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Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Davis, Thompson qualify for District 16 special election
TUPELO — Incumbent Rep. Rickey Thompson, Democrat, has qualified for re-election to his seat in District 16 for the Mississippi House of Representatives, and he's picked up a challenger in Chickasaw Inkana Foundation CEO Brady Davis of Tupelo. Both Davis and Thompson qualified to run for the seat Monday morning, the first day to qualify for the Nov. 4 special election, with primaries set for Aug. 5. District 16 encompasses Chickasaw, Lee, Monroe and Pontotoc counties and includes portions of Tupelo, Verona and Shannon. Following recent redistricting, District 16 took in much of southwest Pontotoc County, northwest Chickasaw County and expanded further south of Monroe County. Thompson, 60, defeated independent candidate Steve Holland in 2019 and ran unopposed in 2023. Thompson said, if reelected, he will continue to focus on workforce development, economic growth and education. 'I am running on a record that I have represented the people of Northeast Mississippi. Communities want to see change,' he said. 'We have to get the people out to the polls to vote.' From Shannon, Thompson serves as the vice chair of the Enrolled Bills committee and also serves on the Agriculture, Judiciary B and Public Health and Human Services committees. He sponsored House Bill 565, which amended state code to require law enforcement agencies to provide the board on law enforcement officer standards notifications on when an officer is fired or resigns from disciplinary action within 72 hours of termination. The bill passed and was signed into law on March 18. This is Davis' first attempt at political office. However, he said he has worked closely with state and local officials in his work at the foundation and in his professional relationship with the Chickasaw Nation. He said, if elected, he wants to be present for the community and bring goodwill and do the right thing. 'What it boils down to is my campaign really is encapsulated by my slogan, 'Progress through unity, and unity through service,'' he said. 'That aims to achieve several critical objectives, which are all centered on the fundamental principle of bringing people together for the betterment of our community … True progress begins with understanding, and that means listening to everyone regardless of their background, beliefs or affiliations.'
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
Deputy who stopped wrong-way driver honored by MS lawmakers
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Mississippi lawmakers recognized a sheriff's deputy from DeSoto County on Tuesday for his courageous actions in stopping a wrong-way driver along I-269. In March, Deputy Brian Brock was injured when he collided with the driver, who narrowly missed several cars while going the wrong direction on the interstate. Deputy drives into path of wrong-way vehicle to save other drivers, woman arrested As part of National Police Week, the Mississippi House of Representatives honored Brock for his selfless service and for protecting others from a potential tragedy. Brock was surrounded by his family members and DeSoto County Sheriff Thomas Tuggle during the ceremony at the state capitol. Representative Rodney Hall also honored Deputy Brock's heroic actions with a formal resolution during the 2025 Legislative Session. Lawmakers said Brock's bravery reminds them of the sacrifices law enforcement officers make every day to keep everyone safe. The Mississippi Highway Patrol identified the wrong-way driver as 54-year-old Tracy Balton of Olive Branch, Miss. Brock, 34, positioned himself on the shoulder of I-269, just east of Craft Road. Recognizing that the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed, Sheriff Tuggle said Brock decided to put himself between Balton and another person driving on the interstate. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
WIRED
10-03-2025
- Politics
- WIRED
Mississippi Passes Bill Banning Lab-Grown Meat
Mar 10, 2025 4:22 PM Three states have now passed legislation making it illegal to manufacture, sell, or distribute cultivated meat. Courtesy of New Age Meats/Megan Bayley The Mississippi House of Representatives just passed a bill banning cultivated meat. This makes Mississippi the third state to outlaw meat grown in vats from small samples of animal cells. The Mississippi bill will make it illegal for anyone to manufacture, sell, or distribute cultivated meat in the state. Violating the law would be a misdemeanour, punishable by a fine of no more than $500 and/or up to three months in county jail. Similar laws passed last year in Florida and Alabama also carry potential jail terms or fines of up to $500. The bill now awaits the signature of Governor Tate Reeves and will become law unless he chooses to veto the bill. Mississippi's agriculture commissioner, Andy Gipson, has criticized the cultivated meat industry, and he supported a 2019 bill that prevented cultivated meat products being labeled as meat in the state. In 2024 he published a post on his website that commended the cultivated meat bans in Florida and Alabama. 'I want my steak to come from farm-raised beef, not a petri-dish from a lab,' he wrote. 'This has a very, very, strong sense of political theater,' says Suzi Gerber, executive director of the Association for Meat, Poultry, and Seafood Innovation, a trade group representing the cultivated meat industry. The actual impact of the law in any of these states would be minimal, she says, since cultivated meat hasn't been available for sale in any of them. Republican representatives Bill Pigott and Lester Carpenter introduced the Mississippi bill in January 2025. It passed both houses without a single vote in opposition. But similar legislation in other states has had less of a smooth path. A Wyoming bill that would have outlawed cultivated meat was voted down in its third reading in the senate in February, while a similar bill proposed in South Dakota also failed to make it through a senate vote in February. 'I was surprised but encouraged by the results in those states,' says Gerber. In Wyoming some senators argued for better packaging and labeling provisions instead of an outright ban on cultivated meat, while in South Dakota some legislators opposed the ban, arguing it would inhibit free trade. Other states are considering legislation similar to that already passed in Florida, Alabama, and Mississippi. A bill introduced in Georgia in January would make it illegal to sell cultivated meat. In Nebraska a bill that would prohibit cultivated meat in the state was introduced at the request of Governor Jim Pillen in January. The Florida ban is currently being contested in a court case brought by the Californian cultivated meat firm Upside Foods and the Institute of Justice, a nonprofit public interest law firm. The case argues that the Florida ban violates two separate parts of the US Constitution, which cover interstate commerce and the relationship between federal and state law. In October a federal judge denied Upside Foods' request for a preliminary injunction that would have halted the enforcement of Florida's ban on cultivated meat. The steady drip of state bans has coincided with a downturn in investor enthusiasm for cultivated meat. Just $226 million was invested in cultivated meat startups in 2023, significantly down from $922 million in 2022. In early 2024 Upside Foods laid off workers, while California-based SciFiFoods shut down altogether later that year. But there are some signs that the industry is weathering these headwinds. On March 8, San Francisco–based cultivated meat company Mission Barns announced that the Food and Drug Administration had no further questions about the safety of its cultivated pork fat product, a major step toward selling the product in the US. Only two other companies, Upside Foods and Eat Just, have received a similar letter from the FDA. Now Mission Barns only needs approval from the US Department of Agriculture in order to launch in the US.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Longtime Rep. Robert Clark to lie in repose at Mississippi Capitol
