Cottonmouth

Meet Your Chairmen, Part 2 - Rep. Gary Chism

2012-01-27T01:00:00.001-06:00

Rule No. 26 of the House Rules states in part:

“No member shall vote on any question in the result of which he is pecuniarily interested…”

For many members of the Mississippi House, this rule stands as a prohibition against self dealing, a reminder that those items of legislation that could mean personal profit for an individual member are to be avoided. As a practical matter, this rule requires members who stand to reap economic benefit from a pending bill to vote present. And then there’s newly-minted House Insurance Committee Chairman Gary Chism (R-Columbus).

Since entering the House in 2000, Rep. Chism, an independent insurance agent, has not allowed a single session to pass without introducing multiple bills requiring Mississippians to buy car insurance and punishing those who do not.

Here is a sampling of Rep. Chism’s employment security bills since 2000. Because many of you have work today, I’ll only include those bills where Chism is the primary author:

· Later dubbed the “No Pay-No Play Act”, HB 527, originally filed in 2000, limits recovery for the first $10,000 of bodily injury and the first $10,000 of property damage where an automobile owner or operator involved in an accident doesn’t have motor vehicle liability insurance. Identical measures were filed in 2001 (HB 506), 2002 (HB 374), 2003 (HB 280), 2004 (HB 1327), 2005 (HB 563), 2006 (HB 306), 2007 (HB 231)and 2008 (HB 254);

· HB 1506 (2002) is a measure that would allow a driver to be cited for failing to have motor vehicle liability insurance at a roadblock. A similar bill was filed in 2003 (HB 368). Also in 2003 Chism added a wrinkle to this proposal when he filed HB 1112, a bill that would have allowed a driver to be cited for failing to have an insurance card, not insurance mind you, an insurance card. This bill was filed again in 2004 (HB 513);

· HB 413 (2003) would have raised the statutory minimum for motor vehicle liability insurance. Similar bills were filed in 2004 (HB 530) and 2005 (HB 722);

· HB 1135 (2003) would have required the Department of Public Safety to conduct random checks to see if drivers were carrying motor vehicle liability insurance;

· HB 1207 (2003) would have created an incentive for law enforcement to issue tickets for failure to carry motor vehicle liability insurance by allowing the ticketing agency to keep 50% of the fine;

· A big idea guy, Rep. Chism filed a monster called the “Mississippi Consumer Choice in Vehicle Insurance Act” in 2004 (HB 529), 2005 (HB 217) and 2007 (HB 232). Free insurance consultation for the first person to explain all that this Act does;

· We couldn’t get Rep. Chism to pick up the torch for disallowing murderers to have their sentences suspended but he has been a tireless advocate for legislation preventing fines from failure to have motor vehicle liability insurance from ever being suspended. These bills were filed in 2004 (HB 1266), 2005 (HB 541), 2006 (HB 174), 2007 (HB 100), 2008 (HB 160), 2009 (HB 87) and 2010 (HB 5);

· HB 1368 (2005) would require the Department of Public Safety to maintain a database of uninsured motorists. This bill was filed again in 2007 (HB 254), 2008 (HB 3) and twice in 2009 (HB 41 and HB 99);

· HB 94 (2006) would require an applicant for a driver’s license to present proof of liability insurance before taking the exam; and

· The “Public Safety Verification and Enforcement Act”, HB 620 (2011), which would, among other things, require law enforcement to suspend an operator’s license when that person dropped motor vehicle liability insurance.

If you’re like me and assumed that a person so dedicated to the proposition that you carry motor vehicle liability insurance, would also want such insurance to pay claims when you become injured in a car wreck, you’re wrong. In 2003 (HB 647) and 2005 (548), Rep. Chism filed bills that would allow insurance companies to drop punitive coverage from their policies.

In summary, Rep. Chism has spent the balance of his time in the legislature working to require Mississippians to buy a product that he sells. He spent the rest of his time weakening that product so that the companies he represents could hold on to as much of those premium dollars as possible.

To discuss your motor vehicle liability insurance needs with a trained professional, you may contact Rep. Chism at his insurance office in Columbus by clicking here.

Republican idea for fixing PERS? Let's put our money in mortgage-backed securities!!!

