A Mississippian watching state leaders’ social media posts these days might wonder whether they’ve mistakenly logged into a chat between some petulant third graders as they call each other names and bicker.

Their high-brow discourse over policy has recently included state politicians calling people: “a fraud, a loser, swamp creatures, dorks, a chubby Teletubby, a charlatan and pathetic” as well as more personal plays on their names, such as “Lying Lynn.”

In today’s hyper-divided partisan political landscape, one might figure this name calling is mostly between Republicans and Democrats. But in Mississippi right now, most of the vitriol is Republican-on-Republican.

This is perhaps because Mississippi Republicans have such control of state government, they don’t have any powerful Democrats to harangue. They’ve run out of targets. They’ve long forgotten Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment. They’re starting to eat their young.

The latest red-on-red dustup was last week, and led by Gov. Tate Reeves, ostensibly the head of the state GOP.

The supermajority Republican Senate, as it did last year, has passed an early voting bill — which would allow “no-excuse” in person early voting for 15 days before election day.

Senate Elections Chairman Jeremy England, R-Vancleave, authored SB 2654 and told his colleagues 47 other states provide voters the convenience of early voting. A similar measure passed the Senate last year but died in the House.

Never mind that the Republican National Committee — and at times President Donald Trump — publicly embraced early voting last year: Gov. Reeves promptly took shots at England on social media after the state Senate voted 40-11 to pass the bill on to the House.

“Unfortunately Senator Jeremy England joined every Senate Democrat today … with his no-excuse Early Voting bill — one of the top priorities of the Mississippi Democrat Party,” Reeves wrote. “Keep in mind — every Mississippi Republican Party Senate Elections Chair before him has killed that terrible idea! Congrats to Senator England — he has earned his MVP award for the Mississippi Democratic Party!”

England responded to Reeves on social media: “I don’t care if you’re Governor. You won’t bully me. And you’re just plain wrong on this one.”

Former Republican state senator and perennial failed U.S. Senate candidate Chris McDaniel tried to pile on to England after Reeves’ mean tweet.

“RINO ALERT,” McDaniel posted. “Jeremy England is a fraud. A loser. He has lied to the people of Jackson County for years. He’s little more than a chubby Teletubby who pretends to be a Republican.”

England responded with a long, rather polite — given the slings and arrows he suffered — explanation of his bill. Many of his constituents following him on social media took up for him in the dustup.

One wrote: “I applaud your leadership. 47 other states have early voting and President Trump encouraged his supporters to vote early. My daughter is a nurse and lives in TN and voted early. There are lots of occupations who appreciate and support early voting. Learn the facts and don’t fall for false rhetoric. Thank you Jeremy !!!”

But Reeves couldn’t let it go. In between wishing people a “Happy Gulf of America Day,” and posting “Plastic straws are back, baby … And the sharks munching through the ocean are gonna be just fine!” the governor took another shot at England.

He posted a newspaper photo of England on the Senate floor laughing with Democratic Sen. Derrick Simmons and wrote: ” A picture is worth a thousand words!! Senator Jeremy England, you may think it is funny that you are working with the Senate Democrat Minority Leader to pass the Democrats’ priorities…. BUT I DO NOT!”

A constituent responded on Reeves’ post: “I’m confused. Is the Capitol supposed to function like kids in the lunchroom who are picking on the new kid? Or should our elected officials act as adults and be professional while working together to form a better functioning government? I see Jeremy England got the memo to be an adult. Maybe Tate missed it??”

Sen. Joel Carter, R-Gulfport, took the unusual step of addressing the Senate on Thursday to condemn Reeves for trying to “divide” lawmakers by lobbing insults instead of being a unifying leader.

Carter posted on social media: “I don’t know who is in control of (the governor’s) account, but they need to find something else to do. This is so petty and unbecoming of the Office of Governor. This divides us all. Republicans have all Statewide offices and supermajorities in both chambers. The fighting needs to stop. Where is the adult in the room?”

WATCH: Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann outlines the Senate’s “sustainable, conservative” tax reform proposal.

Quote of the Week

“There’s a lot of men in here that know a lot about birthing babies,” — Rep. Dana McLean, R-Columbus, after being questioned during floor debate on a midwifery bill by male colleagues.

In Brief

Senate approves ‘fifth tier’ in PERS for new employees

New hires by state and local governments would receive more austere retirement benefits than current and former employees under a plan approved after much debate by the state Senate.

SB 2439, authored by Sen. Daniel Sparks, R-Belmont, adopts recommendations from the Public Employee Retirement System board to create a “hybrid” retirement plan for employees hired after July 1, 2025. Mississippi, like many other states, is grappling with rising costs with its generous government retirement benefits plan and billions in unfunded outstanding future benefits.

The Senate passed the bill 30-16 after a lengthy debate. It heads to the House, which has instead included providing more funds for PERS from state lottery collections as part of its tax overhaul plan in HB 1.

