Mississippi Today

Shocker: Mississippi lawmakers not keen on sharing power with masses, more transparency for themselves

Published

7 months ago

April 4, 2024

Shocker: Mississippi lawmakers not keen on sharing power with masses, more transparency for themselves

Mississippi senators recently beat the stew out of a bill that would have applied more transparency and rules to their campaign finances, leaving the bill gutted, on life support and likely to die.

They gave similar treatment to a measure to restore voters’ right to sidestep the Legislature and put measures directly on a statewide ballot. The right was nullified by the state Supreme Court three years ago. The milquetoast move to restore it is once again dead.

Read that: Special interests, 2; unwashed masses, 0.

Now, if you asked the common ordinary Mississippian whether they should have the right to ballot initiative and to know who is buying their politicians and for how much, they’d say heck-yes.

So why are lawmakers killing what would appear to be basic, populistic initiatives?

Such is the nature of representative government, politicians’ self interest, special interests and voters’ short attention spans. Here’s a couple little secrets and axioms: Politicians don’t like relinquishing any power, even to their constituents. And when it comes to policing and transparency over the money they get from special interests, they are a hive mind — transparency and rules for thee, not for me.

Perhaps no other issue ever brings such bipartisan support from Mississippi politicians as killing proposals for campaign finance or ethics reform. Recently they took turns with amendments, including removing anything from the campaign finance bill that would actually do anything, then making the measure repeal before it could take effect, just in case something crazy like it passing into law might happen.

Various groups have called for lawmakers to reinstate voters’ right to ballot initiative since the state high court deemed it unconstitutional on a technicality. This was in a ruling that struck down a successful referendum where voters overwhelmingly approved medical marijuana in Mississippi. Lawmakers reluctantly approved medical marijuana afterward, but dickering over details between the House and Senate has prevented any reinstatement of the right to ballot initiative.

Oddly, a ballot initiative drive led by medical providers and other advocates in 2021 could have let voters settle an issue that still has state lawmakers in a twist: Medicaid expansion. A petition drive to force a statewide vote on the issue had just begun that year when the state Supreme Court ruling nullified the state’s initiative process.

Certainly there are valid arguments against expansive use of ballot initiative in a representative democracy. Our founding fathers wanted to prevent “mob rule” in part to guarantee individual rights. But it seems pretty clear after three years of debate on the issue in the Legislature, that’s not the primary concern for most lawmakers.

Several polls have shown voters want the safety valve the right to ballot initiative would provide, and while mob rule must be tempered, so must special interest influence over lawmakers.

That brings us back to the (now-defunct) campaign finance reform measure. It was technically passed and kept alive, but was gutted, then gutted again and now is only a shell of a bill containing only code sections ensuring the House couldn’t pass any reform into law if it wanted to (which it likely does not).

This bill was a result of Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and others seeking reelection or election last year realizing the state has extremely lax campaign finance laws, little transparency and basically nonexistent enforcement. As millions of dollars in dark money poured into campaigns and some candidates appeared to thumb their noses at what rules we do have, Hosemann and others called for enforcement.

But the secretary of state’s office and Ethics Commission noted they had no real enforcement authority under Mississippi’s confusing, conflicting hodgepodge of campaign finance laws. And the attorney general, the only officer with clear enforcement authority, made clear she had little interest in doing so.

Later, though, after catching some political flak, Attorney General Lynn Fitch said in a press release that she, too, is for reform, and ironically enough would like to see some enforcement. But in doing so, she appeared to nullify one of the state’s few restrictions on campaign donations. More on that in a bit.

Senate Bill 2575, authored by Senate Elections Chairman Jeremy England, would have brought some such reform, and could have brought Mississippi into the 20th if not 21st century with campaign finance regulations and transparency.

Notably, it would have created the same type public, searchable database of campaign donations that most other states — including all those that surround us — have had for years. It also would have made it illegal to lie on such a report. This, Hosemann said, “goes to the heart of the electoral process,” and “to have an informed voter, you need to know who’s paying for what.”