2012-01-26T15:59:00.000-06:00

The full text of Rep. Bobby Moak's Response to the State of the State

2012-01-25T11:55:00.003-06:00

Below is the full text of Bobby Moak's Response to the State of the State address:

***

I’m Bobby Moak and I’m honored to represent southwest Mississippi in the House of Representatives and humbled to serve my colleagues as Leader of the House Democratic Caucus.

Days into this new session, the previous administration unveiled a nightmare for victims of violent crime across Mississippi. Without listening to families of murder victims and other Mississippians, Governor Barbour released convicted murderers onto our streets and cleared the way for sex offenders to move into our neighborhoods without notice.

While this act has brought us face to face with some of our worst fears, it has also given us an opportunity to think critically about the way we work with victims and their families to ensure justice and create a safer Mississippi.

This issue has been a priority for Democrats in the legislature. For the past three years, we have offered legislation that would require governors to listen to victims’ families, law enforcement and prosecutors before issuing a pardon. We are happy to welcome our Republican colleagues into this conversation, and welcome their help to pass legislation that will respect the work of our judicial system and protect Mississippians.

Likewise, we have asked our Republican colleagues to join us in supporting local law enforcement on the issue of illegal immigration. The Republican version of such reform places burdens on cities, counties and local taxpayers. We cannot allow local entities to bear the brunt of new immigration measures when the problem is caused by companies that hire undocumented workers. If there is to be immigration reform, we should make sure those who create the problem are accountable.

Additionally, Republicans need to join the Attorney General in protecting Mississippi from corporations that steal from us. Currently, Republican legislation would make it practically impossible for the Attorney General to go after corporations that steal our taxpayers’ money. This legislation is the exact opposite of what Mississippians want, which is for wrongdoers to be held accountable.

We must also join together to find ways to eliminate the good old boy system in Mississippi government. Elections do matter and elected leaders should be given the tools they need to lead but the hiring of campaign workers to perform governmental functions has become too common in Mississippi. When campaign staffers infiltrate every corner of the capitol, it creates an environment of perpetual campaigning and institutionalizes gridlock. Mississippi taxpayers should not be made to subsidize political activity through high salaried created positions.

This past fall, Mississippians joined the rest of the country in calling for a fuller measure of accountability in their government. I can assure you that Democrats in the legislature heard that call. That is why this year we are identifying areas of tax reductions and good government reforms throughout state government.

One of the simplest ways to control spending is to shorten the session. At the beginning of the year, Democrats called for a thirty day reduction to the session as did Governor Bryant four years ago. We are yet to receive a response from Republican leadership on this request and so we renew our call for a simple measure that would save taxpayers over eight-hundred thousand dollars this year.

But good government is not simply a matter of controlling special interests and limiting political hires, it must also extend to the budgeting process. A sluggish economy and a loss of stimulus funds will make this an especially challenging process. But no matter the circumstances, budgeting must ultimately be about our values and prioritizing spending.

That is why we will work with our colleagues to lift our children out of even the lowest performing school districts to prepare them not only for attending class but getting degrees from colleges and universities. We can build academic acumen and self esteem to provide our children with resumes that make them competitive on any level and enrich not only themselves and their families but our state. We believe in our K-12 programs, community colleges and universities and this is why Democrats in the legislature will not turn our backs on our public schools.

But budgeting must also mean remaining faithful in the small things—those line items don’t grab news headlines. Republicans have recommended a 24% cut to our wildlife budget. This will be an area of disagreement.

Even in a tough economy, wildlife-related recreation is producing jobs for thousands of Mississippians. According to Mississippi State University, outdoor activities create more than 66,000 full and part-time jobs that pay more than $1.15 billion in wages and salaries per year. This study also showed that wildlife recreation contributes $2.8 billion to our state economy each year.

Every dime taken from wildlife budgets will have to be made up in fees on sportsmen. A gun and rod-n-reel tax along with reducing the number of wildlife-related jobs is bad policy.

The same goes for the sizeable cut being proposed to our Department of Marine Resources, the state agency that works hand in hand with our fishermen, shrimpers and sports anglers. These activities are responsible for a total economic impact of more than $750 million each year.

When a state makes budget reductions of this kind, those reductions are passed along to end users, in this case, our sportsmen. Instead of slashing our wildlife or marine resources budget, we need to look for ways to provide more tax incentives for our hunters and anglers so they keep choosing Mississippi.

We also must stop grandstanding about budget cuts and tax reductions in the legislature when we know that these taxes are simply being kicked down to the local level. In his speech to open this legislative session, Governor Barbour acknowledged that some of our taxation methods need to be reevaluated. We agree.

