OurTupelo

Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn speaks during Gov. Tate Reeves’ press conference on May 7, 2020.

The Mississippi Legislature, as it did in July, left Jackson on Tuesday without passing a Department of Marine Resources budget, remaining at loggerheads over Gov. Tate Reeves’ spending authority.

“We believe it’s not right for one person to have $40 million to pass out like he wants to, no matter who that person is,” House Speaker Philip Gunn said Tuesday.

Lawmakers, for now, adjourned what has been an on-again, off-again 2020 session since January because of the COVID-19 pandemic and an outbreak among legislators.

DMR’s budget, which includes only $1.4 million in state general funds, is not at issue. But spending control of about $46 million in Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act money is. GOMESA is a revenue sharing program for offshore oil and gas producing states in the Gulf.

Since its inception in 2006, then-Mississippi Govs. Haley Barbour and Phil Bryant controlled approval of GOMESA projects vetted by DMR as the revenue started out small but continued to grow.

In recent years, lawmakers and others have questioned whether projects chosen are helping coastal restoration and protection, or if they are just pet political projects.

Millions in GOMESA funds have been granted to build boardwalks near casinos, a planned aquarium in Gulfport — including a tram system threatened to be “de-obligated” for not meeting GOMESA requirements — and other projects critics have said don’t meet the intended purpose.

This year, House lawmakers wanted to include legislative oversight of GOMESA spending in DMR’s budget, saying the Legislature, not the governor, controls state purse strings. Reeves has called the move a “power grab” and said he should continue to control the money as his predecessors did. Coast lawmakers have been divided over the issue.

The Senate, over which Reeves presided for eight years as lieutenant governor, has balked at stripping the GOMESA spending authority from Reeves.

Lawmakers set the rest of a $6 billion budget and left town July 1 still at an impasse over the DMR budget. They had plans to return within a week and haggle out DMR’s budget, but a COVID-19 outbreak at the Capitol infected 49 legislators and had the Capitol shut down for weeks.

Lawmakers had reconvened on Monday, in large part to override Reeves’ veto of most of the public education budget. Lawmakers successfully squashed his veto, the first time since 2002 the Legislature has overriden a governor’s veto. Gunn last week also sued fellow Republican Reeves over his partial vetoes of education and federal COVID-19 health care spending, saying the governor is overstepping his constitutional bounds.

While two-thirds of the House and Senate voted to override Reeves’ education veto, the House and Senate remained at odds over the GOMESA spending.

DMR, charged in part with marine law enforcement, has continued to operate using federal funds, which make up a large part of its operational budget. But that cannot continue indefinitely, and some DMR employees missed some pay during a temporary furlough in July.

House and Senate negotiations continued late into the night on Monday on the DMR issue, but to no avail.

Gunn said the House offered the Senate and governor three compromise options:

• Passing a DMR budget and put the GOMESA funding “on the shelf” until lawmakers return in January and can further negotiate.
• Allow $26 million already earmarked for specific projects — also a source of contention with House leaders — to be spent as planned and shelf the remaining $20 million for now.
• Have the governor provide a list of GOMESA for legislative approval, allowing for “checks and balances.”

Gunn said all these proposals were flatly “rejected.”

Senate leaders, in turn, offered to form a legislative advisory committee to make recommendations on the spending and projects.

“It would have three members chosen by House, three from the Senate, working with DMR vetting projects,” said Sen. Philip Moran, R-Kiln, chairman of Ports and Marine Resources. “The House just didn’t want to accept anything … (Governor’s control) has been this way since its inception in 2006. Why all of a sudden do you want to change it now? It has worked well. Our proposal for the advisory committee would have made it even better.”

Rep. John Read, R-Gautier, chairman of Appropriations, said the House tried to compromise.

“Outside of just turning money a-loose with no projects specified, we did everything we could,” Read said.

Amid the fight over Reeves’ line-item vetoes, DMR and other matters this week, Gunn indicated there is a larger, overarching issue between Republican legislative leaders and the Republican governor.

“Only the Legislature can spend dollars,” Gunn said. “We don’t have government by one man. We are not going to allow the governor to spend money. That is not what the law says.”

Reeves, who has the authority to order the Legislature back into special session, has indicated he might call such a session for DMR, but has said recently he was reluctant to do so because of the COVID-19 outbreak among lawmakers. Otherwise, the Legislature is set to reconvene in early October.

The post During another spending fight with Gov. Reeves, lawmakers leave without passing DMR budget appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Rogelio V. Solis, AP

Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Cindy Hyde-Smith, left, thanks Gov. Phil Bryant, center, for selecting her to succeed fellow Republican Thad Cochran in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday in Brookhaven.

