Steve Wilson | RedHillsMSNews.com

Large economic development projects funded by taxpayer-funded incentives such as Continental Tire have been a part of state policy for decades. A bill that would reform a complicated raft of incentives into an easier to understand and more transparent program passed the Senate Thursday.

Bill that would streamline economic development incentives passes unanimously in the Senate

By Steve Wilson , READ MORE > 1,132 Reads
On Thu, 02/18/2021 - 01:40 PM

The Mississippi Senate passed two bills Thursday that would overhaul the state’s labyrinthine code of financial incentives for companies seeking to relocate to the state or expand their existing facilities.

There are two bills that were authored by state Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch.

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A bill that would purge the voter rolls of inactive voters is now in the hands of the House.

Bill that would purge voter rolls of inactive voters headed to House

By Steve Wilson , READ MORE > 492 Reads
On Thu, 02/18/2021 - 10:10 AM

A bill that would purge the voter rolls of inactive voters passed the state Senate and was sent to the House after a motion to reconsider was removed from the bill Tuesday.

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A new way to calculate the student population for funding purposes will have to wait until next session.

Switch in way that state calculates student population for funding purposes will have to wait until next session

By Steve Wilson , READ MORE > 616 Reads
On Mon, 02/15/2021 - 09:01 AM

Some Republican lawmakers and the state superintendent of education are united to change the way the state calculates school attendance as it pertains to school funding, but a change will have to wait until next session.

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A bill that would require student athletes to compete according to their biological sex passed the Mississippi Senate Thursday.

Bill that would require student athletes to compete according to their biological sex passes the state Senate

By Steve Wilson , READ MORE > 2,166 Reads
On Thu, 02/11/2021 - 10:35 PM

A bill that would protect biological female student athletes from having to compete against those born as males passed in the Mississippi Senate on Thursday.

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The Mississippi House passed two bills that would help increase broadband access in rural areas.

Mississippi House passes two bills that would expand broadband access in rural areas

By Steve Wilson , READ MORE > 870 Reads
On Tue, 02/09/2021 - 12:55 PM

The Mississippi House of Representatives passed two bills that would improve access in rural areas to broadband services on Tuesday, including one that would create a broadband grant program and another that would allow the state’s investor-owned utilities to lease their unused fiber capacity to third-party providers.

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Lawmakers have pared the number of bills down from more than 2,000 to 644 after a key deadline Tuesday.

Alcohol distribution, occupational licensing reform bills pass key deadline in Legislature

By Steve Wilson , READ MORE > 2,497 Reads
On Thu, 02/04/2021 - 01:35 PM

The first big deadline for the Mississippi Legislature was Tuesday and the number of bills has been whittled down from more than 2,000 to 644.

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A solar farm could be built in Scott County near the Rankin County line.

Commission could soon approve state's largest solar facility in Scott County

By Steve Wilson , READ MORE > 624 Reads
On Tue, 02/02/2021 - 01:10 PM

The Mississippi Public Service Commission is one step closer to approving a new solar facility in Scott County that could be the biggest in the state after issuing an order at its monthly meeting Tuesday.

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Pro-Initiative 65 groups say city of Madison's lawsuit could deprive Mississippians of their right to amend the state's constitution via ballot initiative

By Steve Wilson , READ MORE > 1,095 Reads
On Wed, 01/20/2021 - 11:10 AM

Two new amicus (friend of the court) briefs filed by the original sponsor of the Initiative 65 and the conservative policy group Americans for Prosperity were filed this week in an attempt to convince the state Supreme Court not to kill the state’s medical marijuana program before it can begin.

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The Mississippi Department of Education is asking for only a 0.22 reduction in its MAEP request for fiscal 2022.

Despite large decrease in enrollment, Education Department seeks only slight decrease in K-12 funds from lawmakers

By Steve Wilson , READ MORE > 1,877 Reads
On Tue, 01/19/2021 - 02:15 PM

Despite a large drop in enrollment (23,000 fewer students compared to last year), the Mississippi Department of Education is seeking only a fractionally smaller appropriation from lawmakers that it requested this year.

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In 2017, lawmakers approved a bill that then-Gov. Phil Bryant signed into law that required reverse auctions for contracts for $50,000 or more.

State procurement review board approves $156 million in exemptions from law requiring reverse auctions from state and local agencies

By Steve Wilson , READ MORE > 2,238 Reads
On Fri, 01/15/2021 - 01:40 PM

While reverse auctions are the law in Mississippi, the state’s Public Procurement Review Board has handed out hundreds of exemptions for state and local government entities each year.

In just the last two years, the board has approved 209 exemptions that are worth an estimated value of more than $156 million.

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