Mississippi taxpayers have been saddled with a lot of taxes passed on to our local communities. There are taxes instituted for programs that should have been completed years ago. And that’s just one example among many of taxes that we need to re-think.

If we are going to get serious about budgeting and taxes, we have to look critically at all our practices. We can’t allow a tax at the local level that would never pass at the state level. We must also look at whether large multi-national corporations are paying their fair share of Mississippi taxes.

Our shared economic difficulties have been well documented. Unemployment has afflicted every county in our state and the challenges of underemployment have left their mark on most every Mississippi family. We cannot afford to answer these challenges with cynicism and political infighting.

Democrats take the lessons of November seriously and we stand ready to work alongside our Republican colleagues for real solutions

May God continue to bless us.

***

House Education Chairman John Moore on why he doesn't want to teach kids about civil rights

2012-01-24T17:50:00.000-06:00

As posted before, House Education Chairman John Moore (R-Brandon) has proposed legislation to discourage teaching Mississippi's children about civil rights. Well, when asked why he would be opposed to, ya know, TEACHING ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS IN MISSISSIPPI, he responded thusly:

“I just want to make sure it’s teaching the truth and facts and not being accusatory of one group of people or the other. I don’t want it to be somebody’s philosophical idea of what civil rights are."

That's the new House Education Chairman, folks. Thanks, Speaker Gunn.

United States District Court Judge W. Allen Pepper, Jr. has passed away

2012-01-24T16:54:00.000-06:00

There is sad news from Greenville today, as U.S. District Court Judge Allen Pepper passed away after a heart attack this morning. Judge Pepper took the bench in 1999 after a 30 year career as a solo practitioner in Cleveland, MS. His biography may be found here.

My sympathies to his family and friends.

Leader Moak to deliver Democratic Response, calls for end to spoils system

2012-01-24T13:35:00.000-06:00

Rep. Bobby Moak (D-Bogue Chitto), House Democratic Caucus Leader, will deliver tonight's Democratic Response to the State of the State address. Moak's response will air immediately following Governor Bryant's State of the State address at 5:30 p.m. You can follow broadcasts of the speeches at MPB TV, MPB Radio or at mpbonline.org.

Rep. Moak shared the following portion of tonight’s address with Cottonmouth:

"We must also join together to find ways to eliminate the good ole boy system in Mississippi government. Elections do matter and elected leaders should be given the tools they need to lead, but the hiring of campaign workers to perform governmental functions has become too common in Mississippi. When campaign staffers infiltrate every corner of the capitol, it creates an environment of perpetual campaigning and institutionalizes gridlock. Mississippi taxpayers should not be made to subsidize political activity through high salaried, created positions."

Wonder what he could be talking about?

"We're With Nobody" hits shelves today; HarperCollins announces second edition to be printed

2012-01-24T13:27:00.000-06:00

We're With Nobody, a book about opposition research in political campaigns covered here last month, hit store shelves today. Authored by Mississippians Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian, the book details their experiences as two veteran opposition researchers hunting for the truth about politicians.

There has been widespread publicity for the book, with coverage by the Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, Politico.com, the Huffington Post, and Vanity Fair. You can check all of that out over at www.werewithnobody.com. If you have even a passing interest in politics, I strongly encourage you to buy this book.

UPDATE - Mississippi House Education Chairman not a college graduate

2012-01-24T07:48:00.000-06:00

***The Meet Your Chairmen series has been interrupted for this important note on yesterday's subject, Rep. John Moore.***

Former House Education Chairman Cecil Brown (D-Jackson), served on the Education Committee for two terms before becoming its chairman. Rep. Brown is a certified public accountant who is generally considered an expert on budgetary issues such as education, with a resume that includes being the Executive Director of the Department of Finance & Administration and a Governor’s Chief of Staff. Brown received a bachelor’s degree from Ole Miss in mathematics and English, and a master’s degree with special distinction at the University of Texas. After last Friday, Rep. Brown is no longer a member the Education Committee, let alone its chairman. Republicans rejoiced at this.

Rep. John Moore (R-Brandon), by contrast, never served on the Education Committee before becoming its chair. As outlined yesterday, that doesn't mean he didn't have his own inventive solutions for how to move Mississippi off of the bottom educationally. From reducing the number of days spent in the classroom to preventing teachers from teaching about the Civil Rights Movement, Rep. Moore has been a font of ideas.