The new plan would not change benefits for current employees or retirees, but would mean new hires would have small part of their retirement going into a defined benefit plan, with the rest going into an investment account similar to a 401(K) . New hires would also not automatically get a cost of living adjustment — often referred to as the “13th check” — current retirees receive.

Opponents of the new play say PERS is not in as dire financial shape as some posit, and that drastically reducing retirement benefit would make it hard for the state to hire and retain employees, such as teachers, because government pay is relatively low. — Geoff Pender

Bill would expand scope for advanced nurses

The House has passed a measure on to the Senate to allow advanced practice nurses and certified registered nurse anesthetists with more than 8,000 hours of practice to operate without a collaborative contract with a physician.

HB 849, authored by House Public Health Chairman Sam Creekmore, R-New Albany, passed by a vote of 76-33 and now heads to the Senate. Proponents say the measure, similar to laws in 27 other states, would help the state with its shortage of doctors and health services. Opponents say allowing people with less training than a physician is dangerous for patients.

House Speaker Jason White praised lawmakers for working on the measure despite fierce lobbying pressure against it and trying to “break the mold … and try to meet our needs in the health care world.” — Geoff Pender

House votes to make entire state wet

The House last week voted to declare every county in the state as wet for alcohol sales. 

Mississippi has a hodgepodge system in which counties and municipalities can sell alcohol.  Most of Mississippi’s 82 counties, commonly called “wet” counties, allow liquor and wine sales. 

However, around 30 counties in the state do not allow hard liquor sales and are typically called “dry” counties. But only three counties in the state are truly dry. Some large cities inside those dry counties, however, do allow spirit and wine sales, leading to the nickname of “moist” counties.

House Bill 91 would abolish this system and make every county wet, but it would allow counties to hold voter referendums to block the sale of alcohol. — Taylor Vance

Senate, House on same page with PBM transparency

The Senate passed a pharmacy benefit manager transparency bill Thursday that largely aligns with a bill the House passed two weeks ago. The bill, authored by Sen. Rita Parks, R-Corinth, prohibits the companies – which act as an intermediary between health insurers, pharmacies and drug manufacturers – from charging insurers more for drugs than pharmacies are paid to inflate their own profits and ensures that pharmacists are paid promptly for dispensing drugs. 

It also requires pharmacy benefit managers and drug manufacturers to submit data to the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy, which will be tasked with creating a website to publicize the data, and gives the board additional audit authorities. The Senate added the data and transparency language to its bill after the House passed their bill with the same requirements. 

The Board of Pharmacy and some pharmacists say the legislation doesn’t do enough to help pharmacies and patients. But Parks said the bill is a step towards better understanding pharmacy benefit managers’ business practices. “We have to start somewhere,” she said. “And I think the transparency portion of this bill begins to help (independent pharmacists).” — Gwen Dilworth

House approves Sunday liquor sales

The House last week voted to allow licensed package stores to sell liquor and wine seven days a week, including on Sundays. 

Currently, Mississippi law prohibits package stores from selling liquor on Sunday, but House Bill 92 would allow local governments to pass an ordinance allowing liquor sales from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. 

Proponents of the measure say it will allow Mississippi to collect more tax revenue from liquor sales. Mississippi is one of a handful of states that do not allow seven-day liquor sales. — Taylor Vance

Senate advances kratom extracts ban

The Mississippi Senate passed a bill Tuesday to ban synthetic kratom products, also known as kratom extracts, by making it a Schedule III controlled substance. The proposed legislation, introduced by Sen. Angela Turner-Ford, D-West Point, would institute criminal penalties for possession of synthetic kratoms and make it available only with a prescription from a licensed health care provider. 

Synthetic kratom extracts are products that contain high concentrations of 7-hydroxymitragynine, one of the chemical components in kratom that binds to the same receptors in the brain as opioids. These forms are more potent than the pure herbal substance and “more problematic and more addictive,” said Turner-Ford. 

Critics of kratom argue that it is highly addictive and produces stimulant- and opioid-like effects. Advocates argue it can satisfy the cravings of people struggling with opioid use disorder and help people with depression and chronic pain. 

The House passed a bill last week that would limit kratom purchases to people 21 and older and ban synthetic kratom products, also known as kratom extracts. Bills in the House and Senate now head to the opposite chamber for consideration. — Gwen Dilworth

House, Senate advance bills dealing with ‘squatters’

Both the House and Senate passed separate bills last week to make it easier for homeowners to get rid of “squatters.”

SB 2328, authored by Sen. Walter Michel, R-Ridgeland, and HB 1200, authored by Brent Powell, R-Brandon, were passed by their respective chambers.

Mississippi is one of at least 10 states to recently pass or consider bills making it easier for property owners to have law enforcement remove people illegally staying on their property. The anti-squatting measures are in part result of news stories nationwide and about people moving into homes, refusing to leave then trying to claim ownership, and from a viral TikTok video by a migrant influencer who encouraged people to squat in homes across the country. — Geoff Pender

House lets felony suffrage restoration die

House Constitution Chairman Price Wallace let two measures that would allow people convicted of nonviolent disenfranchising felony offenses die on Thursday’s legislative deadline. 

