Tougaloo College will get nearly half a million dollars from the federal government to shore-up campus security and mental health care in the wake of this year’s nationwide bomb threats targeting historically Black colleges and universities.
The funding will come from a U.S. Department of Education initiative called Project SERV, or “School Emergency Response to Violence,” that provides short-term support to educational entities that have experienced a traumatic event.
When the department opened applications in March, it said grants would range from $50,000 to $150,000, but Tougaloo will receive much more than that – $420,000 – for a year’s worth of additional staff.
Schenika Harrison, a special projects director who applied for the grant, said the funds will cover two trauma therapists to help students whose mental health was affected by the threats, three security officers to better patrol the 500 wooded acres of campus and about 20 adjuncts, which will make it easier for faculty to take mental health days.
Carmen J. Walters answers questions from the audience and media after it was announced that she has been named Tougaloo College’s new president during a press conference at the Tougaloo’s Woodworth Chapel Monday, March 18, 2019. Credit: Eric J. Shelton, Mississippi Today/Report For America
Carmen Walters, Tougaloo’s president, said that seven months later, many people on campus still struggle with “the shock and trauma of dealing with bomb threats at 4 o’clock in the morning, being awaken out of your sleep, not being able to walk the buildings freely and having everyone say, ‘look for any packages that look unfamiliar.’”
“That’s a lot of trauma for our kids that they shouldn’t have to deal with,” she added.
So far, Tougaloo is the only HBCU in Mississippi that has received the funding. Rust College did not apply, a spokesperson told Mississippi Today. Jackson State University’s spokesperson said the school is still working on its application with the goal of using the funds to create an “emergency central hub” on campus.
Alcorn State University did not return Mississippi Today’s request for comment.
Mississippi Valley State University’s director of communications, Donell Maxie, told Mississippi Today that a reporter’s inquiry was the first time the university had heard of the program.
“They will be looking into it,” Maxie wrote in an email.
The FBI has yet to announce any arrests related to the bomb threats despite identifying six “tech savvy” juveniles as persons of interests in February.
POLITICO reported that the FBI told the House Oversight Committee in March no arrests have been made due to “‘challenges with attribution’ because ‘some of [the threats] come from encrypted platforms.’”
In recent weeks, several HBCU leaders, including Walters, have publicly criticized the pace of the investigation. She said she was “beyond frustrated” with the lack of updates from the bureau at a dinner for HBCU presidents in Washington., D.C. in August, POLITICO reported.
“I’m very angry that no one has been brought to justice,” Walters said, “but there’s been no conversation about the investigation at all.”
Though Project SERV provides much-needed funding, Walters also took issue with the application process, calling it a ‘complete joke,” POLITICO reported.
Since POLITICO published its story, Walters said the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice held a national call to update HBCU leaders on the investigation.
“I won’t repeat it, because it’s their update, but I will say that we were on the call feeling connected and that this is a priority and that they’re taking it seriously and that’s what we wanted,” she told Mississippi Today.
Walters said that the Department of Education has provided “phenomenal” support to HBCUs this year. She added that she was frustrated with the grant application process for Project SERV because it seemed needlessly competitive.
“When you say, ‘a grant process,’ it makes me feel that it’s competitive, that I’m competing against my colleagues,” she said.
Tougaloo is also in the process of applying for grants to replace keyhole locks in the campus dorms with scan-and-swipe technology.
Tuscaloosa is not unlike other southern towns that felt the weight of the Civil Rights Movement. The Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Trail encompasses 18 sites from around the city. Even though the trail tells an incredible story in all the sites, here are the 10 spots you can’t miss!
1. The Mob at the Flagpole: Located at the corner of Greensboro and University, this flag pole has always been a place for gatherings. In 1956 when Autherine Lucy attempted to be the first black student at the University of Alabama, students met here to stage protests. Two days after the thousand students protested, the Alabama trustees expelled Lucy because they said they couldn’t protect her. She was snuck off campus amid death treats and the mob won.