One thing Rep. Moore has not been, however, is overly dedicated to his own education. According to the National Student Clearinghouse, Mississippi House Education Chairman John Moore doesn't have a college degree:

Surely, the Paul Gallo interview is just days away now, in which Moore will explain his lack of a college diploma by citing some personal hardship or tragedy that befell him in the mid 1970s. And that's all fine and good. One does not need a college diploma to make it in life. A personal commitment to one's own education should be a requirement to head the House Education Committee, however.

So the takeaway is this: new Speaker Philip Gunn just appointed a man with no college degree to head our Education Committee. This is in stark contrast with the previous chairman, who earned a college degree with a double major and a masters degree with honors. I'm sure the national media will have a field day with this one.

Arkansans, on behalf of Speaker Gunn, you're welcome.

***BONUS*** - In an unrelated matter, I couldn't help but note that Rep. Moore also offered a bill that would prohibit municipalities from collecting taxes from tobacco sales if they restricted tobacco use inside the city limits. Yes, you read that right. If Rep. Moore had his way, towns that prohibit smoking in restaurants would be denied the ability to collect sales tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products.

IMPORTANT - SPECIAL POST TOMORROW AM - Meet Your Chairmen series to be interrupted

2012-01-23T17:13:00.000-06:00

Today saw the launch of an already popular series titled "Meet Your Chairmen", which focuses on the people tapped by Republican Speaker Philip Gunn to head important committees in the Mississippi House of Representatives. The next post was slated to run tomorrow. However, due to a stunning revelation that's about to occur over at the Capitol, tomorrow's post has been postponed.

I'll have the news to you first thing in the morning.

Meet Your Chairmen, Part 1 - Rep. John Moore

2012-01-23T07:54:00.000-06:00

As promised, the weekend brought a bit more time to study Speaker Philip Gunn's committee chairmen appointments. According to Geoff Pender of the Sun Herald, Speaker Philip Gunn based his committee assignments on the laudable criteria of “capability, seniority, regionalism and political party”. At a minimum, there should have been a warning that those factors were listed in no particular order. In truth, Gunn's stated criteria appear to have been listed in reverse order of importance.

So this week, check in daily for an introduction to some of the more notable committee appointments and remember, this House is your House, this House is my House from John Moore to Alex Monsour.

Meet your Chairman: Rep. John L. Moore (R-Brandon)

No chairmanship has drawn more scrutiny, angst, and surprise than Speaker Gunn’s appointment of Rep. John L. Moore as Education chairman. Echoing the sentiments of teachers across Mississippi, Moore said he was “blind sided” by the appointment.

Elected in November of 1995, Moore has served four full terms in the House, all without being a member of the Education, Universities & Colleges, or Appropriations Committees. Thankfully for our purposes here, Rep. Moore didn’t allow the fact that he has gone 0-4 in education-related committee assignments keep him from offering legislation on the subject. Consider these offerings:

A measure reducing the number of school days from 180 to 170;
A measure to keep civil rights from being a required course of study in MISSISSIPPI;
A measure to require that all elections for Boards of Education be partisan;
A measure to eliminate remedial reading and writing courses;and
A measure establishing a school voucher program.

After reading these adventures in bill writing, you’ll understand why one Rankin County businessman had the following reply upon being told that Mr. Moore had ascended to the rank of Education Committee Chairman: “Yeah, and I’m an astronaut.” Hope that fella has his Tang ready.

Apart from Rep. Moore’s efforts to completely deconstruct the public education system through general bills, his efforts to “fund” the system should be interesting.

His first public statement after appointment was to tout the new political viability of charter schools, a maneuver that has been widely criticized as a method of defunding public schools.
He has also annually filed bills to completely eliminate the corporate income tax. While Mississippi Economic Policy Center figures say over 80% of Mississippi corporations pay no such tax, corporate taxes do provide the state $431,000,000 in revenue for the annual budget. In 2012, these corporate taxes amounted to 9.38% of the entire budget.
Moore has also proposed legislation, with no co-sponsors, eliminating all individual state income tax (an estimated $1.38 billion, or 30.19% of the 2012 budget).

Given these bills, it is not clear how Mississippi would fund any education whatsoever under Rep. Moore’s tax agenda. But don't worry. As long as reading and writing continue to be elective skills for Mississippi students, everything should be fine.

