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Senate Passes HB 1263, Occupational Licensing Reform Bill Championed by MCPP
Contact: Hunter Estes, [email protected]
The Mississippi Senate has just passed HB 1263 which makes it easier for people to move to Mississippi to work. The bill removes a bureaucratic barrier that keeps skilled newcomers from being able to earn a living.
Authored by Representative Becky Currie, this bill would allow people who already have a license in another state to more easily get one when they settle in the Magnolia state.
The Senate passed HB 1263 by a vote of 51-1.
Today’s bill is part of a wider move to make Mississippi more business friendly and open to entrepreneurials.
“We are incredibly thankful to Representative Becky Currie, Senator Angela Hill, Senator Kevin Blackwell, Senator John Polk, and Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann for their work on this bill,” noted Douglas Carswell, President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, which has been helping to drive the calls for reform.
“We spend millions of dollars trying to recruit companies to come here, but this bill is a simple, effective way to create more jobs right here in Mississippi. For too long, people have been moving out of state to work. This helps reverse that by making it easier for folks to come here and continue the pursuit of the American dream.”
Data recently released by the Legatum Institute’s Prosperity Index shows that Mississippi is the 41st most costly state in the Union in terms of occupational licensing costs.
“It is especially important that this bill passed, and that high barriers to work opportunities don’t hold back folks that want to come here to work,” Carswell explained.
Already, Arizona, Montana, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Utah, Iowa and Idaho have passed this reform, which is also being introduced in multiple state legislatures this year.
MCPP President’s Douglas Carswell is available for media interviews. Please email [email protected] for requests.
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A bill that eliminates the income tax for most Mississippi workers has just passed the House, clearing a crucial hurdle in the process to becoming law. If the bill (HB 1439) passes, Mississippi workers would have thousands of extra dollars in their pocket each year.
The bill was authored by House Speaker Philip Gunn and co-authored by Rep. Trey Lamar, Rep. Jason White, Rep. Jeffrey Guice, Rep. Dan Eubanks, Rep. Brady Williamson, Rep. Steve Hopkins, Rep. Chris Brown, Rep. Dana Criswell, Rep. Gene Newman, Rep. Bill Kinkade, and Rep. Jansen Owen.
The bill was passed with a vote of 85 to 34.
HB 1439 will now move onto the Senate for further consideration.
Everybody on a payroll in Mississippi today pays $1 in state income tax out of every $20 they earn – on top of all the other taxes they have to pay. Speaker Gunn’s proposal would raise the threshold for income tax, meaning the first $47,700 earned is tax exempt. For married couples, the threshold would rise to $95,400.
The bill would seek to phase out the income tax over time. It would also cut our state’s extremely high grocery tax in half, from 7% to 3.5% over time. To offset the lost revenue, the bill would increase the sales tax rate by 2.5% from 7% to 9.5%.
“This is great news for Mississippi”, said President of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, Douglas Carswell. “Giving workers a tax break will boost the state’s economy. It is also morally the right thing for folk to be free to keep more of what they’ve earned.”
“Instead of outright abolition of income tax, it looks like this proposal is a step towards phasing income tax out,” explained Carswell, whose think tank has been at the forefront of efforts to eliminate the tax.
“Instead of asking if we can afford to end the income tax, we ought to ask if we can afford not to. Fast growing southern states like Texas, Tennessee, and Florida don’t have income tax. That’s why incomes in those states are rising and job creation is flourishing. Mississippi could do the same, too.”
“This bill will increase sales tax, which is not normally something we would agree with. However, if taxes must be levied, they should be levied on consumption, rather than income.”
“We are also relieved that this bill proposes lowering taxes on groceries. That will help families struggling to make ends meet.”
“Mississippi needs bold action to grow. We welcome Speaker Gunn’s leadership and encourage swift action by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann.”
If you are interested in signaling your support for income tax elimination, then be sure to sign this petition.
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Contact: Hunter Estes, [email protected]
Breaking: Mississippi Center for Public Policy Launches Mississippi Technology Institute
(Jackson, MS): The Mississippi Center for Public Policy, a free market think tank, announced the launch of the “Mississippi Technology Institute” (MTI) as a new division of the Center.