This (as did other reforms in the bill) drew indignant howls from Senate Democrats and Republicans alike. They generally seem to be all for government transparency, except when any might splash onto them. It would appear that stripping them of the right to turn in illegible campaign finance reports, written in crayon and full of inaccuracies and incomplete information would be a bridge too far. This got stripped in committee before the bill ever reached the Senate floor.

Obviously, as the legislative session enters the final stretch, no major campaign finance reform appears to be forthcoming. The shell of a Senate bill remains alive in the House, but even if the House were to revive its major reforms, the Senate already showed its disdain for it.

That brings us back to Fitch’s odd move when she called for reform. In her press release, she said that Mississippi has no limits on how much out-of-state corporations can donate to candidates. This is contrary to decades of interpretation of Mississippi law and practice by candidates. Everyone other than Fitch, including her predecessors and secretaries of state, had operated under the legal interpretation that out-of-state corporations had the same $1,000 a year per candidate limit as in-state corporations.

Fitch made clear she doesn’t believe going over that limit is a violation. She even said that, perusing Mississippi code, she isn’t even sure what defines a corporation.

So, given what would appear to be an open invitation from the state’s chief legal officer to out-of-state corporate special interests, in the absence of any new law, Mississippi isn’t back where it started on campaign finance. It’s far worse.

So, that’s really: Special interests, 3; unwashed masses, 0.

The message to big money special interests appears clear: If you want to buy state politicians, come on down to Mississippi. We’re stacking them deep and selling them cheap.

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

Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.biloxinewsevents.com/?p=346469

Post Views: 239

Related Topics:Featured Mississippi News Mississippi Today News

Up Next

On this day in 1856

Don't Miss

On this day in 1928

Mississippi Today

Senate panel weighs how much — or whether — to cut state taxes

Published

10 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – Taylor Vance – 2024-11-04 15:42:00

A group of state senators on Monday grappled with how much to slash state taxes or if they should cut them at all, portending a major policy debate at the Capitol for next year’s legislative session.

The Senate Fiscal Policy Study Group solicited testimony from the state government’s leading experts on budget, economic and tax policies to prepare for an almost certain intense debate in January over how much they should trim state taxes while balancing the need to fund government services.

Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins, a Republican from Flowood whose committee has jurisdiction over tax policy, told Mississippi Today that he wanted senators to have basic facts in front of them before they help decide next year if Mississippi should cut taxes.

“We’re getting a tax cut the next two years whether we do anything or not,” Harkins said. “I just want to make sure we have all the facts in front of people to understand we have a clear picture of how much revenue we’re bringing in.”

Mississippi is already phasing in a major tax cut. After a raucous debate in 2022, lawmakers agreed to phase in an income tax cut. In two years it will leave Mississippi with a flat 4% tax on income over $10,000, one of the lowest rates in the nation.

However, the top two legislative leaders, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann who oversees the Senate and House Speaker Jason White, have both recently said they want legislators to consider new tax cut policies.

Hosemann, the Republican leader of the Senate, has publicly said he would like to see the state’s grocery tax, the highest of its kind in the nation, reduced, though he hasn’t specified how much of a reduction or how long it would take for the cut to be implemented.

White, a Republican from West, said last week that he would like to see the state’s 4% income tax phased out and have the state’s 7% grocery tax cut in half over time.

“We are hoping to construct a tax system that, yes, prioritizes certain needs in our state, but it also protects and rewards taxpayers,” White said last week.

But it’s difficult to collect accurate data on the state’s grocery tax, and state lawmakers must grapple with a laundry list of spending needs and obligations based on testimony from state agency leaders on Monday.

Mississippi currently has a 7% sales tax, which is applied to groceries. The state collects the tax but remits 18.5% back to cities. For many municipalities, the sales tax is a significant source of revenue.

If state lawmakers want to reduce the grocery tax without impacting cities, they could pass a new law to change the diversion amounts or appropriate enough money to make the municipalities whole.

State Revenue Commissioner Chris Graham said the Mississippi Department of Revenue, the agency in charge of collecting state taxes, does not have a mechanism in place for accurately capturing how much money cities collect in grocery taxes. This is because the tax on groceries is the same as non-grocery items.

However, Graham estimates that the state collects roughly $540 million in taxes from grocery items.

