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Senate passes bill putting Jackson water under state control, House to vote next

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Senate passes bill putting Jackson water under state control, House to vote next

The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would place the long-term control of Jackson’s water, wastewater and storm water systems under a nonprofit-led regional authority.

Under Senate Bill 2889, the majority of the board leading the nonprofit would be appointed by state leaders: three members from the governor, two from the lieutenant governor, and four from Jackson’s mayor. The board would then appoint a president of the authority, who would take charge of daily tasks and hiring personnel.

The new structure would take effect once the city’s federally appointed water manager, Ted Henifin, is no longer in his role. The federal judge who appointed Henifin left the timeline for that transition open-ended, only requiring Henifin to remain in Jackson until the city can maintain the water system on its own. Henifin suggested recently he would need at least five years to complete his duties.

The bill’s author, Sen. David Parker, a Republican who lives about 200 miles north of Jackson in Olive Branch, said that while the city’s water troubles have been a “black eye for Jackson, it’s also been a problem for the state as a whole.”

Despite the proposed structure in the bill, Parker refused to characterize the bill as taking control of the water system away from Jackson.

Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch

Citing the bill, Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, read, “‘The utility authority shall assume ownership, management, and control’ … so this is a taking, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I don’t consider it a taking,” Parker responded.

“Then what would you call it?” Horhn asked.

“I would say it’s a change of the structure to allow governance to move in a more people-friendly direction for generations to come,” Sen. Parker said.

“Who owns the asset right now?” Horhn asked.

“The city of Jackson owns (it),” Parker responded.

“And who will own the asset if this bill becomes law?” Horhn asked.

“The regional utility authority shall own the assets,” Parker said.

“It’s a taking,” Horhn responded, “It’s the same principal that we debated seven or eight years ago with the Jackson airport.”

As part of the changes he recently made to the bill, Parker said he combined his initial idea of a regional authority with the idea of a corporate nonprofit, which Henifin had raised in his recently submitted financial plan for the water system. The senator admitted, though, that he hasn’t yet discussed the bill with Henifin.

Henifin’s responsibility includes recommending a future governance structure for the water system. In his financial plan, Henifin didn’t propose any single option, but listed a nonprofit as the only option without any potential downsides. A key difference between his idea and SB 2889, though, is that Jackson wouldn’t lose ownership of the assets included in the drinking water system in Henifin’s proposal.

He wrote that keeping the system in the city’s control would mean limitations with procuring contracts, as well as a potential shift in priorities after each election.

The new version of SB 2889 also removed the requirement that the Jackson mayor would have to consult with the mayors of neighboring cities, Byram and Ridgeland, for two of his appointments, and shifted that requirement to the governor and lieutenant governor’s appointments. Jackson sends drinking water to Byram, and also handles some of Ridgeland’s wastewater.

Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson

The Senate approved the bill, 34-15, and the legislation now moves to the House. Senators also amended the bill with a reverse repealer, meaning that is has to come back through their chamber before going to the governor’s desk for final approval.

Horhn warned that lawmakers should consider what it would mean to take on the legal liability for the city’s water and wastewater systems, both of which are under federal consent orders. The city is also facing multiple civil lawsuits over drinking water issues. He said that lawmakers considered placing Jackson’s water under a regional authority last year, but backed away for that very reason.

“I wonder if we would even be here right now if the federal government didn’t give us $800 million,” Horhn said, referencing a recent historic investment of federal funds into Jackson’s water system.

Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba last week criticized SB 2889 and other pending bills that would interfere with the city’s water and judicial systems.

Reporter Geoff Pender contributed to this story.

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

Mississippi Today

On this day in 1997

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mississippitoday.org – Jerry Mitchell – 2024-12-22 07:00:00

Dec. 22, 1997

Myrlie Evers and Reena Evers-Everette cheer the jury verdict of Feb. 5, 1994, when Byron De La Beckwith was found guilty of the 1963 murder of Mississippi NAACP leader Medgar Evers. Credit: AP/Rogelio Solis

The Mississippi Supreme Court upheld the conviction of white supremacist Byron De La Beckwith for the 1963 murder of Medgar Evers. 

In the court’s 4–2 decision, Justice Mike Mills praised efforts “to squeeze justice out of the harm caused by a furtive explosion which erupted from dark bushes on a June night in Jackson, Mississippi.” 

He wrote that Beckwith’s constitutional right to a speedy trial had not been denied. His “complicity with the Sovereignty Commission’s involvement in the prior trials contributed to the delay.” 

The decision did more than ensure that Beckwith would stay behind bars. The conviction helped clear the way for other prosecutions of unpunished killings from the Civil Rights Era.

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

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Medicaid expansion tracker approaches $1 billion loss for Mississippi

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mississippitoday.org – Bobby Harrison – 2024-12-22 06:00:00

About the time people ring in the new year next week, the digital tracker on Mississippi Today’s homepage tabulating the amount of money the state is losing by not expanding Medicaid will hit $1 billion.