U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, facing a November election challenge from Democrat Mike Espy, could find herself in the middle of a national debate over whether Congress should mandate the removal of Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol.

Last month, the Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives passed a spending measure for the legislative branch that would remove 14 statues of Confederates and others “with unambiguous records of racial intolerance” from the Capitol building.

Hyde-Smith is the chairwoman of the Senate appropriations subcommittee that considers and passes the spending bills to fund the legislative branch, meaning her subcommittee will have to consider the House measure.

“Sen. Hyde-Smith respects the work of her House counterparts, but will continue to work with her Senate colleagues on a Senate legislative branch bill,” said Hyde-Smith spokesman Chris Gallegos.

In 1864, Congress authorized each state to donate and display two statues at the Capitol of citizens “illustrious for their historic renown or for distinguished civic or military services.”

Mississippi is the only state in the nation that displays two statues of Confederates: Jefferson Davis and James Zachariah George. Davis was a slaveowner and president of the Confederacy, and George was a lead architect of the 1890 state Constitution that stripped voting rights from nearly 150,000 Black Mississippians. Neither man was born in Mississippi.

The Mississippi statues were placed in 1931 after they were approved by the state Legislature in 1924.

In the 2018 Senate special election, photos surfaced of Hyde-Smith in Confederate memorabilia at Davis’ home Beauvoir, which is now a private museum operated by the Sons of Confederate Veterans on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. As a member of the Mississippi state Senate, Hyde-Smith sponsored legislation to have a highway in Mississippi named after Davis.

When asked about the recent efforts to remove statues from the U.S. Capitol, Hyde-Smith said that the fate of the statues should be decided by individual states and not the federal government.

“There are clear rules and procedures set for the designation, receipt, and placement of statues in the United States Capitol,” Hyde-Smith said last month. “Any state, including Mississippi, can avail itself to that process if it wants to exchange statues. How to best depict the history of our nation is always up for debate, but it is not the role of Congress to dictate to states which statues should be placed in the Capitol.”

In several recent years, lawmakers in the Mississippi Legislature have proposed bills to replace the state’s statues at the U.S. Capitol. This year, there was a proposal to replace the statue of George with that of civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer — a Mississippi native who led efforts to fight for voting rights for African Americans in the 1960s. That bill, along with more than a dozen others in the past 10 years, died in committee.

The issue of removing Confederate emblems and monuments has been hotly debated after the deaths of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hands of police sparked national protests about racial inequality in government. That debate led to Mississippi removing its 126-year-old state flag, which featured the Confederate battle emblem in its design.

Espy, Hyde-Smith’s 2020 Senate opponent, is centering his campaign strategy around race during the national movement.

“Sen. Hyde-Smith is refusing to use her power to remove Confederate statues from the U.S. Capitol, including two from our state of Mississippi,” Espy said in a statement. “Mississippi is unfortunately represented by Jefferson Davis and J.Z. George… Those men do not represent all Mississippians and do not project a positive image for our state. Mississippians are tired of Sen. Hyde-Smith’s continued preoccupation with keeping our state in the past, and they are ready to turn the page and move forward.”

During her 2018 special election against Espy — where both were vying to replace long-time Sen. Thad Cochran who resigned for health reasons — Hyde-Smith created controversy by saying she would sit on the front row of a hanging if invited by a particular supporter whom she was praising.

While campaigning at Mississippi State University, she also said the votes from people at some other universities in the state should be suppressed. She said at the time she was only joking.

Just one of Mississippi’s four congressmen — Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson — voted to pass the House spending proposal, which included the removal of the statues, last month. Republican Congressmen Trent Kelly, Michael Guest and Steven Palazzo voted against the measure.

Republican Sen. Roger Wicker, Mississippi’s senior senator, offered similar views as Hyde-Smith when asked about the statues earlier this year.

“It would be a mistake for Congress to remove statues placed in the U.S. Capitol by Mississippi or any state,” Wicker said in June. “In my view, such an overreach would be counterproductive to the healthy conversations on race happening across the country. Under federal law, state governments are solely responsible for selecting and replacing the statues that represent their states.”

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Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today, Report For America

Gov. Tate Reeves answers questions during a press conference concerning the coronavirus pandemic.

The Republican-led Mississippi Legislature on Monday overrode a veto by Republican Gov. Tate Reeves of most of the public education budget — the first time since 2002 that lawmakers have undone a gubernatorial veto.

“It’s the law. It’s the law. It’s the law,” House Speaker Philip Gunn said. “We can engage in name calling and in slanderous comments, but the bottom line is what does the law say? We are trying to follow the constitution.”

