A government by the people and for the people can only stay that way if it is accountable to the people. Every year, millions of taxpayer dollars, and thousands of Mississippi’s children are put through government schools in the state. While the state has fairly stringent accountability standards for many government entities, education transparency has not received the attention that it should.  

The concept of transparency is not at all foreign to state governments. In fact, Mississippi has several provisions designed to promote transparency within state government by requiring financial disclosures posted online, open meetings, and other measures for various state entities. But how far have such efforts gone within the government school system?

Even though many other government entities have relatively stringent accountability protocols, the education system has not seen the fullest degree of accountability possible. While the state education system often makes its general academic directives public, there is often a degree of ambiguity even about what is specifically being taught on a day-to-day basis.

Many states have recently enacted academic transparency laws to remedy such ambiguity and have more transparency on what children are being taught. Rather than leaving citizens, taxpayers, and parents to wonder about what is being taught, such laws require the education system to post actual curriculum online for public inspection. Such measures are all the timelier in our day for two primary reasons, both from the standpoint of technological advancements that enable such accountability, and a growth in the polarization between parents and school administrators.

In the first place, the widespread of the internet, smartphones, and social media have all made the dissemination of information easier, cheaper, and more effective than ever before. In former days, an academic transparency measure might have required more expensive and time-consuming methods, such as mailing the public curriculum to individual addresses. Such technical challenges have been practically removed. Using the internet, even the most basic and inexpensive technology of today has the ability to publish school records publicly for millions of citizens to see.

Finally, issues such as Critical Race Theory, “Gender Theory,” and other issues have become increasingly divisive issues as parents across the country are coming to grips with an increasingly radicalized academic establishment. In order for citizens to be informed on what the government schools are actually teaching, posting curriculum online is a basic first step.

Transparency and accountability to the people are among the most fundamental ingredients of a good government. If the state of Mississippi has requirements for other government entities to post their information on the internet, government school administrators should be required to do the same with school curriculum.

Ultimately, a policy of accountability and open information for school curriculum is a policy grounded in the fundamentals of our nation’s founding ideals. Fundamentally, by giving the citizens a working knowledge of their government, the power is placed in the hands of the people -where it belongs. For in the words of Thomas Jefferson: “knowledge is power, knowledge is safety, and knowledge is happiness.” It’s time for the Mississippi Legislature to ensure that its people have the means and ability to have such knowledge and be completely informed about government school curriculum.  

We are now over a week into this year’s legislative session. Hundreds of bills have already been dropped in the House and Senate on a vast range of topics.

Let’s jump right into the update on The Good, The Bad, and The Interesting…

The Good:

• HB 464, the College Sticker Price Act of 2022, from Rep. Donnie Bell, would have Mississippi higher education institutions create a public calculator that would allow prospective students to better understand the costs of college and the availability of technical and vocational programs. This bill would be a big win for transparency within higher education and would help to strengthen the Mississippi workforce and give prospective students the capacity for greater reflection before deciding on career paths.

• HB 415 and SB 2089, from Rep. Nick Bain and Sen. Angela Hill respectively, would both place limitations on the salary of the Mississippi State Superintendent. MCPP’s Fat Cat Report, released over the summer, revealed the largesse that exists in the salaries of many public officials. We currently have one of the highest-paid superintendents in the nation. We applaud these attempts to reel in the administrative state.

• HB 231, from Rep. Lee Yancey, would authorize public and private employee exemptions from Covid-19 vaccine mandates. Government vaccine mandates, especially those concerning private businesses, are a massive overstep of governmental authority. This is a good bill that defends the freedom of Mississippians from encroachment.

• HB 493, from Rep. Steve Hopkins and Rep. Dana Criswell, would give greater freedom to licensed physical therapists to help patients. With skyrocketing healthcare costs, we need to take substantive steps like this to reduce barriers to access and drive down costs.

