Category: Children & Families
[Release]Statement on Hurricane Katrina Grant Program
Mississippi Democratic Party Chairman
Wayne Dowdy issued this statement following a news story in The
Clarion-Ledger looking at expenses related to the Mississippi Homeowners
Assistance Grant Program. Every Mississippian Ĉ especially those on the
Coast still trying hard to recover from Hurricane Katrina should be
appalled by the apparent questionable use of money that could have gone
directly to people suffering from the worst natural disaster in our
nationȂs history. Haley Barbour must be held responsible for this
reprehensible action. As the stateĂs chief executive officer, he has direct
control over the Mississippi Development Authority by appointing its
executive director and, therefore, is responsible for the pathetic way the
Homeowners Grant Program has been managed.
Posted by kate at 01:03 PM on 06/19/07. Discuss (1)
[C-L]Attorney General files suit against Barbour over youth grants
On Thursday, June 15, Attorney General Jim Hood filed suit against Gov. Haley Barbour for his decision to slice $5.5 million in grants for youth groups such as the state YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi and Boys and Girls Clubs of Mississippi. Barbour, who vetoed a bill back in April that would direct Hood’s office to spend the money on these groups, explained that the Department of Human Services should be who gives money to these youth groups. The Attorney General and Democratic legislators Sen. Gray Tollison of Oxford and Rep. Joe Warren of Mount Olive filed the lawsuit in the Hinds County Chancery Court. According to Hood and the legislators, the suit is about preserving a separation of power in the state government. However, Barbour’s spokesman Pete Smith was quoted in the article as saying, “He [Barbour] has always supported the work of the Boys and Girls Clubs and the YMCA.”
Posted by kate at 11:07 AM on 06/15/07. Discuss (0)
[AG] Legislation Establishes Partnership to Benefit Abused Children
[Verbatim] Abused and neglected children in Mississippi will benefit when a Senate Bill is signed into law. Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood applauded state lawmakers for working together on Senate Bill 3024. The measure, which passed the House and Senate last week, establishes and funds a Center of Excellence at the Blair E. Batson Hospital in Jackson, Mississippi.
General Hood explained, “A Center for Excellence is a step forward in our criminal justice system; it creates a collaboration among state agencies and other entities which provide services to abused and
neglected children. The Center for Excellence will provide non-traumatic medical and physical services as well as examinations from experts who specialize in child maltreatment for child victims of abuse or neglect. This collaborative effort will blend tough prosecution with compassionate care.”
Posted by ladd at 04:56 PM on 04/04/07. Discuss (0)
[Release] Hood Announces Foster Care Settlement
Jackson, MS/Verbatim - - Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood announced that the State has reached a partial settlement in a federal lawsuit over improvements in foster care. In an order issues today, U. S. District Judge Tom Lee granted a joint motion for preliminary approval of the agreement. General Hood said, “The State of Mississippi is committed to continuing its efforts to expand opportunities and improve the quality of life for children in Mississippi’s foster care system. This settlement will enhance the services for foster children and save the State of Mississippi the cost of a lengthy federal court trial.”
In 2004, attorneys from the New York based Children’s Rights, Inc. sued the Governor and the Executive Director of the Department of Human Services. The suit alleged that Mississippi’s foster care children were not receiving adequate care. The Attorney General is responsible for representing state agencies in litigation and filed a motion to dismiss the suit. U. S. District Judge Tom Lee dismissed all but one of the claims.
Posted by ladd at 07:13 PM on 04/03/07. Discuss (0)
[Release] Children’s Rights Seek Foster Care Settlement Today
New York/Verbatim—Children’s Rights, a national advocacy organization, and local Mississippi counsel, along with lawyers for the state of Mississippi, are submitting today for preliminary court approval a settlement agreement reached to reform the state’s child welfare system and resolve a federal class action lawsuit, which was scheduled for trial beginning May 7.
Children’s Rights and local Mississippi counsel filed the federal suit in 2004 on behalf of approximately 3,500 foster children in Mississippi Department of Human Services (DHS) custody. The May trial would have determined whether the constitutional rights of the children had been violated. In the settlement agreement, Governor Haley Barbour and Attorney General Jim Hood did not dispute that children’s constitutional rights were violated, and agreed that the case should move immediately into the remedial stage to determine the relief required to protect children in the state’s care.
Posted by ladd at 06:15 PM on 04/03/07. Discuss (0)
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