Mississippi
MS Senate revives effort to exert control over PERS board
Efforts in the Mississippi Legislature to impose more control over the Public Employees’ Retirement System of Mississippi have been given a new lease on life.
Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch, on Tuesday, presented House Bill 1618, which was originally only intended to address a retirement program that allows certain retirees such as healthcare workers and teachers, to return to the workforce in an effort to impact critical labor shortages.
However, Parker placed language into the bill that would eliminate the PERS board’s rate increase on public employers, such as counties, municipalities and state agencies, and would require any such rate change on employers to be approved by the Legislature during regular session. It passed 38-8.
“Such increases could possibly raise retirement revenues but may also reduce revenues at schools and cities that decide to stop hiring employees,” Parker said.
Parker’s changes to the bill mirror House Bill 1590, which would have taken away the rate increase, as well as replace elected board members with governor and lieutenant governor appointees.
That bill faced scrutiny from the PERS board, as well as retirees who saw it as a loss of faith in the PERS board and would have taken away its ability to make decisions about how PERS invests money. It was later killed by Government Structures Chairman Chris Johnson, R-Hattiesburg, before making it to the Senate floor for a vote.
read about HB 1590 Mississippi lawmakers, state retirement leaders disagree over bill to take over PERS system
Last year, the board voted to increase employer contributions toward the state pension plan from 17.9% to 19.9% to address a $25 billion debt and a reduction in PERS members.
As of 2023, 146,664 active members are paying into the system, a 10% fall from 2014 when it sat at 162,044. There are 118,301 retirees receiving benefits.
Several mayors and other local government leaders came to the capitol earlier this year to ask lawmakers to cancel that rate increase, stating it could cost them millions of dollars in the future and cause job cuts.
Parker said that as the bill moves forward, he hopes the Legislature will provide more funds for PERS to increase its viability.
“We need to add money into PERS,” he said.
The bill now moves onto the House for concurrence. If the House does not approve, the bill could be sent to a conference of lawmakers from both chambers to iron out a compromise.
Read about Senate actions Tuesday Mississippi Senate blocks House K-12 education funding bill
Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.
Mississippi College baseball has won the series against West Florida for the first time ever
The Choctaws have been playing UWF since 2015
MC won the first two games and put on a bit of a comeback in game 3
Next: GSC at Delta St., then Conference Tournament
GEORGE COUNTY, Miss. (WLOX) — A George County High School senior is dead after an SUV hit him while bicycling on Highway 26 Friday night.
Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) officials said at 8:15 p.m. the MHP responded to a fatal crash on Highway 26 in George County.
Those officials said a Ford SUV traveling west on Highway 26 collided with 18-year-old Tyree Bradley of McLain, Mississippi, who was bicycling.
Bradley was fatally injured and died at the scene, MHP officials said.
The crash remains under investigation by the MHP.
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Some losses feel like they drag on longer than the box score suggests, and Mississippi State’s 3-1 opener at Texas A&M fits that category.
It wasn’t a blowout. It wasn’t a game where the Bulldogs looked outmatched.
It was just one of those nights where the early mistakes stuck around and the offense never quite found the swing that could shake them loose.
The frustrating part is how quickly the hole formed. Two solo homers and a wild pitch in the first two innings put Mississippi State behind 3-0, and that was basically the ballgame.
Against a top tier SEC team on the road, spotting three runs that early is a tough ask. The Bulldogs didn’t fold, but they also didn’t cash in when the door cracked open.
“I liked our fight. I think we’re really just working through some things offensively, and trying to stay together,” Mississippi State coach Samantha Ricketts said. “This team still believes, and we’re going to battle and fight every chance we get, and I think I saw a lot of that. I’m encouraged for what that means for us moving forward, but, you know, they’re a good hitting team, and we’ve got to be able to shut them down early. I don’t think Peja [Goold] had her best stuff, but she continued to battle out there and find ways to get outs.”
They had chances. Two runners stranded in the fifth. Two more in the sixth. Another in the seventh. Des Rivera finally got the Bulldogs on the board with an RBI single, but the big hit that usually shows up for this lineup never arrived.
It wasn’t a lack of traffic. It was a lack of finish.
If there was a bright spot, it came from the bullpen. Delainey Everett gave Mississippi State exactly what it needed after the rocky start.
“That was just a huge relief appearance by Delaney to keep us in it,” Ricketts said. “It’s really good to have her back and healthy these last few weeks because these are the moments where we really need her and rely on her. We know that she’s going to be a big part of the remainder of the season going forward as well.”
Three hitless innings, one baserunner, and a reminder that she’s quietly putting together a strong stretch.
There were individual positives too. Nadia Barbary keeps climbing the doubles list. Kiarra Sells keeps finding ways on base.
But the bigger picture is simple. Mississippi State is now 6-10 in the SEC, and the margin for error is shrinking. Nights like this one are the difference between climbing back into the race and staying stuck in the middle.
They get another shot this morning with the schedule bumped up for weather. The formula isn’t complicated.
Clean up the early innings, keep getting quality relief, and find one or two timely swings. The Bulldogs didn’t get them Friday. They’ll need them today.
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