The Bad:

• HB 54 would automatically register voters. Clean voter rolls have become a major issue for Mississippi and states across the nation. Areas that have instituted similar policies have often had tremendous difficulty with messy voter rolls with a range of folks becoming or remaining registered who should not.

The Interesting:

• Speaker Philip Gunn released the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act of 2022. The legislation seeks to get rid of the income tax, which would have a profound impact on the Mississippi economy and would allow hardworking Mississippians to keep more of their own money. We’ll be reviewing the legislation and providing further details on the impact of the bill.

• HB 444 would create a committee to produce an official state song of Mississippi. We can only hope that if this happens then Gov. Reeves, Speaker Gunn, and Lt. Gov. Hosemann will offer the first rendition of the new tune.

As bills move through the legislative process, you can stay updated on them, learn about what they do, and find out how your legislators are voting through our Legislative Tracker.

If you have questions about upcoming legislative issues, please feel free to send me a question.

All the Best,

Hunter Estes, Senior Director of Policy & Communications

The Mississippi Legislature is taking the fight to Critical Race Theory with legislation aiming to ensure that public institutions of learning shall direct or compel students to affirm that all are equal.

Senator Michael McLendon (R-D. 1) has drafted a bill based on the Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s recent policy paper, Combatting Critical Race Theory in Mississippi. The act shall provide that no publicly-funded educational institution will be able to compel students to think that any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, or any other factor that an individual can or may not be able to change about themselves makes them any less of a person, inferior, nor superior. The legislation is simply about affirming that all are equal.

No one should have an issue with such a bill. Yet, around the country, there are constant talking-points from those on the Left either saying that there is no need for such a bill because Critical Race Theory is not being taught and is a “right-wing conspiracy” or those on the Left saying, “Yes, it is being taught and should be, therefore there is no need for a bill to combat it!” The fact of the matter is that – as our paper pointed out – Critical Race Theory is being taught in Mississippi in some form or fashion, and it is up to us to combat this Marxist-like agenda.

The best way to combat Critical Race Theory is with a good idea replacing the bad one it is. As the bill reiterates, we are all equal. The famous line from the Declaration of Independence goes: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Did America always live by this principle? No, but this amazing country has come so far and made so much progress. Whether it be the Constitution and Bill of Rights, the Emancipation Proclamation, innovation, Women’s Suffrage, or the Civil Rights Movement, we have shown the world that America is the greatest opportunity for human flourishing. Mississippi is no different.

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy approves of this legislation and will continue to update you as the 2022 Mississippi Legislative Session continues, and you can keep up with measures by watching our Legislative Tracker.

The Mississippi Legislature has recently gaveled back into session, and unfortunately, not all bills are in the best interest of the state. One such bill, House Bill 206 introduced by Representative Robert Johnson, proposes raising the minimum wage to the arbitrary amount of $10.00 an hour. Such a proposal could threaten thousands of jobs and ultimately lead to economic hardship for many.

In order to understand the effect of minimum wage laws on actual wages and employment, it is important to consider the effects that such laws have had in states that raised the mandatory minimum wage. Fundamentally, when the heavy hand of government attempts to arbitrarily determine what employers must pay their employees, the effects can be devastating for employers and their employees.

Mississippi does not currently have a state-mandated minimum wage. Instead, employers in the state are subject to the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour. The federal minimum wage has a disproportionately high effect in Mississippi versus other states. This is because the dollar has more purchasing power in Mississippi than in any other state. Furthermore, it is harder for Mississippi businesses to generate a dollar of capital than other states. For instance, the federal hourly wage of $7.25 in Mississippi has the same purchasing power as $8.12 in Utah, where the federal minimum is the standard as well. Despite this, Mississippi is required to follow the same federal minimum wage as Utah.  

