Drones are one of the greatest tools of modern technology. In the hands of well-intentioned actors, drones have the potential to increase economic prosperity, protect communities, and save lives.
Drone technologies have applications in surveying, farming, insurance, transportation, law enforcement, search and rescue, construction, and much more. Quite literally, “the sky is the limit" for this tech.
Despite the enormous potential for good that drone technology carries, there are risks from bad actors. Recent national security reports have indicated that some drones in the United States are being exploited at varying levels by the Chinese government. These drones can operate as a type of “Trojan horse” for the Chinese intelligence apparatus.
Recent federal inquiries into Chinese drone manufacturing companies found questionable data-sharing practices. These practices subjected drone user data in the United States to potential use by the Chinese government for intelligence and cyber operations.
According to a Department of Homeland Security report, Chinese-manufactured drones are being used by the Chinese government to collect intelligence on key U.S. infrastructure and assets. For security reasons, the U.S. Army banned the use of drones that a large Chinese drone company manufactured. In January 2021, the U.S. General Services Administration announced that federal contracts could no longer be used to purchase Chinese-made drones. Likewise, the Department of the Interior grounded hundreds of drones in its fleet over similar security concerns.
In light of the Chinese government's communist policies, its indiscriminate collection of drone data from Chinese companies comes as little surprise. Companies based in China are required to directly funnel their data to the Chinese government in order to cooperate with state intelligence and espionage operations.
Under the Chinese National Intelligence Law implemented by the Chinese government in 2017: “All organizations and citizens shall support, assist, and cooperate with [Chinese] national intelligence efforts.” This mandate includes Chinese technology companies such as drone manufacturers.
While the federal government in Washington has already taken steps to protect national security related to this issue, state governments have yet to seize the initiative. This is no less true in Mississippi. Even though the federal government has imposed multiple bans on the use of Chinese drones by its agencies, Mississippi state and local entities have unwittingly continued to purchase Chinese drones with taxpayer dollars. An analysis of Federal Aviation Administration records by the Mississippi Technology Institute found that Chinese companies manufactured 70 percent of all registered government drones in Mississippi.
There are several possible implications if Mississippi government drone data were to fall into the hands of the Chinese government:
- Surveillance of critical infrastructure
Many government drones have been used to survey critical infrastructure such as road systems and utility infrastructure. Services critical to health, safety, and industry are also at risk. Data gathered by Mississippi government drones could prove invaluable to Chinese state actors in many scenarios, ranging from intelligence gathering to cyberattack planning.
- Data infiltration
Chinese drones have been found to have embedded data collection functions inside the drone operation software. A cybersecurity analysis conducted on a leading Chinese drone software package found that the software allowed data transmission to third parties behind “the Great Firewall of China, where it is accessible to the Chinese government.” This carries unique concerns for Mississippi government drones since they often connect to government networks containing sensitive information. Additionally, this compromised drone software could serve as a potential “backdoor” for hackers to access sensitive government information.
- Monitoring of Americans
Perhaps most significantly, potential Chinese access to drone data poses a threat to the protection of American citizens’ privacy and security. Using its military hackers, the Chinese government has already initiated several cyberattacks that stole the personal information of millions of Americans. Drone data could be used as yet another tool to compromise Americans’ information.
Mississippi policymakers should consider reforming state and local drone policy to remove the risk of Chinese data infiltration. The solution is relatively simple and inexpensive:
- Deactivate all Chinese drones used by Mississippi government entities
The first policy step that could be taken to eliminate the Chinese drone threat would be to require all state and local government entities to stop using Chinese drones. This would eliminate the security risk.
- Purchase new drones to replace Chinese drones
State and local entities should be reimbursed for the cost of a new non-Chinese drone to replace any Chinese drones currently in use. The cost would likely be as low as $50,000 total. As Mississippi responded to this emerging threat, reimbursements for new drones would provide a seamless transition for government entities that would continue to need drone capabilities. This would allow them to continue utilizing drone technology without being required to draw additional funding from their own budgets.
Protecting American national security is a shared responsibility between the federal government and the states. Mississippi has the opportunity to lead the way among states and take steps to remove the security threats associated with using Chinese drones. Policymakers would do well to consider the implications of a lack of action.
The state government has a responsibility to ensure that taxpayer dollars are used to protect Mississippi citizens. Removing Chinese drones from government operations would be one more way for Mississippi lawmakers to do exactly that.
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
Contact: Hunter Estes, [email protected]
Breaking: House Votes to Pass Fairness Act, Protect Female Sports, Sending Bill to Governor’s Desk
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 House passed the bill 81-28.