The other problem lawmakers would have in implementing significant tax cuts is a growing list of spending needs in Mississippi, a state with abject poverty, water and sewer and other infrastructure woes and some of the worst health metrics in the nation.

Representatives from the Legislative Budget Office, the group that advises lawmakers on tax and spending policy, told senators that lawmakers will also be faced with rising costs in the public employee retirement system, the Medicaid budget, public education, state employee health insurance, and state infrastructure projects.

State agencies, including the employee retirement system, also requested $751 million more for the coming budget year.

“That’s the billion dollar question, I guess,” Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson, a Republican from Vicksburg, said. “How we’re able to fund basic government services?”

Harkins and Hopson said the committee would likely meet again before the Legislature convenes for its 2025 session on January 7.

A House committee on tax cuts has also been holding hearings, and White in September held a summit on tax policy.

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

Post Views: 30

Mississippi Today

Already dire lack of affordable housing for low-income Mississippians on verge of worsening

Published

14 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – Simeon Gates – 2024-11-04 11:00:00

In Mississippi, where there’s already a dearth of 50,000 or more affordable homes for extremely low-income residents, that number could grow in the next five years.

Housing units available under the federal Low Income Tax Credit program could lose their affordability by 2030 –a number estimated nationwide to be 350,000 with 2,917 in Mississippi, alone; 496 in the state already have.

The federal program responsible for most of the nation’s affordable housing is expiring.

The Low Income Housing Tax Credit, introduced as part of the Tax Reform Act of 1986, provides for developers to buy, build and restore low-income housing units. Under the deal, the housing only needs to stay low-rent for 30 years. Construction began in the early 1990s.

Some LIHTC housing will remain affordable due to other subsidies, nonprofits, state law and individual landlords.

“I think the low-income housing tax credit has done everything that it can to address the need for affordable housing around the state,” said Scott Spivey, executive director of the Mississippi Housing Corporation, a state office that administers the program and works with the state government and those in the affordable housing industry to create and support affordable housing

Spivey supports the proposed Affordable Housing Credit and Improvement Act, a federal bill that would expand upon the low-income housing tax credit in several ways, including giving developers more credit for certain projects for low-income households and changing tenant eligibility rules.

The bill was introduced in the House and the Senate last session, and is co-sponsored by Mississippi Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Roger Wicker and in the House by Reps. Mike Ezell, and Michael Guest. As of this spring, both bills are in committee.

While housing has become a major issue for Americans, getting legislation passed has been challenging. “Everybody knows that housing is an issue, but it gets caught up with everything else…and it kind of gets lost in the shuffle,” said Spivey.

This issue is especially important in Mississippi, where demand for housing is high across all incomes.

“All the market studies that we see that come with the applications tell us that there’s a huge need for affordable housing across the state at all the income bands” said Spivey.

According to the National Low Income Housing Coalition, almost a third of Mississippi renters are extremely low income; 65% of them are severely cost burdened, meaning they spent more than half their income on rent. The majority of these households are seniors, disabled people, single caregivers of young children, people enrolled in school, or other.

Director of Housing Law at the Mississippi Center for Justice, Ashley Richardson said housing problems worsened after Mississippi stopped participating in the federal rental assistance program in 2022.

MCJ’s work on housing includes a statewide eviction hotline, investigating instances of housing discrimination, and more.

Richardson praised the LIHTC program, but echoed Spivey’s concerns. “Even with the affordable housing we do have in Mississippi, we are still at a lack,” she said.

The National Housing Preservation Database estimates Mississippi is short 52,421 affordable and available rental homes for low-income people. The National Low Income Housing Coalition puts the figure at 49,478.

Richardson wants the state to deal with issues like providing more tenant protections and rental assistance. There’s also a need to improve homes that are rundown or in poor condition, and many housing nonprofits are running out of funding.

Spivey said people should talk to their property managers and learn about their rights. MHC’s website has resources for homebuyers and renters.

As the housing crisis goes on, there are options for people struggling to find and keep affordable housing and an effort to take action at the federal and state levels.

Some aspiring low-income homeowners may qualify for Habitat for Humanity, a program that builds homes for families in need. Families who qualify work on the homes alongside volunteers, pay an affordable mortgage and receive financial literacy education.

