Announcements include a partnership with Adobe, new Engineering Leadership Excellence (ELE) dual-degree, and new policy on flexwork arrangements.
Classes at Mississippi State University (MSU) will begin on Wednesday, August 17th. Leading up to the new school year, MSU has announced a round of partnerships, programs, and guidance for the upcoming year.
“The start of a new academic year is always a very exciting time on campus. Welcoming our new students and their families to their new college home is an important part of the start of the fall term,” said MSU Vice President for Student Affairs Regina Hyatt. “We can’t wait to help our students find connections through student organizations and campus events and engage with the many resources we have available to aid in their success and transition to college. It’s great to be starting a new year.”
MSU has announced a new partnership between the university and Adobe to optimize the academic experience and elevate career preparedness. MSU is the first and only Adobe Creative Campus in Mississippi.
The Adobe Creative Campus designation recognizes innovative universities that foster digital literacy, access and equity for students. University leaders anticipate the improved access to cutting-edge applications for graphic design, photography, videography, illustrating and more will help students, faculty and staff expand skills and enhance academic and co-curricular projects.
“In addition to making every industry-leading Adobe Creative Cloud app across desktop and mobile devices available to students at a reduced cost, MSU is collaborating with other Adobe Creative Campuses to share ideas and innovations that help ensure student success,” MSU said in a release.
Resources include 26 apps in the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Adobe XD, Premiere Pro and Adobe Express, among others.
“Additional cloud storage, allowing for easy file sharing, is yet another benefit for MSU students and employees, who also can access Adobe Stock with over 500,000 assets, such as high-quality images, graphics, videos, 3D objects and templates. Adobe Sign, Adobe’s e-signature solution, also may be utilized by MSU employees,” the release continued.
MSU Chief Information Officer Steve Parrott said that the university has listened to their student and employee communities who have asked for a campus-wide Creative Cloud solution.
“These apps are used in the classrooms throughout a variety of disciplines in the academic arena, and the university is committed to equipping our students and employees with the best tools for success,” Parrott said.
The university also announced a new Engineering Leadership Excellence (ELE) dual-degree program at MSU that opens student options to “‘learn by doing.”
This degree is ideal for students to delve into experiential learning, combining technical and industrial engineering skills with business expertise while earning two MSU degrees to put them ahead in the competitive job market.
MSU’s new ELE program graduates students with dual, collaborative degrees—the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and the Bachelor of Business Administration—with only one additional semester of coursework.
MSU’s industrial and systems engineering department in the Bagley College of Engineering and the College of Business are collaborating on the new degree option.
ISE Department Head Kari Babski-Reeves said the job prospects are endless with this degree in manufacturing, transportation and distribution, healthcare, public agencies and organizations, and the list goes on.”
“These students learn and research how to design and improve systems of all types—people, materials, information, equipment and more—and they gain a general knowledge of business such as planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling and budgeting,” said Babski-Reeves.
A new policy at Mississippi State defines flexible work arrangements that achieve a reliable and productive work environment for both the employee and the university.
The new policy defines the different types of flexwork arrangements, establishes procedures for implementation, and provides important considerations for both supervisors and employees considering flexwork.
“MSU’s primary delivery of instruction, outreach, and engagement with our students and our colleagues remains through in-person interactions,” the policy states. “As such, it is imperative that we strike a balance between employees working on-site and remote in order to maintain collegiality and service to our community.”
In 2009, retiring Southern Miss coach Corky Palmer waved goodbye to his fans at the College World Series in Omaha. (Photo by George Clark)
Some days you remember for a lifetime. Here’s a memory from 61 years ago, the day I met Corky Palmer, the future Hall of Fame Southern Miss baseball coach who died Wednesday at 68 after a prolonged illness.
Corky was 7, and I was 8. Future college and NBA basketball coach Tim Floyd — he was still Timmy at age 7 — had invited Corky, my brother Bobby and me the Floyds’ house on Mamie Street in Hattiesburg for a backyard baseball game.
“You’re gonna really like my new friend, Corky,” Timmy had told me. “He’s a good ballplayer, and you aren’t going to believe the way he talks. He’s more country than Gomer (Pyle).”
Rick Cleveland
So we started playing ball, Bobby and I against Timmy and Corky, a chunky little guy with a round face, baggy shorts and a crewcut. Early on, Bobby hit a sharp ground ball right at Corky, who bent over to catch it, only to have it go right through his legs. Six decades later, the scene is as vivid as it was comical. Corky stayed bent over and watched through his legs as the ball kept going into some hedges. When Cork looked back up, his eyes were as big around as donuts. He really could not believe he had missed it.
“Well, I’ll be a sardine sandwich!” Corky shouted before turning around and retrieving the ball.
Corky did not miss many balls that day, nor any day we played baseball from then on, which was a lot. Corky became a catcher, a damned good one. He was a sports junkie, but first and foremost he was a baseball guy, just like his daddy, who everyone knew as Punchy Palmer.
Punchy Palmer, a former star all-around athlete Hattiesburg High, was a fixture at baseball parks around Hattiesburg. Didn’t matter whether one of his sons was playing or not. If baseball was being played in Hattiesburg, Punchy Palmer was there. And he was always dispensing homespun baseball wisdom to anyone who would listen — and you were crazy if you didn’t because Punchy knew his stuff.
Corky soaked in all that knowledge and went on to become a catcher for Hattiesburg High and then on to Southern Miss, where he caught for Pete Taylor’s ballclubs in the mid 1970s. He was a solid hitter but he was a marvelous catcher. He really was like a coach on the field.
