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‘It could have been a lot worse’: Legislative leaders say budget leaves most state agencies on solid footing

Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

The Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Tuesday, June 30, 2020.

Legislative leaders say despite the pandemic, the state budget is in a good place and do not foresee state agencies needing to make any layoffs.

The budget approved by the Legislature in late June and early July provides state agencies $113.5 million, or 1.8% less funds for the current fiscal year than they received during the prior year. The new budget year began July 1.

At one point, legislative leaders were expecting much deeper cuts because of the economic slowdown caused by COVID-19. Officials believed the shutdown would result in large reductions in state tax collections. But thus far, the coronavirus shutdown has not resulted in those big reductions in state revenue collections.

“We’re looking at about 50% of agencies taking about a 5% cut, only about 1% that we didn’t cut and the rest had about a 3% cut,” House Appropriations Chair John Read, R-Gautier, said in an earlier interview. “I’m thankful we wound up in this position. It could have been a lot worse.”

Senate Appropriations Chair Briggs Hopson, R-Vicksburg, said “I am not aware of any agency that would actually be forced to lay off employees because of cuts.”

The total state support budget for the current 2021 fiscal year is $6.25 billion. The state support budget is built primarily on general taxes, such as on retail items and on income. It is the portion of the budget where legislators have the most discretion in how they spend the funds.

The entire state budget, including federal fund and special funds, is $21.8 billion. The Legislature usually has less discretion in spending those funds. The federal funds are designated for specific areas by the U.S. Congress, such as for Medicaid and Temporary Aid for Needy Families. Special funds are derived through fees or taxes to fund specific agencies. For instance, accountants pay a fee for the agency that regulates them. The largest special fund agency is the Department of Transportation that is funded primarily through the 18.4-cent per gallon tax on motor fuels.

In terms of state support agencies, the universities were cut $32.8 million or 4.6% while the 15 community colleges were cut $14.9 million or 6%.

In a statement, Kell Smith, a spokesperson for the community colleges said, “We do recognize the difficult decisions the Legislature had to make when it wrote the budget based on many unknowns at the time.  That said, we are grateful for the money appropriated to the community colleges.”

Smith continued, “At this time, we are optimistic about being able to provide affordable education and training opportunities to many thousands of Mississippians without a reduction in services.  Hopefully, we will not experience mid-year cuts which could force difficult decisions to be made at that time.”

Mid-year cuts would occur if revenue came in at a rate less than the projection used to construct the budget.

The state health department, which has been beset with dealing with the coronavirus, was cut $1.2 million or 2% in state funds. Much of the health department funding comes from federal and special funds.

State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said the agency for the most part has the funds, through federal appropriations, to deal with the coronavirus, but that other aspects of what the agency does could be impacted by the cuts.

Dobbs said the funds will make it “a challenge” to continue many of its core non-coronavirus functions, such as combatting sexually transmitted diseases and providing tuberculosis treatment.

“We understand it is a tough budget year..,” he said. “We really depend on that money for being in the community and taking care of gaps in the health care system for people who are most vulnerable…We will continue to try to meet our mission the best we can.”

Medicaid, another major expense for the state, was aided by an increase in federal funding, making it easier to reduce state funding $32.1 million or 3.4%.

Almost a month since the new budget year began, parts of state government remain unfunded by the Legislature. Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed large portions of the $2.5 billion education budget, which was cut $60.7 million. Reeves issued the partial veto because the Legislature did not fund a program to provide bonuses to teachers and faculty in top performing and improving school districts.

And the Legislature left without funding the Department of Marine Resources, which provides oversight and law enforcement services on the Gulf of Mexico. DMR was not funded because of a disagreement between House and Senate leaders over how much oversight authority the Legislature will have of federal money the agency receives. Marine Resources receives only about $1 million in state funding – also depending on federal and special funds for the bulk of its money.