The Institute will promote policies that foster technology and innovation within our state. It will produce rigorous research to help inform the public policy debate in Mississippi and advocate a reform program which will make our state a center of innovation and growth.
“I am so excited that the Mississippi Center for Public Policy is today launching the Mississippi Technology Institute to develop and promote the right polices for our state” explained Douglas Carswell. “Technology is fundamentally changing how the world does business, and removing obstacles to innovation is essential in order to produce prosperity”.
Matthew Nicaud will serve as the Tech Policy Specialist for the Institute. In this role he will continue leading the Tech Talks series in which he interviews public policy and community leaders about high profile technology and innovation issues. He will also coordinate research efforts to help drive forward discussion of important tech-related policies in Mississippi.
Matthew noted, “Technology affects almost every part of our lives. MTI is in a prime position to help inform the debate surrounding new issues. I am excited for what we will accomplish to protect liberty and promote prosperity.”
“I am delighted that Matthew will be heading up this initiative. He has a wealth of knowledge and is full of enthusiasm for better tech policy.”
“From rural broadband roll out to our proposal for a so-called ‘sandbox’ bill to facilitating permissionless innovation, we have plenty of policy proposals that we will be pushing. Our aim is to help ensure that Mississippi has one of the most tech and innovation friendly policy approaches in the US.”
The website for the Mississippi Technology Institute can be found here: https://mspolicy.org/mississippi-tech-institute/
MCPP’s President, Douglas Carswell, is available for comments or interviews. Please contact Hunter Estes ([email protected]) with all requests.
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***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
Contact: Hunter Estes, [email protected]
Breaking: Senate Votes to Pass Fairness Act, Protect Female Sports
Senate Bill 2536 would require public school, university, and community college teams to be designated as either male, female or coed, as based on biological sex.
The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Angela Hill (R-Picayune) and has 21 cosponsors.
Polling of registered Mississippi voters shows that 79 percent support such legislation. The poll revealed that a state law to prohibit biological males from competing on female-only teams has broad support across political demographics: 87 percent of Republicans support the legislation, along with 83 percent of Independents and 65 percent of Democrats.
“Mississippians are breathing a sigh of relief now that Mississippi’s senators have voted overwhelmingly to protect the rights of girls and women who engage in competitive athletics,” stated MCPP Executive Vice President, Lesley Davis.
She continued, “Unlike what is happening in other states, our girls’ and women’s’ records will not be shattered by biological males competing against females. Women deserve to compete on a level playing field. Allowing males to compete in women’s sports destroys fair competition and women’s athletic opportunities.
“Mississippi owes a debt of gratitude to those in the Senate who stepped up and supported this legislation. We are especially grateful to Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann for his strong leadership and Senators Rita Potts Parks, John Polk, and Angela Hill. We also thank Speaker Philip Gunn, Rep. Becky Currie, Rep. Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes, and Rep. C. Scott Bounds for signaling their support in the House. Mississippi’s female athletes and future female athletes thank you.”
Three high school girls who run track in Connecticut filed a lawsuit last year challenging a policy of allowing male athletes to compete against girls. The three — Selina Soule, Alanna Smith, and Chelsea Mitchell — have been beaten consistently in track meets by a pair of transgender athletes born as males.
The lawsuit says the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s rules allowing transgender athletes to compete with girls poses a threat to Title IX because of physiological differences between men and women after puberty. Boys and men have more muscle mass and larger lungs and hearts and thus have the capacity to run faster and jump farther than most girls and women.
Title IX is a federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational institutions that receive federal funds. The law, passed in 1972, has led to a massive growth in the number of athletic opportunities for women. The NCCA currently allows member schools to set their own policies in this area, with the condition that a biological male competing on a women’s team must undergo at least one year of testosterone suppression. Several studies suggest, however, that even after a year of such treatment biological males enjoy a physical advantage over their biologically female peers.
MCPP’s Executive Vice President for Public Policy, Lesley Davis, is available for comments or interviews. Please contact Hunter Estes ([email protected]) with all requests.