Doug Munn was Southern’s ace pitcher for much of that time. “Corky caught me for four years and back then we called our own pitches,” Munn said Wednesday. “I don’t think I shook him off once in the entire four seasons. We were always on the same wave length.
“Corky was a joy to pitch to, just a great receiver. He was framing pitches back before that was a thing. I never worried about bouncing a breaking pitch, because Cork blocked everything. Nothing got by him. More importantly, he was a great friend and such a super quality person. Corky was just the best.”
Some folks are meant to be doctors or lawyers or teachers. Corky Palmer was meant to be a baseball coach. He knew it. Everybody who knew him knew it. There was never a doubt.
Corky Palmer at Rosenblatt, 1999.
He steadily moved up the coaching ladder one rung at a time from small-town high schools, to bigger high schools, to Meridian Community College where his teams became a national powerhouse and won 409 games while losing just 160. He moved to Southern Miss as an assistant coach under fellow Mississippi Sports Hall of Famer Hill Denson in 1997 and then became the head coach the next year. Over the next 12 seasons Southern Miss won 458 games and lost 281. His teams qualified for eight NCAA Regionals, including seven straight.
He announced his retirement in April of 2009 with his injury plagued team seemingly going nowhere. And then it happened. Much like Ole Miss this past season, the Golden Eagles got hotter than Mississippi asphalt in August. A late season win streak vaulted them into the NCAA Tournament as a 3-seed. Then they won a regional at Georgia Tech. Then they won a Super Regional at Florida. And then they went to Omaha for what remains Southern Miss’ only appearance in the College World Series.
At Omaha, Palmer won over the national media with that same countrified twang and witticisms that blew away Timmy Floyd, my brother and me when we were little boys. The ESPN announcers and all the national writers were smitten.
Mighty Texas outlasted Southern Miss in a first round in a 7-6 heartbreaker. The next day at practice, Palmer told everyone he was going to pitch J.R. Ballinger in an elimination game against North Carolina. He pointed to a light pole in centerfield. “You see that big ol’ light pole out there,” Corky said. “If I asked Jimmy Ray Ballinger to go out there and climb that light pole right now, he’d be out there in seconds shimmying up that pole. He wouldn’t ask why, he wouldn’t ask anything. He’d just go out there and find a way to climb that big ol’ pole. I don’t know how he’ll do against North Carolina. They are a great hitting club. But I do know this: Jimmy Ray is going to give me everything he’s got. I love that boy. He’s what I call a company man. He’s a country boy, so you know me and him get along.”
Well, North Carolina got the best of Jimmy Ray and Southern Miss. But Corky Palmer’s last game as a baseball coach was in Omaha at the College World Series. How splendid is that?
Joe Paul, Southern Miss interim president and a close friend of Palmer’s spoke for thousands when he issued this statement Wednesday: “The University of Southern Mississippi family mourns the loss today of Golden Eagle baseball coaching icon Corky Palmer. While our hearts break at the notion of his special presence not being with us, we do take solace that he has moved from suffering to a rightful and well-earned eternal peace. I am fortunate to have been blessed to claim Corky as my Southern Miss classmate and my friend. His impact on generations of young men ripples out in to the world of baseball and beyond. Corky was definitely one of a kind, and we will honor and cherish his memory here at Southern Miss always…”
As it happens, Tim Floyd and I were together Wednesday when we received the news, which was expected but nonetheless painful to hear.
There were several moments of silence. But before long we were telling Corky stories, smiling because how could you not when talking about such a memorable character and friend.
Tim summed it up pretty perfectly: “Corky lived his dream and he lived it in his hometown doing what he loved. What’s more, he touched countless people while he was doing it. Think about it. When you get right down to it, how many people can say that?”
“The Inflation Reduction Act represents another step toward the steady socialization of America,” MCPP’s Carswell writes.
The Inflation Reduction Act does nothing to reduce inflation. Seldom in America’s history has there been a piece of legislation put before Congress so inappropriately named.
If the Inflation Reduction Act was really about tackling inflation, you might expect it would say something about monetary policy. Nope. Or maybe it would change the Federal Reserve’s terms of reference. None of that.
What the Act does do is spend $739 billion. Add that to the $1.9 trillion that this administration has already spent in the name of COVID recovery, and we’re talking some serious money.
Over half ($369 billion) of the Inflation Reduction Act’s $739 billion spending will go to “fighting climate change”. The Act seeks to reduce CO2 emissions by roughly 40 percent by 2030.
According to analysis by Princeton university’s Zero Lab, the bill would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6.3 billion metric tons over the next 10 years. It would do this by subsidizing a massive increase in solar and wind power production. The amount of energy that the US produces using wind and solar power is set to increase from 15 GW of wind and 10 GW of solar in 2020 to almost 40 GW of wind and 50 GW of solar by 2025 – 26.
“Great!” I hear you thinking. “America would, at last, be producing lots of cheap, renewable energy”.
It won’t be cheap. Unless the Act is able to change the laws of physics, the cheapest way to generate electricity will remain through burning oil, natural gas or coal. If wind and solar were cheaper, the federal government would not be having to spend billions subsidizing the switch.
Here in Mississippi, energy companies are able to charge consumers what it costs them to produce electricity, plus a profit margin (of about 10 percent). In other words, producers do not really have much incentive to produce electricity as cheaply as possible when they know they can pass the cost on to their captive consumers.
