Category: Governor
[News] Plea Agreement Issued in Beef Plant Mess
The U.S. Department of Justice released the news today that a plea agreement has been reached in the case of the beef-plant case (corporate welfare supported by both parties and the governor that went sour). Sean Carouthers pled guilty to one count of fraud and agreed to pay the state $250,000. The Magnolia Report posted a copy of the press release and agreement today.
Posted by ladd at 08:14 PM on 01/16/07. Discuss (0)
[Desk] Barbour Gives Good News at ?State of the State? Speech
by Adam Lynch
Mississippi State Desk
January 16, 2007
Gov. Haley Barbour delivered oodles of great tidings Monday night at his State of the State address in the House Chambers, even as some legislators were quick to point out the details he left out. (Click here for speech transcript.)
Barbour touted the spending the state is lavishing on its education system, saying education ?has been funded at record levels.? Lawmakers gave schoolteachers two 8-percent pay raises and appropriated state funding for K-12 to increase 19 percent. Barbour announced that the state is spending $323 million more on K-12 and promised that if lawmakers adopt his budget, K-12 will receive a $480 million increase during his administration.
Posted by ladd at 11:40 AM on 01/16/07. Discuss (2)
[Release] Treasurer Gets Barbour’s Back on ‘Budget Mess’
Right on cue, here comes State Treasurer Tate Reeves to warn us poor, unsuspecting Mississippians to be careful with our money and to pound on the “budget mess” that the last administration had left (even as Barbour had bragged about the education spending passed then. Indirectly, of course). This verbatim e-mail just arrived from Tate:
. (January 15, 2007) - ?Over the last three years, we have made tremendous progress in climbing out of the budget mess we inherited from the previous administration. We must continue our work to improve our state?s financial situation, and I commend Governor Barbour for recognizing the importance of rebuilding our reserves and the Rainy Day Fund to help accomplish this goal. In the aftermath of Katrina, Mississippians understand better than most the need to save for a rainy day.?
?We must remain cautious as we approach the budget process this year. Katrina has brought a huge amount of uncertainty to our ability to accurately forecast revenues. I urge the Legislature to delay major budget decisions until we have as much information regarding available monies as possible. The uncertainty of revenues and the large amount of one time money flowing into our state requires patience as a key ingredient in the budgeting process.?
Posted by ladd at 07:55 PM on 01/15/07. Discuss (0)
[Live Blog] Barbour’s ‘State of the State’ Address Verbatim
Madam Lt. Governor, Mr. Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of the Legislature, distinguished guests and fellow Mississippians: For the fourth time I?m honored to report to you on the State of our State. I treat tonight as very special, for tonight is the eighth, and at least for now, the last time Lt. Governor Amy Tuck will be on this podium for a governor?s State of the State address. And Governor Tuck, I consider it my privilege to recognize and salute you for your dedicated and effective service to the people of Mississippi.
As you know, the Lt. Governor lost her dear mother a few weeks ago. Amy, you have been in Marsha and my thoughts and prayers . . . and so have the families of your colleagues, Senator Bunky Huggins, Senator Billy Harvey and Rep. Mae Whittington . . .and even this weekend we lost one of the true gentlemen of this Legislature, Representative Leonard Morris. Please lift up Belinda and their daughters in your prayers. Now I ask you to join me in a moment of silent prayer in memory of these fine public servants.
Despite our losses and difficulties we have so much to be thankful for. For me that starts with the First Lady who has been my first lady for thirty-five years. Whether in the weeks and months after Katrina, when she went to the Coast seventy of the first ninety days to help our people most in need, to when she sets an example with, ?Haley, let?s go walking?, to tonight, when she told me my speech is too long; Marsha has been the centering influence for me and my family. I appreciate her and am very grateful for her.
Posted by ladd at 06:11 PM on 01/15/07. Discuss (22)
[Analysis] What Will Barbour Highlight in State of the State Tonight?
Geoff Pender of the Sun-Herald says he may be positive, not negative:
His first, back in 2004, wasn’t very rosy. He outlined myriad problems, including a “$720 million budget hole” he blamed on his predecessor. His main message then: “Mississippi can do better.” Well, has it? Barbour most assuredly will say yes, and in many areas fiscal, his opponents would be hard pressed to disagree, although whether he can claim credit can and will be argued vociferously through the November elections. Among many other points, Barbour will also most assuredly say that after losing more than 38,000 jobs during the four years prior to his taking office, and despite the loss of thousands of jobs temporarily from Katrina, there are now 25,000 more people working in Mississippi than when he took office. And, I predict he’ll note, Mississippians’ personal income rose nearly 11 percent from 2004 to 2005, and state revenue grew 4 percent, 8 percent and 9 percent during his first three years. [...] Finally, in the turning-lemons-into-lemonade category, Barbour, tarred as being anti-education and downright cold when it comes to social programs, will claim more has been spent on K-12 education on his watch than any before and that he’s helped right the ship of Medicaid, at least as much as it can be righted.
But his opponents will counter much of this, I predict.
