gov. Tate Reeves proposed spending $3 million for a Patriotic Education Fund to combat “indoctrination in the far-left socialist teachings that emphasize America’s shortcomings over the exceptional achievements of this country.”

He added in his budget proposal “revisionist history has aimed to tear down American institutions, and it is poisoning a generation. Capitalism, democracy, and other uniquely American values have been the victims of a targeted campaign from foreign and domestic influence—aiming to destroy the pillars of our society. The United States is the greatest country in the history of the world. No other nation has done more for its citizens or to advance freedom and prosperity across the globe. We need to combat the dramatic shift in education.”

Various sources, though, said Reeves was not pushing the proposal to change the governance of Archives and History, and thus far his “Patriotic Education Fund” has not gained traction in the 2021 legislative process.

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Mississippi Department of Transportation Director Melinda McGrath, who has led the agency for a decade, announced her resignation Tuesday under political fire from lawmakers.

Lawmakers, particularly in the Senate, have been critical of MDOT for cost overruns, delays on projects and other issues and have proposed a bevy of legislation this session aimed at stripping the agency of money and authority.

McGrath, an engineer who worked for MDOT for more than 30 years, announced her resignation to the three-member elected Transportation Commission in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday. She will be leaving March 31, Transportation Commission Chairman Tom King said after the executive session.

McGrath, through an MDOT spokesman, declined comment.

McGrath was up for re-confirmation by the state Senate, which would typically be pro-forma. But Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann had “double-referred” her confirmation to two committees instead of the usual one. Neither has taken up her confirmation, even as the legislative session enters its final weeks. Political observers have raised doubts whether McGrath had enough votes in either the Transportation or Accountability committees to be confirmed.

King on Tuesday praised McGrath’s work, and declined to say whether the resignation was driven by legislative politics, saying: “In all frankness, I just don’t know.” But he noted what he called “anti-transportation” measures pending at the Capitol.

“We have a lot of legislation, what I call anti-transportation, and I’m very surprised and shocked, especially that it’s coming from the Senate,” said King, a longtime former state senator — as is his fellow Commissioner Willie Simmons. “I don’t know the reason for it. It’s very disappointing. We need their help, not opposition.”

King said, “(McGrath) will be truly missed … her vast knowledge and experience and professionalism … She was one of the first females in the whole country to become an executive director of transportation. She’s done a remarkable job.”

In their criticism of MDOT, lawmakers have focused on cost overruns and long delays on finishing major projects such as U.S. 49 widening and improvements, which have dragged on for years and seen overruns well over $100 million.

Pending legislation would strip MDOT in millions a year in funding and redirect it to local governments for city and county road projects, and strip MDOT of its law enforcement branch and put it under the Department of Public Safety.

Hosemann said recently his double referral of McGrath’s confirmation was not a shot at her or effort to oust her, but that many senators have expressed concerns with MDOT and he wanted to give them ample opportunity to address issues with her. He said he questions MDOT’s structure and operations.

MDOT leaders have for years said they need hundreds of millions of dollars a year more to maintain state highways, while lawmakers have balked at finding such increased funding and questioned whether the agency was misspending money or working inefficiently. MDOT leaders’ backing of proposed increases in state gasoline taxes for road work have strained political relationships with some of the GOP legislative leadership.

“(McGrath) has worked tirelessly for over 30 years to provide a safe, efficient and effective transportation system,” the Transportation Commission said in a written statement on Tuesday. “She set a high standard for excellence in engineering, integrity and transparency, not only at MDOT but also nationally … She has also been a pioneer for women in the transportation industry … her contributions and legacy will be felt for years to come.” She served as an engineer-in training, project engineer and chief engineer among many positions in her decades with MDOT.

King said Tuesday that Jeff Altman, currently deputy executive director, will run the agency in the interim until a new director is chosen by the commission, which would be subject to Senate confirmation.

The post MDOT Director Melinda McGrath resigns amid Capitol political fire appeared first on Mississippi Today.

One of the most important deadlines for college financial aid in Mississippi is right around the corner: On March 31, applications come due for the Higher Education Legislative Plan for Needy Students (HELP) grant, the state financial aid program that covers all four years of college tuition for qualifying working-class students.