Having the local Public Service Commissioners rubber stamp the price fixing process is no guarantee that it is done in the interests of consumers.
What Biden’s latest boondoggle will do is offer local Mississippi energy companies even more incentive to open solar and wind production plants, safe in the knowledge that they can benefit from the federal subsidies and that they can continue to pass on additional costs to ordinary Mississippi households. Various vested interests must be salivating at the prospects.
“But what about the new jobs the bill will create?” some will ask. Lobbyists for various vested interests in our state will be quick to point out that the Inflation Reduction Act will create thousands of clean energy jobs.
The idea that this Act will ‘create jobs’ is a fallacy. As Daniel Hannan recently pointed out in the Telegraph, back in the mid-nineteenth century Frédéric Bastiat used the ‘broken window’ argument to show that you do not make a town rich by smashing up its shop windows. Breaking all the windows might generate lots of economic activity as the shopkeepers rush to employ every available glazier. But what that would do is merely divert labor and capital from other more productive activity. So, too, with Biden’s new Act, which will divert labor and capital from more productive activity and engage them in activity that is inherently expensive and wasteful.
The Inflation Reduction Act represents another step toward the steady socialization of America.
For the past 20 years, Europe has subsidized a switch away from oil, gas and coal toward solar and wind. Renewables have been subsidized and oil, coal and natural gas production are often outright banned.
Today it is becoming increasingly clear that this has been a disaster. Not only are solar and wind simply unable to generate enough energy to keep Europe warm, what they do produce is hideously expensive. So expensive that much of Europe’s manufacturing plant is likely to have to shut down for periods of the coming months.
At the precise moment Europe’s energy disaster starts to unfold, the Biden administration seems determined to emulate it. America deserves better.
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Submitted by Douglas Carswell. He is the President and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
“Compared to all other states, Mississippi is among the lowest cost states and is not dealing with energy scarcity risks… something is going right,” the Mississippi Energy Institute President writes.
Winston Churchill wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
As Mississippi families and businesses painfully adjust to high energy prices, understanding the main causes is important because politicians and others will point to myriad things to blame.
In Mississippi, about 80% of electricity generated comes from natural gas, so when U.S. natural gas prices more than double in a one-year span, electricity prices go up. Come winter, it will show in high heating bills. That causation is obvious.
Some people may seek to blame something local, like Mississippi’s regulated utility system or new solar generation projects. Compared to all other states, Mississippi is among the lowest cost states and is not dealing with energy scarcity risks due to short supply or inadequate infrastructure like other places. Comparatively, something is going right.
It doesn’t take an expert to know high-cost energy is bad for the economy, but even worse is high-cost, unreliable energy. Cost and reliability should be the two main fundamentals guiding energy policy.
Mississippi elects Public Service Commissioners to oversee regulation of private electricity and natural gas supply systems, getting the best of both worlds in private sector innovation and efficiency mixed with government transparency. While no system is perfect, several decades of practice provide a generation of experience to evaluate.
Economies of scale makes regulated utility systems work when governed correctly. Mississippi is one of the only states where the companies’ returns are incentivized on three factors: customer price, customer reliability and customer satisfaction. Also, in order to recruit more business and increase sales, utilities have an economic incentive to provide low-cost energy.
As old, inefficient electricity generation facilities close and as demand grows, new generating facilities are needed. Already very reliant on natural gas for electricity, only adding gas plants will eventually result in total dependency on a single fuel source.
Nuclear power from Grand Gulf makes low-cost electricity for Mississippi, but with the lack of a federal nuclear energy policy, building new nuclear is very costly and takes many years. Mississippi has some coal generation, but the U.S. government has made it near impossible to build new coal plants even though coal use globally is increasing.
For diversification, Mississippi electric utilities have added some solar facilities into the mix. At least for the foreseeable future, solar will make up a small percentage of Mississippi’s generation due to its intermittent nature, but some solar power fits into our system for several reasons.
Electricity generating costs are highest when power demand peaks. Sunshine corresponds as summer power demand is peaking when AC units across the state are laboring to keep us cool. Also, more and more, companies looking at new business opportunities want access to some renewable power generation, so solar projects stand to help the state recruit new industries. Like all generation, solar projects in one utility area aren’t paid for by customers in another part of the state.
Thankfully, Mississippi is a well-supplied, reliable energy state without the scarcity challenges seen elsewhere. Electricity and natural gas systems here are among the top in cost and reliability. Absent the occasional storm outage, where local utility workers have become exceptional at restoration, Mississippians don’t have to worry with disruptions and threats seen in other places.
Just a few examples are the tragic energy crisis in Texas in early 2021 still with ongoing grid and supply challenges, the repeated planned blackouts in California, the annual winter natural gas shortages in New York, and the disastrous situation Germany is in by cutting at-home production and relying on Russian gas. To be sure, Mississippi has avoided making bad decisions that caused these crises.
At the peak of the last energy price spike in 2008, then-Governor Haley Barbour prophesied that “ten or fifteen years from now, companies looking to site facilities will ask about energy… ”Can we get it?”
Mississippians are facing the consequences of federal policies that constrained or outright prevented energy supplies to be developed or delivered while demand was quickly growing. Even so, Mississippi’s claim as a reliable energy state with costs lower than most places is a real competitive advantage and one that ought to be leveraged.
To avoid the economically catastrophic energy shortage events happening elsewhere, Mississippi’s energy policy should play on our strengths and continue to encourage more development of all types of energy. We’ll remain better off for it despite dysfunction in D.C.