While the federal minimum wage already has a disproportionate effect on Mississippi, House Bill 206 proposes raising the state minimum wage to $10.00 an hour, $2.75 above the federal standard. Because individual dollars have a high purchasing power in Mississippi and are harder for businesses to earn, such legislation could have an even-higher burden on workers and businesses than what has been seen in other states that have raised the minimum wage.

Consider the state of California. California has raised its minimum wage steadily over the last several years, which has ultimately led to a steady decrease in employment growth for certain industries. For instance, a Harvard Business School study found that a $1 increase in the minimum wage requirement led to a 14 percent increase in the likelihood of the closure of 3-star restaurants in the San Francisco area. Needless to say, when businesses close, it leaves many of the employees without employment at all.

California stands as a cautionary tale, and its minimum wage currently stands at $14 an hour for small businesses with less than 25 employees. The current proposal to raise the minimum wage to $10 in Mississippi might seem to be distant from the $14 wage in California. However, a $10 minimum wage in Mississippi could have the same negative effects as a $14 minimum wage in California. Because the dollar's purchasing power is higher in Mississippi, $10 in Mississippi is the equivalent of $13.30 in California -which is not too far from the damaging $14 minimum wage that has plagued California. Mississippi needs economic expansion, and the state should not handcuff businesses from providing employment. Rather than using the power of government to force businesses to follow arbitrary increases on the minimum wage, the state should reduce heavy-handed taxes and regulations that burden businesses and workers. The free market provides the tools for workers and businesses to grow. Mississippi should let its people work. A key way to do that is to avoid arbitrary minimum wage increases.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Today, the United States Supreme Court met for a special session to hear oral arguments concerning the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate for private employers, which has been challenged in court by multiple states and private employers, including Gulf Coast Restaurant Group, which is represented by the Mississippi Justice Institute (MJI).

The hearing concerned emergency motions seeking a stay of the vaccine mandate while litigation continues. The mandate is scheduled to take effect on January 10, 2022. 

The mandate requires companies with over 100 employees to force their employees to be vaccinated, or be subject to weekly testing (at the employee’s expense) and constant mask-wearing – on pain of losing their job. Companies can face fines of up to $14,000 per violation for failing to enforce the mandate.

The mandate was initially halted by the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, which issued a stay against enforcement of the mandate while litigation challenging its legality continued.  However, all lawsuits challenging the mandate were later consolidated before the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, where a three-judge panel issued an opinion revoking the temporary stay. The states and private employers challenging the mandate then sought emergency relief from the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the Court to issue a new stay before the mandate goes into effect on January 10.

"We are very grateful that the U.S. Supreme court has taken the extraordinary step of scheduling a special session to hear these arguments,” said MJI Director Aaron Rice. “We are confident that the U.S. Supreme Court will agree with us that the mandate is unconstitutional and unlawful and will halt the mandate before it can inflict untold damage on private employers and on our economy."

For media inquiries, please reach out to Stone Clanton, [email protected].

It’s common knowledge that Mississippi has a history of struggling with poverty. While leaders across the state have grappled with the poverty rate and debated the best method to address the problem, it is unfortunate to note that many of the proposals have been centered around government as the solution instead of individual growth and success.

At the heart of many of the initiatives against poverty is the idea that poverty is simply caused by a lack of resources. Thus, the theory goes that to fight against poverty, all the government must do is provide resources, and poverty will be eroded. While such a proposal may seem simple enough at first glance, such a view of poverty has led to many government programs ultimately failing and a cycle of dependence being created within many communities.   

Such a purely materialistic view of poverty fails to account for other factors that contribute to poverty. Such factors can include family instability, addiction, education, criminal activity, the economic environment, and other factors. People in poverty are not mere machines that just need some more financial fuel. They are human beings with unique challenges and struggles.

It is the failure of government to recognize this that has caused so many government programs to be doomed for failure from the start. People are not mere statistics and math equations that can be plugged into bureaucratic central planning and be made to go with the program. No matter how well-organized and well-intentioned a government program might be, government office buildings and procedures have very little ability to work with citizens on the truly individual level.