2. Woolworth Sit-Ins: popularized in North Carolina in the 1960s, the sit-ins in Tuscaloosa were only done after the protesters tried to get the local businesses to treat African-Americans the same as the white customers. The peaceful protests were often met with arrest, violence, and the dousing of mustard oil on them
3. Kress Building and Bus Boycott: the Druid Bus Company had a stand in front of the Kress Building in Tuscaloosa. Even though federal courts had ruled segregation on public transportation as unconstitutional, a driver forced three African-American students to give up their seats for white riders. The students were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. The harassment didn’t stop with this incident as a white driver was also charged with shooting an unarmed African-American rider.
4. Alston Building and the KKK: this 7 story building is located at the corner of Greensboro Avenue and 6th Street. Former Alabama governors George and Lurleen Wallace were married here. During the 1960s, Robert Shelton, Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, called the building home and directed operations all over the southeast. After Michael Donald was lynched in Mobile, his mother sued the KKK, winning and bankrupting the organization.
5. County Courthouse and Marchers: In 1955, when the courthouse was built, the black community asked for and received assurances that the building would be completely
It should be no secret that Tuscaloosa is full of historic locations! Here are the 10 that we don’t think you should miss on your next visit to Tuscaloosa!
Moundville Archaeological Park and Museum near Visit Tuscaloosa is a Mississippian culture archeological site on the banks of the Black Warrior River. Extensive research by archeologists all over the country have determined that the site was the political and ceremonial center of a regionally organized Mississippian culture between the 11th and 16th centuries. Today, the park encompasses 185 acres and 29 mounds.
Denny Chimes: The idea of erecting a bell tower on the University of Alabama campus was initially suggested in 1919. It was envisioned as a war memorial for those who fought in World War. Due to a lack of funding for its construction, the project never materialized. In the late 1920s, university students were finally successful in collecting the necessary funding to construct a tower, although not as a war memorial. It was done to dedicate the structure to university president George Denny, after learning of a rumor that he was looking to leave the university. The tower was built at a final cost of $40,000. It was dedicated on May 27, 1929, with Governor Bibb Graves in attendance. Today, it serves as one of the most focal points on campus.
Paul Bryant Museum: Located on the campus of the University of Alabama, the museum opened its doors to the public on October 8, 1988. It exhibits artifacts and memorabilia that trace the long history of University of Alabama football. State-of-the-art displays enhanced by videos highlighting great players, plays, and games are produced from the museum’s archives.
Battle-Friedman House: The Battle-Friedman House and Gardens is a stunning property in Visit Tuscaloosa that has stood the test of time and war to become a tourist attraction and a wedding venue. Built in 1835 by Alfred Battle, the home was built because Battle wanted to be closer to the city. The Battle Family owned the property until Reconstruction. The Friedman Family purchased the home and proceeded to raise their three
Former Gov. Phil Bryant has publicly produced dozens of text messages in an attempt to prove he was unaware that former NFL quarterback Brett Favre was using welfare money for his volleyball project.
The court documents filed Friday come within a court battle between Bryant and the attorney for nonprofit founder Nancy New over whether Bryant should have to produce any more of his communication regarding the welfare-funded volleyball stadium.
In response to a state civil complaint against her, New alleged in July that she had the approval and direction from the governor and other welfare officials to make the allegedly illegal purchases.
Bryant now objects to turning over any more records that New’s attorney Gerry Bufkin has subpoenaed in order to argue New’s defense.
In the latest filing, Bryant’s newly-hired attorney Billy Quin suggests Bufkin lacks the evidence to prove Bryant directed New’s payments – yet the purpose of Bufkin’s subpoena is to obtain additional evidence.
The most-recently filed texts, which were selected by Bryant’s attorney and do not reflect the entirety of communication that exists, show Bryant and Favre discussed in 2017 raising private donations to build a state-of-the-art volleyball stadium at University of Southern Mississippi — both men’s alma mater.
