By Mike Hurst

Recently, while most Mississippians were busy working, raising families and just trying to get by, the state of Mississippi held a little noticed hearing to consider imposing taxes on a significantly larger number of our residents. This occurred after the Mississippi Legislature had already left town, leaving no opportunity for our elected officials to publicly debate this important issue at the state Capitol or cast votes on it. Rather, as has unfortunately become a fact of life in our day and age, unelected bureaucrats in a state government agency, with little fanfare and even less explanation, began a process to expand regulations that will require many Mississippians to pay more taxes with minimal public input and even less accountability.

A few months ago, the Mississippi Department of Revenue filed a notice with the Secretary of State's Office, signaling that DOR would be amending several of its existing regulations. One of these revised regulations would expand the definition of hotels and motels to include rooms in people's homes, as listed on popular internet websites like Airbnb or VRBO. Another proposed DOR regulation expanded the application of local tourism taxes.

These regulatory changes proposed by DOR come on the heels of another recent attempt by DOR earlier this year to require out-of-state companies to collect taxes on sales made to Mississippians over the internet, despite the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has clearly stated this is illegal and DOR's own commissioner has admitted that what DOR is doing is "probably unconstitutional."

State law requires DOR to timely notify the public of proposed rule changes. DOR did not do so. State law also requires DOR to issue a statement showing the impact of proposed rules on the economy. Again, DOR failed to do so. State agencies are required by law to prepare such economic impact statements when adopting significant amendments to existing regulations. However, in the 11 years since such statements have been required, DOR has never issued one!

The most troubling aspect of all of these proposed regulations is that DOR's actions represent a trampling of the doctrine of separation of powers in our form of government. This unelected bureaucracy is unconstitutionally commandeering authority from our legislative branch to make laws, rather than simply implementing them.

Regarding DOR's proposed tax on people's homes, bills were introduced in both houses of the Legislature during the 2017 legislative session to change the definition of hotel and motel under the local tourism tax to include short-term rentals of residential properties.

None of these bills became law.

Despite our elected representatives choosing not to change the law, this unelected state agency is now attempting to legislate by regulation. The same thing happened with internet taxation, as the Legislature considered and rejected changes to state law to allow DOR to tax out-of-state sellers like Amazon. Again, notwithstanding our elected officials opting not to enact such a law, DOR is proceeding with regulations to do it anyway.

This silent and gradual encroachment into our lives by an unelected and unaccountable Fourth Branch of government is deeply troubling for our form of government and the future of liberty. This governing by regulation is not what our founders intended, not what was written into the Constitution, and not what our government was built upon. Our elected officials need to step up and put a stop to this regulatory tyranny. But we the people also need to let our voices be heard by getting more involved in the rule-making process and challenging bad rules in court.

The only way unaccountable agencies are going to change is if we make them do so.

By Dr. Jameson Taylor

Every year my aunt sends me $5 worth of lottery tickets for my birthday. One year I won $2; another year $1; this year, I won an additional ticket, which also proved a loser. The closest I have come to recouping my aunt's investment is the year I won $4. I was thrilled, but not as thrilled as I would have been had she sent me cash instead. I just don't have the heart to tell her that her birthday present is little more than a tax receipt printed on fancy, scratch-off paper.

 A lottery is only good for one thing: concealing the creation of a new tax. We've all heard the stories of how much revenue a lottery could generate. Governments generate revenue in essentially three ways: taxes, fees and fines. According to the Tax Foundation, the legal definition of a tax is that its primary purpose is to raise revenue. A fee, on the other hand, is "a charge imposed for the primary purpose of recouping costs incurred in providing a service" while a fine is "imposed for the primary purpose of punishing behavior." Based on these distinctions, the Tax Foundation concludes, "The lottery is in part a tax ... the classic definition of a tax, upheld in nearly every federal and state court."

The North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries boasts that 27 cents of every $1 spent on lottery tickets goes back to the government. This payment is not to be confused with taxes generated from winnings. In other words, state-run lotteries impose a 27 percent tax on the mere act of purchasing a lottery ticket.

