A panel of House lawmakers kept alive the effort to legalize mobile sports betting in Mississippi, but the bill does not appear to have enough support in the Senate to pass.

Hours before a Tuesday evening legislative deadline, the House Gaming Committee inserted into two Senate bills the language from a measure the full House passed last month to permit online betting. The legislation would put Mississippi on track to join a growing number of states that allow online sports wagering.

But the House Gaming Committee had to resort to the procedural move after its Senate counterpart declined to take up its bill. Senate Gaming Chairman David Blount, a Democrat from Jackson, said he does not support the measure, prompting frustration from House Gaming Chairman Casey Eure, a Republican from Saucier. Eure said he implemented suggested changes from the Senate after lawmakers couldn’t agree on a final proposal in 2024.

“This shows how serious we are about mobile sports betting,” Eure said. “I’ve done everything he’s asked for … I’ve done everything they’ve asked for plus some.”

In a February 88-10 vote, the House approved a new version of the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act, which Eure said was reworked to address concerns raised by the Senate last year. The new version would allow a casino to partner with two sports betting platforms rather than one. Allowing casinos to partner with an extra platform is designed to assuage the concerns of casino leaders and lawmakers who represent areas where gambling is big business.

Last year, some lawmakers raised concerns that gambling platforms would have no incentive to partner with smaller casinos, and most of the money would instead flow to the Mississippi Gulf Coast’s already bustling larger casinos.

Other changes include a provision that prevents people from placing bets with credit cards, a request from the Senate to guard against gambling addiction.

Blount said there were growing concerns in other states that have legalized online sports betting, including over what consumer protections can be put in place and the impact legalization could have on existing gambling markets.

READ MORE: House panel approves casino tax increase, a shot over bow on blockage of online sports betting

“This is a different industry than any other industry because it is subject to forces outside of the control of the folks who are on this business,” Blount said. “And so what I think we need to do as a state, and we have done this for decades, is we have provided a stable regulatory environment, regardless of who is in the legislature, regardless of who the governor is, without a lot of drama.”

The proposal would levy a 12% tax on sports wagers, with revenue reaching all 82 counties via the Emergency Road and Bridge Repair Fund. Eure said he believes the state is losing between $40 million and $80 million a year in tax revenue by keeping mobile sports betting illegal.

Proponents also say legalization would undercut the influence of illicit offshore sports betting platforms.

Since the start of the NFL season this year, Mississippi has recorded 8.69 million attempts to access legal mobile sportsbooks, according to materials presented to House members at an earlier committee meeting. That demand fuels a thriving illegal online gambling market in Mississippi, proponents have said. Opponents say legalization could devastate the bottom line of smaller casinos and lead to debt and addiction among gamblers.

Mobile sports betting is legal in 30 states and Washington, D.C., according to the American Gaming Association.

The House panel inserted the mobile sports betting language into SB 2381 and SB 2510. The bills now head to the full chamber for consideration.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

After weeks of often contentious back-and-forth with child care providers, the Mississippi Department of Health is walking back its revised regulations for the industry.

External affairs and media relations director Greg Flynn confirmed the news, explaining that MSDH is still working on the proposed changes, and that they will not present them in the near future. “The topic will not be presented at the Board of Health meeting in April,” he stated.

Nicole Barnes, director of the Child Care Licensure Bureau, stated that, “Once the edits have been finalized, we will plan to share those accordingly with the child care advisory council.”

According to an MSDH spokesperson, MSDH leadership retracted the revisions on Feb. 28. It’s the same day the Division of Early Childhood Care & Development’s Child Care Payment Program Advisory Council was supposed to hold an ad hoc meeting going over the revisions. The meeting was cancelled after the announcement.

This update comes after months of upset among child care providers over revisions. Initially, MSDH filed to revise child care regulations last November. Child care providers criticized the revisions for being too restrictive and impractical. They also criticized the licensing agency for its rollout of the revisions. 