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In a surprising move, Facebook has now taken down the SuperTalk Mississippi Facebook page. According to SuperTalk, the supposed violation occurred when the page shared news of an update from Governor Tate Reeves regarding new vaccine appointments.
Paul Gallo, host of SuperTalk’s Paul Gallo Show, stated in a tweet today, “Breaking! SuperTalk Facebook has been pulled for the reasons attached. Seems we committed a violation for sharing a story from the Governor’s office pertaining to expanded vaccines available for appointments.”
The move raises serious questions about Facebook’s community standards and its algorithm for determining potential violations. SuperTalk was distributing important news about vaccine appointment updates to the public. Now, the station that helps to provide news to the entire state, has been restricted from doing so.
This effort unfortunately censors SuperTalk for the time being from being able to distribute news on one of the largest online platforms. Furthermore, this move produces a dangerous potential chilling effect on speech. How many other news providers, influencers, or everyday Facebook users might think twice before a post in fear of similarly being shut down?
Multiple state officials spoke out against the move from Facebook. Governor Tate Reeves tweeted, “Unbelievable! Please fix quickly, @Facebook. Local news outlets like @SuperTalk are essential, and they should not be punished by big tech companies for simply sharing important vaccine information!”
Attorney General Lynn Fitch noted in a tweet, “Big tech is an elite, unelected, and unchecked group that should not have the power to silence and erase anyone. We don’t lose our First Amendment rights just because the town square has moved online.”
The move is likely to bring renewed scrutiny of the tech giant in Mississippi. Several bills in the Legislature address the growing issue of social media giants, like Facebook and Twitter, censoring speech. These include bills by Rep. Becky Currie (HB 151) and Sen. Angela Hill (SB 2617).
Hopefully SuperTalk’s page will be quickly restored and substantial actions will be taken to ensure this doesn’t happen again.
Senator Jeremy England gave a vigorous defense of a piece of legislation that he has authored in a post published to Facebook. Senate Bill 2342 would exempt certain beauty services from licensing and registration requirements, thus reducing the stranglehold that the Board of Cosmetology has over these workers.
Many have called into question the need for hundreds of hours and potentially thousands of dollars spent on training that often does not even apply to an individual’s chosen profession. For example, while an EMT needs 150 class hours, an eyebrow threader in Mississippi must take 600 expensive class hours and not a single moment of these lessons focuses on eyebrow threading.
The fact is that rules like this one are often focused not on health and safety, but on producing a barrier to entry. Thus, obstacles are developed that help to ensure that less people try to join the industry and less competition exists for current providers.
In August 2019, Aaron Rice, Director of the Mississippi Justice Institute, the legal arm of MCPP, filed a lawsuit on behalf of Dipa Bhattarai in a federal district court. The lawsuit was filed against the Cosmetology Board.
Eyebrow threading is a safe and simple technique that uses just a single strand of cotton thread to remove unwanted hair. It does not involve skin-to-skin contact between the threading artist and customer, does not reuse the same tools on different customers, and does not involve the use of sharp implements, harsh chemicals, or heat.
Regarding this legislation from Senator England, MJI Director Aaron Rice stated, “[w]e have been fighting in court for years to protect the rights of niche beauty service providers to earn an honest living without burdensome and irrelevant licensing requirements.”
Rice continued, “[t]his legislation would solve that problem and allow more Mississippians to use their skills and abilities to provide for themselves and their families.”
In his Facebook post, Senator England noted, “[t]he Cosmetology Board in Mississippi is one of many, many departments and agencies we have in this state that requires licenses to perform certain tasks legally. In other words, if you want to do a job in Mississippi that you may be capable of doing and talented enough to earn a living doing, the Board will not give you a license unless and until you pay for a huge amount of training hours and schooling. This is VERY restrictive. I'm not saying it is not helpful, and I'm not saying that those hours in a classroom learning how to perform certain tasks aren't valuable.”
“But in a state like Mississippi, where we have a very low labor market participation rate and have a large population of individuals that feel stuck in a job with low pay, we have to reverse course on restricting people from doing jobs. It has to start somewhere - and the Board of Cosmetology is that start for me.”