Marine Resources is still providing core services, though, it is not clear how long that can continue. And Reeves said K-12 schools can continue to operate because they are a constitutional function that must receive state funding regardless of the action of the Legislature.

But is not clear whether the fact that no money is currently appropriated to the school districts, based on the governor’s veto, will impact the amount of the next round of state funding the schools receive in August.

Reeves has said he intends to call legislators back in special session to deal with those budgets. But he said he wants to wait because more than 30 legislators tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month soon after they left the Capitol on July 1.

He said he “most likely” would have already brought the Legislature back if not for the COVID-19 outbreak.

“If is just not safe to do that,” he said recently.

Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

The Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Tuesday, June 30, 2020.

The post ‘It could have been a lot worse’: Legislative leaders say budget leaves most state agencies on solid footing appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Mississippi could lose millions if residents don’t participate in 2020 Census

Earlier this year, Mississippi spent under a half of a million dollars to increase participation in the 2020 Census, the count of every living person that helps determine federal funding. To date, less than 60% of Mississippi residents have completed the census, meaning the state is at risk of losing millions in federal funding if the participation rate does not increase.

With only 57.2% of the population completing the census as of July 16, “this puts the state at risk for losing millions in federal funding over the next 10 years,” a news release stated. This figure is 5% less than the national average. Of the respondents, 34.8% of Mississippians completed the census via internet.

The census is a decennial count of every living person in the 50 states, the District of Columbia and the five United States territories. It’s important because it is used to produce data sets to determine how billions of federal dollars are distributed to more than 100 programs like Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), National School Lunch Program, and infrastructure, to name a few.

The census can be completed three ways: by internet, mail, or by calling 844-330-2020 (toll-free).

In 2010, the self-response rate in Mississippi was 61.3%. Over the last ten years, Mississippi lost nearly $14 billion for children five and under due to an undercount in the 2010 Census, according to Mississippi KIDS COUNT.

In 2017, Mississippi received $10 billion for 55 federal programs based on 2010 Census data, according to a research project from the George Washington University Institute of Public Policy. This program, Counting for Your Dollars 2020, examines the role of the census in distributing money to federal programs. California, ranking No. 1, received $115 billion in 2017.

In the state, the top 10 counties with the lowest self-response rates include:

  • Smith – 44.1%
  • Noxubee – 43.6%
  • Carroll – 43.2%
  • Tunica – 42.3%
  • Jefferson – 42.4%
  • Jasper – 37.9%
  • Franklin – 36.9%
  • Tallahatchie – 32.4%
  • Issaquena – 31.9%
  • Wilkinson – 30.5%

Find more 2020 Census information in Mississippi Today’s census guide.

The post Mississippi could lose millions if residents don’t participate in 2020 Census appeared first on Mississippi Today.

A tour of Mississippi: The Grammy Museum Mississippi

Color your way through Mississippi with me! Click below to download a coloring sheet of The Grammy Museum Mississippi in Cleveland.  

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The post A tour of Mississippi: The Grammy Museum Mississippi appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Wednesday Forecast for North Mississippi

Good Wednesday morning everyone! Temperatures are in the mid 70s, under mostly cloudy skies to start the day. Patchy fog will be possible in some areas during your early morning commute. Otherwise, mostly sunny skies will prevail, with a high near 93. There is a 40% chance of showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. Calm wind becoming south southwest around 5 mph. Tonight, a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms early in the evening. Otherwise, partly cloudy, with a low around 75.

A chance of showers and thunderstorms will continue each day with highs in the low to mid 90s for the remainder of the week and into the weekend.

Deep South Delicacies – Cooking with the Kiddos

Check out the latest video from Deep South Delicacies featuring cooking with kids.

Nearly half of state’s population now under mask mandate

Eric J. Shelton/Mississippi Today

Masks are worn as hand sanitizer is distributed at Corner Market on Fortification Street in Jackson, Miss., Wednesday, April 8, 2020.

More than 1.4 million Mississippians are now under a mandate – imposed by Gov. Tate Reeves – to wear a mask in public and while shopping.