This is a potentially life-changing opportunity that’s important not to miss, said Stephen Brown, the assistant director of outreach for Get2College, a nonprofit that works to increase the number of students attending college statewide. 

High school seniors who meet the income limitations, have a 2.5 or higher GPA and scored at least a 20 on the ACT can apply online via the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid’s website. After completing the online application, prospective college students hoping to be considered for the HELP grant must also submit supporting documents by April 30.

One of these supporting documents is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the cumbersome paperwork required to receive loans and scholarships. 

Students must complete the FAFSA in order to be considered for the HELP grant. Yet at 108 questions long, the FAFSA is notoriously intimidating. “It freaks families out,” Brown said. The form’s intimidating reputation can dissuade some families — namely working class, Black and brown families who are most likely to qualify for the HELP grant — from apply for financial aid altogether.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Below, Mississippi Today has compiled a short guide to filing the FAFSA along with some advice from Brown on common errors and frequently asked questions. This is by no means a comprehensive document — there are tons of resources out there to help readers apply for financial aid. Get2College, college financial aid offices and high school guidance counselors are particularly eager to help. 

Getting started

Before sitting down to start the FAFSA, Brown said he advises filing students and their parents to make sure they have on-hand the following documents:

• Personal identification, such as social security numbers, driver’s license numbers, and/or permanent resident cards (if applicable)
• Federal income tax returns, including the 1040 form and schedules, and W2s for each parent that files
  • The FAFSA uses federal tax returns from the “prior-prior year” — essentially the taxes you filed two years ago. This year’s FAFSA, which is for the upcoming 2021-2022 school year, uses your 2019 tax information.
• Financial records such as bank statements, investments (excluding retirement savings), and untaxed income, including child support
• Documents reflecting parent’s marital status
• Court papers for legal guardianship (if applicable)

The final piece of prep work is to create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID, which students and parents can do online. This serves as the log-in for studentaid.gov and signature for filling out the FAFSA. Students and parents typically both need to make an FSA ID. 

Brown said it’s important not lose, forget, or confuse your FSA ID.

“With the FSA ID, for every family that I work with, not only do I tell them to write the FSA ID down, but I also tell them to take a picture of it, like a screenshot, and email it to themselves,” Brown said. “Keep that in a secure place — somewhere where you can access that electronically in case the paper (copy) gets lost.” 

Completing the FAFSA

The FAFSA asks for five main buckets of information: Student demographics, school selection, dependency status, parent demographics, and financial information. Mississippi Today has broken down each of these sections below:

Student demographics

This section asks for the student’s demographic and contact information. Much of it will auto-populate from when the student made an FSA ID. 

While this section is relatively straightforward, Brown noted a couple common mistakes:

• Male students, barring very narrow exceptions, must register for the Selective Service System, the government agency in charge of military conscription, in order to receive federal financial aid.
• When asked, all students must select “yes” if they are interested in being considered for federal work study. Students will not be considered for work study if they select “I don’t know,” Brown said. 

Dependency status

This section contains a list of questions that determine whether a student is dependent or independent for the purposes of the FAFSA. It’s not possible to choose whether to file as a dependent or independent student, Brown noted. Congress has set strict FAFSA-specific criteria for dependency status — even a student that lives on their own, files their own taxes, and financial supports themselves may not be considered independent.

“I often hear families say, ‘Oh well my daughter worked this year and she filed her own taxes so she’s gonna go independent,’” Brown said. “You don’t get to choose to be independent. There are very strict criteria that would make you an independent or dependent student.” 

Students who are in a legal guardianship are considered independent students. 

Parent demographics

This section asks for demographic and contact information from the student’s parent(s). Only parents of dependent students need to complete this section. 

Brown said this can be one of the trickiest sections. He noted a number of common errors, including:

• The FAFSA requires information from the parent(s) a student lives with the majority of the time. This often confuses parents who are divorced or separated; the parent who the student lives with files the FAFSA, not the one who claims the student on taxes. If parents are divorced but still live together, both need to complete this section.
• If a student lives with another family member, like a grandparent, but their parents are around, they must still use their parent’s information. 

Brown also noted that some parents can be caught off guard that the FAFSA asks whether they attended college. He said that part is only used for demographic information, not to determine how much aid your child will receive. 