On the contrary, individuals have the ability to look at their unique circumstances and find solutions and opportunities. For this reason, it is ultimately individual choices and personal responsibility that are the most effective means for people to come out of poverty. Yet, due to an ever-expanding government, many within the Magnolia State have been pushed away from the choices that can lift them out of poverty. This has been primarily done through the two-pronged nanny-state policies of handouts and regulations.

On the one hand, the welfare system often encourages people not to work. A study by the Cato Institute found that in some cases, government programs are paying recipients close or even more than what they could expect to earn through employment. In Mississippi, the state has the 7th highest per-capita welfare expenditures in the country.

In addition to encouragement not to work through certain welfare policies, the state’s current regulatory environment provides a direct discouragement from working in many cases. A study by the Institute for Justice found that Mississippi ranked as the 6^th most heavily burdened state for occupational licensing on low-income jobs -jobs that could otherwise help lift people out of poverty. The study also found that the average occupational license requires more than five months of education and training. History has exposed the failure of a perspective on poverty that simply views low-income citizens as statistical puzzle pieces that need adjustment through bureaucratic central planning and government handouts. Mississippi leaders should shift the perspective of poverty from an angle that focuses on government, to an angle that focuses on the people and attacks poverty by clearing the boundaries to individual responsibility and dignified labor.

Third-party education organizations have played an increasingly strong influence on the direction being taken by the Mississippi Department of Education. Despite the fact that many parents in the state are concerned about the direction of the education system toward Critical Race Theory, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) recently announced that it will be revising its social studies curriculum based on standards established by such questionable organizations.  

Recent debates surrounding Critical Race Theory, American heritage, and government education have highlighted how third-party education organizations on the national level often have a large degree of undue influence on the education curriculum in Mississippi. The Mississippi Center for Public Policy has long sounded the alarm on such organizations, including in an extensive report on the influence of Critical Race Theory in Mississippi. The report uncovered that while MDE has not overtly taught CRT, there has been a prevalence of MDE promoting resources from organizations that openly embrace CRT. A recent article from Yall Politics further demonstrated that much of the proposed changes to the state social studies curriculum are directly based upon the recommendations of such organizations.

The key problem with MDE utilizing the resources of such third-party organizations is that they often have an agenda that is far removed from the priorities of Mississippi parents. There are several key examples of such organizations holding an undue sway on Mississippi education.

For instance, MCPP’s CRT report provides documentation of MDE promoting the Zinn Education Project as a third-party teaching resource provider. Among other things, Zinn's resources include activities that give a portrayal of Christopher Columbus as a murderer and resources on how to teach mathematics using social justice and intersectionality. 

In addition, MDE has also implemented Social Emotional Learning (SEL) standards. While such concepts may seem benign at first glance, the standards include initiatives such as an “Equity Monitor” staffed with the task of ensuring school meetings are perceived through the lens of race and gender. Such standards are based upon the recommendations of the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). With numerous references to the racial undertones of many of its SEL standards, the CASEL organization includes resources such as a racial relations document that proclaims: “systemic racism is so deeply rooted in our history, culture and institutions that there’s no escaping it.”

Finally, MDE has fundamentally based its social studies curriculum on the standards established by several national organizations, including National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS). NCSS has several events and resources with CRT implications, such as “The Historical Roots of Structural Racism” and “Black History is Not American History: Toward a Framework of Black Historical Consciousness.” Such resources include statements such as “we should not debate whether systemic racism exists, but provide opportunities for students, precluding racist commentary, to analyze the data evidence and establish this conclusion on their own.” Thus, rather than fostering a culture of academic analysis and dialogue, the NCSS has made its intentions to present a singular perspective quite clear. In light of such statements from the organization, it is unclear why the MDE is collaborating with it to establish social studies standards.