On Monday, the first-term Republican governor added 10 counties to the original 13 he had placed under a mandate on July 10 to wear a mask in public crowds in an effort to try to combat the spread of COVID-19.

The new executive order will remain in effect until Aug. 3.

State Health Officer Thomas Dobbs said the state’s health care system is at the point of being overwhelmed.

“If we don’t see a decrease in transmissions immediately, it is pretty likely the health care system will be thoroughly overwhelmed,” Dobbs said Monday during the news conference he and Reeves had to provide an update on COVID-19. He said hospitals already are converting emergency rooms into intensive care unit beds.

Dobbs said statewide there are 293 cases of coronavirus being treated in intensive care units – representing 40 percent of all patients in intensive care. He said nine hospitals – mostly the state’s larger ones – have no intensive care beds and there is one ICU bed in the Jackson metro area.

The new counties covered by the mask mandate are Bolivar, Covington, Forrest, Humphreys, Panola, Sharkey, Simpson, Tallahatchie, Tate and Walthall. The original 13 counties still under the mask mandate are Claiborne, DeSoto, Grenada, Harrison, Hinds, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Quitman, Rankin, Sunflower, Washington and Wayne counties.

While covering only 23 of the state’s 82 counties, the mask mandate encompasses many of the state’s most populous counties, such as Hinds, Rankin, DeSoto, and Harrison. The state has a total population of just under three million residents, according to the latest census data.

Mississippi, which has seen a surge in both positive tests and coronavirus hospitalizations, is in a red zone where a statewide mask mandate and the closing or bars and gyms in hotspots are recommended, according to an internal document from the White House coronavirus task force. The report also recommends increasing testing and contact tracing.

The Mississippi State Medical Association, a physician group, has also called for a statewide mask mandate. Reeves has rejected a statewide mandate, saying it is more effective and will encourage community participation to target the state’s hot spots, though he and Dobbs stress that people statewide should wear masks and practice physical distancing of remaining six feet apart when possible.

The criteria for counties chosen for the mandate include having seen 200 new cases within the last 14 days or having had an average of 500 cases per 100,000 residents over that time.

Under the executive order, groups of more than 10 indoors and more than 20 outdoors are banned.

“COVID-19 is spreading and killing in our state. It is not a hypothetical. It is happening,” Reeves said.

On Monday, the Mississippi Department of Health reported a record of 1,251 new cases, three deaths, 943 hospitalizations for COVID-19. The previous single day  record of 1,230 new cases was set last week. The number of hospitalizations also was a record.

At the news conference, it was reported about 30 members of the Legislature have contracted the coronavirus with multiple members hospitalized – some in serious condition.

The post Nearly half of state’s population now under mask mandate appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Watson asking attorney general whether Mississippi Legislature made it harder to vote in pandemic

Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/ Report for America

Voters fill out ballots at Eudora Welty Library in Jackson during the Mississippi Senate runoff election Tuesday, November 27, 2018.

Secretary of State Michael Watson is asking for an official opinion from Attorney General Lynn Fitch’s office about whether a bill passed by the state Legislature will make it more difficult for Mississippians to vote if COVID-19 is still an issue during the Nov. 3 election.

The bill, which was signed into law earlier this month by Gov. Tate Reeves, specifies people can vote early during the pandemic if:

  • They are under a physician-imposed quarantine related to the coronavirus.
  • They are providing care for a dependent under quarantine.

Watson is asking the attorney general to issue an opinion on whether the new language conflicts with existing language that gave local circuit clerks discretion in allowing people to vote early. In May, during a joint meeting of the House and Senate elections committees, Watson said that existing law could be used to allow people to vote early because of concerns about COVID-19 at the discretion of the circuit clerks. The language allowed people to vote early because of “a temporary disability.”