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Submitted by Patrick Sullivan. He is President of Mississippi Energy Institute.
The budget reconciliation bill approved over the weekend by Democrats in the U.S. Senate and now pending a vote in the House does not provide help for poor Mississippians trying to obtain health insurance.
While generally praising the bill, Sharon Parrott, president of the Washington D.C.-based Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, said, “However, the current bill does nothing to make affordable coverage available to the more than 2 million people with incomes below the poverty line who are uninsured because their states have refused to adopt the Medicaid expansion. Most of the people in the Medicaid coverage gap live in the South and three in five are people of color.”
An earlier version of the bill, considered last fall, provided a mechanism for people living under the federal poverty level (about $13,550 annually) to obtain health insurance. The proposal was designed specifically to provide a health care option for the poor in the 12 states, including Mississippi, that have not expanded Medicaid. But at the time Senate Democratic leadership could not muster the 50 votes needed to pass what is known as the reconciliation bill. Democratic senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona rejected the far-reaching $3.5 trillion bill for various reasons, not necessarily related to the health care provision.
Over the weekend, Sinema and Manchin got on board to help pass a scaled-down, $669 billion version of the reconciliation bill – called the Inflation Reduction Act – that provided numerous items, including:
Various tax credits and other incentives for electric vehicles and other green energy technology.
A 15% minimum tax on large corporations.
Caps on insulin for Medicare recipients.
A provision that allows Medicare to negotiate the costs of drugs.
Continuing subsides to help people purchase private insurance on the health care marketplace exchange.
The health care provision that was in the earlier version of the bill but removed from last week’s proposal would allow those falling under the federal poverty level to obtain private health care coverage paid for by the federal government on the health care exchange.
Under current law, people who earn below the federal poverty level do not qualify for marketplace policies.
Two million Americans could access health care coverage through the plan, with the bulk of those being in Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, according to an analysis by Judith Solomon, a health policy analyst with the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities. Primarily Republican politicians in Southern states have been opposed to Medicaid expansion.
In Mississippi, studies have estimated that between 200,000 and 300,000 primarily working Mississippians could qualify for coverage if the state would expand Medicaid.
If Mississippi were to expand Medicaid under current law, the federal government would pay 90% of the health care costs with the state paying the remainder. Gov. Tate Reeves, House Speaker Philip Gunn and others have argued Mississippi cannot afford the costs of expanding Medicaid, though multiple studies have found that the expansion, including the infusion of billions of dollars in federal funds, would actually increase state revenue collections.
Of course, still dangling in front of the non-Medicaid expansion states is a sizable incentive to expand Medicaid. The federal American Rescue Plan, passed in early 2021 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, provides additional incentive for states to expand Medicaid. The incentive in Mississippi to expand Medicaid is more than $600 million over a two-year period.
The Inflation Reduction Act will likely pass the House in the coming days and be sent to President Joe Biden, who is expected to sign it into law.
Senator Wicker says changing the definition does not take away the pain that President Biden’s economy is inflicting on Americans.
On Thursday of this week, the U.S. Department of Commerce is set to release the second-quarter gross domestic product reading.
In a statement released on July 20, the Senate Republican Policy Committee pointed out that the economy shrank by 1.6% in the first quarter of this year.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta forecasts a 1.6% decline in gross domestic product in the second quarter as well.
“Some economists are predicting a recession by the end of the year. Producer prices have increased by double digits since December, hitting 11.3% inflation in June. This reflects more price pressure in businesses’ supply chains and potentially higher consumer prices down the line,” the Senate Republican Policy Committee said.
The Committee went on to say that the labor market shrank in June by more than 350,000 people, and labor force participation still has not recovered to its pre-pandemic level.
“Initial jobless claims have edged higher in recent weeks. To try to control runaway inflation, the Federal Reserve is expected to implement another interest rate hike of 0.75% later this month, which will make borrowing more expensive and further tamp down demand. The rapid increase in rates adds to the likelihood of a recession,” the Senate Republican Policy Committee continued.
Last week, members of the White House Council of Economic Advisors wrote in a blog post that it is “unlikely” that the decline in GDP in the first quarter of this year—even if followed by another GDP decline in the second quarter—indicates a recession.
The organization asks the question, “What is a recession?” and defines it as a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and lasts more than a few months.
“While some maintain that two consecutive quarters of falling real GDP constitute a recession, that is neither the official definition nor the way economists evaluate the state of the business cycle,” the organization wrote.
Yet, two quarters has been the standard in government and within the media, that is until this White House has seemingly redefined it.
“Instead, both official determinations of recessions and economists’ assessment of economic activity are based on a holistic look at the data—including the labor market, consumer and business spending, industrial production, and incomes. Based on these data, it is unlikely that the decline in GDP in the first quarter of this year—even if followed by another GDP decline in the second quarter—indicates a recession,” the White House Council of Economic Advisors continued.
On NBC News’ “Meet the Press,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen acknowledged high inflation and slowing job growth but said the economy is not in a recession. She said the nation is in a period of transition where growth is slowing.
On the possibility of a recession in the future, the Treasury Secretary said that she believes there is a path to keep the job market up and inflation down.
“The labor market is now extremely strong,” Yellen said. “This is not an economy that’s in recession, but we’re in a period of transition in which growth is slowing. And that’s necessary and appropriate, and we need to be growing at a steady and sustainable pace. So there is a slowdown, and businesses can see that and that’s appropriate, given that people now have jobs, and we have a strong labor market.”