“Meanwhile, unbeknownst to Governor Bryant, New and Favre were pursuing MDHS funds for the USM Volleyball Center,” Bryant’s filing reads.
Other key arguments Bryant’s attorney made in the latest court filing include:
Bryant was unaware of the 2017 plans that Favre, New and Davis had allegedly made to secure welfare funds from the state for the volleyball stadium — including plans to pass welfare funds through a lease with the USM Athletic Foundation to skirt federal regulations.
Bryant warned Favre in September 2019 after a meeting the two had about the volleyball center: “We are going to get there. This was a great meeting. But we have to follow the law. I am to[o] old for Federal Prison. [smiley face, sunglasses emoji].”
Bryant asked that if the court compels him to produce all his text messages regarding the USM volleyball center, the records should be kept from the public and from the press.
The filing suggests Bryant’s appointed welfare director, John Davis, who pleaded guilty this week to state and federal charges, instantaneously committed $4 million in federal welfare funds to the Favre volleyball project without his boss’s knowledge. The filing produces no texts between Bryant and Davis.
The texts shed more light on the pressure that Favre and New attempted to place on Bryant in 2019 in order to secure even more money from the Mississippi Department of Human Services, an agency under Bryant’s control. They even proposed naming the facility after Bryant — a gesture that was meant to be a surprise, but, “Due to the urgency in getting this secured, we felt it appropriate to share,” they wrote in a proposal.
“She’s relentless,” the governor’s attorney texted Bryant in September of 2019.
“Nancy is worrying,” Bryant responded. “She know[s] what they were doing was wrong.”
Knowing that the auditor’s office was investigating welfare spending, Bryant spoke frankly to Favre about their need to follow federal spending regulations and agency regulations around contract procurement.
“We are going to get there. This was a great meeting,” Bryant texted Favre in September of 2019, directly after they met with Christopher Freeze, the welfare director who replaced Davis after Davis was suspected of defrauding the agency. “But we have to follow the law. I am to[o] old for Federal Prison. [smiley face, sunglasses emoji].”
Texts indicate that during this time in late 2019, Bryant had shifted normal course. “Until Audit has [completed] its work I am staying out of all decisions that the agency will make,” Bryant texted New, according to the most recent filing.
The text messages appearing in this story are quoted from Bryant’s court filing, with editing from his attorney.
In 2017 and 2018, New’s nonprofit paid $5 million to the volleyball construction and $1.1 million to Favre directly. But by 2019, builders needed more funding to complete the project, and Favre became worried that he would be left holding the bag, as he was the one who initially committed the funds. As investigators cracked down on Mississippi Department of Human Services and the New nonprofit, the welfare funding dried up and Favre began talking to other state agencies about getting the rest of the money to finish the project. It’s unclear what, if any, other public money wound up going to the volleyball project.
Nancy New’s son Zach New pleaded guilty in April to defrauding the government by acting “with John Davis and others at their direction, to disguise the USM construction project as a ‘lease’ as a means of circumventing the limited purpose grant’s strict prohibition against ‘brick and mortar’ construction projects.”
The Favre-related payments reflect a small portion of a scheme to misspend $77 million in funds from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program during the last four years of Bryant’s administration. Most of the money flowed through two nonprofits who were running a state-sanctioned anti-poverty program called Families First for Mississippi, which Favre references in texts to Bryant.
According to the filing, Favre first reached out to Bryant about fundraising in April of 2017.
“Deanna and I are building a volleyball facility on campus and I need your influence somehow to get donations and or sponsorships. Obviously Southern has no money so I’m hustling to get it raised,” Favre texted the governor.
“We will have that thing built before you know it,” Bryant responded.
In July of 2017, Davis, New and Favre met with University of Southern Mississippi officials to discuss the welfare department supporting the volleyball stadium construction. Not long after, New texted Favre that she had “just got off the phone with Phil Bryant! He is on board with us! We will get this done!”