Democrats on the committees wanted the law expanded so that the circuit clerks did not have so much discretion on whether to allow people to vote early. But by the same token, many Democrats praised the Republican Watson for saying the language related to “temporary disability” was broad enough so that circuit clerks could interpret it to allow people who did not want to be in a crowded polling place to perhaps vote early.

Watson said he was asking for the opinion after Mississippi Today asked whether the new language saying a person had to be in quarantine to vote early meant circuit clerks could no longer use the old language concerning the temporary disability to allow people to vote early to avoid possible exposure to the coronavirus in a crowded precinct on election day.

“In an attempt to provide further guidance to our county election officials, our office will be submitting a request to the Attorney General’s office for an official opinion regarding the definition of a ‘physician-imposed quarantine,’ and whether or not that qualifying language removes circuit clerk’s ability to interpret what is included as a ‘temporary disability,’” Watson said in a statement.

He said during debate of the bill in the Legislature, supporters of the bill said the excuse to vote early could be granted by “a general statement by a licensed physician or government official, such as the state health officer, advising people to enter into a self-imposed quarantine.” Watson added, “Our goal is to ensure all counties are acting in the best interest of voters while upholding the integrity of the general election.”

The Fulcrum, a digital publication that focuses on voter access issues, quoted Watson as saying, “The Legislature narrowed it down further than the former law we had.”

Senate Elections Chair Jennifer Branning, R-Philadelphia, said “it’s not the intent (of the legislation) to make it harder to vote.” She said that the language referencing the quarantine to vote early should not remove the circuit clerk’s ability to use the “temporary disability” language.

House Elections Chair Jim Beckett, R-Bruce, said there was no discussion during the legislative session of trying to prevent the use of the exiting language referencing “temporary disability” to allow people to vote early.

“That was never my intent,” he said.

Mississippi is among the minority of states that do not have no excuse early voting. In Mississippi, a voter normally must be disabled, over the age of 65 or away from home to vote early by mail or in person.

Mississippi also is the only state to require both the request for an absentee ballot and the ballot itself to be notarized. Because of the coronavirus, most states have taken steps to make it easier to vote this November to try to avoid long lines at the polling places and to attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Mississippi has taken a few steps, such as giving an absentee ballot five days to arrive at the circuit clerk’s office as long as it is postmarked by election day. The old law required it to be postmarked before election day. And the other significant step was the quarantine language, which in reality, might make it more difficult to vote early.

Sen. David Blount, D-Jackson, said the changes made in June are inadequate to deal with the pandemic. He said the Legislature did not do its job to make it easier for Mississippians to vote during the pandemic.

“It is the most difficult election process in the country,” he said. “We need to do better.”

Watson said he proposed to the Legislature to give the secretary of state the authority to allow people to vote early in person if under an emergency declared by the governor or the president. Legislative leaders rejected the language.

Watson said before debate on the voting legislation began in earnest that he supported expanding early in-person voting, but not mail-in voting.

The Legislature also opted not to provide about $15 million in federal funds to purchase optical ballot scanner machines for about 68 counties that do not currently have them. Beckett said the purpose of the machines was “reducing our human contact during elections.”

Officials said other steps to ensure safety will be taken, such as social distancing, increasing the number of poll workers, requiring poll workers to wear personal protection equipment and continuing sanitizing of the polling places.

The post Watson asking attorney general whether Mississippi Legislature made it harder to vote in pandemic appeared first on Mississippi Today.

Marshall Ramsey: Crossing the Final Bridge

I don’t know if the Edmund Pettus Bridge will be renamed after Rep. John Lewis; however, I know the one in the great beyond will. It took a lot of courage to get across the bridge on Earth. #GoodTrouble

The post Marshall Ramsey: Crossing the Final Bridge appeared first on Mississippi Today.

‘We cannot breathe’: Top Democrat blasts party chairman Bobby Moak ahead of leadership election

Rogelio V. Solis / Associated Press

Democratic Party Chairman Bobby Moak (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Willie Simmons, a Mississippi transportation commissioner and one of the top Democratic elected officials in the state, blasted Democratic Party Chairman Bobby Moak in an email to the party’s 80-member executive committee last week and endorsed the man running to unseat Moak as party chairman.