“I want you to be able to earn a living and embark on the American Dream of starting a business where you have a chance to succeed (or fail). I want to help you support your family on your own, which may also help you get off and away from government assistance.”
“I don't want a Board that will require a large number of hours in a classroom learning things that have nothing to do with your selected trade, and I don't want you to be forced to take out tens of thousands of dollars in student loans in the process. That hurts people right where it counts, and it keeps them from succeeding. I am and will always be against this practice.”
“I want people to be able to work, and I don't want a government agency putting up roadblocks to prevent them from working. This is my belief as a conservative - and it is a big reason why I am here in Jackson. I am a small government guy. Deregulation is a major part of the foundation of small government, conservative principles. I ran on these principles, and I promised to be faithful to them.”
Senator Jeremy England has stepped up to the plate to support Mississippi entrepreneurs. His passionate defense of the American dream and an individual’s right to work without a government agency getting in his or her way is worth highlighting and supporting.
2020 proved to be one of the deadliest years in Jackson history. Records suggest that 130 homicides took place by the end of December. The previous high is believed to be in 1995 when 92 recorded homicides occurred.
A WLBT investigation revealed that, among 20 major cities, Jackson had the second-highest rate of per-capita homicides, only surpassed slightly by St. Louis last year. This startling statistic put Jackson ahead of Baltimore, Memphis, and New Orleans. It also reveals that Jackson’s homicide rate was close to three times higher than Washington DC and Chicago.
Justin Vicory of the Clarion Ledger noted, “[i]n a city with a population of roughly 164,422 residents, the 130 homicides equates to one violent death for about every 1,200 residents. It equates to a homicide in the state's largest city just under every three days.”
The violence represents part of a deadly larger pattern as 2018 and 2019 both proved to have incredibly high homicide numbers as well. Each of those years set an individual record for the highest rate of per capita homicides to have taken place in Jackson.
This startling three-year trend of escalating violence has left many residents concerned. The per capita murder rate continues to rise as Jackson’s population continues to decline and many city residents have sought to flee the enduring violence.
The fact is that Jackson’s crime problem continues to impact its population and hinder potential economic recovery for the city.
As I wrote in 2019, “If Mississippi aims to seriously contend with the existing brain drain, then it must explore the root of what is driving so many young people to leave the state.
According to a recent Nielsen study, millennials are drawn to cities at greater rates than previous generations. Older Americans once sought suburban withdrawal, but Nielsen reveals that millennials are tending to seek life with more subways than driveways. Compared to surrounding states, Mississippi has less to offer in regard to urban life, a point that is heightened by Jackson’s continued decline.
To begin drawing in residents again (especially millennials), the state must prioritize urban renewal for the city that was once considered a “gem of the south,” and it ought to start by making its residents feel secure again. A fully funded crime center equipped with expanded technological capacities to monitor and respond to crime around the city (as was promised) would be a potential major step forward.”
Since that piece was written in the summer of 2019, the violence has only continued to get worse. It is increasingly difficult to imagine younger generations, who prefer urban living, to seek out Jackson as a destination when continued violence discourages long-term residency.
Many of Jackson’s downtown business sections continue to remain largely boarded up. The facades of businesses that once thrived and brought life to the area stand deadly silent now. As Jackson’s homicide rate continues to rise, it becomes increasingly difficult to sell private businesses on reinvesting in “The City with Soul.”
In a year that’s potentially on pace for the highest homicide rate in Jackson history, police and city officials have sought a new ally in the fight on crime: your doorbell.
Jackson has been launched into the heart of an intense civil liberties debate over the discussion of a new program which would allow Jackson city officials to tap into private residential and business doorbell cameras.
Jackson residents can now register for the program, giving police a variety of access options to their personal cameras including alarm-triggered live feeds, 24/7 streams, and more.
In a discussion with WLBT, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba noted, “[w]hat we’ll be able to do is get a location, draw a circle around it and pull up every camera within a certain radius. If someone is running out of a building, we can follow and trace them.”