MCPP President Douglas Carswell stated, “Mississippi owes a debt of gratitude to those in the House who stepped up and supported this legislation. We are especially grateful to Speaker Philip Gunn for his strong leadership as well as Rep. Becky Currie for championing the bill and Rep. Randy Boyd for leading the bill out of committee. We are also thankful to Sen. Angela Hill for sponsoring the bill in the Senate. Mississippi’s female athletes and future female athletes thank you.”
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.”
Three high school girls who ran 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 pose 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.
The Mississippi Center for Public Policy’s Dr. Jameson Taylor interviewed one of the athletes, Selina Soule, who shared her experiences and reasons for challenging the policy.
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.
The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Angela Hill (R-Picayune) and has 21 cosponsors.
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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As a high school student, Selina Soule was thrust onto a national stage.
Why? Because she dared to speak the truth.
A Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference policy allows male athletes who identify as girls to compete on girls’ and women’s sports teams. During Selina’s four years in high school, that policy resulted in two biological males winning 15 women’s state championship titles in track and field—titles that were previously held by 9 different girls. Within just three years, girls across the state were denied over 85 chances to compete in elite athletic competitions.
Selina was one of those girls.
Clearly, this policy isn’t fair. Men and women are different—and those differences matter, particularly in athletes. A majority of Americans agree. 77 percent of likely voters from swing states oppose male athletes competing in women’s sports. 79 percent of Mississippi voters, in particular, support a state law prohibiting male athletes from competing in women’s sports. Indeed, even 74 percent of Californians support such a policy.
But no one was speaking up for Selina and the other female track athletes in Connecticut.
With the help of Alliance Defending Freedom, she and three other high school girls filed a lawsuit against the state to help preserve a level playing field for female athletes.
Our Senior Vice President, Dr. Jameson Taylor, reached out to Selina and asked her to explain why she decided to take this stand.
How did you get involved in track and field?
I have been competing in track and field since my mom introduced me to it when I was a little girl. Track means everything to me. I would wake up every day and go to school, just waiting to get to the track, waiting to run, waiting to jump.
Connecticut allows boys who identify as girls to compete in girls’ sports. How did that impact your high school athletic experience?
During my four years of high school track and field in Connecticut, I was forced to compete against two male athletes who identified as girls. I would line up for my race and know the outcome before the gun even went off. Those two male athletes would dominate the field, and us girls were left competing for third place. No matter how hard we trained and how far we pushed ourselves, they beat us time and time again. It was frustrating, heartbreaking, and demoralizing.
I have lost countless opportunities over the past few years—opportunities to compete on world class tracks, to win titles, and to advance to the next level of competition. During my junior year, I was denied the chance to compete at the New England Regional Championship. I missed qualifying in the 55-meter dash by just two spots—two spots that were taken by biological males.
Why is it so important for girls and women to have separate sports teams?
Boys will always have a physical advantage over girls. That’s why we have women’s sports in the first place. Science and common sense show us that boys are, on average, stronger and faster than girls. So it’s fundamentally unfair to let male athletes come in and dominate girls’ sports.
Female athletes deserve the same opportunity as boys to excel and chase our dreams. But allowing male athletes to compete in girls’ sports shatters those dreams and takes away opportunities that so many of us have spent years working to obtain.
What do you hope to accomplish with this lawsuit?
This isn’t about self-expression; this is about our right—a woman’s right—to win.
I want to make sure that young girls don’t have to face the same pain that I felt throughout my four years of high school. I worry how many college recruiters, who only have a limited number of scholarships and slots on college track teams to award, will skip over the names of other female athletes and only look at the name at the top of those results—a name that belongs to a biological male athlete.
And if changes aren’t made soon, we are facing the complete eradication of women’s sports.
Fortunately, Mississippi lawmakers are taking a stand to protect girls and women like Selina. Senate Bill 2536, known as The Fairness Act, would ensure public schools and universities protect the integrity of female sports by designating teams based on biological sex. Sponsored by Sen. Angela HIll, this bill has passed the Senate and will soon come up for a vote in the Mississippi House. The bill must pass by March 10.
The House Judiciary B Committee has just passed Senate Bill 2792, sponsored by Senator John Horhn.
The bill expands Mississippi’s existing policy that the state is going to allow ex-offenders to obtain an occupational license, unless the ex-offender’s crime is directly and rationally related to his or her professional duties.
Sen. Horhn’s bill is based on legislation that MCPP championed in 2019. That first Fresh Start law, according to the Institute for Justice, was one of the best in the nation. Observes the Institute, “Following wide-ranging reforms in 2019, Mississippi now has some of the best laws in the country for ex-offenders seeking licenses.” This expansion of Fresh Start would make it even easier for ex-offenders to get a job and support their families.