“New did not tell Governor Bryant that she and Davis had arranged to contribute $4 million in TANF funds to the project,” Bryant’s filing reads. “She simply explained that she was helping Favre gain university approval of the project and it appeared the university would ultimately approve it. Just as he had indicated to Favre, Bryant told New that he would assist them in raising private donations and corporate sponsorships to help fund the project.”
The project involved New’s nonprofit entering a five-year, $5 million lease of the university’s athletic facilities, which it would purportedly use to provide programming to the community’s underserved population. The filing explains that the lease agreement was approved by university attorneys, then the Institutes for Higher Learning’s appointed Attorney General’s Office attorney. A USM announcement said the project would be funded by Mississippi Community Education Center and private donations.
Later, in May of 2018, Favre reached out again to Gov. Bryant for help constructing lockers for the facility.
“I’m still trying to save money on [the] Vball facility,” Favre texted.
Favre even suggested “the prison industry possibly as a builder.”
HGTV star and woodworker Ben Napier assisted with constructing the lockers on Bryant’s request, according to the filing.
The filing says Bryant first learned that the welfare department had funded the volleyball project through a text Favre sent him in July of 2019, after Bryant had ousted Davis from office.
“I’m on [my] way and I’m sure I won’t have time [or] privacy enough to speak about this so I want you to know how much I love Nancy New and John Davis,” Favre texted Bryant, according to the filing. “What they have done for me and Southern Miss is amazing. Her family’s first is incredible and she cares. We were planning to do workshops and youth clinics in the new Vball facility with her families first kids. And also[,] I paid for 3/4 of Vball facility and the rest was a joint project with her and John which was saving me 1.8 million. I was informed today that she may not be able to fund her part. I and we need your help very badly Governor and sorry to even bring this up.”
The filing notes that while Bryant had no reason to question Favre’s characterization of the funding, Favre’s message was inaccurate, considering the welfare department had paid much more than $1.8 million.
“Moreover, based on the content and tenor of Favre’s text message, it is also apparent that Governor Bryant did not know what had previously transpired between New, Davis, and Favre regarding the funding of the USM Volleyball Center,” the filing reads. “If, as MCEC and certain press members have insinuated, Governor Bryant was directing the funding for the project, why did Favre provide him a synopsis of the project’s funding history? And why did Favre provide details of the funding history to the governor? Regardless of the answer to these questions, the record is clear that USM and its attorneys, the IHL Board, and the state attorney general’s office all approved a $5 million payment of TANF funds from MCEC to construct the facility without Governor Bryant’s involvement.”
At this point, however, Bryant did begin aiding Favre and New in their efforts to seek additional funding from the welfare department.
New sent the proposal to the governor’s office – with a project title of “The Dewey Phillip Bryant Center for Excellence at the University of Southern Mississippi focusing on Obesity, Bullying Prevention and Personal Development Project.” Bryant suggested ways to reword the proposal to pass muster at the department.
Favre texted New, ‘[the Governor] said to me just a second ago that he has seen [the funding proposal] but hint hint that you need to reword it to get it accepted,” reads Bufkin’s Sept. 12 motion.
But by 2020, Bryant’s filing says, the governor had instructed Freeze to cease payments to New’s nonprofit.
This appears to conflict with State Auditor Shad White’s statement that the February 2020 arrests were necessary in order to stop the flow of funds to the perpetrators.
“Just his (Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens’) decision alone to indict those individuals, who we then arrested, likely saved the taxpayers millions and millions of dollars of welfare funds because we know now that more money was prepared to be pumped out to those same individuals who have today plead guilty to fraud,” White said after Davis’ plea hearing Thursday.
A review of state expenditures shows that Mississippi Community Education Center received its last TANF payment of nearly $1.4 million on Dec. 6, 2019, though the nonprofit did receive a few smaller food assistance payments after that time.
After Bryant left office in early 2020, the filing explains that Favre continued to push for Bryant’s help, and Bryant consulted Favre about lobbying the Legislature for bonds to finish out the volleyball construction.