For Tuesday: Rep. Gary Chism (R-Columbus), Insurance Committee Chairman

More on Brad Morris for Congress

2012-01-21T16:18:00.000-06:00

Brad Morris, the Democratic candidate for Congress in Mississippi’s First Congressional District, has added a couple new ways to keep up with his campaign. You can now follow Brad on Twitter and Facebook.

A small businessman and attorney in Oxford, Morris grew up in rural Itawamba County. He served as Chief of Staff and senior advisor to former Congressman Travis Childers.

Morris offered the following statement upon entering the race:

“At the heart of this election is a choice of whether we have a Congress that is focused on growing the middle class or a Congress that is focused on protecting the interests of a privileged few. America is at its best when we all have an opportunity to improve ourselves and our family, no matter where we start in life. I am a product of those opportunities, and I want to give working families the voice they deserve in this election and in Congress.”

The full list of House committee appointments

2012-01-20T11:24:00.001-06:00

Here's a link to the full list of House committee memberships: http://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/htms/h_cmtememb.xml

Today is a bit of a mess for me with work and my obligations as state chairman of the Bar's High School Mock Trial competition, so I may not be able to give this much of a thorough going-over for awhile, but I'll do my best.

h/t Alcibiades in comments

"This is not the jobs plan Republicans promised us"

2012-01-20T09:44:00.000-06:00

The following is from the Mississippi House Democratic Caucus this morning:

Jackson, MS- As House lawmakers near completion of the third week of the 2012 legislative session, Rep. Earle Banks (D-Jackson) has offered a bleak assessment of Republican leadership to date. While committees are yet to consider the first general bill of the session, the Management Committee last week hired an aide to Speaker Philip Gunn for $110,000 a year.

Banks said, “Instead of working on bills to put Mississippians back to work, Republicans have spent $110,000 of taxpayer money on a political operative.” Banks added, “This is not the jobs plan that Republicans promised us during last year’s elections.”

Banks noted, “For the amount of taxpayer money Republicans have spent hiring an ad man, we could have hired three new teachers, paid for a year of tuition for nineteen college students or added at least two new highway patrolmen.”

Nathan Wells, a current partner at Winning Edge Communications and former employee of the Mississippi Republican Party, will be paid $110,000 per year as an aide to the Speaker. During 2011, Mr. Wells played an integral role in the distribution of negative and misleading attack ads on behalf of Republican House candidates.

According to his company’s website:

“Nathan Wells has been directly involved in well over 50 political campaigns. He has adapted his experiences from politics in to successful campaign strategy for all kinds of clients. He has worked with national organizations, financial firms, and restaurants to develop the image and strategy they need to be successful.

Nathan developed his public communication skills as Political Director of the Mississippi Republican Party and later as a statewide campaign manager. His approach is hands on, and he believes that teamwork and clear communication is the key to any successful program.

Nathan is best known for combining old-fashioned grassroots organization and modern campaign communications to any client’s needs, whether political or business.”

###

PRESS NOTES:

A Forward PAC campaign expenditure to Winning Edge Communictations may be viewed at the following:
http://www.sos.ms.gov/CampaignFinanceWebScans/Forward%20Mississippi%20PAC%20(October%2010%202011%20Periodic%20Report)%20October%2011%202011.pdf

Philip Gunn campaign expenditure to Nathan Wells may be viewed at the following:
http://www.sos.ms.gov/CampaignFinanceWebScans/Phillip%20Gunn%20(2010%20Annual%20Report)%20January%2031%202011.pdf

Rep. Charles Busby expenditures to Winning Edge Communications may be viewed at the following:
http://www.sos.ms.gov/CampaignFinanceWebScans/Charles%20H.%20Busby%20(November%201%202011%20PreElection%20Report)%20November%201%202011.pdf

Republican candidate Dorothy Wilcox expenditures to Winning Edge Communications may be viewed at the following:
http://www.sos.ms.gov/CampaignFinanceWebScans/Friends%20of%20Dorothy%20Wilcox%20(November%201%202011%20PreElection%20Report)%20October%2031%202011.pdf

Winning Edge homepage: http://winningedgellc.com/

Hope to have a full list of committee appointments shortly, not just chairs

2012-01-20T09:38:00.000-06:00

It's impossible to properly analyze the committee assignments without seeing the full lists. When I get my hands on it, I'll take some time to analyze it and give my thoughts.