“But you don’t see any of the signs now – a recession is a broad-based contraction that affects many sectors of the economy. We just don’t have that,” Yellen added. “I would say that we’re seeing a slowdown.”
U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-MS) said that changing the definition of a recession does not take away the pain that President Biden’s economy is inflicting on the American people.
Changing the definition of a recession does not take away the pain @POTUS’s economy is inflicting on the American people. https://t.co/8FNB2Jn8Yd
— Senator Roger Wicker (@SenatorWicker) July 25, 2022
U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) said noted that “if you ever took a high school economics class, you probably learned that if inflation is at a 40-yr high and an economic recession is a real possibility, then raising taxes and piling on more spending is a no good, very bad idea.”
If you ever took a high school economics class, you probably learned that if inflation is at a 40-yr high and an economic recession is a real possibility, then raising taxes and piling on more spending is a no good, very bad idea…https://t.co/EYIxvoEBjP
— U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (@SenHydeSmith) July 11, 2022
It was also reported on Friday that the labor market is cooling, with unemployment filings rising to the highest weekly level since November 2021.
PSC Commissioners Presley and Bailey joined together to pass the new solar rules. The question now is how much it will cost the average consumer.
Earlier this month, the Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC) approved amendments to the former Net Metering and Interconnection Rules by a vote of 2-1. The newly adopted rules include policies to increase solar adoption across the board, enhance grid reliability, and encourage economic development, in addition to improving rooftop solar access for low-income households.
Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley (D) and Central District Commissioner Brent Bailey (R) voted in favor of the amendments, referred to as the “Net Renewable Generation Rules.”
PSC Chairman and Southern District Commissioner Dane Maxwell (R) voted against the new rules.
Commissioner Bailey said that the new rules will make Mississippi open for business to clean energy technology developers, manufacturers, and installers, and will help boost low-income opportunities allowing Mississippians to experience the cost-saving benefits of solar energy.
“It has been my pleasure to work with customers, utilities, renewable energy businesses, clean energy advocates, other stakeholders, and my colleagues to improve our MPSC distributed generation policy,” Commissioner Bailey said. “This policy standardizes the opportunities for individuals and businesses to invest in distributed energy resources to offset all or a portion of their overall energy use with electricity generated from on-site resources.”
Commissioner Presley said that this well-balanced rule will allow for real opportunities for the creation of good paying blue collar jobs in the solar industry.
“Mississippians grow their own food and fix their own vehicles and deserve to have the chance to generate their own electricity and save themselves money,” Commissioner Presley said. “This balanced, measured approach by the PSC opens the door of opportunity. Also, under our Solar for Schools program, school districts will have the opportunity to maximize the value of their lands and see savings that can be passed on to taxpayers and hopefully lighten the onerous costs borne by parents and teachers for such things as classroom supplies.”
Commissioner Maxwell said while he supports the right of Mississippians to self-supply their own electricity, his main concern is the “masses paying extra for the benefit of a few.”
“I cannot support a policy that forces Entergy or Mississippi Power Company customers who either choose not to, or cannot afford to, put solar panels on the roofs of their homes to pay more on their electric bills to finance their neighbor’s investment,” Commissioner Maxwell said.
The budgets for Entergy Mississippi and Mississippi Power Company for this project is $10 million and $5 million, respectively, the PSC Chairman and Southern District Commissioner said. He told Y’all Politics that these amounts will be recovered through utility rates.
“As more and more net metering customers come on-line, the utilities will incur additional costs in the form of above avoided cost energy purchases for excess energy put on the grid by net metering customers,” Maxwell noted. “These additional costs are difficult to quantify at this juncture, but there is no denying they are real.”
It appears that Secretary of State Michael Watson shares Commissioner Maxwell’s concerns.
In a Twitter thread on Tuesday, Secretary Watson said that Mississippians should not be forced to pay higher utility rates to fund rebates for those who install solar panels.
Secretary of State Michael Watson
“This is another tax straight out of the Biden administration’s playbook. I encourage you to join me in researching this program and to start asking questions of your Public Service Commissioners,” Watson said.
The Secretary of State said that residential solar power is not economically feasible for most, which is why he said the federal government is “offering tax credits and rebates and now the MS PSC [is] offering rebates.”
“There are many reasons beyond startup costs that make solar systems cost prohibitive,” Watson said. “Who is going to fund these rebates? Who will pay for maintenance costs to the systems? Who will pay for replacement of systems when needed?”
Secretary Watson said government officials should be held accountable to count all the costs, make wise decisions, and not just make decisions that are trendy at the moment.
You can read the Final Order Amending the Rules from the Public Service Commission below.
Wednesday’s speakers included Lt. Governor Hosemann, Insurance Commissioner Chaney, lawmakers, and more.
On Wednesday, the political speeches at the 2022 Neshoba County Fair kicked off and attendees had the opportunity to hear from sitting public officials and candidates for public office from the local and state level.
The lineup of political speakers on Wednesday included:
Honorable Steven Kilgore (R), District Attorney, 8th Circuit Court District
Hon. Joey Kilgore, Chancery Judge, 6th Chancery Court District
Hon. Mark Duncan, Circuit Judge, 8th Circuit Court District
Hon. Michael T. Evans (Independent), State Representative, District 45
Hon. Jenifer Branning (R), State Senator, District 18
Hon. C. Scott Bounds (R), State Representative, District 44
Shuwaski Young (D), candidate for U S House of Representatives, MS-03
Honorable Mike Chaney (R), Insurance Commissioner, State of Mississippi
Hon. Delbert Hosemann (R), Lt. Governor, State of Mississippi
Below is a highlight of the first day of political speeches.
Lt. Governor of Mississippi Delbert Hosemann (R)
Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, Neshoba 2022
The Lt. Governor of Mississippi gave attendees a recap of the 2022 Mississippi Legislative and talked about plans for the 2023 session.
Among the issues he discussed were teacher pay raises, infrastructure, and the largest tax cut in Mississippi history.
As for the 2023 Legislative session, the Lt. Governor said that his top priorities are providing tax rebates for Mississippians, postpartum care, modified calendars for school districts, and much more.
Hosemann said it will be a big year for Mississippi since there is an influx in money that the state has never seen before.
State Representative Michael Evans (I), District 45
Rep. Michael Evans, Neshoba 2022
During his speech at the 2022 Neshoba County Fair, Representative Evans addressed topics he said “no one else is going to talk about” including a possible run for Speaker of the House by current Speaker Pro Tempore, State Representative Jason White (R).
Evans said that if White does run for Speaker, he would support the Representative “100%.”
He gave no indication, however, of when that run by White could occur or if current Speaker Philip Gunn was stepping aside.
Evans did say that next year, the Mississippi Legislature is going to bring up the topic of abortion in Jackson.
State Senator Jenifer Branning (R), District 18
Senator Jennifer Branning, Neshoba 2022
Senator Branning said that during the 2022 Mississippi Legislative session lawmakers were able to get together and put forth legislation that will make generational changes for lives of all Mississippians.
Branning said that through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds they were able to do improve water systems, pledge money to the medical community for doctors and nurses, the largest income tax cut in Mississippi history, the largest teacher pay raise in history, and more.
The State Senator of District 18 also discussed $230 million that went into the state’s infrastructure system, with $100 million of that dedicated to the Emergency Road and Bridge Fund to benefit rural communities.
State Representative Scott Bounds (R), District 44
Rep. Scott Bounds, Neshoba 2022
During State Representative Bounds’ speech, he talked about America.
Bounds, who serves as the President of the Neshoba County Fair Association, said that he is humbled and honored to be a voice for the Mississippi Legislature and he is thankful to be allowed to graciously do that.
The State Representative of District 44 also announced that he will be running for reelection in 2023.
Shuwaski Young (D), candidate for U.S. House of Representatives, MS-03
Shuwaski Young, Neshoba 2022
The Democratic Nominee for Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District noted that he comes from a family of Mississippi public servants and patriots.
Shuwaski Young said at the cornerstone of his campaign are the values of respect and compassion for all.
Young said that these are values he holds near and dear to my heart, values that he instills in his daughter, and values that garner respect and call for humanity.
He added that we “must work together for a better, brighter future.”
Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance Mike Chaney (R)
Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, Neshoba 2022
At the beginning of the Mississippi Insurance Commissioner’s speech, Mike Chaney announced that he plans to run for a fifth term of office in next year’s statewide elections.
Chaney discussed some of the legislative accomplishments from the 2022 session and the success of the Mississippi Insurance Department.
Following his speech, Chaney answered questions regarding the current Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Mississippi and UMMC deliberations. He said they can both make a compromise happen to benefit those who need coverage.
You can view the full Y’all Politics Twitter thread with clips from the speakers that took the stage Wednesday below.
Political speeches kicked off at the Neshoba County Fair today. Stay tuned to this thread for clips from the speakers that will take the stage Wednesday and Thursday. #Neshoba2022
Reeves said Mississippi doesn’t need legal representation that is focused on trying to be an informant for a “left-wing blog.”
On Thursday, Governor Tate Reeves thoroughly addressed the non-renewal of Mississippi Department of Human Services outside attorney Brad Pigott’s legal services contract that has sent some media outlets into a frenzy.
MDHS is seeking to recoup millions of misspent welfare dollars via a civil suit. It is the state’s single largest case of waste, fraud and abuse ever investigated by the State Auditor.
Last week, Pigott was notified by MDHS that his one-year contract would be up and not renewed. MDHS Executive Director Bob Anderson told Y’all Politics that Pigott made decisions about the litigation and filed pleadings without any prior dialogue with officials at MDHS.
“When it becomes apparent that the client and the lawyer are not on the same page, the client has every right to find another attorney,” Anderson said.
The non-renewal led to Pigott running to Mississippi Today to claim that the move was politically motivated, telling the media outlet, “I am sure they can find a loyal Republican lawyer to do the work.”
Since then, the media establishment have sought to paint Reeves in the light of Pigott’s claims.
But Governor Reeves said in a press gaggle at the Neshoba County Fair that the way in which Pigott has acted since his non-renewal proves he was more interested in chasing a political angle and getting his name in the press than properly representing the State.
“I didn’t go to law school and I ain’t that smart, but I have heard of attorney client privilege,” Reeves said. “The way in which the attorney has acted since his contract was non-renewed has proven to a lot of people of why he is the absolute wrong person to represent the State. He is the wrong person to represent the taxpayers.”
Governor Reeves went on to say that some media outlets have “made stuff up” about Pigott’s non-renewal, adding that the state doesn’t need legal representation that is focused on trying to be an informant for a “left-wing blog.”
“He is much more interested in chase a political angle than he is on focusing on doing what’s best for the State,” Reeves said. “There are outlets that have just made stuff up about why he was not renewed. Just made it up and he’s quoted in every article. We don’t need a lawyer that focused on trying to be a confidential informant or a source for a left-wing blog. We need a lawyer that’s focused on protecting Mississippi’s taxpayers’ interest. Period.”