It is irrelevant that buying the ticket is voluntary. Taxes are imposed on all sorts of voluntary activities, ranging from using a phone to going to the movies. What is unique about a lottery is that it is a state-run monopoly on a nonessential service -- very different from natural monopolies, like water and electricity provision, with high startup costs. The purpose of the lottery monopoly is not to provide for a public need or to protect the public welfare, but to generate revenue. It's a tax.

Moreover, the lottery is a bad tax. It's inefficient, with much higher administrative costs than other forms of taxation, and it encourages nonproductive, if not downright destructive, behavior.

Let's look at a similar case: the ongoing debate over marijuana legalization. Economists believe marijuana legalization could generate billions of dollars in tax revenue. In 2016, Colorado collected $200 million in taxes on $1 billion in "legal" marijuana sales. That's a lot of money that could be used to fund roads and education. But at what cost? As with the lottery, some people would become addicts. As with the lottery, sales would drain money from other, likely somewhat more productive, purchases and activities. As with the lottery, lower-income, less educated users would consume a disproportionate share. In the case of marijuana legalization, the government would be condoning and profiting from a questionable activity. In the case of lottery legalization, the government would be initiating, advertising, promoting and bolstering a questionable activity.

While lottery advocates claim "people from all walks of life play the lottery,” they often sidestep the question of who plays the lottery most frequently. (As I mentioned, even I "play the lottery" once a year on my birthday.) Research shows that those in the lowest income bracket play 2.5 times more than everyone else and that "increased levels of lottery play are linked with ... males, blacks, Native Americans, and those who live in disadvantaged neighborhoods." A recent 10-year analysis of the New Jersey lottery confirms the typical player has a below-average income and lacks a college degree.

Those who tend to play the lottery most often, it seems, are either poor or think of themselves as poor. In this respect, the lottery is a tax on false hope. And while it may not be the government's business to tell people what or who to hope in, government shouldn't be monopolizing and encouraging such deception.

We already have enough taxes in Mississippi, and we already have enough false hopes. Let's not add anymore with a lottery.

Court: IRS must answer conservative group  Lawsuit alleges IRS abused organizations that opposed Obama Administration    A federal judge has ordered the IRS to submit to discovery and depositions in a lawsuit filed by True the Vote (TTV) which alleges discriminatory practices and abuse against organizations which were politically opposed to the Obama Administration. The Treasury Inspector General found in a May 2013 report that the IRS selected groups for special mistreatment if they who had "Tea Party," "Patriot," or "9/12" in its name or if they advocated conservative policy positions.TTV sued the IRS, but the suit was dismissed in 2014. An appeals court reversed that dismissal, saying the IRS had not taken sufficient steps to prevent similar actions in the future. The suit was remanded to District Court for a decision on the merits of the case. Last week, the District Court granted TTV's motion for discovery, permitting TTV to discover the "past acts of alleged discrimination stemming from the alleged illegal targeting scheme" to ensure that the IRS has "eradicated the effects" of that scheme. Source: True the Vote 24 states: half or more babies on Medicaid Mississippi tied for fourth place with 64 percent in new study   In Mississippi, 64 percent of babies are born on Medicaid. That ties the state for the fourth highest rate in the country according to a Kaiser Family Foundation report. Nationwide, 24 states report more than half of all babies born had their births paid for Medicaid. Mississippi is one of eight states in which Medicaid pays for more than 60 percent of all births. Source: CNSnews.com Arizona's big school choice victory All students now eligible for enrollment in education savings accounts   Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed into law an expansion of his state's education savings account (ESA) program, creating a near-universal option for students and parents. Arizona's previous ESA program could only be accessed by children with special needs, students in failing schools, children of active duty military or in foster care, and other limited criteria. Now, at the end of a four year phase in, any child will be eligible to enroll in the program, although there is a limit of 5,500 participants. Instead of sending funding directly to district schools, and then assigning children to those schools based on where their parents live, Arizona's ESA program provides parents 90 percent of what the state would have spent on their child in their district school, with funds being deposited directly into a parent-controlled account. In Arizona that is typically around $5,300 for a student, annually, and closer to $14,000 annually for a child with special needs. The family can then use those funds for any education-related service, product, or provider. Parents can roll over unused funds from year to year in anticipation of future education-related expenses. [Editor's note: Mississippi also has an ESA program. It is available only to students with special needs. Based on the amount of funding the legislature has provided, it is capped at fewer than 500 students.]     Source: The Daily Signal Population shifts Birthrate and migration shifts the American landscape In more than 1,200 American counties, people are dying faster than babies are being born to replace them. The U.S. population is growing older, and younger Americans are having fewer babies. Washington Post blogger Christopher Ingraham took Census Bureau data and color coded the maps below. These maps reduce the coloration to a simple binary scale: red for losing population, blue for gaining it.   Americans are also moving, continuing a long-standing trend of migration out of colder climates and to places like the Sun Belt. But even in Southern states, the migration picture is mixed. An arc of red running from Mississippi up through the Carolinas shows net losses to migration in the counties of the Black Belt.   Combine the two maps above and you get the total net population gain or loss in American counties in 2016. Population gainers include the Western half of the country, the entire Florida peninsula, the I-95 corridor from D.C. to New York, and the New England coast. Places like the Black Belt, the Rust Belt, the extreme upper Midwest and much of the central plains lost population. Overall the population shifts of 2016 marked a return to trends that had been common before the Great Recession: a movement of people out of cities and rural areas and into the country's suburbs, particularly in warmer regions.     Source: Washington Post Wonkblog   Funding Students, Not Districts Heartland discusses benefits & outcomes of decentralized school funding   What are the benefits and outcomes of allowing school funding to follow the child instead of being based on the school district? Listen to the answer on this Heartland Institute Podcast, where two experts discuss student-based funding, which allows parents a choice and provides students with additional educational opportunities. Source: Heartland Institute