Mayor Lumumba further noted, “[u]litmately, what will happen is residents and businesses will be able to sign a waiver, if they want their camera to be accessed from the Real Time Crime Center. It would save (Jackson) from having to buy a camera for every place across the city.”
The Jackson City Council approved a 45-day trial for the program, but not all Council members are supportive. Councilman De’Keither Stamps questioned whether the technology could be abused and stated, “I don’t believe the government should be tapping into my Ring, I don’t believe we should be sponsoring this.”
Jackson will be partnering with Jackson-based technology company, PILEUM, and Georgia-based cloud service provider, FUSUS, in order to allow Jackson police to collect and access the videos.
What do you think? Would you sign up for the program/allow your device to be used by police?
Engage with us on Facebook and Twitter to discuss further!
Between a pandemic, murder hornets, and so much more, it is perhaps little surprise that studies have consistently found that Americans are drinking more alcohol during quarantine. In states around the country liquor stores and small businesses that deliver alcohol have seen an uptick in sales.
Mississippi, thanks to the infinite wisdom of our legislative class, has decided that we do not want to see the same economic gains and tax revenue brought forth from an increase in demand like in other parts of the country. An antiquated operations model that places a distribution monopoly within the hands of a single government entity and a series of laws that bar delivery and shipment of alcohol have handicapped the liquor industry in the state and desperately need to be reconsidered.
Liquor store owners in and around Jackson are saying that their deliveries are two weeks behind schedule.
Customers have long complained about the inability to get common alcohol selections due to the cutting of products from the Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) warehouse.
Responding to the present issues, Sen. Josh Harkins (R-Flowood) recently stated, “[W]e’ve got some incredible employees out there right now they’re limited in what they have the ability to properly distribute the product so we’re just trying to make it more efficient.”
While having employees is nice, a government program should not exist solely to offer jobs. Just because government can make money performing an operation does not mean that operation becomes a legitimate scope of government.
A few months ago, ABC officials said that orders had risen 29 percent and that they were considering suspending new orders. They ultimately announced a suspension of all orders from July 10 through July 20 before giving in to allow for more placements. Such drastic measures showcase the current inability of ABC to respond to changing market demand. While some suggest that the department simply needs more taxpayer resources, and a larger warehouse, a more dramatic solution is necessary.
ABC is perfectly making the case against its own existence and for privatization of their work. Government consistently proves itself to be an inefficient allocator of resources, and its departments are woefully unable to respond to rapid changes in the market context in order to adapt. Private distributors have greater flexibility to expand and contract depending on the performance of the market and thus should be empowered to do so.
One need only look to the most extreme example of late to see how the market ultimately reacts to changes in demand. When toilet paper sales spiked and aisles ran empty, stores kicked up their orders, and private distributors delivered, and yet months on, our government is still failing to respond effectively to a demand uptick that pales in comparison to the one for toilet paper over this year.
What purpose does Mississippi government have in the alcohol distribution business anyway? Government should no sooner step in to start distributing fried chicken and biscuits. Either way, it is a ridiculous misutilization of our tax dollars.
However, our legislators not only continue to invest in an antiquated system that is unable to fulfill the requests of both businesses and consumers, they also go so far as to block private entrepreneurs from delivering alcohol.
In states around the country apps such as Postmates, Drizzly, and others have helped make shopping easier by reducing the number of people in physical store locations at any given time. They have done so through vast delivery networks which allow one to get alcohol products delivered to one’s door just as food, groceries, and other commodities are readily delivered.
Unfortunately, due to a lack of foresight on behalf of our government, our legislators chose to continue restricting this freedom, eliminating potential new jobs, and necessitating people go into physical liquor stores during a pandemic.
Altogether, Mississippi alcohol policy continues to be defined by our unique history with prohibition. As the first state to enact it and the last to officially end it, the ramifications of this remnant of a bygone era continue to make themselves known. The new strains placed on ABC by changes in market demand call for a reevaluation of government control over alcohol distribution.
And, while we’re at it, let’s go ahead and let people use 21st century technology to order alcohol too.