Governor Reeves said firmly that he is committed to seeing the case through no matter where it leads in an effort to recover any and all funds that were improperly spent through MDHS.
According to Governor Reeves and State Auditor Shad White, Mississippi’s investigation into the MDHS scandal has been reviewed by federal authorities, including the FBI, and is also being handled by State prosecutors in the Attorney General’s office and the Hinds County District Attorney’s office. All interested parties will continue to be involved.
As for MDHS and new outside legal services, Governor Reeves said MDHS will not be hiring another “semi-retired, solo practitioner” like Pigott but will engage a more capable law firm to continue the case. He said that announcement is forthcoming.
You can watch the full remarks by Governor Reeves below.
Speakers included Governor Reeves, Secretary of State Watson, Attorney General Fitch, and more.
The 2022 Neshoba County Fair, “Mississippi’s Giant Houseparty,” started on Friday, July 22, and will conclude on Friday, July 29. This year’s lineup of public and political speakers took place on Wednesday, July 27, and Thursday, July 28.
Thursday’s line up of political speakers included:
Brent Bailey (R), Public Service Commissioner, Central District
David McRae (R), State Treasurer
Shad White (R), State Auditor
Hon. Michael Watson (R), Secretary of State
Hon. Andy Gipson (R), Commissioner of Agriculture & Commerce
Hon. Lynn Fitch (R), Attorney General
Hon. Willie Simmons (D), Transportation Commissioner, Central District
Hon. Philip Gunn (R), Speaker, Mississippi House of Representatives
Below is a highlight of Thursday’s political speeches.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves
Governor Tate Reeves, Neshoba 2022
The Mississippi Governor highlighted many successes that the State has achieved over the last couple of years.
“When I became lieutenant governor, Mississippi was dead last in fourth grade math. Now, we’re above the national average at number 23,” Reeves said. “Today, 87.7 percent of all Mississippi kids graduate from high school. That’s higher than ever in our state, and better than the national average.”
Governor Reeves celebrated the delivery of the largest teacher pay raise in Mississippi history. Teachers’ starting salaries are now above the Southeast and the national average.
Reeves noted that Mississippi was the 10th best state in the nation for weathering the economic consequences of COVID-19. He added that Mississippi had the largest annual increase in employee payrolls since the last century and from June 2021 to June 2022, the state has increased employment by another 30,000 jobs.
The Governor said that of the 41 states with an income tax, Mississippi now has the fifth lowest marginal rate in the entire nation. Reeves also noted that Mississippi was first in the nation in overturning Roe v. Wade.
Speaker of the House Philip Gunn
Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, Neshoba 2022
Speaker of the House Philip Gunn emphasized the work done by the House of Representatives, not only this past year, but since Republicans gained a majority in the state in 2012. Prior to that time, the Mississippi House was run by Democrats.
Speaker Gunn said because of the current legislature the state is now a leader in fighting human trafficking, is in the best financial state it has ever been in, equal pay was passed, broadband access has expanded, and infrastructure funding has increased.
However, Gunn said the most important of the things to come out of the House of Representatives was the work to end “on-demand” abortions in the state of Mississippi.
“There is no one who has fought harder for the lives of the unborn than the Mississippi House of Representatives,” said Gunn.
The 15-week-abortion bill (HB1510), which was authored in the House, was the catalyst for the U.S. Supreme Court decision that ultimately gave states the power to determine abortion regulations.
Gunn urged the crowd to show up at the polls in November of 2023 and send the lawmakers currently working in the House back to the Capitol.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch
Attorney General Lynn Fitch, Neshoba 2022
Attorney General Lynn Fitch began her remarks with, “We won, we won Mississippi,” referencing the recent SCOTUS decision on abortion.
“We, the state of Mississippi, stood up and asked a hard question, overturn Roe v. Wade,” said Fitch. “This is a rule of law question that belongs to the people, belongs to you. You get to make that decision. The Justices, believed that and said constitutionally it was not in there and it should be, always should be returned to the people.”
Fitch said the work does not stop here, adding that now it is imperative to come through for mothers, children and families to provide the care and resources they need to thrive. She commended the Legislature for their passage of a tax credit for crisis pregnancy centers across the state as well as the Equal Pay for Equal Work Act for women.
“We say to women, you are valued, you are part of the tapestry of Mississippi,” said Fitch.
Fitch said action is essential and having the hard conversations revolving around this topic are necessary. She said looking at evolving ways to redefine the workforce to allow for more maternity and paternity leave, enforcing child support laws, and encouraging affordable and accessible childcare options as well as many other areas need to be addressed.
>“We asked the Justices for this job and I believe all Mississippians, we are ready,” said Fitch. “Because for 50 years, we did not have this opportunity to have the dialogue, to take action, and now we do.”
State Auditor Shad White
State Auditor Shad White, Neshoba 2022
The Auditor’s office is well known for uncovering the largest fraud scheme in the history of the state of Mississippi under Auditor Shad White’s leadership, that being at MDHS. He added that they also finished investigations which led to the largest civil settlement in the office’s history and hundreds of years of jailtime for the defendants.
“We are going to work every single day to protect your money and as long as you let me keep this job, I’m going to continue to do it that way,” said White.
White said his office is forcing people in government to “sit up a little bit straighter.” He said he is glad that the way he is doing his job is forcing people to be a little more concerned if they plan to steal the public’s money. White hopes to deter people from white collar crime by building a reputation of being tough, but fair in every circumstance.