Simmons laid out a long list of grievances to committee members, including that Moak and state party officials “did nothing to assist” during his 2019 campaign for central district transportation commissioner, and that the party has done little to support Black candidates running for office.

“The facts appear to suggest that we do not want real inclusion in the party, and discrimination practices are alive and well in the Mississippi Democratic Party,” Simmons wrote on July 18. “We are suffering from having the knees of members of our own party on our necks and we cannot breathe.”

Simmons continued: “If we are going to win elections going forward we have to overhaul the Party and revise our mission… Today, the Mississippi Democratic Party must have effective leadership that has a commitment to inclusion.”

The email began a back-and-forth exchange between Simmons and Moak, all copying the 80 members of the executive committee. The exchange, ahead of a contentious internal election to decide the next party leader, included direct and indirect character criticisms and a photo of Moak meeting with Simmons’ Democratic primary opponent at a Jackson restaurant.

Moak was elected party chairman in 2016 and is again running for the top leadership position this year. Tyree Irving, a former Mississippi Court of Appeals judge who is Black, is running against Moak. The 80 members of the party’s executive committee will elect the party’s chairman later this week. In his email last week, Simmons directly endorsed Irving in the chair race.


Willie Simmons-Bobby Moak Emails (Text)

Simmons also wrote in his initial email that party leadership “silenced” former party staffer Jacquie Amos, who was “made ineffective in assisting me and other Black candidates on the ticket.” Amos, a Black woman who was one of the party’s three paid staffers in 2019, resigned in December after working seven years for the party.

The day after Simmons sent the initial email, Moak fired off a 1,300-word reply and responded directly to many of Simmons’ points. Moak wrote that party officials remained in close contact with Simmons’ campaign in 2019.

“First of all, I understand and am sympathetic to the impulse to embellish, exaggerate and distort certain facts while campaigning,” Moak wrote in a July 19 email to Simmons, copying all 80 members of the party’s executive committee. “It’s something I’ve seen often in my dealings over the years with Republicans. In this setting… we must strive to keep an honest dialog and avoid the tendencies to mislead members of our own party. There is a known record here, we’ve saved the receipts and our records do not support a number of the claims you are making.”

Moak also refuted the notion that he “silenced” Amos, the former party staffer.

“Secondly, any insinuation that any member of our staff was silenced is false,” Moak wrote. “MDP provided tremendous flexibility to Ms. Amos when she made her departure known, and accommodated employment while she tried to join numerous campaigns. This accommodation is a far cry from silencing — it’s laying a path forward for a planned staff departure.”

Earlier this year, Mississippi Today chronicled how dysfunction within the state Democratic Party led to the historic 2019 losses, how the state party leaders established and pushed no clear identity, and how the party’s leadership has failed to support and devote resources to Black candidates and constituents.

In his lengthy email, Moak laid out his platform for the chair election, pointing to 22 specific items the party has accomplished during his four years as chairman.

Simmons replied to Moak, writing: “Please know that I never received a call from you during or after the 2019 election.” Simmons also attached a May 2019 photo of Moak meeting at a Jackson restaurant with Marcus Wallace, who ran against Simmons in the August 2019 Democratic primary.

“Today, I am like the late Fannie Lou Hamer, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Simmons wrote. “We must all work overtime to ensure that Vice President Biden is elected as our next President of these United States. In doing so, we must fix our Mississippi Democratic Party.”

The post ‘We cannot breathe’: Top Democrat blasts party chairman Bobby Moak ahead of leadership election appeared first on Mississippi Today.

A tour of Mississippi: Infiniti Science Center’s Saturn V

Color your way through Mississippi with me! Click below to download a coloring sheet of the first stage of the mighty Saturn V moon rocket located at the Infiniti Science Center. 

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