Bryant also talked to then-USM President Rodney Bennett about the predicament.
“I’ve asked Brett not to do the things he’s doing to seek funding from state agencies and the legislature for the volleyball facility,” Bennett texted Bryant in late January 2020, according to the filing. “As you know, IHL has a process of how we request and get approval for projects and what he’s doing is outside those guidelines. I will see, for the ‘umpteenth time’ if we can get him to stand down. The bottom line is he personally guaranteed the project, and on his word and handshake we proceeded. It’s time for him to pay up – it really is just that simple.”
After the auditor’s office arrested New and Davis in February of 2020, Favre again asked if Bryant had spoken to the incoming Gov. Tate Reeves about the project. Bryant forwarded a link to a story about the embezzlement case to Favre, saying, “This has been the problem. Not sure what funding will be available in the future.”
Bryant then again encouraged Favre to meet with Reeves to explore a bond bill.
Bryant’s latest court filing in the state’s ongoing civil suit is an objection to a motion to compel that Bufkin filed on behalf of New’s nonprofit Mississippi Community Education Center. Bufkin wants Bryant to publicly produce all of his communication surrounding the volleyball deal. Bryant’s attorney Billy Quin argues the information is privileged and irrelevant to the civil suit.
While the volleyball stadium is not a subject of the state’s civil suit, Mississippi Department of Human Services is suing New and Favre over the $1.1 million payment New’s nonprofit made to Favre under a promotional agreement. The suit also targets over $2 million in welfare payments to a pharmaceutical start-up company called Prevacus, another project on which Favre and Bryant worked together.
Texts show Favre suggested New pay him $1.1 million under an advertising contract as a way to get more money to the volleyball project. This is one way Bufkin is arguing the relevancy of Bryant’s involvement in the volleyball stadium to the allegations against his clients.
“Governor Bryant was not involved in crafting the (advertising) arrangement, and he had no knowledge of its existence. Clearly, the concept of passing through funds to USM was not Governor Bryant’s idea,” Bryant’s filing reads.
Bufkin filed the original subpoena on July 25; Quin wrote a letter objecting to the subpoena on Aug. 26; and Bufkin filed the motion to compel on Sept. 12, attaching several text messages between New, Favre and Bryant. Bufkin’s filing made national airwaves, catapulting the Mississippi welfare scandal into every major national news outlet.
“MCEC filed the present motion and attached numerous text messages to create a media frenzy that distracts from New’s felonious conduct,” Bryant’s latest filing reads. “MCEC’s primary intention with the present motion is not to seek legitimate discovery, but rather to create a media circus. The purpose of this response is to set the record straight regarding Governor Bryant’s knowledge of and involvement with the USM Volleyball Center project.”
Bryant’s filing also asks the court to quash the subpoena or to place any subpoenaed documents under a protective order. He also asks that the court sanction the nonprofit for abusing their subpoena power.
Quin argues that any more text messages Bryant might be required to produce should be shielded from the public because of how they may be portrayed in the media.
“In a court of law, Governor Bryant has the right to respond to unfounded or misguided allegations before an impartial court,” the motion reads. “This is not true with the media. Media members sometimes carry biases and unfounded and unfair opinions that impact their work. Instead of impartially seeking the truth, the media member sometimes seeks to reinforce her already-existing beliefs, however unfounded they may be. This can result in a social media echo-chamber of confirmation bias that unduly influences court proceedings and biases potential jurors against parties and/or witnesses. And this influence threatens the integrity of this court’s proceedings.”
Brandi is the author of five published novels and several magazines. Currently, she is a full-time writer for Eat Drink Mississippi Magazine and a public school teacher, telling history facts and stories to 7th and 8th graders in American History and Mississippi History. In her free time, she loves traveling, reading, and attending sporting events.
