Gov. Tate Reeves announced today that the remaining closed businesses in Mississippi will be able to reopen on Monday, June 1 when the ‘Safer at Home’ order expires.
“On June 1, there will be no more closures,” Reeves said. “There will still be health and safety guidelines—but our Safer at Home order will expire, and Mississippi will be open for business. We must do everything in our power to prevent economic catastrophe. That means trusting you to protect your family, while allowing Mississippians to earn a living.”
With the new order, movie theaters, bowling alleys, indoor amusement places, libraries, and museums will be able to reopen. A new ‘Safe Return’ order will be in effect for two weeks, with certain protocols for all businesses.
Those in the vulnerable population are instructed to continue sheltering in place. This includes all elderly individuals (age 65 or older) and individuals with serious underlying health conditions, including high blood pressure, chronic lung disease, diabetes, obesity, asthma, and those whose immune systems are compromised as such by chemotherapy for cancer or any other condition requiring such therapy.
“We are facing two ongoing emergencies. One is the public health crisis that we have been up here every day to talk about. That threat is real, dangerous, and deadly. It is here, and we must face it,” Reeves added. “We also face an economic crisis in this country, the likes of which we have not seen since the great depression. While we have never seen a spike of serious cases in Mississippi, we have seen economic catastrophe. We have to address both.”
Large group gatherings will be limited to 20 people indoors and 50 people outdoors, when social distancing is not possible. When social distancing is possible, those numbers increase to 50 and 100, respectively.
The guidelines for retail, restaurants, bars, salons, barber shops, gyms, and tattoo parlors resume. But restaurants will be allowed to host live music performances and bars that don’t serve food are allowed to reopen.
The legislature is back in session. And while the economic fallout around the forced shutdown of the economy related to the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent $1.25 billion from the federal government are the leading issues, legislators still have the opportunity to adopt reform-minded measures that will expand individual freedoms, while rolling back regulations.
With a June 9 deadline for committees to report on bills that passed the other chamber, here is a review of some of those bills still alive:
House Bill 1422 would create a pilot program to reduce state regulations at four agencies: Mississippi Departments of Health, Transportation, Agriculture and Commerce, and Information Technology Services. It passed on a largely party-line vote.
HB 1510 would require the state to recognize an occupational license from another state for military families who move to Mississippi. It passed the House unanimously.
Senate Bill 2790 and HB 1104 would give the Occupational Licensing Review Commission the ability to do a review of an existing regulation to determine whether it increases economic opportunities for citizens by promoting competition and uses the least restrictive regulation to protect consumers. Right now, the OLRC, which is comprised of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state, is limited to review only new regulations.
HB 1200, known as the Forming Open and Robust University Minds (FORUM) Act, would permit all forms of peaceful assembly, protests, speeches, guest speakers, distribution of literature, carrying signs, and circulating petitions on campuses of the state’s universities and community colleges. It passed in the House despite large-scale resistance from the state’s universities, particularly Ole Miss, on a largely party-line vote.
HB 4 would increase the number of liquor store permits one could own under present law from one to three. It is now in the hands of the Senate after a very narrow passage in the House.
SB 2552 would remove the prohibition on the amount of beer that can be sold directly to consumers at craft breweries. Right now, brewers are limited to selling either 10 percent of the beer produced there or 1,500 barrels, whichever is the lesser amount and this bill would eliminate this provision. The Senate approved the bill and sent it to the House.
HB 1398 is a small civil asset forfeiture reform bill that would end a practice where law enforcement or prosecutors could request a property owner to waive their rights to their property, often in exchange for charges to be dropped. The new language in the bill will also change the burden of proof for forfeiture to clear and convincing evidence.
SB 2725 and HB 1208, both known as the Hemp Cultivation Act, would allow the cultivation, processing, transportation and handling of hemp under strict guidelines. The Senate version passed with a 35-16 margin while the House passed its version by an overwhelming 104-10 margin.
For many, the idea of a road trip induces a strong sense of nostalgia, a beckoning to a begotten era in which one jumped into the family vehicle and pushed out on an adventure.
If nothing else, many will recall visions of Clark Griswold strapping up the Wagon Queen Family Truckster and heading out on that quixotic quest for Walley World. Amidst the current coronavirus crisis and rising concerns over air travel which will take months, if not years to subside, we might just be on the precipice of a revival of the great American road trip.