Committee appointments made

2012-01-20T09:32:00.001-06:00

There will be more later, but here's a recap of the appointments via my Twitter posts:

Ag Committee Chairman: Preston Sullivan
Bill Denny resumes his role as chair of Elections, where he last tried to kill Moter Voter
Herb Frierson will be chair of Appropriations, as had been rumored
Banking Committee chair will be Hank Zuber
Conservation will be chaired by Jessica Upshaw
Constitution committee will be chaired by Scott DeLano.
Corrections will be chaired by George Flaggs
County Affairs will be chaired by Bobby Shows.
John Moore will chair Education
Chair of Energy will be Angela Cockerham.
Enrolled Bills chair is Earl Banks
Exec Contingency Fund is chaired by Forrest Hamilton; John Read will chair Salaries; Forestry will be chaired by Becky Currie
Gaming chair is Richard Bennett
Insurance chair is Gary Chism
Interstate Cooperation chair is Tommy Woods
Investigative State Offices chaired by Chuck Espy
Mark Baker is chair of Jud A; Reynolds is vice-chair
Jud B chair is Andy Gipson
George Flaggs will chair Legislative Budget committee
Mark Baker will chair Legislative Reapportionment
Joe Warren will chair Local & Private
Casey Eure will chair Marine Resources
Bobby Howell is Medicaid chair
Municipalities will be chaired by Ed Blackmon
PEER committee to be chaired by Kimberly Buck
Ports - Alex Monsour
Public Health to be chaired by Sam Mims
Public Property chair is Tom Weathersby
Public Utilities chair is Jim Beckett
State Library chair is Margaret Rogers
Rita Martinson will chair Tourism
Transportation chair is Robert Johnson
Universities - Nolan Mettetal
Ways & Means chair is Jeff Smith
Wildlife chair is Scott Bounds
Workforce Development chair is Donnie "Mississippi Judas" Bell
John Hines named to chair Family Affairs or whatever they've decided to call it.

House committee assignments to be on Twitter (follow @cottonmouthms)

2012-01-20T09:07:00.000-06:00

Follow to the right

House committee assignments expected tomorrow

2012-01-19T10:55:00.000-06:00

All signs point to Speaker Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) announcing his committee chairmanship selections tomorrow morning around 9:00 a.m. In addition, Gunn will assign each of the 122 members to the various committees. These choices will be the most important of Gunn's career in the House thus far. With these appointments, Gunn will have an opportunity to live up to the cooperative tone he set in his acceptance speech. I believe he will do just that.

Here's why:

The most frequent complaint from Republicans over the last 4 years was that Speaker Billy McCoy (D-Rienzi) didn't appoint any Republicans as committee chairs. If Gunn follows McCoy's lead and doesn't appoint any members of the opposing party to committee chairmanships, then he'll appear hypocritical. An appearance of hypocrisy isn't something Gunn can afford right now, as Mississippians are dealing with the fallout from Barbour's Pardongate. (Barbour's pardon record doesn't exactly match the Republican "tough on crime" line.)

There's another dynamic at play here as well, and it has to do with institutional knowledge. Most of it resides over on the Democratic side of the aisle, and that will be important when it comes time to handle intricate health, education, and budget matters. Having Democrats with experience in those areas willing to play ball is going to be vital to doing the work of the House in a timely fashion.

All of the above, coupled with Lt. Gov. Reeves' decision to appoint Democrats to chair important committees, lead me to believe that we will see a fairly even distribution of power at the committee level. Guess we'll find out tomorrow.

A heavyweight enters the race to replace Mississippi Supreme Court Justice George Carlson

2012-01-18T19:39:00.000-06:00

It has been confirmed that Batesville attorney, Richard “Flip” Phillips, has qualified to run for the Supreme Court position currently held by Justice George Carlson. Carlson has announced he will retire after his term is complete. The election will take place in November of this year. It is rumored that Phillips was very close to being appointed to the position when Governor Musgrove decided on Carlson. Carlson and Phillips, from the same geographic region, are said to be good friends.

Phillips, age 64, will be an imposing figure in the race and may even deter others from entering the Secretary of State’s office to qualify. Phillips is reputed to have substantial personal wealth derived from his successful law practice and other business ventures. He has financially supported numerous political candidates from both parties, with more recent involvement tilting Republican. The judicial race will be non-partisan. Just as Republican Congressman Gregg Harper was, Phillips was a trial lawyer years ago, but began representing primarily manufacturers, banks and local governments in the last decade. This will give him great appeal on both sides of the civil trial bar. He also has not been involved in the criminal law field - a fact that should minimize some of the ridiculous third party attacks we have seen in recent judicial elections.

