Notes from May 21 Forum featuring Ready to Run

NE MISSISSIPPI DAILY JOURNAL:  Stennis program touts women in politics.  MORE…

MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL (Magnolia Marketplace Blog):  Mississippi is one of only two states to never elect a female member of its congressional delegation.  That was one of the anecdotes Lydia Quarles and Pam Johnson presented Monday at the lunch meeting of the Stennis Capitol Corps. The two were going over the details of Ready to Run Mississippi, an initiative designed to get more women to seek public office. MORE…

MPBONLINE:  A new campaign is underway to convince more Mississippi women to enter run for office. MPB’s Jeffrey Hess reports Mississippi ranks forty-third for the number of women serving in the state legislature.  Just 29 of the 174 Mississippi House and Senate seats are held by women…that’s less than 17-percent of the total body.  Lydia Quarles with the Stennis Institute of Government at Mississippi State is running Ready To Run… MORE…

MBJ VIDEO VAULT:  Phil Hardwick interviews Lydia Quarles about Ready to Run.  YouTube LINK…

Notes from April 2, 2012 Forum featuring Senator Hob Bryan

April 3, 2012

Below is a sampling of press coverage of the April 2, 2012 Stennis-Capitol Press Forum featuring Senate Judiciary B Chairman Hob Bryan.

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(AP) “It appears that this particular bill deals almost exclusively with the state of Mississippi instructing policemen and sheriff’s deputies how they’re to act when they arrest somebody,” Bryan said at a forum sponsored by the Capitol press corps and Mississippi State University’s Stennis Institute of Government. Read more…  

(AP)  Mississippi lawmakers appear to be on track this year to fulfill a longstanding wish of small businesses and big manufacturers by giving a financial break to those paying the inventory tax.Not everyone is thrilled. Read more…

(NE MS DAILY JOURNAL)   But Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, said he has not decided whether to call the bills up in his Judiciary B Committee for consideration.  Bryan said he is studying legislation designed to curb illegal immigration, but cited the various groups – ranging from law enforcement to business and agriculture – that have expressed opposition.  Read more…

(MS BUSINESS JRNL – MAGNOLIA MARKETPLACE BLOG)  Sen. Hob Bryan, D-Amory, chairman of Jud B, said at Monday’s meeting of the Stennis Capitol Press Corps that the bill, House Bill 488, tries to solve a problem best handled by the federal government.  “It appears to instruct police and sheriff’s deputies on how to do their job,” Bryan said. “I agree illegal immigration is a serious problem, but I also think it’s a federal issue.”  Read more…  

(MS PUBLIC BROADCASTING)  Judiciary B chairman Hob Bryan of Amory says he has concerns about immigration-enforcement and abortion-regulation bills assigned to his committee…. At a Stennis lunch in Jackson yesterday, Bryan says he has previously supported anti-abortion measure only if they would be considered constitutional. Read more...

(HOME2012)  In his April 2, 2012, keynote address at the Stennis-Capitol Press Forum, Senator Hob Bryan (D-Amory) gave a synopsis of how the overall state budget is looking, “When we got here in January, it seemed obvious that we would have enough to basically maintain the same level of appropriations we did last year without touching the rainy day fund.” He continued, “Against that background, Phil Bryant proposed a budget, I presume on the behalf of the Republicans, that called for an additional $100 million in cuts to education.”  Read more…  

(Perry/Opinion)  Senator Hob Bryan (D-Amory) told the Stennis Institute & Capitol Press Corps luncheon on Monday that Democrats should not be worried about increasing education spending this year. He said when Republicans released their budget plans with level funding for education, which he characterized as basically what the Democrats wanted, “I thought the appropriate thing was to declare victory and withdraw.” Read more…

Press coverage of March 19, 2012 Forum with House Speaker Philip Gunn

 

Below is a sample of the press coverage of the March 19, 2012 Forum featuring House Speaker Philip Gunn.

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AP/CLARION-LEDGER – House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, said Monday that writing a spending plan will be challenging because agencies have requested more money than is available, as they do most years. “Everyone knows that the budget is tight,” Gunn said during a forum sponsored by the Capitol press corps and Mississippi State University’s Stennis Institute of Government. Read more…

NE MISSISSIPPI DAILY JOURNAL – House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, said he expects a provision of a recently passed bill that could require women to undergo an invasive transvaginal ultrasound before having an abortion will receive additional scrutiny. “I know it is a controversial part of the bill. I think that is something that is probably going to be looked at as the bill continues to move through the process,” Gunn said. Gunn, the first-year speaker, made his comments during a luncheon meeting of the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute of Government/Capitol press corps luncheon. Read more…

MAGNOLIA MARKETPLACE BLOG – Speaker Phillip Gunn said Monday afternoon that he was generally pleased with the bills the House sent to the Senate before last week’s deadline to do so. Gunn was the speaker at the lunch meeting of the Stennis Capital Press Corps. Gunn referred just more than 1,500 bills to House committees. Of those, 268 survived the committee deadline; about 150 survived the deadline for floor action and were sent to the Senate. Read more…

MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC BROADCASTING (Audio link included) – Speaker Philip Gunn predicts smoother sailing. Read and listen…

JACKSON FREE PRESS – Gunn, a Clinton Republican, told attendees at a Capitol Press Club luncheon Monday that he’s been surprised by how many groups want to him to speak or that international visitors to the Capitol would solicit his thoughts on nuclear-arms proliferation. Read more…

WLBT-TV – Often accused by democrats of catering to the far right, Gunn says recent heated debates have helped set the pace in the House. Gunn gave the update to folks at the Stennis-Capitol Press Forum Monday in downtown Jackson. Video included. Read and watch…

WLOX-TV – Often accused by democrats of catering to the far right, Gunn says recent heated debates have helped set the pace in the House. Gunn gave the update to folks at the Stennis-Capitol Press Forum Monday in downtown Jackson. Read more…

HOME2012 – Speaker Gunn Addresses Stennis-Capitol Press Forum. Read more…

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Notes from March 5, 2012 Forum with Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann

Below is a sampling of press coverage of the March 5, 2012 Forum with Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann.

AP:  Mississippi voters won’t have to show a driver’s license or other photo identification to cast ballots in the March 13 presidential and congressional primaries, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said Monday… Hosemann spoke Monday at a forum sponsored by the Capitol press corps and Mississippi State University’s Stennis Institute of Government. He said he hopes Mississippi’s voter ID plan will receive federal approval by mid-September so it can be in place for the presidential election in November. Read article…

MISSISSIPPI BUSINESS JOURNAL (Magnolia Marketplace blog): Speaking at Monday’s meeting of the Stennis Capitol Press Corps, Hosemann said he was “hopeful” both would clear committee deadline by the end of tomorrow.  “We’ll be at the capitol (Monday and Tuesday) to do our best to make sure they both make it out,” Hosemann said.  Among the proposals that have already cleared committee are bills that would: Read more…

MPB: (article and audio) Mississippi’s Secretary of State, Delbert Hosemann, says the state still hasn’t filed for federal approval for the Voter ID constitutional amendment approved by voters last November. The U.S. Justice Department has to approve all changes to voting in Mississippi due to the state’s history of voter discrimination. But Hosemann says Voter ID is coming soon, whether naysayers like it or not. More...

NE MISSISSIPPI DAILY JOURNAL:  Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann indicated Monday that his office will make every effort to ensure people with no identification are contacted before Mississippi’s new voter ID law is enacted.  “We want to make sure everybody has an ID to vote,” said Hosemann, speaking at the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute/Capitol Press Corps luncheon. Read article… 

WLBT-TV: (article and video) How Mississippians voted last November during state elections may be a little different this coming November for the presidential election. That’s when Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann hopes to have Mississippi’s voter identification law in place, requiring voters to show an ID to cast a ballot. More…
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Notes from February 20 Forum featuring Rep. Bobby Moak

The following is a sampling of coverage of yesterday’s (Feb 20, 2012) Stennis-Capitol Press Forum:

(AP)  The House Democratic leader, Rep. Bobby Moak of Bogue Chitto, said Monday that about 600 bills had been filed by late Sunday. He said roughly 1,200 to 1,500 general bills were filed in many previous years.  “We’re going to have a very trim session, it appears,” Moak said at a forum sponsored by Mississippi State University’s Stennis Institute of Government and the Capitol press corps.  Read more…

(Mississippi Business Journal – Blog)  House Minority Leader Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, dropped a strong hint at today’s meeting of the Stennis Capitol Press Corps that Democrats could turn to the voter initiative process to advance some of their policies.“The initiative and referendum process is a great tool for the minority,” Moak told the 40 or so people at the Capitol Club. Read more…

(Mississippi Business Journal – video) House Minority Leader Bobby Moak (MS-53) discusses the current Mississippi legislative session and the role state Democrats will play in it.    View…

(NE MS Daily Journal) While Republicans have a majority in the state House for the first time since the 1800s, Rep. Bobby Moak, D-Bogue Chitto, said it’s not the first time he’s been in the minority. “It is a little bit of a learning curve” being in the minority, Moak said Monday where he was the guest speaker at the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute of Government/Capitol press corps luncheon. “It is not new for me” — http://bit.ly/ADR9Nn

Press coverage from February 7, 2012 Forum

Below are links to coverage of the February 7, 2012 Stennis-Capitol Press Forum featuring Lt. Governor Tate Reeves.

(NEMS Daily Journal)  Reeves questions taking school reserves…  Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves on Monday didn’t embrace Gov. Phil Bryant’s proposal to require local school districts to dip into their operating reserve funds to provide level education funding for the upcoming year.  The Republican Reeves, speaking to the Mississippi State University Stennis Institute of Government/Capitol press corps luncheon, stopped short of saying he opposed Bryant’s proposal that school districts use $73 million of their operating reserves in the fiscal year that begins July 1 to reach level funding.
Read more: djournal.com – Reeves questions taking school reserves

(Clarion-Ledger) Reeves pushing for $50M cap on MDA fund…But Reeves, a Republican, said the state can rein in “credit card spending” by capping that MDA-controlled revolving fund at $50 million and using the rest to pay off the state’s debt.  “While it’s a good concept to allow for MDA to make loans to entities … there needs to be a cap,” Reeves said during a meeting of the Capitol press corps and the Stennis Institute of Government. Read more…

(AP [Sun Herald])  Reeves noncommital on schools’ rainy day funds… “I don’t think we can commit to specific numbers and the utilization of reserve funds or not until we have a better understanding of what the revenues are going to be,” Reeves said at a forum sponsored by the Capitol press corps and Mississippi State University’s Stennis Institute of Government. Read more…

(Mississippi Business Journal video) Tate Reeves: “I’m against raising taxes.”"
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves discusses fiscal agenda for the current legislative session. Watch video…

(WLBT-TV) Lt. Gov. Reeves says next year’s budget will be the worst…He already put his agenda before lawmakers and now the state’s second in command, Lieutenant Governor Tate Reeves is putting it in front of business and community leaders from across the state.  “I’m serious about getting control of spending and serious about our renewed focus on efficiency,” Reeves said.
Read more…

(Y’all Politics) MBJ video captures Lt. Governor Tate Reeves throwing down the gauntlet …and cutting off a MPB reporter’s knees with it.  Read more…

Notes from January 23, 2012 forum – Senator Michael Watson

Links to press coverage of January 23, 2012 forum featuring Senator Michael Watson -

(AP) Mississippi lawmakers might ask voters to approve a constitutional amendment limiting the governor’s power to pardon convicted criminals, the chairman of the Senate Constitution Committee said Monday.

Speaking at a press forum in Jackson, Republican Sen. Michael Watson of Pascagoula said one option would be to ban any governor from pardoning people convicted of certain crimes such as murder, sex crimes or crimes against children.
http://tinyurl.com/6suua3y

(Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal)  Newly appointed Senate Constitution Chair Michael Watson, R-Pascagoula, says he is looking at possible constitutional changes to curb the governor’s pardon authority in light of former Gov. Haley Barbour’s pardon of more than 200 convicted felons in his final days in office.
Read more: djournal.com – Pardons spur talk of change