The Winston County Republican Women attended the Mississippi Federation of Republican Women Spring Board of Directors Meeting and the Legislative Day in Jackson recently. Better known as the Red Coat Day, this day is an opportunity for Republican Women across the state to visit their elected officials to share and discuss their concerns.
The following bills were discussed; Keep Nine, an amendment to permanently preserve the historical number of nine Supreme Court Justices; Equity Pay, Provide state legal recourse for employees paid less for the same work based on sex; and Prohibit Critical Race Theory, No school, community college or university could teach that any “sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or national origin is inherently superior or inferior.”
An informal meet and greet with state elected officials was held at the Capitol. The following officials spoke:
• Commissioner Andy Gipson gave us a great update on what’s going on in Agriculture in Mississippi. He is especially proud of ‘Genuine MS Grown’ which allows farmers, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, artisans and crafters to promote Mississippi made products
• Auditor Shad White shared his passion project, ‘Stay in the Sip’ – Accounting students in Mississippi can participate in internships and tuition assistance programs to encourage graduates to stay in Mississippi
• Lt. Governor Delbert Hoseman discussed teacher pay raises
• Commissioner Mike Chaney discussed insurance challenges and concerns
• Secretary of State Michael Watson discussed HB 1510 – Election Integrity; He believes that individual states should control their own election laws
• Treasurer David McRae – discussed how his office is using customer service to make it easier for citizens to obtain their unclaimed property
• Speaker Gunn discussed the tax freedom act
We then had our photograph taken on the capitol steps. We visited the senate chamber where Senator Jenifer Branning introduced us, and we were able to listen to current discussions. Then, Representative Joey Hood gave us an extensive tour of the House and Capitol with a great history lesson. Speaker Gunn discussed current legislation with us and allowed us some great photo ops!
We then headed to the beautiful trade mart for a delightful luncheon. Commissioner Gipson opened with a beautiful prayer for the citizens of Mississippi. At our table, we held in depth discussions with Senator Branning and Representative Hood who were our guests for lunch. Representative Hood shared a government website where one can check each addition/deletion made to a proposed bill. (www.billstatus.ls.state.ms.us) And I was so excited to learn that the MS Legislature has a YouTube channel!
Our speaker was Lynn Fitch, Mississippi’s 40th Attorney General and first woman Attorney General for Mississippi. She discussed the impact of Republican Women in Mississippi on several issues:
• Human Trafficking, “Be the Solution initiative” (training ordinary citizens to recognize key signs of trafficking victims.) She is committed to shutting trafficking down in Mississippi
• Protecting Parents Free Speech – Parents have a right to be involved in their children’s educational interests and should not be silenced
• The Dobbs Case – defending Mississippi’s 15 week abortion law and asking the Supreme Court of the US to return policy making decisions about abortion to the people.
The Supreme Court is looking at how our state will care for women and families who find themselves with an unexpected pregnancy. Her PLAN (Her Pregnancy and Life Assistance Network) is a guide for churches to help pregnant and parenting moms in need. We have one abortion center, and 35 Pregnancy help centers which offer a growing array of support and services to women as an alternate to abortion and a path forward in Mississippi.
Next, we headed to the Governor’s mansion and attended the MFRW Tea with the first lady of Mississippi, Mrs. Elee Reeves. Then she and Governor Reeves met everyone on the steps of the mansion for a photo. It was a wonderful opportunity to network and fellowship with fellow republicans across our state.