A recent Harris Poll noted that 77 percent of women and 62 percent of men are currently unwilling to travel on an airplane. These concerns do not disappear as soon as society is given the all clear on this outbreak. Only 15 percent of Americans say they’d be willing to fly in the month after officials signal that the coronavirus pandemic is on the downturn. Still, only 49 percent of Americans think they might be willing to fly after six months of being cleared of coronavirus concerns.
While this data suggests troubles for the airline industry, it presents opportunity for others as Americans will continue to find ways to get to family for holidays and use vacation time.
It is the road trip’s time to shine. Americans already preferred the idea, with 73 percent saying they would prefer to drive somewhere over taking a train or a flight, if possible, according to a OnePoll study from last year. However, new trepidations over flying in the coronavirus era added to the existing concerns of long security processes and lack of comfort now makes driving an even more attractive option by comparison.
The current worries over flying may even change the current trajectory of travel decisions for an entire generation. Furthermore, new technology such as AirBnB has made it all the easier for people to travel, and to do so on a budget. There’s an app for everything these days including trails at national parks, geocaching destinations, and maps custom-made for road trippers.
Young people today are driving at far lower rates than previous generations, but this crisis coupled with the rising potential for technology integration into the modern road trip may force an alteration in that data.
The road trip itself is something of an American icon, each one a Jack Kerouac-inspired tale. Perhaps it is the liberty of the open road or the sense of destiny in the journey, but to cross this American landscape is to partake in a tradition that our forefathers began years ago.
From Lewis and Clarke to the Oregon Trail, ingrained into our very psyche as a society is a call to head into the relative unknown. While the wilderness of the American heartland and West has been all but tamed today, the call has still perforated through to this century.
Whether it’s a trip with family, friends, or anybody in between, the love of the game that is travel is one that has bound Americans for years. Countless epic American novels, films, and songs have been inspired by just such journeys. Whether one’s heading home via country roads or just traveling with Charlie, American popular culture is deeply defined by tales of traversing the open road.
Robert Louis Stevenson once said that he travels “not to go anywhere but to go,” he travels “for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move.” Indeed, a road trip necessitates a destination, but only in the loosest sense. The true grandeur of the travel is that experience which is found on the journey itself.
Like a religious ritual, the road trip mandates a special set of procedures that necessitate strict observance. The driver, in perhaps the most important role, sets the pace of the trip and ultimately controls the journey. The occupant of “shotgun” takes charge of navigation and music. Other passengers ensure energy supplies remain high by taking command of snack acquisition from the gas stations and keep out keen eyes for any particularly noteworthy local destinations that are deserving of a detour.
As the pandemic turns much of society on its head, including travel, a chance has emerged for the revival of a quintessential aspect of American society, the road trip. As people increasingly turn to alternative means of travel over the coming months and years, only time will tell how our popular culture will be newly shaped by the future travelers of the open road.
There’s a subtle beauty to be found in this potential revival. As technology changes societal habits in new and profound ways, it is wonderful to imagine that we too might be able to pass onto our children and grandchildren that relic of ages past, the love of the open road, just as our parents passed it on to us.
The process of reopening the state slowly continues with outdoor entertainment businesses being the latest to again serve customers. This includes amusement parks, water parks, go-cart tracks, mini-golf, and other outdoor parks. They could open yesterday.
Schools are also allowed to open gyms and weight rooms per the latest order, and MHSAA announced last week that teams will be able to resume practice June 1.
Gov. Tate Reeves first issued a shelter in place order on April 1, and certain new industries have been able to reopen each week over the past month. This has included retail stores, restaurants, beaches, barber shops and salons, and casinos, most notably. Though they’ve had to open under strict new guidelines and at limited capacity. This has remained consistent.
With businesses closing either temporarily or permanently during the pandemic, more than 220,000 Mississippians filed for unemployment, with claims spiking from 1,000 per week to 30,000 in two weeks. This has stabilized.
As Reeves has said, few businesses remain closed. So, what is closed? Mostly indoor entertainment businesses, such as movie theaters or trampoline parks. But look for that to change in the very near future. Reeves has said he’s working with the Department of Health to develop guidelines for all businesses to be open soon, possibly by June 1.
And this is what Mississippians want, at least based on their traveling habits.