“We are going to hold people accountable to the law, regardless of how famous they are, or where they’re from, or who their mama is, it does not matter to us, we are going to hold people accountable to the law, period,” said White.
He noted that the Auditor’s office does not get to determine who is or is not charged with a crime. That decision is made by prosecutors. He is responsible for finding the facts and presenting them to prosecutors who make that decision. White said with larger cases, like the MDHS scandal, they also have another entity that looks in on their work. For that case, everything was turned over to the FBI for review.
“And I’ll tell you this right now, the FBI has not arrested a soul in that case that we have not already arrested in the last two years so apparently we’re doing a pretty damn thorough job,” said White.
White said his mission is influenced by the question: “Am I making a better Mississippi for my daughters?”
He said they deserve a Mississippi that is as free from corruption as possible.
Mississippi Treasurer David McRae
State Treasurer David McRae, Neshoba 2022
Treasurer David McRae provided updates on what the office has been able to accomplish in the last few years. Most importantly, the Treasurer has returned a record amount of $55 million to the taxpayers in unclaimed property. The office is also currently on pace to return $70 million.
“This is something I’m extremely proud of for this office,” said McRae.
He said this is the people’s money, which is going back to communities.
McRae said 1 in 10 Mississippians have unclaimed property. For instance, in Neshoba County there is over $1 million in unclaimed property waiting to be given back to the taxpayers.
McRae then touched on college savings, a large effort in the Treasurer’s office. The plans offered by the Treasurer’s office allow families to make smart choices when saving for college.
He said that this type of fiscal responsibility allows the state to rely on itself versus extended reliance on the federal government.
McRae announced today that the Legacy Plan was back to being fully funded and on solid footing.
Secretary of State Michael Watson
Secretary of State Michael Watson, Neshoba 2022
The Mississippi Secretary of State addressed three pieces of legislation that passed during the 2022 Mississippi Legislative session that Watson described as “progress in the right direction.”
The first was legislation that ensures only U.S. citizens vote in Mississippi elections. The second legislation is one that modernizes voting machines in Mississippi counties. The third, is the Election Support Fund.
Secretary Watson said every month on the Secretary of State’s website, his office has started publishing a report that shows the percentage of registered voters based on the voting-age population in that county.
“If it’s 90 percent or above, I need you to engage,” Watson said. “Start talking to your elections commissioners. They’re the ones who have the jobs to make sure our voter rolls are maintained.”
Following his speech, Watson spoke with Y’all Politics about possible issues or pieces of legislation he hopes to see in the 2023 session.
Watson said that the big issue that people will see is post-election audits.
“We got really close with that one last year. There were some concerns from some of our circuit clerks about timelines and who did what,” Watson said. “We’ve got those, I think, figured out with them. Towards the end of the session they were a lot more comfortable with that.”
“We’re 54 counties in to a 82 county tour, building those relationships, and talking through hard issues like post-election audits,” Watson added. “How do we get that figured out? That’s important for Mississippians, so I think that we are going to get to a workable solution and then get our Legislature on board as well.”
Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson
Commissioner Andy Gipson, Neshoba 2022
On Thursday, Commissioner Andy Gipson spoke about policies that would make Mississippi agriculture and commerce flourish in the future.
“Every farmer knows this, you don’t get what you plant, you’re going to get more than you plant, and your’e going to get a harvest after you plant if you do the work necessary,” Gipson said.
Following his speech, Commissioner Gipson spoke with Y’all Politics, saying that inflation, high energy costs, and out of control environmental protection agency under the Biden Administration are the key issues facing farmers today.
“We got to have some relief,” Gipson said. “And there’s nothing more important than getting that relief for Mississippi farmers.”
PSC Central District Commissioner Brent Bailey
Commissioner Brent Bailey, Neshoba 2022
The PSC Central District Commissioner said that the Public Service Commission needs to be “a watch dog for consumers, to regulate the utilities that we’re entitled and instructed to do so, and most of all, we need to assist customers on the issues that come before them.”
Bailey said that from January 1st to today, they have taken 827 complaints.
“We do our best to represent, work, and resolve the issues as quickly as possible,” Bailey noted. “And that’s just the complaints on the utilities side.”
The Central District Commissioner said that for the first six months they have taken in 5,570 complaints on robocallers and telemarketers. Bailey said that the PSC has 175 telemarketers registered in the State and that they are not the problem, saying it is the ones that do not register.
Commissioner Bailey said that his team has been very active this year and has traveled coast to coast representing the Central District, trying to learn, bring back information, and get new ideas.
“We have been on the move doing what we can for you at the PSC,” Bailey added.
The Commissioner discussed the Mississippi Public Service Commission’s $300 million settlement with Entergy Mississippi and other unnamed parties. Bailey also spoke on the PSC’s updated Net Metering Rules.
Central District Transportation Commissioner Willie Simmons
Central District Transportation Commissioner, Neshoba 2022
The Central District Transportation Commissioner thanked attendees for all of the support and said that those working for the Department of Transportation want to continue to do more.
Simmons thanked all of the leadership in the Legislature, noting that the Speaker and the Lt. Governor led the state so well.
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You can view clips of speeches and commentary from the political speaking at the 2022 Neshoba County Fair below.
Political speeches kicked off at the Neshoba County Fair today. Stay tuned to this thread for clips from the speakers that will take the stage Wednesday and Thursday. #Neshoba2022