Secure Contribution Invest in Liberty Make a secure contribution to the Mississippi Center for Public Policy here. Stay Connected "Free enterprise, not government, is the engine of personal economic prosperity." - Governing by Principle: A Framework for Governing, Principle #7

Important Bill on Governor's Desk HB1033 a positive criminal justice reform measure  Mississippi's Legislature took a little-noticed but very important step this session in amending the law to make it easier for our residents to get jobs. With the vision of an independent group headed by Federal District Judge Keith Starrett, and the hard work of Representative Andy Gibson and Senator Sean Tindell, the Legislature addressed a number of provisions in the state criminal code that have, over the years, prevented people from gaining or keeping jobs and prevented employers from hiring the people they need. House Bill 1033 is a significant piece of legislation that helps individuals who have committed misdemeanors and other non-violent crimes, as well as certain people leaving prison, re-enter the workforce. The goal of HB 1033 is to remove barriers to employment that exist in the criminal code. Whenever possible, it's in the best interest of Mississippi for those who are incarcerated to become law-abiding, productive, taxpaying members of the workforce. The bill accomplishes these goals with several provisions. First, it encourages recently released offenders to pay off the fees and fines they owe to the state. It reduces our reliance on incarceration for those who are unable to pay fees and fines, while providing judges the ability to establish payment plans and punish those who willfully choose not to pay. The bill promotes work by ensuring that inmates have opportunities to work off their debts while incarcerated. Second, it moves more eligible individuals back into the workforce. The bill provides the state's Parole Board with additional discretion to grant parole to nonviolent offenders who are a low risk to public safety and good candidates for employment. The Parole Board, which is appointed by the Governor, would maintain discretion about which individuals are good candidates, and monitor and supervise them as they return to the community. HB 1033 provides them additional tools to supervise individuals, with the goal of improving the quality of supervision and public safety. These provisions will also protect taxpayers by saving the state millions in incarceration costs, in addition to boosting tax revenue generated by increased employment. Finally, the bill creates several avenues for research and reporting. All of the decisions about how to implement these reforms are guided by data and statistical evidence to support its effectiveness. This bill furthers those interests by gathering better information on sentencing and incarceration. This information will be vital to guide the state's criminal justice policies going forward. The legislature supported this bill overwhelmingly, and it passed both the House and the Senate unanimously. Representative Andy Gipson deserves enormous credit for his authorship of the bill and his leadership on this issue. HB 1033 is a step forward for public safety, accountability in state spending, and data-driven policy making for the state of Mississippi. We urge Governor Bryant to sign HB 1033 so that Mississippi can continue to lead the way in criminal justice reform and increase employment in our state. Call the Governor now at 601-359-3150 or send an email and tell him you support the criminal justice reforms in HB 1033.     Stay Connected Secure Contribution Invest in Liberty Make a secure contribution to the Mississippi Center for Public Policy here. Mississippi Center for Public Policy is an independent think tank promoting the ideals of limited government, free markets, and strong traditional families.