Mississippians are getting out more. According to the latest mobility tracking data from Apple, Mississippians are generally back to their normal pre-pandemic traveling patterns after more than a month of steep decline.
This is a national trend. Save for the most impacted states, including neighboring Louisiana, much of the south, midwest, and interior west, is leaving their house.
As schools throughout the country closed, attacks on homeschooling grew louder and more organized.
Why are we seeing these attacks? Do they have any credence? And what should those who believe in education freedom do?
Corey DeAngelis with the Reason Foundation joined us to talk about these attacks, and why everything that homeschooling opponents are saying is incorrect.
House Bill 326, sponsored by Rep. Casey Eure, would raise the cap on annual sales for those in the cottage food industry to $35,000 and expressly permit operators to advertise on social media.
Currently, cottage food operators are capped at $20,000. This is the third lowest cap in the country, and only serves to discourage an individual from earning additional income. Neighboring Arkansas and Tennessee have no cap.
Also, the Department of Health had interpreted vague language in the current law that restricts internet sales to mean an individual could not share pictures on social media. Soon, cottage food operators began to receive notices from the department. They have since said they’ve stopped that practice, but the uncertainty remains. This will clarify for cottage food operators that they can, indeed, share images of food they make on social media.
An identical bill passed the House last year , but died in the Senate without a vote.
There has not been evidence to suggest that lightly regulated states pose a threat to public health as some like to indicate. The limitations really just serve to limit competition for established businesses. By eliminating restrictions in Mississippi, we can give consumers new options, grow the economy, and encourage entrepreneurship.
MCPP has reviewed this legislation and finds that it is aligned with our principles and therefore should be supported.
Read the bill here.
Track the status of this bill and all bills in our legislative tracker.
Senate Bill 2117, sponsored by Sen. Chuck Younger, and House Bill 1510, sponsored by Rep. Steve Hopkins, would require the state to recognize an occupational license from another state for military families.
These bills would require occupational licensing boards to issue licenses to military spouses who have obtained a similar license in another state. This would make it easier for military families to work when they move to Mississippi.
MCPP has reviewed this legislation and finds that it is aligned with our principles and therefore should be supported.
Track the status of this bill and all bills in our legislative tracker.
On March 12, the Senate overwhelmingly killed a bill to permit direct shipment of wine in Mississippi. This vote didn’t age well.
The bill would have made Mississippi the 44th state in the country to allow consumers to purchase wine and have it shipped directly to their house. Currently in Mississippi, a control state, you are limited to what the state has in stock, limiting your freedom to choose the wine you prefer.
If ABC doesn’t have it available, you don’t have the option without jumping through traditional government hoops. All to acquire a bottle of wine, something that’s been legal at the national level for 90 years.
But on deadline day, the bill came to the floor and was defeated 32-13. Just thirteen Republicans voted for the bill. A majority of Republicans voted no, as did the entire Democratic caucus.
Just a few days later, the legislature went home, schools were closed, and a large chunk of the state was shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. Mississippians were staying in, and using technology to work from home, order groceries, and have food from their favorite restaurant delivered to their front door.
Almost overnight, we realized how important technology was, how it impacts virtually every area of our life, and how limitations generally come from government, not the lack of entrepreneurs. A glaring example, the inability to have alcohol delivered to your house in Mississippi.
If you wanted wine delivered to your house from a winery in California, or if you just wanted something from a local liquor store to be delivered via an app like Drizly, you are out of luck. After the direct shipment vote in the Senate failed, it looked like alcohol freedom was never coming to Mississippi. But the pandemic changed things. Soon, the Department of Revenue was repealing regulations.
DOR began allowing liquor stores to take orders online or over the phone, while providing curbside delivery rather than having to enter the retail establishment. Then as restaurants were forced to close their dining halls, DOR allowed customers to purchase a sealed bottle of wine with their to-go order. And finally, DOR began allowing residents of Leisure and Recreation Districts to order a mixed drink with their to-go order and take it home. All of these small changes were previously illegal, as ridiculous as that sounds.
All of a sudden, regulations that many of us have been saying were unnecessary as they simply limit consumer freedom were being lifted during an emergency so consumers could have more freedoms. We hear about “health and safety” often when listening to proponents of regulations, but we can safely write that during an actual health crisis, alcohol prohibitions don’t contribute to our health or safety.