Judges are not allowed to solicit or receive contributions to their campaign this year until March 11, which will give Phillips an enormous advantage. He can spend his own money getting organized, printing materials, hiring the best campaign minds in the district, before the others (if there are any) can even hold a fundraising reception.

Phillips, and wife Vera, have grandchildren in the Jackson area, making the trip back and forth to Jackson a pleasure rather than a burden. The grind of the trip from north Mississippi to Jackson is often cited as a reason for potential candidates to pass on the race (particularly if they have young families) and is rumored to be the reason appellate Judge Jimmy Maxwell and Chancery Judge Robert “Bobby” Chamberlain passed on the opportunity, keeping their powder dry for another day.

It is not often that the money, the enthusiasm, the resume, the politics, the family ties and the mojo so quickly line up in a Supreme Court race. This could be a one horse contest.

8th grader demonstrates Republican claims about Attorney General Hood are flat out lies

2012-01-16T15:55:00.000-06:00

Republicans, in an effort to prevent Attorney General Jim Hood from protecting Mississippi from unscrupulous Wall Street behemoths, are attacking Hood's ability to contract with attorneys skilled in high-level litigation. Among the complaints being made by Republicans are that AG Hood isn't being transparent about whom he contracts with, that the terms of these contracts are unknown, and that some "insiders" get better terms than others. Allegations like these need to be called what they are: bald-faced lies designed to prevent Mississippi from defending itself against major corporations who steal from us.

In a video being circulated among legislators and members of the media by the Mississippi Democratic Trust, an 8th grader shows just how easy it is to locate and read contracts AG Hood signs with independent counsel. Oh, and how every single contract has the same payment terms. Here's the video:

Rep. Bob Evans calls out Sen. Fillingane for retaliatory bills

2012-01-16T09:12:00.001-06:00

In response to Senate Bills 2084 and 2102, Rep. Bob Evans (D-Monticello) has issued the following statement:

Republican Retaliates Against Hood for Work on Pardons

Mississippi House Democratic Caucus Press
Contact: Rep. Bob Evans
(601) 587-0615

January 16, 2012

Jackson, MS- In response to Attorney General Jim Hood’s efforts to stop former Gov. Haley Barbour’s release of over 200 Mississippi felons, including murderers, rapists and child sex offenders, a Republican senator has introduced a barrage of retaliatory legislation.

On Friday, two days after Hinds County Circuit Judge Tomie Green temporarily blocked the pardons of 21 current and former inmates at the request of Hood, Senator Joey Fillingane (R-Sumrall) introduced Senate Bills 2084 and 2102, bills aimed at limiting the powers of the Attorney General to hire outside legal counsel to prosecute complex claims on behalf of the State.

“This retaliatory stunt couldn’t come at a worse time,” said Rep. Bob Evans (D-Monticello). “At this moment, General Hood is working to recover tens of millions owed to the state’s retirement system, now is not the time to tie his hands.”

Democrats say S. B. 2084 and 2102 are aimed at keeping the Attorney General’s Office from recovering taxpayer money for egregious acts against the State. During his most recent term of office, Hood recovered over $500 million on behalf of Mississippi taxpayers in civil litigation that didn’t cost taxpayers a dime.

At issue is the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office’s ability to contract with outside counsel to represent the state for costly recovery actions. The practice has been the target of United States Chamber of Commerce funded entities such as the American Legislative Exchange Council for almost a decade. Fillingane, like a number of his Republican colleagues, is a member of ALEC.

“We were able to kill these efforts in the House during the last term,” Evans said. “But the Republicans are determined to make sure Jim Hood is blocked from making their big business cronies pay when they do bad things to the State of Mississippi.”

Ironically, Fillingane, as former Chair of the Senate Judiciary A Committee, killed at least three bills that would have provided “sunshine” on the Mississippi pardon system now under scrutiny by news outlets nation-wide.

Evans said, "This is simple retaliation against the only statewide official who has taken action to protect Mississippians from Republican recklessness.” Evans added, “Senator Fillingane failed Mississippi victims and families when he killed these bills before. We can’t afford to let him compound the problem by grounding our chief law enforcement officer.”

