Archive for January 2023
Finding hope in the hopelessness of prison
Eleven times Deborah Mosby had been before the state parole board – and eleven times she had been denied. “I knew on that eleventh time going into the hearing that I wasn’t going to be paroled,” Deborah said. And she was right. Feeling hopeless, she sat on her 3’x6’ rack knowing she had to do…
Read MoreSchool Choice Celebration a Success
Over 600 students, teachers, school leaders, parents, elected officials and friends gathered on the steps of the Mississippi State Capitol for the School Choice Celebration, In an age where divisions are everywhere, this positive and uplifting event brings together traditional public school, magnet, charter, private and homeschool students in a beautiful celebration of the diversity…
Read MoreNew Report Answers Concerns About Nurse Practitioners
Fears about quality of care are “greatly exaggerated” Empower Mississippi has released a new report, Nurse Practitioners and the Quality of Care, which answers concerns about the quality of care provided by nurse practitioners, and more particularly about the quality of their education. These concerns arise as the legislature considers allowing nurse practitioners to…
Read MoreHB 1113: Home-based business freedom
House Bill 1113, sponsored by Rep. Jansen Owen, prohibits local governments from restricting home-based occupations. As Mississippi continues to grapple with a stagnant population, one of the brightest areas for potential is home-based businesses. We know that entrepreneurship began to climb at the beginning of the pandemic. But as technology has progressed over the…
Read MoreSB 2537: Expand cottage food operators sales cap
Senate Bill 2537, sponsored by Sen. Melanie Sojourner, would raise the annual sales cap for cottage food operators from $35,000 to $50,000. Cottage food operators can sell certain allowable non-perishable foods they make in their own kitchen without government inspections while labeling the product as such. They face a number of limitations, such as where…
Read MoreHB 1150: Permit universities to authorize charter schools
House Bill 1150, sponsored by Rep. Randy Boyd, would allow state universities and community colleges to authorize charter schools in Mississippi. Mississippi currently has one charter school authorizer. Since Mississippi’s charter school law passed in 2013, the pace of new schools opening has averaged approximately one per year statewide. Allowing universities or community colleges to…
Read MoreSB 2796: Full practice authority for nurse practitioners
Senate Bill 2796, authored by Sen. Kevin Blackwell, would provide full practice authority to nurse practitioners in Mississippi. Unfortunately, the bill did not survive the legislature’s first major deadline on Tuesday, January 31. Currently, a nurse practitioner is required to enter into a collaborative agreement with a physician. This would exempt nurse practitioners from that…
Read MoreSB 2066: Free shampooers to work
Senate Bill 2066, sponsored by Sen. Angela Hill, would allow shampooers to work without obtaining a time-consuming and irrelevant cosmetology license. Under the proposed legislation, you would be able to shampoo hair after completing 40 hours of training; far less than what is currently required and more in line with neighboring states. Shampooers shampoo and…
Read MoreHB 748: The Tim Tebow Act
House Bill 748, sponsored by Rep. Chris Brown, would allow homeschool students to participate in public school extracurricular activities. Often dubbed the Tim Tebow Act after the Heisman quarterback who was homeschooled but able to play high school football for his local high school in Florida, similar legislation has been moving across the country to…
Read MoreHB 727/ HB 796: Full practice authority for nurse practitioners
House Bill 727, authored by Rep. Donnie Scoggin and House Bill 796, authored by Rep. Stacey Hobgood-Wilkes, would provide full practice authority to nurse practitioners in Mississippi. Currently, a nurse practitioner is required to enter into a collaborative agreement with a physician. This would exempt nurse practitioners from that requirement after 6,240 hours of practice.…
Read MoreGovernor Reeves declares January 22-28 as “School Choice Week”
Gov. Tate Reeves has proclaimed January 22-28, 2023 as “School Choice Week” in the state of Mississippi. He joins other governors and mayors and county leaders nationwide in issuing proclamations. More than 40,000 events have been independently organized across the country for National School Choice Week. This year’s National School Choice Week will be America’s…
Read MoreSB 2342: Ban the Box for public employees
Senate Bill 2342, sponsored by Sen. John Horhn, would prohibit public employers from using an applicant’s criminal history as an initial barrier to employment. Birthed in 2004 through the work of All of Us or None, the Ban the Box campaign has been focused on allowing skills and qualifications to be the preliminary deciding factors…
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