Can grammar be racist?   University rejects "unjust language structure" & "grammatical correctness"     The Director of the Writing Center at the University of Washington at Tacoma said staff and tutors will "emphasize the importance of rhetorical situations over grammatical 'correctness'" because grammar is "racist." Taxpayer-supported writing consultants want to "help students become more critical of these unjust language structures as they affect students' writing and the judgment of that writing" and "discuss racism and social issues openly in productive ways." But Barry Brownstein writes grammar is not an arcane structure but is fundamental to learning to reason and think. He says education comes in three stages: grammar and memorization; analysis and logic; rhetoric and evaluation. When educators skip the first two steps they end up asking six-year-olds how they feel about what they're learning before they get to learn it.   "This education shortcut...carries over into adulthood where adults 'are ready to give their opinions long before they've had a chance to understand the topic...Diagramming isn't an arcane assignment designed to torture the student. It forces students to clarify their thinking, fix their sentences, and put grammar to use in the service of writing - which is, after all, what grammar is for.' Grammar improves our writing and clarifies our thinking. Writing and reasoning are pillars of student success. Why is the University of Washington administration placing political correctness before student success?" asks Brownstein. Source: Intellectual Takeout: Can Grammar Be Racist? Mississippi charter schools ranked Two national education reform groups rank Mississippi charter school system 10 & 38    The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranked Mississippi's charter school law as #10 in the country. Meanwhile, the Center for Education Reform ranked Mississippi #38. Why the difference? The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools favors tight safeguards on launching and governing new schools, while the Center for Education Reform supports fewer restrictions and less burdens to opening a new school. Mississippi's charter school law and authorizing board have taken a very conservative approach in vetting charter school applications. Currently only three are in operation and nine more have indicated their intent to apply for permission to open schools in 2018. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools notes, "Mississippi also made major improvements to its law, now allowing students in school districts rated C, D, or F to cross district lines to attend a charter school and permitting charter school employees to participate in the state retirement system and other benefits programs." The report continues, "Mississippi's law contains a cap with room for ample growth, includes a single statewide authorizing entity, provides a fair amount of autonomy and accountability, and includes strong operational and categorical funding. Potential areas of improvement in Mississippi's law include providing applicants in all districts with direct access to the state authorizer, providing equitable access to capital funding and facilities, and strengthening accountability for full-time virtual charter public schools.     Source: The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools and The Center for Education Reform Federal Trade Commission calls for occupational licensing reform FTC: Reforms good for competition, workers, consumers & the American economy   "Nearly thirty percent of American jobs require a license today, up from less than five percent in the 1950s. The expansion of occupational licensing threatens economic liberty," notes the Federal Trade Commission in a call for occupational licensing reform. "Unnecessary licensing restrictions erect significant barriers and impose costs that cause real harm to American workers, employers, consumers, and our economy as a whole, with no measurable benefits to consumers or society. Based on recent studies, the burdens of excessive occupational licensing - especially for entry- and mid-level jobs - may fall disproportionately on our nation's most economically disadvantaged citizens. Even in professions in which licensing makes sense, harm often arises from the complexity and duplication of state-by-state licensing requirements and fees, combined with a lack of reciprocity among states." "Unnecessary licensing requirements hit military families particularly hard; these families move often, which means military spouses often must find jobs in new states that have new and different licensing requirements. The FTC's Economic Liberty Task Force looks forward to working with our state partners and other interested stakeholders as we bring greater attention to these important issues. Occupational licensing reform is good for competition, workers, consumers, and the American economy." Source: Federal Trade Commission The Permission Society Founders proclaimed Americans free; then why do we need licenses and permits for everything?     