###

PRESS NOTES:

S.B. 2739 in 2009; S.B. 2130 and 2170 in 2010; S.B. 2118 in 2011 were killed in the Fillingane Committee.

As a private attorney, Fillingane urged the Miss. Supreme Court to allow a felon convicted of robbery and drug sale to be allowed visitation of his child, over the unwed mother’s objection in Christian v. Wheat, 876 So.2d 341 (Miss. 2004). The Court rejected his plea.

For more information on ALEC:

http://www.thenation.com/article/161978/alec-exposed

www.alecexposed.org

www.alec.org

Democrats get a new challenger for Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R) as Brad Morris enters race

2012-01-13T17:15:00.000-06:00

Brad Morris, the former chief of staff for Congressman Travis Childers (D), has filed to run as a Democrat against Rep. Alan Nunnelee (R). Morris is an attorney in Oxford, and should be able to make a strong run against Nunnelee, who is in his first term. Former state Rep. Mark Duvall (D-Mantachie) had entered the race, but has withdrawn in light of Morris entering the fray.

This should be one to watch.

Democrats calling for Republicans to join their pardon reform efforts

2012-01-13T09:21:00.000-06:00

Mississippi Democratic Party Executive Director Rickey Cole issued the following press release this morning:

JACKSON-Rickey Cole, Executive Director of the Mississippi Democratic Party, praised Democrats in the legislature for their leadership in working to reform Mississippi’s pardon process.

Cole said, “Long before this media circus began, Democrats in the Mississippi House and Senate have been working to protect Mississippi families and improve our system of justice. This will mark the fourth straight year that Democrats have worked to bring openness and fairness to the pardon process. Republicans have killed these bills in the past. I hope they’re finally ready to join together in a bipartisan consensus to do what is right and what the people demand.”

Cole expressed his concern that this might not be the case based on remarks by high-ranking Republican officials in the aftermath of Barbour’s record breaking number of pardon decisions.

"The outgoing governor has the right to do what he sees and what he thinks is good and fair," Brown said. "... And he knows more about the details than I do.”

–Republican Senate Pro Tempore Terry Brown (Clarion Ledger, 1/8/12)

“How does that affect his legacy here? I don't think it does. Of those 200, a lot of them are people that were convicted on selling an ounce of marijuana 20 years ago. They've served their sentence."

--Hinds County Republican Party Chairman Pete Perry (WAPT, 1/11/12)

Cole said, “I’m sorry to hear that the second most powerful Republican in the Senate and the Republican Party Chairman in the state's largest county think that Governor Barbour’s pardon decisions were ‘good and fair.’ Those aren’t the words of a party that has learned its lesson.”

There have been folks asking me to provide quotes from Republicans supporting or excusing Gov. Barbour's pardon spree. Well, the last two should suffice.

Here we go: Clarion-Ledger reports 4 "pardoned" murderers can't be found

2012-01-13T09:09:00.000-06:00

Wednesday evening, Hinds County Senior Circuit Court Judge Tomie Green ordered several individuals recently released from prison as part of former Republican Gov. Haley Barbour's prolific pardon spree report their whereabouts to the Mississippi Department of Corrections every 24 hours. Those individuals are Nathan Kern, David Gatlin, Charles Hooker, Anthony McCray, and Joseph Ozment. Of those five men, all are convicted murderers except for Kern, who was convicted of robbery.

Well, guess what? None of the five have contacted MDOC, and no one knows where they might be. The Clarion-Ledger has a story on it today, in which several justifiably terrified family members of victims are quoted. In light of the fact that all 5 men are likely to return to prison to complete their sentences, it may be difficult to track them down.

Thanks, Haley.

Speaker Gunn hires political operative as assistant...at a taxpayer cost of $110,000

2012-01-12T15:32:00.000-06:00

Granting a 30 year-old political ad man with a salary commensurate with a circuit court judge, Speaker Gunn, through his Management Committee, has hired an assistant. This $110,000 a year hire comes at a time when the State budget is in dire straits, and drastic cuts are expected to be made to all state programs, from education to health care to transportation.

But hey, at least Speaker Gunn will have someone in a nice suit to write his press releases. For what it's worth, there was no such aide for Speaker McCoy.

The party of small government, indeed.

Marshall Ramsey: Mississippi "The Pardon Me State"

2012-01-12T11:52:00.000-06:00

Marshall Ramsey nails it. Here it is: