Archive for September 2022
Mississippi part of growing flat tax trend
Earlier this year, Mississippi lawmakers adopted legislation that will institute a 4 percent flat tax in the state. The Mississippi Tax Freedom Act of 2022 phases in the more than $500 million tax cut over the next four years. In the first year, it eliminates Mississippi’s current 4 percent bracket that currently applies to the…
Read MoreLawsuit filed to stop student loan cancellation
A month after President Joe Biden announced plans to cancel a substantial portion of student loan debt, a lawsuit has been filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation to block the move. “Congress did not authorize the executive branch to unilaterally cancel student debt,” said Caleb Kruckenberg, an attorney at Pacific Legal Foundation. “It’s flagrantly illegal…
Read MoreWhy has charter school progress been slow?
As we approach the 10-year anniversary of Mississippi approving charter schools, we remain excited for the kids who have been given a new chance, but know progress has been too slow. Earlier this week, the Charter School Authorizer Board gave the green light to one new school, Instant Impact Global Prep in Natchez. This is…
Read MoreEmpower reacts to charter board approving only one new charter
Today, the Mississippi Charter Authorizer Board approved one new charter application and denied four others, including denying a strong application from Clarksdale Collegiate Public Charter School to open a high school, which would have been the first charter high school opened in the state. The board approved Instant Impact Global Preparatory Charter School which plans…
Read MoreLife changing reforms are winning the day
This week the Empower team was in Atlanta for State Policy Network’s Annual Meeting. SPN works alongside a national network of independent state policy think tanks like Empower to help us connect, share ideas, and get better every year. The Annual Meeting has become the must-attend event for folks in our line of work and is truly…
Read MoreChange laws. Change lives.
Every year the legislature passes and the governor signs hundreds of bills. These cover a variety of needs and basic tasks of government, but it’s not every day we see new laws literally change lives. But sometimes we do. One person at a time. Meet Karrece Stewart Five years ago, Karrece began to see how…
Read MoreBaby bust’s effect on public schools
Mississippi public school enrollment is set to steadily shrink. In 2007, Mississippi had 46,455 births, about 127 per day. In 2019 the number had fallen to 36,634, just over 100 per day. Add to that the fact that Mississippi’s public school enrollment declined more than any other state’s since the pandemic began. In the Fall…
Read MoreMake it easier for people to work
As we prepare for Labor Day weekend and celebrate the achievements of the American worker, it’s important to remember both the contributions and ingenuity of the American worker, but also look at areas where the state makes it more difficult for men and women to contribute to society. This is particularly important at a time…
Read MoreHow the Jackson water shortage happened and how it can be solved
On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall, ravaging the Mississippi Gulf Coast with record storm surge. On the 17th anniversary of one of the worst natural disasters in state history, Governor Tate Reeves stepped to a podium this week to announce another water-related disaster. The governor’s message: The City of Jackson’s Public Water System (“PWS”) had…
Read More