Brandi is the author of five published novels and several magazines. Currently, she is a full-time writer for Eat Drink Mississippi Magazine and a public school teacher, telling history facts and stories to 7th and 8th graders in American History and Mississippi History. In her free time, she loves traveling, reading, and attending sporting events.
Mississippi is one of only 13 states that tax groceries, and at 7%, the state’s tax is the highest in the nation.
View the data on the states that tax their groceries, including standard sales tax rates:
Grocery taxes only continue to burden low-income people, which compounds another problem of food insecurity: Mississippi has the highest food insecurity rate in the country, according to 2020 data provided by Feeding America.
Mississippi, the poorest state, also has one of the highest sales tax rates across the board, matching Indiana, Rhode Island and Tennessee. California has the highest sales tax of 7.25%.
The debate on whether or not to cut Mississippi's grocery tax has persisted for years, with late politician Alan Nunnelee calling the 7% tax "the most cruel tax any government can impose" as far back as 2007.
As Bobby Harrison reported in a 2020 analysis, Vice President for State Fiscal Policy MichaelLeachman of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities argued that Mississippi — the first state to impose a modern-day sales tax — did so because of race, at least partially.
To quote Harrison, "Even if Mississippi politicians are given a huge benefit of the doubt on the issue of race that history tells us they might not deserve, it is fair to assume that a high percentage of people whom [former Gov. Mike] Connor was referencing as paying no taxes were African American. After all, because of the higher levels of poverty among Black residents, they had then and have now less property and income to tax.
Many of the states where the higher sales taxes can be found are in the South. And only three states levy as much sales tax on food as they do on other retail items. Two of those also are Southern states — Mississippi and Alabama — with the other being South Dakota."
As of 2022, the number of states that levy their full sales tax on food is now seven: Alabama, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Intersession: September 26 – 30, 2022 All students that will attend Intersession have already been contacted. All other students will start Fall Break early.
Gov. Tate Reeves on Friday named his picks to run the state Public Utilities Staff and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife Fisheries and Parks, with both choices drawing the ire of one of the state’s largest environmental groups.
Reeves named State Rep. Jim Beckett, R-Bruce, as Public Utilities Staff director. He named former state senator and former Public Service Commissioner Lynn Posey to run MDWFP, where he has been serving as interim director.
Reeves praised Beckett and Posey and said, “Each have a long track record of distinguished public service.”
Beckett replaces Sally Doty, appointed by Reeves in 2020, who left that agency earlier this year to run the state’s new broadband expansion office.
Beckett has served in the Legislature for 19 years, including an eight-year stint as chair of the Public Utilities Committee.
“Affordability (of utility bills) is going to be a challenge for our citizens, but we will make every effort to do so,” Beckett said.
Mississippi Sierra Club Director Louie Miller said he believes Beckett is too cozy with the large utility companies he will now help regulate. He called both Beckett and Posey “political hacks” and said the governor should have chosen more qualified directors.
“All you have to do is look at Jim Beckett’s campaign contributions and the legislation that he has sponsored to know that he is a wholly-owned subsidiary of out-of-state, multi-billion dollar utility monopolies doing business in Mississippi,” Miller said. “We know what he’s about, and it’s not protecting the consumer or advancing clean energy.”
The Public Utilities Staff was created in 1990 to provide technical assistance and make recommendations to the elected, three-member Public Service Commission. The independent staff office was created in an effort to remove politics and corruption from oversight and rate setting of public utilities.
The elected Public Service Commission is required to submit a list of at least three people to the governor for a utilities staff director. The governor’s choice is subject to approval by the state Senate. The people the PSC had submitted for consideration were: Beckett, former Texas lawmaker and Texas Railroad Commission Chair Elizabeth Ames Coleman, David Boackle, an engineer on the Public Utilities Staff and state Sen. Philip Moran, R-Kiln.
Elected Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley on Friday said: “Although a political appointment, the actual job of executive director is very non-partisan and should be based on good regulatory policy as an advisor to the PSC. At the end of the day, decisions are made by the three elected commissioners, but I’ve seen these two agencies work best in the past when the goal has been to work together in pursuit of the public interest. I certainly hope Mr. Beckett shares that same philosophy.”