MSDH said these changes were necessary to follow the Child Care and Development Fund Block Grant Act’s health and safety requirements. They did not initially consult the Child Care Advisory Council or the Small Business Regulatory Committee. 

The agency maintained that it followed Mississippi Administrative Procedures Act. However, some child care providers said they violated state law by not notifying them of the proposed changes within three days of filing them, as well as being generally inconsiderate of providers’ needs.

“We are all committed to providing high-quality care for children in the state of Mississippi and want to partner with the Health Department to ensure their health and safety is our first priority,” said Lesia Daniel, owner of Funtime in Clinton and member of the advisory council.

Roberta Avila, a member of the Child Care Advisory Council, said there needs to be more transparency and consideration for providers during revision changes. “As a member of the Council I want to work in cooperation with the agency,” she said. “I hope we can start anew with the agency to ensure that all licensed  providers, who will be affected by any changes in the regs, are informed about the process and will have an opportunity to give timely input to the agency.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Robert Clark, the first Black person elected to the Mississippi Legislature in the modern era, has died at age 96.

Clark, a Holmes County native, was elected to the House in 1967 and served until his retirement in 2004. Clark was the highest-ranking Black person elected to a state government office in Mississippi since Reconstruction in the 1800s.

Clark was elected speaker pro tempore by the House membership in 1993 and held that, second-highest House position until his retirement.

On Tuesday it was the state Senate – not the House — where Clark’s death was first announced in the Mississippi Capitol. The House, where Clark broke so many barriers, was not scheduled to convene until Tuesday afternoon, when the chamber is expected to adjourn in his memory.

On Tuesday morning, freshman Sen. Bradford Blackmon, D-Canton, who represents Clark’s native Holmes County, announced that Clark had died earlier in the morning.

The Senate held a moment of silence and adjourned in his memory.

“Robert Clark … broke so many barriers in the state of Mississippi with class, resolve, and intellect. So he is going to be sorely missed, ,” said the Senate’s presiding officer, Lt.Gov. Delbert Hosemann, to the Senate chamber after the moment of silence.

Clark was ostracized when first elected to the House and sat at a desk by himself without the traditional deskmates that other House members had. But he rose to be a respected leader.

Clark, who was an educator when elected to the House, served 10 years as chair of the House Education Committee, including during the period when the historic Education Reform Act of 1982 was passed.

In 1992 during an intense speaker’s election, incumbent Speaker Tim Ford tabbed Clark as his choice for pro tem. Ford was reelected as speaker and Clark made history by becoming pro tem or second in control of the House.

For a brief period in the 1800s after the Civil War, Black Mississippians held major positions in state government. But Clark was the first Black Mississippian to hold such a position since that Reconstruction period.

At pro tem, Clark presided over the House in Ford’s absence.

He was succeeded in the House by his son, Rep. Bryant Clark. While Billy McCoy was serving as speaker from 2004 until 2012, Bryant Clark on occasion would preside over the House as his father had made history doing.

“He was not just a trailblazer in our state’s history, but a true mentor, confidant and (counselor) to me,” Bryant Clark said on Facebook Tuesday. “He shaped me into the man I am today, and through every challenge and triumph, he was there — offering guidance, wisdom, and yes, even a few tough critiques when I needed them most. He was my hero, both in public service and in life, and his impact will forever be felt by me and many others.”

In the 1980s, Clark ran to become the first Black Mississippian elected to the U.S. House since Reconstruction. He won the Democratic primary for the 2^nd District post, but lost the general election. Later Mike Espy won the election to become the first Black Mississippian elected to Congress. Espy was followed by Bennie Thompson, leaving the 2^nd District represented in Congress by a Black Mississippian.

“My prayers go out to Robert Clark and his family,” said Vicksburg Mayor George Flaggs who served in the House with Clark. “The honorable Robert Clark has broken so many barriers. I always will remember him as a gentleman who persevered. I learned so much from him. He was a giant of a man.”

This story will be updated.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.