Reeves, for his part, chalked it up to politics, claiming some members of the House are “trying to get a pound of flesh from me” for political reasons. The governor declared victory from lawmakers, who approved a teacher bonus plan whose absence had prompted his veto in the first place.

“If individual House members want to punch me in the face, or stab me in the back, that’s fine as long as teachers get that money,” Reeves said.

Gunn and House Pro Tem Jason White still have a lawsuit pending over Reeves’ partial vetoes of the education budget and of items in a measure spending federal coronavirus relief money for health care providers.

In the House, the veto override vote was 109-6. In the Senate, the vote was 41-1. A two-thirds majority is required to override a gubernatorial veto.

While there were six no votes, no one in the House argued against the override, which was done promptly soon after lawmakers reconvened.

In the Senate, negotiations took much longer, and the vote came after no debate on Monday evening after a long delay.

Reeves, in his first year as governor, said he issued the partial veto of the education budget because the bill did not fund the School Recognition Program, which provides bonuses to teachers in top performing and improving school districts. About 23,000 teachers are slated to receive the bonuses.

Legislative leaders said not funding the program was an oversight and could be corrected at a later date without the governor vetoing the legislation. Reeves said he believed the veto was necessary to ensure the teachers received their funds.

In addition to overriding the governor Monday, lawmakers passed a separate bill for the School Recognition Program on Monday night. The bill will be funded by pulling $28 million from a capital projects fund.

Reeves’ partial veto of the budget for education essentially put in question the flow of all state funds — more than $2.2 billion — to local school districts. Reeves, relying on an official opinion from former Attorney General Jim Hood, said he had the authority to send state funds to the local school districts in the absence of a legislative appropriation. The official opinion said the state Constitution mandates the funding of local school districts regardless of whether there is a legislative appropriation.

Gunn said the Legislature’s recent battles with Reeves boil down to one thing: “The governor cannot spend dollars.”

“That is the prerogative of the Legislature,” Gunn said. “That has been the law for 200 years, and it’s the law in every state and it’s the law in Congress. The Legislature appropriates and the governor administrates.”

The new fiscal year began July 1. On July 13, Reeves sent a letter to the state fiscal officer authorizing the expenditure of funds to pay for the basic operation of local school districts through the Mississippi Adequate Education Program — based on what was appropriated by the 2019 Legislature for the previous fiscal year.

House Education Chair Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, pointed out that Reeves’ executive action left multiple programs unfunded — such as teacher supply funds. Bennett said it was particularly important for teachers to receive the $12 million in supply funds as they struggle with starting school in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

While Republicans control the Legislature and initiated the override of Reeves’ partial veto, Senate Democratic Leader Derrick Simmons Greenville said he supported the override effort. He said Reeves, who as the former presiding officer of the Senate during his tenure as lieutenant governor, understood that legislators could take care of the School Recognition Program in a deficit appropriation in the 2021 session and that the governor did not have to issue the veto.

“Our school districts were really concerned about how they would be funded,” Simmons said.

Rep. Dana Criswell, R-Olive Branch, one of seven no votes on the veto override, said, “I agree with the governor. The way we are doing this is wrong.”

Criswell said that funds going to the local school districts were being increased while most agencies were being cut during the pandemic-caused economic slowdown. He argued the $28 million going to the School Recognition Program should come from existing funds instead of additional money being appropriated for the program.

In a normal regular session, legislators would be dependent on the governor to call them back to deal with a veto. The governor had refused to call them back, saying multiple legislators tested positive for the coronavirus soon after the session adjourned on July 1 and he feared another outbreak if legislators returned to Jackson. State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs confirmed Monday that 49 of the 174 members of the Legislature have tested positive for the coronavirus in the months of July and August.

Legislators were able to return on Monday because in June they passed a resolution by a two-thirds vote to allow them to return to take up COVID-19 issues.  On Monday, legislators also expanded a program they passed earlier to provide grants to small business impacted by the coronavirus.

While in session to deal with the coronavirus issues, legislators also took up the veto. Monday’s session played out against the backdrop of Gunn and White suing Reeves claiming the partial vetoes of the education bill and a bill that provides grants to hospitals and other health care providers to help them deal with the coronavirus were unconstitutional.

Legislators did not take up the partial veto of the health care providers bill. The legal action on Reeves’ partial veto of that bill will continue.

The Legislature also did not take up vetoes of bills passed to expand the authority of the Parole Board to release inmates.

As legislators worked Monday most members, unlike in late June, wore masks and practiced physical distancing.

