by Associated Press Published: May 4,2012
Tags: bills, Conventions, hotels, lawmakers, laws, legislative, legislators, Legislature, lodging, meetings, motels, municipal government, state government, tax collections, taxes, tourism, tourists, visitors
HORN LAKE — The state Auditor’s Office says Horn Lake needs to place money collected from an unauthorized hotel-motel tax into an escrow account until the issue is resolved. City officials told The Commercial Appeal yesterday they have already been doing so. The issue stems from a $2 per night tax on hotel and motel [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: May 4,2012
Tags: bills, elections, lawmakers, laws, legislation, legislative, legislators, Legislature, Politics, redistricting, voters, votes, Voting
JACKSON — Mississippi lawmakers are finished with their part of redistricting, and new House and Senate maps await federal scrutiny. The Mississippi House voted 70-50 yesterday to approve a state Senate plan that increases the number of majority-black districts and reduces the number of split precincts. The Senate approved its own plan Wednesday. Both chambers [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: May 2,2012
Tags: billsd, education, elementary education, executive, governor, lawmakers, laws, legislation, legislative, legislators, Legislature, public education, public schools, school districts, schools, secondary education, teachers, teaching
BOLIVAR COUNTY — Five Bolivar County school districts would be merged into two in 2014, under a bill headed to Gov. Phil Bryant’s desk. Senate Bill 2760 passed the House 66-53 and the Senate 31-19. It would require that the Benoit, West Bolivar and Shaw districts merge into a new West Bolivar district based in [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: May 2,2012
Tags: census, elections, lawmakers, legislative, legislators, Legislature, Politics, population, redistricting, representation, state government, voters, votes, Voting
JACKSON — The Mississippi Senate today adopted its own redistricting plan that includes more majority-black districts and fewer split precincts. The Senate also rubber-stamped a House map that the House approved last week. The Senate plan still needs House approval. Legislative maps have to be updated each decade to balance the population in the districts. [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: May 2,2012
Tags: alcohol, alcoholic beverages, beer, beverages, bill, executive, governor, law, lawmaker, legislation, legislative, legislators, Legislature
JACKSON — Mississippi’s sole brewery will soon be able to make stronger beer to sell outside the state. Gov. Phil Bryant signed Senate Bill 2370 into law yesterday, which allows breweries to manufacture and sell beer with more than 8 percent alcohol by weight to states that allow sales of stronger beer. Mark Henderson, co-owner [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: May 2,2012
Tags: census, elections, lawmakers, legislative, legislators, Legislature, Politics, population, redistricting, representation, voters, votes, Voting
JACKSON — A proposed new map for the Mississippi Senate includes more majority-black districts and fewer split precincts statewide. The Republican senator who led the redistricting effort, Merle Flowers of Southaven, said he’s confident it will be adopted with bipartisan support. “We have worked hard to draw a plan that’s fair and complies with the [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 30,2012
Tags: bills, executive, exporters, exporting, exports, governor, importers, importing, imports, lawmakers, laws, legislation, legislative, legislators, Legislature, ports, shipping, ships, state government, trade, transportation
GULFPORT — Legislation that removes the Port of Gulfport and its $570 million post-Hurricane Katrina expansion and renovation from state government oversight has been signed by the governor. House Bill 1091 took effect with Gov. Phil Bryant’s signature this past week. The bill exempts the Port of Gulfport from state-agency bidding and purchasing oversight [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 30,2012
Tags: bills, bonds, construction, investments, lawmakers, laws, legislation, legislative, legislators, Legislature, state government
JACKSON — A bond package that would have provided funding for repairs and new construction across Mississippi died when a Saturday deadline passed, though the legislature continued making strides yesterday to finish the budget process. Republican Lt. Gov Tate Reeves held his line this weekend, demanding a smaller bond package than the $250 million proposal [...] [...]
by Associated Press Published: April 27,2012
Tags: appropriations, bills, budget, lawmakers, laws, legislation, legislative, legislators, Legislature, revenues, state government, tex collections
JACKSON — Negotiators at the Mississippi Capitol say they’re close to agreeing on a $5.6 billion state budget for the year that begins July 1. House and Senate leaders were trying to work out some final details at midday today, and they were hoping to file final budget proposals by this evening. That would be [...] [...]
WASHINGTON — Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) says he is disappointed with the 2012 Farm Bill approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee and is withholding his support for the measure due to inadequate coverage for important crops produced in Mississippi. Cochran, who serves on the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and is a former chairman [...] [...]