Financial information

This is where taxes and other financial information come into play. It is dispersed through the student and parent demographics sections. 

Rather than enter tax information by hand, Brown encourages families to use the IRS data retrieval tool, which electronically transfers federal tax information from the correct year to the FAFSA form. This makes it a lot easier to fill out the financial information, Brown said. 

Don’t panic if the tool doesn’t work, though. Brown said there are a couple main reasons why the tool may not work: If a student or parent still owes money on their taxes, their names were misspelled on their tax forms, if they’ve been the victim of identity theft. If the tool doesn’t work, it does not mean you cannot file the FAFSA — you can still file, but you will have to enter your information manually. 

“There’s a big misconception, especially with low income families, if they didn’t file taxes, don’t file taxes, or are on disability that it means they can’t complete the FAFSA,” Brown said. “You absolutely can complete the FAFSA.” 

School selection

Students can select to send their FAFSA information to up to 10 colleges. Brown recommends listing at least one college in Mississippi.

FAFSA is signed and submitted. Now what?

All there is to do is wait. Online applications typically take within three to five days to process, while paper ones can take about seven to 10 days, according to the Department of Education. 

After the application is processed, students will receive a copy of their Student Aid Report, which lists their Expected Family Contribution and determines eligibility for Pell Grants. This form is also shared with the financial aid offices at the colleges listed on the student’s FAFSA. They will use it to determine how much financial aid they will offer a student. 

At this stage, students and parents can also file an appeal with a college’s financial aid office if they’ve noticed an error on the Student Aid Report or are unhappy with the amount of aid they’ve received. Brown encourages families to also appeal if their financial situation has changed drastically due to the pandemic but it’s not reflected on their prior-prior tax returns. 

Additional resources

• Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid
• Get2College has a lot of tips and tricks for filing the FAFSA
• SwiftStudent is a free online resource that helps create financial aid appeal letters. 

The post Here’s how to apply for the FAFSA appeared first on Mississippi Today.

The bottom 60% of Mississippi’s income earners would be paying more taxes under legislation that has passed the House while the top 40% would be paying less, according to an analysis conducted by a Washington, D.C.-based policy think tank.

A person in the top 1% with average income of $924,000 would pay $28,610 less in combined state taxes under the sweeping legislation authored by Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, while the next 4% of state income earners would save about $3,760 in taxes on average. Based on the analysis conducted by the Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy, those earning $49,100 or above would pay less in taxes, while individuals earning less than that would pay more in state taxes than they currently are paying.

A person earning $11,000 per year would pay $220 more in taxes, while a person earning $23,000 would pay an additional $270 in taxes, based on the analysis.

The analysis was of the major components of the bill that would:

• Phase out the state’s personal income tax.
• Reduce the state’s 7% tax on groceries to 3.5%.
• Increase the tax on cigarettes 50 cents per pack.
• Increase the sales tax on other retail items 2.5 cents on each dollar spent. That would raise the sales tax on most retail items to 9.5%. Numerous big ticket items, such as farm equipment vehicles, manufacturing equipment and airplanes, which are taxed at lower rates, also would be increased 2.5 cents on each dollar spent.

“We know for sure that the combined impact of the tax plan will make Mississippi’s tax system more inequitable,” said Kyra Roby, a policy analyst for One Voice that advocates for Mississippi’s poor and working families.

House supporters of the massive tax restructuring bill have said the proposal will be revenue neutral at the onset when the sales tax is increased, the grocery tax is cut from 7% to 4.5% and the income tax is eliminated for to bottom almost 60% of wage earners. During the next five years, the grocery tax will be cut to 3.5% and the income tax will be phased out in as few as 10 years. The bill contains a trigger that would postpone a reduction in the income tax in any year it does not meet specified growth standards.

Gunn and House Ways and Means Chair Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, have said the bill would spur growth in the state while broadening the tax base by taxing consumption — sales and excise taxes instead of taxing income. Gunn has long stated as a goal moving the state from taxing income to taxing consumption.

The impact of the bill has been the subject of much debate since it was unveiled on Feb. 22 and passed on the House floor the following day. It is now pending in the Senate. The study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy — known as a progressive think tank that provides analysis of federal, state and local taxes — is the first publicly released analysis of how socioeconomic groups of Mississippians would be impacted by the bill. Roby said the Institute used its tax modeling tool to reach its conclusion.