New applicants must meet the qualifications, including a good debt-income ratio, 125 hours of sweat equity and taking classes on financial literacy, home repairs, and being a good neighbor.

Merrill McKewen, executive director for Habitat for Humanity Mississippi Capital Area, emphasized the importance of housing to individuals and communities.

“There are untold studies that have been done that, you’ve gotta have a safe, decent, affordable place to live. The children are better students, the parents are better employees…it grounds you to a community that you can contribute to and be a part of. It is the American dream, to own a home, which is what we’re all about,” she said.

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

Post Views: 42

Mississippi Today

Mississippi Election 2024: What will be on Tuesday’s ballot?

Published

14 hours ago

November 4, 2024

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – Bobby Harrison – 2024-11-04 10:00:00

Mississippians will go to the polls on Tuesday, Nov. 5, to elect federal and state judicial posts and some local offices, such as for election commissioners and school board members.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday. To find your polling place, use the secretary of state’s locator, or call your local county circuit clerk.

The following is a list of the candidates for federal and judicial posts with brief bios:

President

Kamala Harris, current vice president and Democratic nominee for president. Her running mate is Tim Walz.
Donald Trump, former president and current Republican nominee. His running mate is J.D. Vance.
Robert Kennedy Jr. remains on the ballot in Mississippi even though he has endorsed Trump. His running mate is Nicole Shanahan.
Jill Stein is the Green Party candidate. Her running mate is Rudolph Ware.
Five other candidates will be on the Mississippi ballot for president. For a complete list of presidential candidates, see the sample ballot.

U.S. Senate

Ty Pinkins is the Democratic nominee. He is a Rolling Fork native and attorney, representing, among other clients, those alleging unfair working conditions. He served 21 years in the U.S. Army, including combat stints, other overseas deployment and posts in the White House,
Roger Wicker is the Republican incumbent senator. He resides in Tupelo and has served in the U.S. Senate since late 2007 after first being appointed to fill a vacancy by then-Gov. Haley Barbour. He was elected to the post in 2008. He previously served in the U.S. House and as a state senator. He is an attorney and served in the United States Air Force.

House District 1

Dianne Black is the Democratic nominee. She is a small business owner in Olive Branch in DeSoto County.
Trent Kelly is the Republican incumbent. He was elected to the post in a special election in 2015. He previously served as a district attorney and before then as a prosecuting attorney for the city of Tupelo. He is a major general in the Mississippi Army National Guard.

House District 2

Bennie Thompson is the Democratic incumbent. He was first elected to the post in 1993. Before then, he served as a Hinds County supervisor and as alderman and then as mayor of Bolton.
Ronald Eller is the Republican nominee. He grew up in West Virginia and moved to central Mississippi after retiring from the military. He is a physician assistant and business owner.

House District 3

Michael Guest is the Republican incumbent and is unopposed.

House District 4

Mike Ezell is the Republican incumbent first being elected in 2022. He previously served as Jackson County sheriff.
Craig Raybon is the Democratic nominee. Raybon is from Gulfport and began a nonprofit “focused on helping out the community as a whole.”

Central District Supreme Court

Jenifer Branning currently serves as a member of the state Senate from Neshoba County.
Byron Carter is a Hinds County attorney and previously served as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Armis Hawkins.
James Kitchens is the incumbent. He has served on the state’s highest court since 2008.
Ceola James previously served on the Court of Appeals.
Abby Gale Robinson is a Jackson attorney. She previously was a commercial builder.

Southern District Supreme Court

Dawn Beam is the incumbent, having been first appointed in 2016 by then-Gov. Phil Bryant and later winning election to the post. She is a former chancellor for the Hattiesburg area.
David Sullivan is an attorney in Harrison County and has been a municipal judge in D’Iberville since 2019. His father, Michael, previously served on the state Supreme Court.

Northern District Supreme Court seats

Robert Chamberlin of DeSoto County is unopposed.
James Maxwell of Lafayette County is unopposed.

Court of Appeals 5^th District seat

Ian Baker is an assistant district attorney in Harrison County.
Jennifer Schloegel is a Chancery Court judge for Harrison, Hancock and Stone counties.
Amy St. Pe is a Municipal Court judge in Gautier.