Societies have two different models for operating: the "nuisance system" and the "permit system." The nuisance system says you are free to live and use your property as you wish as long as you don't harm (that is, aren't a nuisance to) another person. The permit system says you are not free to do something unless the government gives you permission.   In his recent book on "The Permission Society," Timothy Sandefur of the Goldwater Institute says the Founders embraced the presumption that we are all basically free.    He told the Cato Institute, "That's reflected in the text of the Constitution, which speaks of securing the blessings of liberty, which says that our rights shall not be abridged. And of course the Ninth Amendment, which makes clear that the list of rights is not exclusive. Just because the Constitution doesn't say you have the right to run barefoot through sprinklers on a hot summer day doesn't mean that you don't have that right. It says government is not giving you freedom, it is simply listing a few of your freedoms in the Bill of Rights."   "So how have we come to the point where today you need to get the government's permission for a wide variety of the things that you spend your daily life doing? You need a permit to build a house, own a gun, get a job, to buy some things, run businesses, pay your employees - even freedom of speech now often comes with some sort of permit requirement...Unfortunately I believe we are sliding more and more into a society that presumes you unfree, unless you get the government's permission. And as we move toward the Permission Society, we're moving away from the principles of freedom upon which our Constitution is based." You can watch Sandefur discuss more here on C-SPAN. Source:Cato Institute Mississippi licensure reform could become national model    Legislation passed this session puts occupational licensing boards under supervision of elected officials      To address the overuse of licensure and the "permission society," the Mississippi legislature this year became the first state in the nation to make major licensing and regulatory reforms following the U.S. Supreme Court decision North Carolina State Board of Dental Examiners v. FTC. HB1425 puts new regulatory actions under supervision of elected officials. The new law will give the governor, secretary of state, and state attorney general joint responsibility for "actively supervising state executive branch occupational licensing boards to ensure compliance with state policy." A majority of the three executive branch officials - or their appointees - would have to approve all new regulations passed by the state's licensing boards before those rules could take effect. Reason.com, in an extensive article about the legislation, says, "No other state has yet considered reforms as far-reaching as Mississippi's" but "efforts are underway in Arizona, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin to review existing state licensing laws, with special scrutiny for laws that serve no public health or safety function." The Reason article explains, "In place of one-size-fits-all licensing rules that can be corrupted and abused by incumbent professionals to block competition, Mississippi's legislation offers a variety of alternative measures that protect the public from fraudulent or untrained practitioners without imposing high costs on qualified individuals. Market competition, third-party or consumer-created ratings systems like those available through apps such as Yelp, and private certifications are offered as potential solutions. If none of those work for a certain profession, the state can move along to mandatory inspections, impose bonding and insurance requirements, and even authorize the state attorney general to target frauds. Only after all that has been tried, and failed, should a new licensing law be created." Jameson Taylor, Vice President for Policy at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, a free market think tank, says giving veto power to the new 3-member commission creates a clear line of accountability. He says it might not be a perfect mechanism, but it gives the public an opportunity to weigh in if something is out of line. "Right now, it's a process that's entirely controlled by insiders," he says. "This would fix that." Russell Latino, state director of Americans for Prosperity-Mississippi,  called it a "groundbreaking reform" and a "first-of-its-kind legislation that could become a national model for how occupational boards operate.'"    Source: Reason.com Stay Connected Secure Contribution Invest in Liberty Make a secure contribution to the Mississippi Center for Public Policy here. "Individuals are ultimately responsible for governing themselves and for the consequences of their decisions." - Governing by Principle: A Framework for Governing, Principle #6 (Read more: GoverningByPrinciple.org)