Both Gov. Tate Reeves and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann have voiced concerns about the bill raising taxes — primarily sales taxes and excise taxes — on certain “big ticket items,” such as airplanes and farm equipment. Hosemann, who presides over the Senate, has requested a study on the impact of the legislation from the state economist. That study is pending and presumably will be concluded before the Senate decides whether to take up the proposal. Other conservative-leaning groups, such as Empower Mississippi, have generally found the bill would positively impact the state.

A study released Monday by Joshua Hendrickson and Ronald Mau, economics professors at the University of Mississippi, found that the bill would increase the state’s gross domestic product by $371 million annually by making the tax structure more efficient. In general, the study found that the income tax, which the House plan would eliminate, creates inefficiencies in the economy while a tax on consumption, such as the sales tax which would be increased by the House plan, does the opposite.

Gunn said the Ole Miss study “further demonstrates” the plan “is based on sound tax policy. Eliminating the income tax will reward work, savings and investment, and will increase the size of our state economy, all while maintaining the revenue we need to satisfy priorities. Mississippians need the benefits of this tax relief now. I encourage Lt. Gov. Hosemann and the Senate to work with us to pass this tax reform this session.”

The 7% sales tax already is the state’s largest single source of revenue. One Voice and others argue the sales tax results in a higher tax burden for poor people since it forces them to spend a larger share of their income to pay for basic needs. Gunn said his proposal reduces the grocery tax to help offset the impact on the state’s poor of raising the general sales tax by 2.5 cents on each dollar spent. But Roby said the bill still would result in a bigger tax burden on lower income earners.

Even though the state’s personal income rate is one of the lowest in the nation, analysis done by One Voice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said it is still the only state tax where wealthy Mississippians pay a larger share of their income than do poor Mississippians.

Overall under the current state tax structure, “The lower and middle individuals share a greater burden than the state’s wealthiest,” Roby said.

For instance, those earning less than $16,100 pay 10.2% of their income on state and local taxes, primarily because of Mississippi’s high sales tax rate, which includes the 7% tax on groceries. Those in the middle — earning between $43,000 and $77,500 pay — pay 9.2% of their income on state and local taxes. Those earning more than $162,200 800 pay 6.5% of their income on state and local taxes.

The study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy said the House bill would place even more of the tax burden on Mississippi’s working poor and middle class.

“We believe the House proposal will make life harder for Mississippi children, working families and senior citizens,” said Brandon Jones, policy director at the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Wesley Tharpe, deputy director of state policy research with the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities said, “Cutting the grocery tax on its own would be good policy and good for working and low income families, but the savings would likely not be enough to offset the increase from such a significant increase in the sales tax.”

On the other hand, the analysis by the Ole Miss professors found: “This proposed tax reform aims to reduce inefficiencies in the state’s tax system and establish a more competitive tax environment. In principle, a consumption-based tax system has some desirable characteristics in comparison to an income-based tax system.”

The Ole Miss study, in contrast to the beliefs of Roby at One Voice and Jones with the Southern Poverty Law Center, found that the proposal will be near revenue neutral and that they believe their findings of how the changes could improve the overall economy “are conservative.”

The Ole Miss professors concluded, “We indeed find that the proposal is close to revenue-neutral. The elimination of the individual income tax’s inefficiencies would increase real GDP by $371 million per year.”

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Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, who wields significant control over the state of Mississippi’s budget, said he is open to appropriating funds to the city of Jackson, where thousands of residents are in their fourth week without running water.

A historic winter storm in mid-February froze water plant equipment and burst many pipes in the capital city, and at least 40,000 residents — mostly Black — were without water for nearly three weeks. Today, while city officials said water pressure has been restored to “95% of the city,” about 5,000 Jackson residents are still without water. City leaders say they need major investment from the state to replace their entire water and sewage system, which is estimated to cost about $2 billion.

Hosemann, in a one-on-one interview on Monday with Mississippi Today, said that he considers all options on the table in terms of financially supporting Jackson, including through several bills pending in the Legislature and potentially sending some of the state’s share of the $1.9 trillion stimulus package Congress is expected to pass later this week.