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Robert G. Clark, who was elected in 1967 as Mississippi's first Black lawmaker of the 20th century and rose to the second-highest leadership role in the state House of Representatives, will lie in repose at the Mississippi State Capitol. According to the Mississippi House of Representatives, Clark will lie in repose on Sunday, March 9. Visitation will be from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Robert Clark, Mississippi's first Black lawmaker after Civil Rights era, dies at 96 Clark died Tuesday at age 96, his son said. Rep. Bryant Clark, who succeeded Robert Clark, said his father died of natural causes at home in Holmes County. Elected in 1967, Clark shattered racial barriers and served 36 years in the Mississippi House, rising to House Speaker Pro Tempore in 1992. A lifelong advocate for education and Black representation in government, he played a pivotal role in expanding opportunities for all Mississippians. Honored at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in 2018, Clark's legacy is one of resilience and progress. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
This week in politics: School choice bills return for second round in MS House
The Mississippi House of Representatives has for the second-year advanced bills that would increase the amount of taxpayer cash available for families to spend on private schools. On Wednesday, the House passed House Bill 1902, 1903 and 1894, containing code sections of state law relating to the Children's Promise Act, a multi-million-dollar tax credit program allowing parents to collectively receive $9 million in tax breaks for sending their children to private schools. The Children's Promise Act, first passed in 2019, has been used as a tax credit program for families to get back money they pay to "charitable organizations." House Ways and Means Chairman Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, told the Clarion Ledger the program's current funding limit is inadequate. "It's a priority of mine," he said. "The need and demand for this outpaces the allowance of credits, and other tax credit programs are not being fully utilized." HB 1902 would take unused tax credits away from other programs and place them with the Children's Promise Act. HB 1903 would increase the amount of money the program receives in total each year from $9 million to $16 million for families to receive tax breaks. The other piece of the puzzle is HB 1894, which at first glance looks only to be a state bond issuance bill. Within it lies the Children's Promise Act. When Lamar introduced the legislation to his committee, he made no mention of the portion that included tax dollar spending on private schools. The bill passed committee without any opposition. "It is a little bit frustrating… It would be helpful to the whole House if (Lamar) would give us more time and a little bit more headway in terms of being able to understand what's in the bills," Minority Leader Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, said. For years, similar tactics have been used to get legislation through the Capitol. Lamar's most recent was Smith Wills Stadium, which transferred from Jackson's ownership to the state via a land conveyance bill passed in 2024. Jackson delegates later said Lamar made no direct mention of the bill's intent when presenting it. Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar, R-Leakesville, has been on the record for years as opposing legislation that increases public funding for private schools. First 2025 School choice effort dies: MS House Speaker says school choice bill doesn't have consensus among House GOP. See why On Thursday, independent pharmacists gathered at the Capitol to urge lawmakers to pass meaningful reform on Pharmacy Benefit Managers, the pharmaceutical middlemen who often control both drug prices on consumers and the amount of money pharmacists can make on prescriptions. "Independent pharmacies are often reimbursed less than the acquisition cost of medications," a press release on the press conference stated. "Furthermore, an independent audit found that chain drug stores and other PBM affiliates are paid eight times more than your hometown, independent pharmacy. PBM's steer patients to mail order or big box stores, killing small, independently owned pharmacies. This practice hurts communities and limits access to care." School choice moved up via in-house rule School choice in MS House lives by in-house rule, not Democratic principle. See details PBM issues: Independent pharmacists could risk closure by 2026 in Mississippi. Read why Both the House and Senate have passed legislation to increase transparency and accountability for the business that PBMs do in Mississippi. In 2024, the Clarion Ledger identified that independent pharmacists on whole faced closures within the next few years if nothing was done to address what they described as unfair PBM business practices. House Speaker Jason White said in a press release this week he is committed to ensuring some transparency and accountability is put on PBMs. On Tuesday, Lamar told the Clarion Ledger that if push comes to shove, he would be happy if the governor calls a special session to fully eliminate the state income tax. Both the House and Senate have passed bills to dramatically cut taxes in some areas and raise them in others. One major difference between the chambers' approach is that the House plan seeks to fully eliminate the income tax while the Senate seeks to only reduce it to 2.99%. Tax cuts: Senate passes tax cut plan. See what it does For several weeks, rumors have been circulating that Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is mulling whether to call a special session to force the Senate to negotiate an income tax elimination. Reeves has gone on the record for being largely in support of the House plan. Lamar said he and his colleagues are dead set on full elimination, and if the Senate doesn't like it, he's happy with suspending all other legislative business until some sort of agreement is made. "I fully support the governor calling special session to highlight the need to eliminate our income tax for the future of Mississippi," Lamar said. Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@ or 972-571-2335 This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: MS politics: School choice bills advanced by State House again
