Category: Tobacco
[Release]Under fire, Bryant does U-turn on Partnership
Under fire for his involvement in Mike Moore’s unlawful Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi, State Auditor Phil Bryant seemed to do an about-face on Wednesday.
Posted by kate at 01:00 PM on 06/21/07. Discuss (4)
[C-L]Ridgeland passes smoking ban
It looks like Ridgeland will be smoke-free in 30 days thanks to a unanimous vote to pass an ordinance to ban smoking. This comes a year after Starkville passed a smoking ban, marking itself the first of the state’s major municipalities to approve a citywide smoking ban. Others include Hattiesburg, Tupelo and Oxford.
Posted by kate at 10:49 AM on 06/20/07. Discuss (0)
[M-P]Ross calls out Bryant regarding Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi
Republican candidate for Lt. Gov Charlie Ross has recently called out his Republican opponent State Auditor Phil Bryant to come forth with documents that show how he audited and dealt with the Partnership’s costs. Ross wants Bryant to prove that he did make the Partnership responsible for how it spent its $20 million every year.
Posted by kate at 10:32 AM on 06/19/07. Discuss (0)
[S-H]Miss. Supreme Court rules against diverting tobacco money to Partnership
The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that if Mississippi wants an anti-tobacco program, the Legislature must provide funding. Former Attorney General Mike Moore’s appeal of a 2006 order that decreased funding to the Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi was rejected by the justices in a 6-1 decision.
Posted by kate at 11:33 AM on 06/15/07. Discuss (1)
[News] Doctor: Low Cig Tax ‘Subsidized Stupidity’
Today at a rally in the Capitol, a doctor lit into?pardon the pun?Mississippi’s low cigarette tax level. The halcyon days of undying devotion between Barbour and the state’s doctors may be over. The Associated Press reports:
Keeping cigarette taxes low is “subsidized stupidity” that hurts Mississippi, the immediate past president of the American Medical Association said Wednesday.
“The public health implications of this are just horrendous,” Dr. Ed Hill of Tupelo said during a rally at the state Capitol.
Posted by ladd at 01:34 PM on 01/24/07. Discuss (3)
[News] Restaurant Association Will Support Statewide Smoking Ban … of a Fashion
The Clarion-Ledger is reporting:
The Mississippi Hospitality and Restaurant Association says it will support a bill for a statewide smoking ban, in part, because it would allow smoking in age-restricted bars with closed-off areas. It also would prohibit new municipal bans, helping give all restaurants a level playing field. Given the current national trend ? which has communities adopting more and more anti-smoking measures ? the head of the association said it is better to look at a statewide bill now than deal with dozens of municipal bans. ?Given the current political climate, it?s in our best interest to look at a state ban,? said Mike Cashion, the association?s executive director. [...]
The smoking ban bill would amount to a compromise in which virtually every restaurant would be smoke free, but would have the option of closing off bar areas where customers could light up, Cashion said. [...]
The legislation also says that if a restaurant owner is following the law, he or she cannot be held responsible if a customer lights up in a smoke-free area.
Posted by ladd at 06:37 PM on 01/15/07. Discuss (3)
[Desk] House Approves Wind Pool Funds, State Pay Increase, Partnership Bill
by Adam Lynch
Jan. 10, 2007
The Mississippi House approved three different bills Thursday, two of them leftovers that were stalled by a largely Republican minority last week that would not vote to change the rules to allow an early vote. HB 243 and HB 240 were the holdovers that passed the House after a second round of floor negotiations. HB 243 provides state funds to wind pool to reduce premium rates on commercial property, while 240 provides a pay increase for state employees. HB 240 passed with a unanimous vote while 243 passed with a lone holdout from Republican Dannie Reed, of Ackerman.
The House also passed HB 349, a bill that creates a program to replace the now unfunded Partnership for a Healthy Mississippi. The Bill collected 101 yes votes, with 18 mostly Republican nays, though the bill initially looked doomed by dissenting votes from black legislators. Rep. Omeria Scott, D-Laurel, led arguments that the board of the fledgling tobacco-cessation program did not adequately represent minorities?who statistically engage in heavy use of tobacco products. Scott was one of the Democratic votes against 349.
All three bills will now face the Senate.
Posted by ladd at 11:11 AM on 01/11/07. Discuss (0)
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