Several boards in Mississippi have “good character” or “moral turpitude” bans that prohibit all ex-offenders from obtaining a license. Not every board has such a ban, but many do. Fresh Start creates a presumption on behalf of the ex-offender that if he or she meets all the requirements of a potential profession – and if the crime is unrelated to the profession – that person should be able to obtain a license. This particular bill adds to the list of professions eligible under Fresh Start.
Studies show that onerous licensing laws increase recidivism. According to a report published by Arizona State University, states with heavier occupational licensing restrictions have much higher 3-year recidivism rates.
Expanding Fresh Start has four primary benefits. First, it will protect more boards from litigation. We have already had one lawsuit against a board over this issue (Chunn v. Miss. (2015)). Instead of blanket bans, courts prefer a more rational approach to blocking ex-offenders from obtaining an occupational license.
Second, Fresh Start will increase employment opportunities for ex-offenders who are serious about turning their lives around. We are talking about good jobs, not just service jobs. If someone is going to invest thousands of dollars to get an education, take tests and get a license, it is clear that they want to do the right thing and stay out of trouble.
Third, by helping people work, taxpayers will benefit, as we see savings from people getting off of welfare and beginning to pay taxes.
Finally, Fresh Start will help increase diversity in Mississippi’s workforce. A disproportionate number of ex-offenders are minorities. This is a great way to increase minority employment and entrepreneurship. Moreover, Mississippi has one of the lowest workforce participation rates in the country. Fresh Start will help fix that.
Sen. Horhn’s Fresh Start bill now goes before the full House for consideration.
Legislation is moving in the Senate that would make it easier for new Mississippi residents to use their education and experience to contribute to the state economy.
HB 1263, sponsored by Rep. Becky Currie, would recognize the hard work and long hours individuals put in to get an occupational license. The bill passed the House unanimously and was taken up by the Senate committee on Accountability, Efficiency, and Transparency today.
If a new Mississippi resident holds a license from another state, this bill makes it easier for that individual to get the same license here, as long as their credentials and scope of practice is the same. Nine other states have passed similar legislation in a race to make their state more attractive to new residents. The bill is based on a successful reform passed last year that also makes it easier for military spouses and dependents to move to Mississippi and obtain an occupational license.
About HB1263, MCPP President Douglas Carswell stated, “This bill is great news for Mississippi. It will mean more jobs and it will make it easier for businesses to grow.”
“For too long, restrictive laws have denied ordinary Americans the freedom to move to Mississippi and work. New residents have had to get additional education and training, even when they are well qualified elsewhere. This bill reduces obstacles and makes it simpler to come to Mississippi and work.”
“Well done to Rep. Currie for standing up for working people.”
Dr. Jameson Taylor, Senior Vice President for Policy, stated, “This bill is one of the easiest, best things we can do to encourage people to move to Mississippi. If someone has invested thousands of dollars to obtain the education and experience necessary to get an occupational license, we should open the door for them to move to Mississippi and get a Mississippi license. We spend millions of dollars trying to recruit companies to come here. This bill spends nothing. Yet, I believe this reform could create hundreds of jobs here in Mississippi as high-skilled individuals decide Mississippi is the place they want to be.”
Continued Taylor, “When families move to Mississippi, we make it easy for their kids’ K-12 grade-level coursework to transfer over. We make it easy for college coursework to transfer over. Why wouldn’t we do the same thing when it comes to occupational licensing and let people carry over their relevant education and experience to get a Mississippi license?”
The bill now moves on for consideration by the full Senate. It must pass before a deadline of March 10.
Covid hit Mississippi’s economy particularly hard. Tens of thousands of jobs disappeared as unemployment rose to 16 percent. In the second quarter of 2020, a record number of businesses went bust, filing for Chapter 11 protection.
However devastating the pandemic, Covid has not destroyed America’s spirit of enterprise. Data just in from the US Census Bureau shows a remarkable rise in the number of new businesses being set up. And you know what’s most encouraging?
The state with the biggest surge in new business applications nationwide is Mississippi.
In January this year, over 6,000 new businesses were started in this state. That meant a 164 percent surge in new businesses registering compared with January last year.
This entrepreneurial spirit is just one reason why unemployment in our state has fallen dramatically from its peak last year, and is now down below the national average.
This surge in start-ups is great news for the future. Growth does not happen because politicians arrange for big businesses to set up shop in our state via all kinds of inducements. Real growth comes when we create the right conditions that enable small start-ups to expand.
