Archive for September 2021
Lawmakers said to have agreement on medical marijuana proposal
“The legislature has been responsive to the fact that, whether you like medical marijuana or disagree with medical marijuana, the people of Mississippi pretty overwhelmingly said they thought they should have a medical marijuana program.” After a large majority of Mississippians approved of a ballot initiative legalizing medical marijuana in 2020, a lawsuit was quickly…
Read MoreThe Front Porch: Medical marijuana, charter schools, taxing the rich
After a brief hiatus, The Front Porch is back to discuss the latest from Mississippi and D.C. Tune in as we talk about: How the Mississippi legislature is narrowing in on a medical marijuana program Where we are with ballot initiatives after a recent Supreme Court ruling Why no new charter schools were approved to open and…
Read MoreCharter School Board Leaves Students Behind
For the second time in five years, no new charter schools were approved by the Mississippi Charter Authorizer Board. While the fact that no schools have been approved is the headline, the truth is, even in a “good” year we have typically only seen one or two schools approved. That’s not because there isn’t interest…
Read MoreEmpower joins national coalition in support of EQUAL Act
Empower Mississippi has signed on to a coalition letter, joining organizations across many spectrums from the American Civil Liberties Union, Americans For Prosperity, NAACP, and Prison Fellowship just to name a few, in an effort to urge Congress to pass the The EQUAL Act. Mandatory minimums, three-strike rules, and expanded felony classifications created a time…
Read More“Somewhere along the way, I got sidetracked”
It was growing up in the rural north Mississippi town of Booneville where Stanley Stubbs developed a love of sports – particularly football and baseball. “We grew up in a blue-collar, Christian home,” Stanley said. Stanley’s father worked in construction and his mother in housekeeping. His parents instilled in Stanley and his siblings good Christian…
Read MoreColorado’s governor wants to repeal their income tax
Colorado’s Democratic governor has called for the elimination of the state’s income tax. At a recent event, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said that taxes act as penalties and taxing income discourages people from working. “There’s things you actually want to penalize in society, like pollution might be one of them,” Polis said. “I would argue…
Read MoreThe high costs of incarceration
I recently joined Rebecca Painter, vice president of State Policy Network, on the Civil Squared podcast to talk about efforts to reform Mississippi’s justice system. We talked about our work in Mississippi and looked at similar efforts nationwide.
Read MoreTwo more states lift hurdle for nurse practitioners
As access to health care remains a concern during the pandemic, two new states have expanded health care access by providing full practice authority to nurse practitioners. Two new states – Delaware and Massachusetts – now allow experienced nurse practitioners to practice independently, no longer requiring the supervision of a physician. There are now 24…
Read MoreNever Forget
Lt. Col. Jerry Don Dickerson was at work inside the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, when an American Airlines plane carrying his childhood friend Joe Ferguson crashed into the side of the building. Both men grew up in the small Mississippi town of Durant. Linked in life, they would forever be linked in tragedy —…
Read MoreThe Front Porch: College football, 9/11, redemption
Last week, Empower Mississippi was recognized for our work on expanding parole eligibility in the state as part of State Policy Network’s Annual Meeting. For those that might not be familiar with State Policy Network, or SPN, they bring together groups that are advancing policy at the state level across the country. We were proud…
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