The state has lost $1 billion not since the start of the quickly departing 2024 but since the beginning of the state’s fiscal year on July 1.

Some who oppose Medicaid expansion say the digital tracker is flawed.

During an October news conference, when state Auditor Shad White unveiled details of his $2 million study seeking ways to cut state government spending, he said he did not look at Medicaid expansion as a method to save money or grow state revenue.

“I think that (Mississippi Today) calculator is wrong,” White said. “… I don’t think that takes into account how many people are going to be moved off the federal health care exchange where their health care is paid for fully by the federal government and moved onto Medicaid.”

White is not the only Mississippi politician who has expressed concern that if Medicaid expansion were enacted, thousands of people would lose their insurance on the exchange and be forced to enroll in Medicaid for health care coverage.

Mississippi Today’s projections used for the tracker are based on studies conducted by the Institutions of Higher Learning University Research Center. Granted, there are a lot of variables in the study that are inexact. It is impossible to say, for example, how many people will get sick and need health care, thus increasing the cost of Medicaid expansion. But is reasonable that the projections of the University Research Center are in the ballpark of being accurate and close to other studies conducted by health care experts.

White and others are correct that Mississippi Today’s calculator does not take into account money flowing into the state for people covered on the health care exchange. But that money does not go to the state; it goes to insurance companies that, granted, use that money to reimburse Mississippians for providing health care. But at least a portion of the money goes to out-of-state insurance companies as profits.

Both Medicaid expansion and the health care exchange are part of the Affordable Care Act. Under Medicaid expansion people earning up to $20,120 annually can sign up for Medicaid and the federal government will pay the bulk of the cost. Mississippi is one of 10 states that have not opted into Medicaid expansion.

People making more than $14,580 annually can garner private insurance through the health insurance exchanges, and people below certain income levels can receive help from the federal government in paying for that coverage.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, legislation championed and signed into law by President Joe Biden significantly increased the federal subsidies provided to people receiving insurance on the exchange. Those increased subsidies led to many Mississippians — desperate for health care — turning to the exchange for help.

White, state Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, Gov. Tate Reeves and others have expressed concern that those people would lose their private health insurance and be forced to sign up for Medicaid if lawmakers vote to expand Medicaid.

They are correct.

But they do not mention that the enhanced benefits authored by the Biden administration are scheduled to expire in December 2025 unless they are reenacted by Congress. The incoming Donald Trump administration has given no indication it will continue the enhanced subsidies.

As a matter of fact, the Trump administration, led by billionaire Elon Musk, is looking for ways to cut federal spending.

Some have speculated that Medicaid expansion also could be on Musk’s chopping block.

That is possible. But remember congressional action is required to continue the enhanced subsidies. On the flip side, congressional action would most likely be required to end or cut Medicaid expansion.

Would the multiple U.S. senators and House members in the red states that have expanded Medicaid vote to end a program that is providing health care to thousands of their constituents?

If Congress does not continue Biden’s enhanced subsidies, the rates for Mississippians on the exchange will increase on average about $500 per year, according to a study by KFF, a national health advocacy nonprofit. If that occurs, it is likely that many of the 280,000 Mississippians on the exchange will drop their coverage.

The result will be that Mississippi’s rate of uninsured — already one of the highest in the nation – will rise further, putting additional pressure on hospitals and other providers who will be treating patients who have no ability to pay.

In the meantime, the Mississippi Today counter that tracks the amount of money Mississippi is losing by not expanding Medicaid keeps ticking up.

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

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On this day in 1911

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mississippitoday.org – Jerry Mitchell – 2024-12-21 07:00:00

Dec. 21, 1911

A colorized photograph of Josh Gibson, who was playing with the Homestead Grays Credit: Wikipedia

Josh Gibson, the Negro League’s “Home Run King,” was born in Buena Vista, Georgia. 

When the family’s farm suffered, they moved to Pittsburgh, and Gibson tried baseball at age 16. He eventually played for a semi-pro team in Pittsburgh and became known for his towering home runs. 

He was watching the Homestead Grays play on July 25, 1930, when the catcher injured his hand. Team members called for Gibson, sitting in the stands, to join them. He was such a talented catcher that base runners were more reluctant to steal. He hit the baseball so hard and so far (580 feet once at Yankee Stadium) that he became the second-highest paid player in the Negro Leagues behind Satchel Paige, with both of them entering the National Baseball Hame of Fame. 

The Hall estimated that Gibson hit nearly 800 homers in his 17-year career and had a lifetime batting average of .359. Gibson was portrayed in the 1996 TV movie, “Soul of the Game,” by Mykelti Williamson. Blair Underwood played Jackie Robinson, Delroy Lindo portrayed Satchel Paige, and Harvey Williams played “Cat” Mays, the father of the legendary Willie Mays. 

Gibson has now been honored with a statue outside the Washington Nationals’ ballpark.

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

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