If you didn’t want to go into a crowded store, it was quite the opposite. One could argue the prohibition on alcohol delivery makes us less safe. Or if you’re having a party at your house (while following social distancing guidelines, of course), you could also argue that it’s safer to have a new bottle of wine delivered rather than someone taking their chances on the road.
We know current prohibitions don’t stem from health and safety concerns, but from the protectionist tendencies that are built by the current government policies. It’s not inherently safer to purchase alcohol from a liquor store than a grocery store, but liquor stores have an obvious financial incentive, created by the government, to maintain their monopoly. At the same time, there are plenty of limitations on what liquor stores can sell that also serve no purpose.
But this is all overshadowed by the fact that all alcohol runs through a state warehouse, not a traditional distributor. And guess what would happen if we allowed Walmart or Kroger to sell wine? We wouldn’t have enough room at the warehouse and taxpayers would have to fund a bigger facility. Or so we are told.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel any safer by having the state handle alcohol. Nor are our roads safer because you can't buy alcohol from a grocery store or on Sundays (or Christmas Day).
Rather, we need to back away from overburdensome regulations and prohibition-inspired laws. While this will just be a footnote from the pandemic, when it comes to alcohol policy, we’ve learned to ease off protectionist monopolies and trust consumers and technology to allow the market to work.
The cottage food industry is a popular and growing slice of Mississippi’s economy. But as is usually the case, the state has not kept up with consumer demands in new markets and current laws are holding entrepreneurs in Mississippi back.
Of course, we are using the word “new” loosely. People have been selling food they make at home longer than we’ve had stores or restaurants. Still, it was just in the past few years that Mississippi “legalized” the industry.
But in a world where the economy has changed, where millions are out of work, and where we’re still a little unsure about going back to the office, home-based businesses like cottage food operations stand to grow even faster. If government allows the market to work.
The Mississippi cottage food law has an annual sales cap of $20,000. Most operators don’t approach the cap, but why is it there? This is the third lowest cap among states with a cap, something the majority of states, including Arkansas and Tennessee, do not even have. All the cap does is restrict an entrepreneur’s ability to earn a living, which then negatively impacts the state’s tax base. If a single mom can sell $100,000 worth of goodies she bakes in her kitchen while trying to homeschool her child during the pandemic, she should be able to.
The state has already said it is okay for her to make up to $20,000 in her kitchen, why can’t she make more? If “health and safety” is the concern, as established restaurants and bakeries would like to claim, it doesn’t matter whether they are making $5 a year or $10,000 a month.
But, of course, we know there’s no real health concern. There has not been evidence to suggest that the lack of comprehensive regulations pose a threat to public health as some indicate. Consumers know what they are purchasing, where they are purchasing it from, and that it does not come from a government-inspected kitchen. They willingly accept the so-called risk.
And as we know, today’s technology makes it easy to find high-quality food, read reviews from happy (or unhappy) customers, and make knowledgeable decisions. Online reviews and apps are doing the job of a government inspector. The free market is the most effective regulator. Instead of needing the cookie police, we know an individual who sells an awful-tasting cookie or cake won’t remain in business long.
The other unnecessary regulation on cottage food operators is a prohibition on internet sales. Initially, the Department of Health interpreted this to mean that you couldn’t even post a picture of the food you just made on Facebook or Instagram. We clearly had a lot of outlaws on the streets in Mississippi.
They even went so far as to send cease and desist letters to home bakers who dared to post pictures on social media. They’ve said that’s no longer their practice, but the vague law remains. Cottage food operators are also currently prohibiting from selling to restaurants and retail stores.
Fortunately, the legislature has shown an interest in expanding and updating the current law. While we don’t know exactly what bills the legislature will be tackling for the remainder of this session, the House passed a bill, House Bill 326, that would remove the internet prohibition and expand the cap to $35,000. While there is no reason for a cap other than protectionism, this is a step in the right direction. That bill passed the House unanimously and awaits action in the Senate.
By eliminating the current restrictions on the cottage food industry in Mississippi, we can give consumers new options, grow the economy, and encourage entrepreneurship. Barriers to economic liberty have long existed in Mississippi, but this is something we should be interested in removing, especially during the current times.
We need to embolden small business growth, even the smallest of businesses. Freeing home-based businesses like cottage food operators is the right thing to do.
This column appeared in the Starkville Daily News on May 19, 2020.