Mississippi News
Initiative process survives key deadline
Plan to revive citizens’ right to place issues on ballot survives key deadline
Legislation to restore Mississippi’s initiative process survived a key committee deadline Tuesday and will be taken up by the full Senate in the coming days.
On Tuesday, the Senate Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee passed House Resolution 39, which would place a proposal to restore the initiative process on the November ballot after it was ruled invalid in May 2021 in a controversial ruling by the Mississippi Supreme Court. The initiative process allows citizens to gather signatures to bypass the Legislature and place issues on the ballot for voters to decide.
The proposal passed out of committee Tuesday includes language that will force the resolution restoring the initiative to go to conference at the end of the legislative session to hammer out a compromise between House and Senate leaders.
Accountability Committee Chair John Polk, R-Hattiesburg, had refused throughout the session to say whether he would take up legislation to restore the initiative process. But on Tuesday he said after studying the bill and talking with leaders who had passed the proposal earlier this session out of the House, he supported passing it out of committee.
“I think they (House leaders) have a good bill that we will be able to build on together and that is what we are doing,” Polk said.
Tuesday was the deadline to pass out of committee general bills and constitutional resolutions that originated in the other chamber.
The issue is before the Legislature this session because the state Supreme Court struck down the initiative process when it ruled that the medical marijuana initiative approved by voters in November 2020 was invalid. The Court ruled the process invalid because language in the Constitution mandated the required number of signatures to place an issue on the ballot be gathered equally from five congressional districts. The state has only four congressional districts, losing one as a result of the 2000 Census.
The proposal that passed the House and is pending before the Senate would require a pro rata share of signatures be gathered from whatever number of congressional districts the state has.
The proposal also would allow voters to place issues on the ballot to change or amend general law. The initiative adopted in the early 1990s and that was struck down by the Supreme Court allowed voters to amend the state Constitution.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi News
Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: December 20-22
SUMMARY: This weekend (December 20-22), Mississippi offers a variety of festive events. In Jackson, enjoy Food Truck Friday, candlelight concerts, a Grinch movie screening, and Journey to the North Pole. In Ridgeland, experience Merry Bingo, Christmas on the Green, and Fleet Feet Coffee Run. Vicksburg hosts Rock the Halls, while Natchez offers a European Christmas Shopping Village. Other activities include Santa scuba diving at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, and Magic of Lights in Brandon. Hattiesburg features Lights of the Wild and Teddy Bear Tea with Santa. Numerous holiday events are available across the state.
The post Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: December 20-22 appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Attorneys seek protective order in Jackson bribery case
SUMMARY: Prosecutors in Jackson are seeking a protective order to prevent the release of sensitive information in a bribery case involving Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, and City Councilman Aaron Banks. The motion aims to protect personal, financial, and grand jury information, fearing it could impair investigations and fair trial rights. The three officials face charges related to a bribery scheme involving $80,000 in bribes for approving a real estate development project. Other individuals, including former City Councilwoman Angelique Lee and Sherik Marve Smith, are also implicated, with Smith pleading guilty to conspiracy.
The post Attorneys seek protective order in Jackson bribery case appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse
SUMMARY: Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, was arrested in Pennsylvania and charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Mangione, who expressed disdain for corporate greed and the health insurance industry, was found with a gun matching the murder weapon and fraudulent IDs. He initially gave false identification but was recognized at a McDonald’s. Mangione, who wrote a three-page document expressing anti-corporate sentiments, is being extradited to New York. His family, shocked by his arrest, expressed condolences to Thompson’s family. Mangione had no prior criminal complaints but had a history of severe back pain.
The post Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse appeared first on www.wjtv.com
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