Mississippi strips voting rights away for life from people who are convicted of one of 23 crimes, even if these people have completed the terms of their prison sentence. 

The only way for someone to regain voting rights is to receive a pardon from the governor or convince two-thirds of the legislators in both chambers to restore it. Legislators do not restore suffrage to people convicted of violent felonies and only restore suffrage to a few dozen people yearly. — Taylor Vance

Senate kills bill to make insurance post appointed

Senate kills proposal to make Insurance Commissioner appointed office 

 Senate Insurance Committee Chairman Walter Michel killed a bill that would have made the Insurance Commissioner an appointed office instead of an elected one. 

Mike Chaney, the current insurance commissioner, has called for the office to be appointed because it practically requires candidates to solicit campaign donations from insurance companies — the people the office regulates. 

Opponents of the proposal argue that people should still retain the right to elect people to office instead of allowing a politician to appoint someone.  — Taylor Vance

House advances hemp-testing bill

The House passed a bill this week that would beef up testing requirements for products made with hemp, a cannabis plants containing lower levels of THC than marijuana.

Republican Rep. Lee Yancey’s bill would require all hemp products sold in Mississippi to pass a test showing they have less than a 0.3% THC concentration. Congress made the sale of industrial hemp products possible in the 2018 Farm Bill. Mississippi approved hemp growing in 2020.

Yancey said his legislation is necessary because hemp products sold around the U.S. in places like gas stations and vape shops have been found to contain higher levels of THC than labels advertise, which Yancey blames on manufacturers. Products would be tested at an independent testing center, and sellers would have until July 1 to offload their stock of products containing too much THC. — Michael Goldberg

By the Numbers

$326 million

The net tax cuts for Mississippians under a long-awaited Senate plan unveiled Wednesday. The plan would cut the sales taxes on groceries from 7% to 5%, lower the individual income tax from 4% to 2.99% over four years and increase the excise on gasoline by 9 cents over three years, bringing the total per gallon to 27.4 cents.

Full Legislative Coverage

‘School choice’ bill sending taxpayer money to private schools stalls in Mississippi House

A bill that would allow some Mississippi parents to use taxpayer money to pay for private school does not have the support to pass this session, House leaders said Wednesday.  . Read the story.

Speaker White frustrated by ‘crickets’ from Senate on tax plan

Last week, with the legislative session clock ticking towards midway, House Speaker Jason White was growing more frustrated with the “crickets” he’s heard from his Republican Senate counterpart Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann on the House’s sea-change tax overhaul plan. Read the story.

State Auditor criticizes bill he said would have ‘gutted’ his office

State Auditor Shad White on Monday continued to criticize legislation that attempted to alter the scope of powers his office has in auditing nonprofit companies, continuing the statewide officials’ clash with the Republican-majority Senate. Read the story.

Court-ordered redistricting will require do-over legislative elections this year

Five House seats will be re-decided in a November special election, pending court approval, under a resolution the House approved to comply with a federal court order. Read the story.

House passes ‘Tim Tebow Act’ to allow homeschoolers to play sports

The state House advanced a bill that would allow Mississippi children being home schooled to to play public school sports. Read the story.

Mississippi ballot initiative measure set to die for fourth straight year

House Constitution Chairman Price Wallace, a Republican from Mendenhall, told Mississippi Today that he would let the measure die by Thursday’s legislative deadline because he believed the Senate would not be receptive to any ballot initiative proposal. . Read the story.

‘Secure the bag’: Mississippi women want equal pay, paid leave and better health outcomes

Speakers asked lawmakers to act on a range of issues from midwifery care to child care, but all their priorities centered around making women more financially secure in the poorest state with the worst maternal health outcomes. Read the story.

Two versions of domestic violence fatality review board clear legislative hurdle

An effort to create a statewide board to study domestic violence deaths to uncover trends and guide opportunities for intervention, support and policy unanimously passed both legislative bodies. Read the story.

Lt. Gov. Hosemann unveils $326 million ‘sustainable, cautious’ tax cut plan

Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann on Wednesday unveiled a $326 million tax cut package that reduces the state income tax and the sales tax on groceries and raises the gasoline tax to fund road work. Read the story.

Lawmaker: There is no outside oversight of medical care at Mississippi prisons

The House passed a bill Thursday that would direct the state Department of Health to conduct a sweeping review of the medical care provided to inmates at Mississippi prisons.. Read the story.

Legislation to license midwifery clears another hurdle

A bill that would establish a clear pathway for Mississippians seeking to become professional midwives passed the House after dying in committee several years in a row. Read the story.

Podcast: Lawmaker says paid parental leave crucial in ‘post Roe v. Wade’ Mississippi

Kevin Felsher of Biloxi discusses the bill he authored, and the House passed unanimously, to provide eight weeks of paid maternity or adoption leave, two weeks for fathers/secondary caregivers for state employees. Listen to the podcast.

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