Lawmakers adjourned late Monday night until Tuesday morning. They are still haggling over a bill to fund the Department of Marine Resources. Lawmakers left in July without funding the agency, over a fight over whether Reeves has control of millions in Gulf restoration funds the state receives each year.

The post ‘Punch in the face, stab in the back’: Legislature overrides Gov. Reeves’ veto of education funding bill appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Courtesy, Trolio family

Cohen Trolio (right), with his father V.J. Trollo, at last year’s U.S. Amateur in Pinehurst, N.C.

Teen-aged golf sensation Cohen Trolio of West Point was supposed to tee off Monday in the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Bandon, Ore.

Instead, Trolio and his father/caddy, renowned golf instructor V.J. Trolio, were making the 2,550-mile, cross-continent trip back to Mississippi in a rental car.

Cohen Trolio, who remarkably made the semifinals of the U.S. Amateur last year at age 17, tested positive for COVID-19 and had to withdraw from this year’s tournament.

Rick Cleveland

He got the news on Friday night. On Saturday, he turned 18. Happy Birthday, Cohen.

“It’s all right,” Cohen Trolio said in phone conversation as he and his father were approaching Wichita, roughly two/thirds of the way home. “Nothing the USGA or I could do about it – just following the rules.”

The United States Golf Association (USGA) required two tests for all participants, including caddies: one, before leaving their hometowns to make the trip; and two, upon arriving at Bandon Dunes. Both Trolios tested negative for COVID in West Point last week. At Bandon Dunes, Cohen Trolio tested positive, while his father tested negative.

Cohen Trolio said he feels fine and has shown no symptoms. He already is eligible for next year’s U.S. Amateur at famed Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania because of his semi-final berth in the 2019 championship.

“That’s nice,” he said. “Makes me feel a little better.”

His dad was more philosophical.

“This is just one of those things that happens when you are trying to play championship golf in a pandemic,” V.J. Trolio deadpanned.

“We’re disappointed, obviously,” V.J. Trolio said. “We were told that of all the 250 or so entrants, just two tested positive. Cohen was one of the lucky two. That’s life. The USGA did a great job. We have no complaints about anything where the USGA is concerned. This is just the world we live in right now. This stuff is real.”

Following Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines, the Trolios were left with two choices: quarantine for nearly two weeks in Oregon or find private transportation home, being careful not to expose anyone.

“No restaurants or anything like that,” said V.J. Trolio, who said the rest of his family is quarantining at home in West Point.

File this one in this category: What a difference a year makes. Last August, playing on national television for the first time, young Trolio defeated several older, more experienced golfers en route to the national semifinals at Pinehurst, N.C. In the semifinals, Trolio ran into fellow Mississippian Andy Ogletree, who plays college golf at Georgia Tech. Ogletree defeated Trolio in the semis and went on to defeat Kentuckian John Augenstine for the championship.

Before last year, no Mississippian had ever advanced to the quarterfinals of the national amateur championship.

The Golf Channel

Jim Gallagher, Jr.

“Man, how amazing is this for Mississippi golf?” Golf Channel announcer and former prominent PGA Tour player Jim Gallagher of Greenwood said at the time. “… It’s amazing how junior golf in Mississippi has changed. We’ve got better courses and better instruction and what you’re seeing at Pinehurst is all the proof you need.”

Cohen Trolio’s instructor, since he was little more than a toddler, has been his dad.

“He’s my man,” Cohen Trolio said last year after his quarterfinals victory. “He’s got my back.”

Cohen Trolio finished 25^th in the prestigious Sunnehanna Amateur in July, shooting rounds of 71, 67, 70 and 69 in Johnstown, Pa. He said he was playing his best golf of the summer leading into this week’s event at Bandon Dunes.

“I was driving the ball well, playing the best I have all year,” he said. “I had worked hard. I thought I was ready. Of course, it’s golf and you never know, but I felt really good about it. I was as ready as I could be.”

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Several of the finalists selected by the state flag commission.

The nine-member commission tasked with choosing one design for the new Mississippi state flag announced 147 finalists on Monday after viewing nearly 3,000 submissions.

Click here to view the 147 designs that are still in contention.

The Mississippi Legislature, after decades of debate, voted to remove the 1894 state flag with its divisive Confederate battle emblem. The legislation it passed created the commission to choose a new flag to put before voters on the Nov. 3 ballot. Voters can either approve or reject the new design. If they reject it, the commission will go back to the drawing board and present another design to voters next year.

Next, the nine members of the commission will rank their top 10 choices. In their next meeting on Aug. 14, the members will select five flags for final consideration.

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