JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The Mississippi House of Representatives approved an amendment Wednesday to a bill intended to better support sexual assault survivors.

It revives language from a bill that previously died in the Senate.

Representative Dana McLean filed House Bill 928, which would have required emergency rooms in the state to have a sufficient number of rape kits and someone present to perform them.

That bill passed the House unanimously, but died on the last deadline day in the Senate.

The Senate Public Health and Welfare chairman failed to put the bill on the committees agenda.

Sen. Hob Bryan tells WLBT News that’s because he was receiving conflicting information from hospitals and advocates. He says he would rather look at the issue this summer to more fully understand it.

However, McLean was joined Monday by the Attorney General’s office, other legislators, advocates, law enforcement and survivors to call on the bill to be revived.

She did so by amending Senate Bill 2211 from the House floor Wednesday.

That is by updating the Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights to include additional rights for sexual assault victims.

Because the House made changes to the bill, the Senate would have to concur in order to send it to a conference committee.

That would include three members from each chamber to hash out details of a compromise.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Copyright 2025 WLBT. All rights reserved.

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) -There are looming concerns of potential cuts to Medicaid at the federal level. And families in Mississippi say that would be like cutting off their lifeline.

“We believe actions, your votes, not your rhetoric and not your words,” said Dr. Scott Crawford, Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities board member. “Protect Medicaid now.”

“Medicaid helps me now by paying for my medicines I need,” explained Lucy, who has autism, ADHD, and other mental health issues. “If I don’t have my medicine, I would feel like a blank piece of paper without any drawing.”

To fully understand these pleas, let’s back up to what’s happening in Washington. Questions came up quickly after House Republicans unveiled their budget plan that included directing one committee to find $880 billion in cuts over the next decade.

The Congressional Budget Office indicates that would likely have to include Medicare or Medicaid to meet their target. The Speaker is adamant that it won’t.

Still, these families fear the unknown.

“Medicaid has not been cut yet,” said mom Florence Bass. “Yet being the operative word here.”

They’re hoping to open people’s eyes to the lives Medicaid touches and saves.

“They need to understand that cutting Medicaid is not just a policy decision,” described Pam Dollar, executive director of the Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities. “It is a direct attack on families, on people with disabilities, on children, on seniors.”

Susan Stearns is a mom who is hopeful there won’t be a change to upend her family’s use of Medicaid.

“Oscar accesses Medicaid by means of what is called a ‘disabled child living at home waiver,’” Stearns said about her son. “This type of Medicaid is often lost within broader discussions of health care policy. My husband and I both work full-time, and Oscar is covered by our employer’s insurance. Oscar uses Medicaid, as what is called ‘secondary.’ Medicaid pays for the programs and services that our employer’s insurance does not cover.”

The group is also requesting state lawmakers to again consider Medicaid expansion. But those efforts have stalled out as they wait to see what happens at the federal level.

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Please click here to report it and include the headline of the story in your email.

Copyright 2025 WLBT. All rights reserved.

Mississippi State is fine. It’s going to be in the NCAA Tournament, it’ll have its chance to go on a run when it really matters, and all the drama and inconsistency of the SEC season won’t matter a lick if it wins two games next week.

But WOW does this team need some positive vibes.

It lost four of its last five games, it can’t close, and the defense has gone bye-bye. Now is the time to flip the switch and start playing up to its talent level. Oh, that one win in the gloom of the last few weeks?

LSU.

The Tigers have lost five straightand ten of their last 12. This truly is a win-or-season-over scenario. The have to win the SEC title to go to the NCAA Tournament.

Mississippi State vs LSU: How to Watch

Date: March 12, 2025
Venue: Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN
TV: SEC Network, 7:00 pm
Records: Mississippi State (20-11), LSU (14-17)

Why LSU Will Win

LSU, crank up the tempo and pace however you’re able to do it.

Mississippi State is more than capable of keeping up, but it has a strange way of not coming through in the clutch, the three-point defense has been missing, and don’t make me go through the stats again about how the program is 0-for-the-last-several-years when allowing more than 84 points.

How bad is this? Mississippi State 333rd in the nation in three point defense, the D as a whole has allowed 48% or more shots being made in four of the last five games, and …

Why Mississippi State Will Win

The LSU offense is awful.

Take a guess who that one team was over the last five games that had a bad shooting night against the Bulldog defense.

LSU is miserable from three, it turns the ball over way too much, and its defense is awful allowing teams to hit 50% or better i two of the last three games and 40% or better in 13 of the last 14.

To keep hammering this home, Mississippi State needs to keep the score down a bit. LSU has only scored more than 80 twice in SEC play, but …

LSU vs Mississippi State Prediction

LSU wins when it scores.

It’s 13-0 this season when scoring 76 points or more, 0-16 when scoring fewer, and Mississippi State has allowed more than 76 points in four of its last five games.

But those were against the SEC teams with some pop and firepower. The Bulldog D will step up the intensity and clamp down fast. It won’t be quite as easy as the 81-69 win a few weeks ago, but finally, MSU will get a win again.

Prediction: Mississippi State 77, LSU 68