At the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, we are promoting policies that will allow entrepreneurs to flourish. That means taking steps to deregulate our state’s economy.
Too many areas of economic activity in Mississippi require some sort of official’s authorization or permit. There are too many boards and commissions in Jackson able to fix the system to keep out the competition. Far too many jobs require unnecessary certification.
If Mississippi is to grow the way Tennessee or Florida have been growing, we need a red tape reduction plan. That means systematically going through the rule book and throwing out unreasonable regulations that hold entrepreneurs back.
Mississippi needs lower taxes, too. There has been lots of encouraging talk about abolishing personal income tax. I think we need to stop taxing entrepreneurs’ inventories, too.
In order to ensure that Mississippi policy-makers help, rather than hinder, innovation, we have just launched the Mississippi Tech Institute. We aim to remove those regulatory obstacles that risk holding our state back.
When folk think about innovation, they often imagine tech start-ups. Important though these are, here in Mississippi there is enormous potential for innovation in other areas, too, such as agriculture and energy production.
The spirit of enterprise is alive and well in Mississippi. Our task is to get big government out of its way.
It is precisely because Mississippi is a relatively small state that we can be nimble, making the kind of changes we need and serving as an example to the rest of America.
Innovation is one of the greatest keys to prosperity, but state regulations are not always friendly to new ideas. In many states, entrepreneurs must climb over mountains of red tape. Many innovators also have to pay thousands of dollars in compliance costs as they try to convince regulators to let them introduce new ideas to consumers.
Fortunately, state leaders in Mississippi are taking action. A bill (SB 2976) introduced by Senator Angela Hill would create a “regulatory sandbox” program that would help new technologies flourish in Mississippi.
The program, administered by the Mississippi Development Authority, would encourage companies with innovative business concepts and technologies to try out new products, without smothering them with regulations. The bill has been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
One specific industry in Mississippi that is ripe for innovation is energy technology. In light of this, Senator Hill has additionally introduced a bill (SB 2975) that would use the “sandbox” approach to encourage new technologies in the traditional energy sector.
The bill would help generate innovative energy technologies by facilitating the creation of a framework to permanently remove or temporarily waive laws and regulations that may unnecessarily inhibit the creation and success of new companies or industries.
In addition, there are provisions in the bill that would encourage agricultural innovation. SB 2975 has also been referred to the Senate Finance Committee.
Mississippi needs innovation and prosperity. The potential for expanded entrepreneurship as a catalyst for Mississippi businesses to further grow and flourish cannot be overstated. Both of these bills introduced by Senator Hill are excellent legislative steps that help pave the way for growth in the Magnolia State.
Update: While both SB 2976 and SB 2975 failed to advance this session, we appreciate the hard work of Senator Angela Hill in championing sandbox deregulation. MCPP, through the Mississippi Technology Institute, is looking forward to working with the Mississippi Senate to unleash technological innovation in Mississippi.
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.
The Mississippi House is considering a bill (HB 1364) that would increase gas taxes and increase debt for the people of Mississippi. The bill caps new bond debt at a whopping $2.5 billion. The bill also indexes the state gas tax according to the U.S. inflation rate. This means that the state gas tax would go up whenever the U.S. inflation rate goes up. Many economists are expecting the U.S. inflation rate to go up in 2021.
HB 1364 has passed out of committee and is already on the House calendar. A vote by the full House is expected early this week.
Responding to the proposed gas tax increase, President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy Douglas Carswell said, “It is wrong for politicians to be raising taxes on gas. History shows that these kinds of tax hikes are never temporary.”
“Making Mississippians pay more every time they fill up with gas means less money for them to spend on their own families. It will hit small businesses and folks who live in more rural areas especially hard.”
The gas tax bill also fails to fix a longstanding problem with how Mississippi funds transportation projects. A recent performance audit found that “a lack of competition in the bidding process has been proven to increase MDOT project costs.” More transparency is also needed so that the state prioritizes high-need projects that serve the most people and maximizes economic development opportunities.
“The idea behind this tax hike seems to be to create a pot of money to spend on infrastructure. Why not work out specifically what infrastructure we need, and set a budget for it, before taking more money from taxpayers? That way we might at least ensure we get value for money from any infrastructure projects.”
“Instead of figuring out ways to fleece taxpayers, we need politicians to focus on spending less, and spending it wisely.”
Mississippi lawmakers need to be able to control our own gas tax rate. This bill will tie our gas tax to the federal inflation rate, which is expected to go up. That means the gas tax will automatically go up, and Mississippi will not be able to do a thing about it. Why are we giving over control of our gas tax to Washington, D.C.?