MCPP Praises Passage of Welfare Reforms

“will help more Mississippians move from dependency to dignity, from poverty to prosperity, and from welfare to work.”

(JACKSON) – Mississippi Center for Public Policy President Forest Thigpen praised legislators for passing HB 1090, which will curb fraud and abuse in Medicaid and other welfare programs.  

Thigpen said, “These reforms will help more Mississippians move from dependency to dignity, from poverty to prosperity, and from welfare to work by eliminating loopholes that are found in current welfare policy. Among other things, it will restore the work requirements that were a key to the success of welfare reforms enacted by President Bill Clinton twenty years ago, which have been gutted over the last few years.” 

Thigpen said the bill will help focus key welfare programs on those who are truly eligible by removing people who have moved to other states and people who have died.

“Other states have saved hundreds of millions of dollars by implementing just some of the actions that will now be required of Medicaid and the Department of Human Services,” Thigpen said.

Among the provisions in HB 1090:

•   Requires able-bodied adults without children to transition from welfare to work.
•  Restores income and asset tests to the food stamp program (now known as SNAP).
•  Tracks out-of-state spending to stop welfare fraud and abuse (for example, Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card use at Disney World).
•   Protects Medicaid and welfare for our state’s most vulnerable citizens by giving state employees new tools to identify and eliminate fraud.
•  Saves Mississippi – and federal – taxpayers millions a year by removing fraudsters and identity thieves from our welfare rolls.

“The HOPE Act will help Mississippi lead the way in getting people back to work, saving tax dollars and eliminating welfare fraud,” said Dr. Jameson Taylor, vice president for policy at the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy is an independent, non-profit organization based in Jackson. It works to advance the ideals of free markets, limited government, and strong traditional families. Its work is supported by voluntary, tax-deductible contributions. It receives no funds from government agencies for its operations. To learn more about MCPP, visit www.mspolicy.org.