Posted by ladd at 11:31 AM on 01/15/07. Discuss (0)
Mississippi In the Mix of National Minimum-Wage Bill
On Sunday, the Commercial Appeal in Memphis had a story on the growing minimum-wage movement in the country, including a focus on Mississippi’s bill passed last week:
You can choose the Capitol Street gang and vote with them,” said Rep. Ricky Cummings, D-Iuka, a main sponsor of the bill. “They’ll pat you on the back and they’ll tell you what a great job you’ve done, but you won’t feel good about it, I guarantee. ... On this question right here, you don’t have to ask what Jesus would do because it’s already been answered.”
This story demonstrates that Barbour’s quip about other states laughing at Mississippi isn’t exactly on target, considering that states around us are wrestling with the same issue.
Posted by ladd at 10:41 AM on 01/15/07. Discuss (0)
[Desk] MPB to Air ‘State of the State’; StateDesk to Blog It
Mississippi Public Broadcasting will air Gov. Haley Barbour’s “State of the State” address on Monday, Jan. 15, at 6 p.m. You can hear a live feed on MPB’s Web site. The Jackson Free Press will be live-blogging the speech right here on State Desk. Tune in the live feed, or your radio, and have your screen open to post live comments during the speech!
Posted by ladd at 03:23 PM on 01/12/07. Discuss (0)
[Release] Governor Endorses Anti-Crime Bills
Verbatim from the governor’s office:
Flanked by legislators, prosecutors and law enforcement officers, Governor Haley Barbour today endorsed two bills designed to toughen penalties against felons having guns or using them in commission of a crime.Senate Bill 2470 increases the statutory maximum penalty to up to 10 years for previously convicted felons found in possession of a firearm. The current statutory maximum sentence is up to three years. The Senate sponsor of the bill is Sen. Ed Morgan, R-Hattiesburg, and the House sponsor is Rep. Jeff Smith, D-Columbus, chairman of the House Judiciary B Committee.
Posted by ladd at 11:18 AM on 01/11/07. Discuss (0)
[Release] Barbour to Make Anti-Crime Announcement
One wonders if this is an attempt to try to draw attention from that mammoth education rally that Loome et al are leading Thursday a.m. 
[verbatim] Governor Haley Barbour, along with legislators, prosecutors and law enforcement officers, will host a press conference to address anti-crime legislation on Thursday, January 11, 2007, at 9:00 a.m. in the Governor?s Capitol Office.
Posted by ladd at 06:06 PM on 01/10/07. Discuss (2)
[Desk] Barbour Is Willing to Raise/Drop the Big Bucks to Keep Seat
On the topic of the race for the big-banana seats, this interview with Haley Barbour by Emily Wagster Pettus of the Associated Press is fascinating, and is a reminder that machine politics have definitely taken hold in Mississippi, and how well the TV stations fare from political advertising?$13 million is quite the chunk o’ moolah.
Barbour - a former Washington lobbyist and Republican National Committee chairman - tapped into a broad network of donors and set a Mississippi campaign fundraising record in 2003, when he unseated Democrat Ronnie Musgrove.
“Between my campaign and the state party, we spent about $13 million last time. And you know, I’m expecting to have to raise that kind of money again,” Barbour, 59, said during a recent interview with The Associated Press staff in Jackson.
Records show Musgrove spent about $7.7 million four years ago.
Posted by ladd at 01:33 PM on 01/10/07. Discuss (2)
[News] Bill Renick, Former Musgrove Chief, Running For Governor
From the Clarion-Ledger:
Renick sent an e-mail to potential supporters this week.
“I have put a lot of thought and prayer into this,” Renick wrote in the e-mail, which was shown to The Associated Press.
“I just keep coming up with the same gut feeling,” Renick wrote. “I realize this will be a tremendous challenge, but it is one that with the help of a lot of people and especially friends like y’all that can be successful. I assure you that I am committed to that challenge.”
Posted by admin at 01:37 PM on 01/09/07. Discuss (0)
[News] Barbour: What’s the Hurry?
The Clarion-Ledger reports:
Gov. Haley Barbour told a business group today there’s no need allocate most of the state budget during the first week of the legislative session.
The Republican spoke to more than 1,000 members of the Mississippi Economic Council. But his remarks were aimed at Democratic House leaders, who tried unsuccessfully to get votes on education funding and pay raises for teachers and state employees on Tuesday, the opening day of the three-month session.
“I would suggest that if you ran your business that way, you wouldn’t have enough money to pay your MEC dues,” Barbour said to the business people, who were in Jackson for an annual day of lobbying.
http://clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104
Posted by admin at 04:16 PM on 01/04/07. Discuss (0)
[News] Barbour: No Minimum Wage Increase
Barbour said today House Bill 237 will drive businesses out of Mississippi to surrounding states. Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama and Louisiana must be ?laughing up their sleeves? at the state, he told business leaders at a Mississippi Economic Council gathering.
http://clarionledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070104
Posted by admin at 12:45 PM on 01/04/07. Discuss (0)
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