Posey replaces MDWFP Director Sam Polles, the longest tenured director in the agency’s history, who announced his retirement early this year after 29 years. Polles was appointed by Gov. Kirk Fordice and had served under five governors.
Reeves said Posey has “a long legacy of commitment to the outdoors and … has helped protect our natural resources.” Posey in the state Senate served as chairman of the Wildlife Fisheries and Parks Committee. He later served as Public Service Commissioner from 2008 to 2016.
“The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks touches lives in all 82 counties every day,” Posey said Friday. “Outdoor recreation, hunting and fishing is what Mississippi is all about.”
Polles had been praised by many for expanding wildlife management areas and the state’s lakes system, providing more hunting and fishing opportunities, and construction of the new Mississippi Museum of Natural Science. But he had also been criticized for allowing state parks to deteriorate and pushing plans to privatize them.
Posey on Friday thanked the governor and lawmakers for providing more money this year to rehabilitate state parks, and vowed to “make our park system one that every citizen of this state can be proud of and enjoy.”
But Miller said that so far during his time as assistant director and interim director at MDWF, Posey has supported privatization.
“He has shown he has no interest in keeping state parks public, so Mississippians can afford a vacation,” Miller said. “He’s proven that with wanting to privatize several state parks in Mississippi. That speaks volumes about where his interest is, rather than trying to rebuild this park system with monies that have come down from Washington.”
Miller said that as PSC commissioner, Posey also voted approval for Mississippi Power Co.’s failed Kemper County coal gassification plant — one of the largest energy boondoggles in U.S. history.
“He was a consistent yes vote for the $7.5 billion boondoggle,” Miller said. “I don’t think his track record serves him sell as somebody who would be a steward of our public natural resources.”
MDWFP is governed by a five-member commission, with members appointed by the governor. The commission sends a list of at least three people for the governor to choose, subject to approval by the state Senate.
Also on Friday, at the same press conference in Hernando, Reeves announced his appointment Robert “Bob” Morris III as district attorney for the 17th Circuit Court District. Morris will finish the term of longtime DA John Champion, who died earlier this month.
This week the Empower team was in Atlanta for State Policy Network’s Annual Meeting. SPN works alongside a national network of independent state policy think tanks like Empower to help us connect, share ideas, and get better every year. The Annual Meeting has become the must-attend event for folks in our line of work and is truly inspirational.
For the second year in a row, Empower was nominated for the Bob Williams Award for Biggest Win for Freedom. While we were a finalist last year for our work on parole reform, this year we BROUGHT HOME THE HARDWARE!!!
What was this “Biggest Win,” you might ask? The Mississippi Tax Freedom Act of 2022, also known as the largest tax cut in state history. Under this landmark legislation, individuals will not pay income taxes on their first $18,300 of taxable income and families will not pay income taxes on their first $36,600 of income. A worker who makes $40,000 per year will see their taxes reduced by $417 a year, while a married couple making $80,000 would save $834 a year.
It was an honor to share the stage and share this award with our friends at Mississippi Center for Public Policy. When we work together, there is truly nothing Mississippi can’t do!
Of course, this doesn’t happen without the leadership of Governor Tate Reeves, Speaker Philip Gunn, and other key leaders who fought for this reform and did not rest until it was signed into law.
Everyone on the Empower team contributed something to this fight, but no one is more deserving of this award than my colleague Russ Latino. He quarterbacked our issue campaign, led the government affairs strategy, and worked alongside the policymakers to help them find a path forward.
As I shared in my acceptance speech on Wednesday evening in Atlanta, when harmful policies seem to be on the rise in states across the country, it is heartening to know, “there are still places in America like Arizona and Tennessee and even Mississippi where bold, conservative, life-changing reforms are winning the day.”
“There are still places where bold, conservative life changing wins