“I’ve lived in Jackson more than 50 years. More than half my life has been spent here,” Hosemann told Mississippi Today. “I’ve spent a lot of time trying to make it better, and I want to make it better now. There’s a water crisis, and we want to help. Where we can help them with the funding, I want to do that. Jackson is the capital of Mississippi. It deserves to be supported as such.”

Hosemann continued: “The people that are responsible are the leaders of the city, and they need to come up with a cogent plan that explains how much they need and what they’re going to do with funding they may get. That gives us more room to support them monetarily.”

Hosemann and Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba are scheduled to meet Tuesday morning to discuss the crisis and how the state can help. Lumumba, who wrote a letter to state leaders last week asking for an initial emergency appropriation of $47 million, met with Speaker of the House Philip Gunn on Friday.

READ MORE: Talks begin at Capitol to secure state funding for Jackson water crisis

In addition to considering potential state funding, Hosemann and his staff studied the $1.9 trillion stimulus package Congress is expected to pass this week. The lieutenant governor on Monday said he believed there are several pots of money within that package that could be appropriated to Jackson for work on its water system.

Questions about whether lawmakers will support the city have swirled after tension between Hosemann and Lumumba — long whispered about in the halls of the Capitol — came to light on March 4 during a mayoral debate ahead of 2021 municipal elections. At the heart of the tiff between the lieutenant governor and mayor is control of the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport, which state leaders have tried for years to wrest from the city.

In 2016, lawmakers approved a bill to take over the airport and replace the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority with a regional board made up of state, county, and city appointees.

That law, however, has not gone into effect after the city joined a federal lawsuit to block the takeover. That lawsuit has continued, and city officials have said the state’s motives were race-based. Currently, the city controls the airport with its own board. All board members are African American. The lawmakers who pushed and passed the 2016 legislation are white.

“I sat down with the lieutenant governor to talk about Jackson’s infrastructure problem,” Lumumba said during the debate, referencing a meeting that occurred before the current water crisis. “We had a conversation that lasted for about an hour and a half, and he asked everyone to leave the room only to say, ‘Mayor, I need you to give me my airport, and I look at it for about $30 million.’”

Lumumba continued: “Not only am I supposed to be dumb, I’m also supposed to be cheap.”

When asked on Monday about the mayor’s comments, Hosemann said the inference that infrastructure funding from the state would be held up over any airport-related business “is completely inaccurate.”

“My concern about the work we have to do on Jackson’s water is a totally separate matter,” Hosemann said. “In regards to pending litigation between the city and state over the airport, I did speak about that with the mayor and said I would like to settle that case. But there is not a quid pro quo here. (The current water crisis) occurred after our meeting. We were in discussions about a number of things about the city, and I told him it was confidential. I intend to honor my side of the bargain.”

When asked if the airport would be a consideration during debate about whether to provide Jackson with state funding for its current crisis, Hosemann said, “Absolutely not. I just disagree with that.”

Meanwhile, a House bill introduced by Rep. Chris Bell, D-Jackson, on Monday seeks legislative approval to allow the city of Jackson to hold a summer referendum to pass a one-cent sales tax increase. If approved, that new revenue — an estimated $14 million per year — could be used to back large bonds that the city would use to revamp its water and sewer system.

The House bill was dropped after a Friday meeting between Lumumba and Speaker Gunn in which the mayor asked for support of the city’s one-cent sales tax increase. Lumumba also asked Gunn to consider the $47 million emergency appropriation for specific projects.

While Gunn made no promises, several of the meeting’s attendees expressed optimism that future talks between the speaker and mayor would continue as the 2021 legislative session approaches its scheduled end of April 4.

Hosemann said he’ll hear the mayor out in their Tuesday meeting and will work with senators to determine the best course of action. He added: “Everything is on the table.”

“I think asking questions (of the city) about a specific plan is healthy and important,” Hosemann said. “But we’re not going to ignore the crisis or the people affected. That’s not who I am personally, whether I’ve been an elected official or not. The city has its leadership, the state has its leadership, and we want to make sure we’re helpful to any citizen in a crisis.”

READ MORE: As Jackson residents suffer during historic water crisis, state leaders keep their distance

The post Lt. Gov. Hosemann on Jackson water crisis: “We want to help.” appeared first on Mississippi Today.