 The national education establishment has a long track record of placing leftist agendas at the forefront of its priorities. Rather than importing such agendas into the Mississippi education system, there should be a proactive effort to consciously reject ideologies that place an undue emphasis on students’ immutable characteristics. Instead of a bureaucratic and top-down approach, Mississippi’s government education system needs more accountability so that it is informed by the citizenry and not the education establishment of the Left.    

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Jackson, MS): The Mississippi Center for Public Policy has re-launched its Legislative Tracker.

The updated website will summarize legislation being moved through the process and make the information assessible to both the average and scholarly viewer, grade each bill on whether it increases or decreases liberty, and amplify transparency amongst legislative output.

The MCPP Legislative Tracker will:

• Show what bills are being discussed and moved through the legislative process
• Allow MCPP to rate the bills, giving a green light for those that extend liberty, a red light to those that limit liberty, and a yellow light to those that we are ambivalent about – an "MCPP APROVED" stamp will be given to bills that especially enhance freedom and liberty.
• Show a rating for each member of the legislature, keeping lawmakers in line with the promises they made to their constituents

"All Mississippians deserve to know whether their legislators are effectively representing the interests of their communities," said Senior Director of Policy & Communications Hunter Estes. "Our Legislative Tracker helps to accomplish exactly that. We summarize legislation, offer our thoughts on the impact bills could have on your rights and liberties, and publish this information to the public. We believe that transparency is the best way to ensure our representatives carry out the promises they made to the people. We hope you’ll find this tool valuable as you work to stay up to date on what’s happening under the dome of our capitol building."

You may access the Legislative Tracker HERE.

For media inquiries, please reach out to Stone Clanton, [email protected].

We recently announced the MCPP Freedom Agenda, which will become a yearly strategy to lay out our goals for each Legislative Session. The 2022 Freedom Agenda covers five policy areas we deem necessary for reform: Critical Race Theory, economic liberty, education, healthcare, and technology and innovation.

For Critical Race Theory, we are supporting legislation that will combat this divisive ideology by ensuring no public funds supports its teaching, as well as legislation that will provide academic transparency. As parents, families, guardians, and taxpayers, we deserve to know what is being taught to our children and what educational materials our funds are being used for.

For economic liberty, we are, of course, supporting the abolition of Mississippi's income tax, which will help boost our economy by allowing workers to keep more of what they've earned and making the state more business-friendly. We also hope to see the cutting of more regulatory "red tape" – Mississippi is burdened by far too many boards, commissions, and states agencies that are constantly pushing new regulations onto the people. Big businesses can navigate this minefield of market obstacles, but small businesses and entrepreneurs are often stifled.

For education, we support legislation that would allow open enrollment to all public schools (giving the ultimate school choice) and establish more charter school authorizers to streamline and encourage the expansion of education freedom. We also hope to see the capping of "fat cat" salaries, as we need the funds to go into the classrooms to better our students, not into administrative pockets. We are also pushing legislation that will even more so protect free speech on campuses, ensuring that peaceful assembly, protests, lectures, petitions, and literature distribution will be allowed.

For healthcare, we are supporting the full repeal of the socialist-like Certificate-of-Need laws that plague the industry in the state. These laws basically mean that no new health care provider can come along and offer services without the express permission of competitors. This makes as much sense as allowing a Pizza Hut to block the building of a Papa John’s because of the potential for competition. We aim to get rid of this incredibly outdated policy.; In companion with this, with more folks seeking to get medical care from the comfort of their own homes, we support legislation that would make it easier to offer medical access directly. Our home health moratorium currently makes this almost impossible.

For technology and innovation, we support legislation that would reduce the regulatory obstacles in front of agricultural innovation to encourage growth in an area that our state relies so much on. The same goes for the obstacles in front of telemedicine/telepharmacy.

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy believes providing these reforms would lift up our state, safeguard liberty, and promote limited government. Ultimately, we also believe they would make Mississippi more prosperous and a happier place to live, work, and raise a family.