Mississippi
Mississippi Senate passes bill for regional control of Jackson's troubled water system
- The Mississippi Senate passed a bill for the second consecutive year aiming to transfer control of Jackson’s water system to a regional board.
- Republican Sen. David Parker introduced a modified version of the bill after last year’s version stalled in the House.
- The bill, opposed by almost every Senate Democrat, passed 35-14 and awaits possible further debate in the Senate before moving to the House.
For the second year in a row, the Mississippi Senate has passed a bill that would transfer control of the state capital city’s troubled water system to a regional board.
Republican Sen. David Parker of Olive Branch introduced a slightly modified version of the bill after last year’s version died in the House. The proposal drew fierce opposition from Jackson officials, who said the Republican-controlled Legislature was usurping the authority of local leaders, most of whom are Democrats.
Almost every Senate Democrat voted against the bill again Tuesday before it passed 35-14. The legislation was held for the possibility of more debate in the Senate. It eventually would go to the House.
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, PREPARING TO GO WITHOUT WATER PERIODICALLY FOR UP TO 10 YEARS AS CRISIS CONTINUES
The bill would create a corporate nonprofit known as the Mississippi Capitol Region Utility Authority to govern Jackson’s water system. It would be overseen by a nine-member board, with one appointment by the mayor, two by the Jackson City Council, three by the governor and three by the lieutenant governor. Under the bill’s original version, city officials would not have had any appointments.
Mississippi Sen. David Parker, R-Olive Branch, speaks during a debate at the state Capitol, on Feb. 7, 2023, in Jackson, Miss. For the second year in a row, the Mississippi Senate has passed a bill that would transfer control of the state capital’s troubled water system to a regional board. Parker introduced a slightly modified version of the bill after it died in the House last session. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba opposes the bill, saying it’s an example of the majority-white and Republican-led Legislature trying to seize control from a majority-Black city.
Parker said the bill would help address issues that have disrupted the utility on numerous occasions and left residents without consistent access to running water. Infrastructure breakdowns in 2022 caused some Jackson residents to go weeks without water for their basic needs.
MISSISSIPPI RESIDENTS TOLD TO BOIL WATER AFTER SYSTEM PRESSURE DROPS
Parker’s district is in northwest Mississippi, but he lives with his daughter at an apartment complex in Jackson when the Legislature is in session. He said scooping up water from the building’s swimming pool to use in their shared apartment’s toilets is part of what motivated him to write the bill.
“To be continually hearing and seeing in the newspapers that I have no business as a customer of the Jackson water authority to be addressing this situation is, at the very least, concerning to me,” Parker said on the Senate floor.
Two Democratic senators who represent parts of Jackson — Sollie Norwood and Hillman Frazier — peppered Parker with questions about why he didn’t meet with them before introducing the proposal.
“Senator Parker, you do realize I represent the city of Jackson … and you have not said one word to me regarding this,” Norwood said.
Parker responded that he had his assistant place memos on senators’ desks and that he had incorporated feedback from various people in Jackson. Parker pointed to support from Ted Henifin, the manager appointed by a federal court in December 2022 to manage the water system on an interim basis.
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI, WATER CRISIS IMPACTS BUSINESSES
“It appears that many of the comments I provided during the last session regarding the bill introduced in 2023 were taken to heart and this bill now includes many of the suggestions I made at that time,” Henifin said in a statement.
Among the comments Henifin provided was that federal funds should only be used within the areas served by Jackson’s water system. Jackson-area lawmakers had been concerned that hundreds of millions in federal funds approved by Congress to fix the city’s water system would be diverted to other areas.
The bill has been designed to ensure there is a governance structure in place when Henifin leaves Jackson and the federal funds run out, Parker said. The federal order appointing Henifin does not have a termination date on his appointment as Jackson’s water manager.
Mississippi
Mississippi lawmakers face pressure to counter looming federal cuts to health care after punting this session
Wicker: Mississippi powered Artemis II
Published 4:00 pm Monday, April 20, 2026
For nine days this month, space travel captivated the world. Families gathered around their screens as four astronauts strapped into the Integrity spacecraft docked at the Kennedy Space Center. As the launch countdown ended, four Mississippi-tested RS-45 engines ignited, and the ground shook. Seven seconds later, the Integrity had liftoff. For six intense minutes, the RS-45 engines rocketed the crew into high Earth orbit, sending them on their historic lunar flyby mission.
Mississippi should take a bow. The four RS-45 engines were tested at our very own Stennis Space Center, where Mississippians have been ensuring the quality of rocket engines since the Apollo program. For eight years, engineers, safety managers, and logistics specialists from the state have tested the engines that powered the Integrity and will power future Artemis launches. Their work paid off, and the launch was a marvel of engineering. NASA leadership made special mention of the rocket engine burn, calling it “flawless.”
One Mississippian in particular helped make the mission a success. Hernando native Matthew Ramsey handled a great deal of responsibility as the mission manager for Artemis II. The Mississippi State University graduate helped set the focus for the mission and equip the astronauts and staff for the job. Matthew also served as the deputy of the Mission Management Team, the group of NASA staff that comes together just days before a launch. The team assumes the risks of the mission ahead, and they make tough calls during flight if challenges arise.
As the Artemis II journey progressed, the world could not stop watching. Our social media feeds were full of photos and videos beamed down from the heavens. They captured humorous situations, such as the astronauts adjusting to life without gravity or testing their plumbing skills.
We also witnessed moments of majesty. On the fifth day, the Integrity began using the Moon’s gravity to slingshot our astronauts back home. That trajectory led the crew around the Moon, farther from Earth than any humans have ever gone. As the explorers looked upon outer space, they captured stunning images. Among the most remarkable is Earthset, in which Commander Reid Wiseman photographed Earth as it appeared to fall below the horizon of the moon.
When their spacecraft returned to Earth’s atmosphere, the crew was traveling nearly 35 times faster than the speed of sound. Ten minutes later, a series of parachutes began opening. Eventually, the spacecraft’s speed fell to 20 miles per hour, and the crew splashed down into the Pacific Ocean.
Mississippi was once again there to assist. The astronauts were greeted by the USS John P. Murtha, a U.S. military vessel built in the Huntington Ingalls shipyard in Pascagoula. The ship’s amphibious design was suited to welcome the space travelers home—equipped with a helicopter pad, medical facilities, and the communications system needed to locate and recover the astronauts safely. Crucially, the USS Murtha was built with a well deck, a sea-based garage that stored the Integrity on the journey to shore.
Artemis II was a resounding success, paving the way for planned future flights. When the Artemis program returns humans to the moon, Mississippi will be there every step of the way.
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