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Myths about welfare produce bad policy 5 myths and 5 facts about welfare and child poverty   The Heritage Foundation reports five myths about welfare and child poverty that often lead to misguided policies. Myth: The welfare state in the U.S. is small. Fact: The U.S. welfare system is enormous. The federal government operates over 90 means-tested welfare programs that provide cash, food, housing, medical care, and targeted services to poor and lower-income Americans. In 2014, federal and state governments spent over $1 trillion on these programs; 90 percent of this spending, or $924 billion, went to cash, food, housing, and medical benefits. Myth: Welfare benefits are meager and insufficient. Fact: The combined benefits available for a single mother with two school-age children working full time at the federal minimum wage ($7.25 per hour) would increase her earnings to the equivalent of an annual income of $47,385 per year or an effective hourly wage of $22.78 per hour. Myth: Due to a lack of government support, poverty and deprivation are widespread. Fact: The government's poverty measure says very little about the actual material living conditions of the poor. Examining other government data provides a very different picture of poverty in the United States. For example, the average poor household in the United States has air conditioning, a car or truck, cable or satellite TV, a computer, a cell phone, and (if the household has children) a video game system. They have enough to eat and are not undernourished. They live in comfortable housing that is in good repair and have more living space than the average non-poor person in Germany, France, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The average poor household in the United States also reports that they have access to medical care when they need it. Myth: Welfare policy substantially penalizes work, trapping families in poverty. Fact: Welfare benefits will continue at roughly the same level for a parent who takes a low-wage job. (While Temporary Assistance for Needy Families  and food stamp benefits do decrease as earnings rise, Earned Income Tax Credit and Additional Child Tax Credit benefits rise; the two effects largely offset each other.) It is inaccurate to claim that high welfare benefit rates (or marginal tax rates) cause low-wage parents not to work or to work little. The more likely problem is that generous benefits may reduce the financial necessity of work or of full-time work. Myth: Raising the minimum wage is an effective strategy for reducing child poverty. Fact: A parent who sought to support a family with a minimum-wage job alone would indeed be poor, but under the current welfare system, no parent is expected to support a family solely on minimum-wage earnings. The system generously allows parents to combine earnings and welfare. Raising the minimum wage would actually push many families deeper into poverty by destroying the jobs they need to climb above the poverty level. When the government arbitrarily raises the wages of low-skill workers, businesses will hire fewer of those workers. The job-loss effects from an increase in the minimum wage will focus on the most vulnerable within the low-skill group. Read the full report here or download it in PDF format. Source: The Heritage Foundation Governor approves asset forfeiture reform New law requires warrant to keep seized property; creates transparency    Under a new law signed by Governor Phil Bryant on Monday, law enforcement agencies will be required to report "descriptions and values of seized property, which police department seized it, and any court petitions challenging the seizures. The law will also require police to obtain a seizure warrant within 72 hours." If a warrant is not obtained in certain cases, the property will be given back to its owner. That from a report from Reason.com which published a critical expose on Mississippi's asset forfeiture abuses in January. Lee McGrath of the Institute for Justice(IJ) praised the passage of the bill. IJ had graded Mississippi an "F" on forfeiture transparency earlier this year but now says, "Mississippi is now the third state this year and the 19th state since 2014 to have passed civil forfeiture reform." Sources: Reason.com & Institute for Justice   Don't touch that horse without a license Tennessee licensing board threatens equine massage therapist with fine or jail if she tends to horses   In Tennessee, you don't need a license to castrate or artificially inseminate a horse. But the Tennessee Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners has threatened a woman with fines and jail if she massages a horse. The woman, Laurie Wheeler, has been twice certified for equine massage by an animal therapy school in Indiana. She has also been licensed by Tennessee for human massage therapy. But the licensing board informed her that she must be a licensed veterinarian to perform horse massages, which would require her to go to veterinary school, where equine massage is not even taught. Eric Boehm writes about this licensing gone wild incident at Reason.com's Hit & Run Blog. Equine Sports Massage Therapy is a growing occupation across the country with certified therapists operating in Mississippi. This Tennessee incident is reminiscent of the attempt by a dental licensing board in North Carolina to restrict teeth whitening services. The board was sued under anti-trust laws and the U.S. Supreme Court determined because the board was not operating under state supervision, it was vulnerable to the lawsuit. A current bill (HB1425) to correct similar weaknesses in Mississippi licensing boards is currently pending in the legislature. Source: Reason.com Mississippi needs 80,000 more construction workers MBJ article reports Southern states compete for trained construction professionals   "In the next two years, Mississippi alone is going to be short 80,000 craft professionals such as electricians, masons, carpenters and welders," said Mike Barkett, president of the Mississippi Construction Education Foundation (MCEF) in a recent Mississippi Business Journal article. Barkett said during the Great Recession, many construction workers retired or found new careers. Now there is a shortage with Southern states competing for trained workers. MCEF's goals to increase the number of Mississippi construction workers include "promoting career and technical opportunities among young people, recruiting top talent that contributes to the fundamental growth and development of prospective employers, and then providing comprehensive classroom and on-job training that creates success for workers at all levels." Source: Mississippi Business Journal Policy Reports on Internet Taxes, Welfare & Licensing Reforms In case you missed it, MCPP releases policy papers on three major issues facing your Mississippi legislature   Did you know Amazon is not paying taxes to Mississippi? That's right, YOU are paying taxes when you order online; but Amazon is collecting those taxes for the state. But we don't know if Amazon gets to keep a share. Did you know when other states did an audit on their welfare programs, they found dead people, millionaires and residents from other states collecting benefits intended for the poor? But some in Mississippi don't want us to audit our welfare rolls. Did you know Mississippi licenses 55 out of 102 mid-to-low-level professions? We license court clerks (only 3 other states do that); residential drywall installers (8 other states); and landscape workers (9 other states). Somehow, nearly every other state manages to get by without licensing these trades. You can get these and more details in three new policy papers released by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy: Mississippi's Internet Sales Tax: Answers to Common Questions Mississippi Welfare Fraud Policy Brief HB 1425: Necessary Regulatory Reform that Will Protect Consumers and Lower Prices Source: Mississippi Center for Public Policy Stay Connected Secure Contribution Invest in Liberty Make a secure contribution to the Mississippi Center for Public Policy here. "Government has nothing to give anyone except what it takes from someone else." - Governing by Principle: A Framework for Governing, Principle #5 (Read more: GoverningByPrinciple.org)

Mississippi Center for Public Policy, 520 George Street, Jackson, MS 39202

A new law creates transparency and requires warrants to keep seized property.