Mississippi
Report shows Mississippi Legislature retirement reforms this year aren’t effective. See why
Lawmakers, PERS director agree they must work together in the future
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Problem Solved
State lawmakers will need to readdress concerns about the Public Employment Retirement System of Mississippi in 2025 if it is to remain viable long term, according to a July study.
Legislative actions in the 2024 Session to reduce public employer contribution rate hikes and increase state funding are not enough to address billions in unfunded future benefits to retirees, according to a report released by the Legislature’s third-party watchdog group, the Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee.
Projections show the state’s retirement plan being less than 50% fully funded by 2047 and having $25 billion in liabilities. According to several municipal leaders who spoke to the Clarion Ledger earlier this year, the legislative move from lawmakers in the past session should save public employers from cutting positions and raising taxes to keep and hire more public employees.
“Change in approach for increasing the employer contribution rate, in addition to the one-time funds transfer, reduces the plan’s projected future funded ratio from 65.5% to 49.9%,” the report reads. “…The PERS plan is currently expected to be at a lower-funded level in the future than it currently is today.”
PERS Executive Director Ray Higgins told the Clarion Ledger he wasn’t surprised by the report’s findings.
“The PEER analysis seems to be an accurate report and generally reconciles with our information,” Higgins said. “Also, the legislative action from last session appears to be a short-term solution.”
While the report does not list out any specific recommendations for lawmakers this coming year, it says continued work will be necessary to fix the retirement system that has 118,000 retirees receiving benefits and 147,000 active members paying into the system.
In 2023, the PERS governing board, made up of mostly elected members, as advised by financial actuaries who watch over the state’s retirement plan, passed a rate increase on public employers, such as cities, counties and school districts from 17.40% to 19.90% that was to take effect July 1. The rate would have continued to increase to 22.4% by 2027.
In the 2024 Session, the Legislature passed two bills. Senate 3231, prohibits the PERS Board’s plan to gradually increase the employer contribution rate and replaces it with a plan to increase to 19.90% over the next five years in 0.5% annual increases. SB 3231 also takes the board’s only regulatory power to increase rates and puts it in the hands of the Legislature.
SB 2468 enacts a one-time transfer of $110 million of capital expense funds into the PERS trust.
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Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann’s Deputy Chief of Staff Leah Rupp Smith told the Clarion Ledger efforts Hosemann helped push forward that resulted in those bills’ passage led to a potentially more stable retirement system.
“To avoid this calamity while developing a future solution, the Legislature adopted a less-aggressive employer increase,” Smith wrote via email. “We are now informed the plan has a projected future funding ratio of 65.5% as of 2047, as compared to 48.6% projected one year ago.”
Republican House Speaker Jason White’s Communications Director Taylor Spillman did not reply to several emails requesting White’s comments on the report.
What are the big problems?
Higgins previously said the ratio of retirees to active members has seen a reverse trend since 2013, when there were 93,000 retirees and 162,000 active members. This increases the unfunded liability of the system as fewer people take jobs in government, reducing active members and more people retire, increasing the funding obligation of PERS.
The other issue lies with projections for the retirement plan’s future if state lawmakers decide not to take action in the years to come.
“While the ($110 million) funding for the first year is comparable, each year in the future could potentially see a greater deviation in expected employer contribution revenues for the PERS plan,” the report reads. “This deviation does not immediately constitute a problem for the PERS plan; however, careful evaluation of the plan’s future liabilities and funding needs will be necessary to ensure the sustainability of the PERS plan.”
Are there any solutions?
Higgins and Smith both said future work on PERS is still a top priority.
Higgins specifically mentioned a new retirement benefits package that could be offered to new public sector employees, which the PERS board has called tier 5.
“The Board has previously recommended a tier 5 for new employees to help better sustain PERS in the future and is currently considering what may be included or resubmitted in next year’s legislative package,” Higgins said.
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Earlier this year, Hosemann told the Clarion Ledger he wanted to see evidence that a new tier of benefits could help maintain the retirement system long term. Smith did not confirm whether Hosemann’s office is currently studying that idea in the legislative off season, but she did say the Legislature is looking at several ideas.
“The Legislature is exploring any option for a more viable plan,” Smith said. “The Lt. Governor continues to be committed to fulfilling current employee and retiree benefits, including the cost-of-living adjustment for these individuals.”
Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.
Mississippi
Mississippi football roundup: Alcorn, JSU roll to big wins; Delta State takes first loss – The Vicksburg Post
Mississippi football roundup: Alcorn, JSU roll to big wins; Delta State takes first loss
Published 12:18 am Sunday, September 15, 2024
- Alcorn State quarterback Xzavier Vaughn (15) runs with the football Saturday against Edward Waters. Vaughn scored three rushing touchdowns to lead the Braves to a 38-7 victory. (Alcorn State Athletics)
LORMAN — After starting the season against two tough FBS opponents, Alcorn State took advantage of being the bully for once.
Quarterback Xzavier Vaughn accounted for 228 total yards — 184 passing and 44 rushing — and ran for three touchdowns as the Braves beat NAIA member Edward Waters 38-7 Saturday for their first victory of the season.
Vaughn had two of his three rushing TDs in the second half to help Alcorn (1-2) pull away. Alcorn finished with 201 rushing yards as a team, and limited Edward Waters to 101 total yards.
Alcorn, which plays in the Football Championship Subdivision, lost its first two games to Football Bowl Subdivision members UAB and Vanderbilt by a combined score of 96-3.
Jackson State 33, Southern U. 15
Jackson State scored three touchdowns in the first half to jump out to a huge lead and rolled to a victory over Southern University in its Southwestern Athletic Conference opener.
Jackson State (2-1, 1-0 SWAC) rushed for 201 yards, spread among seven players. Irv Mulligan led the way with 51 yards and a touchdown. Ahmad Miller had 35 yards and a TD, and J.D. Martin had 33 yards and a TD.
Jackson State quarterback Jacobian Morgan completed 12 of 21 passes for 153 yards, with a 30-yard touchdown to Marvin Landy early in the second quarter that helped the Tigers take a 23-0 lead.
Former Warren Central star Joshua Griffin kicked a 29-yard field goal with 36 seconds left in the second quarter for Southern’s first points.
Southern (1-2, 0-1) only had 29 rushing yards as a team, although quarterback Noah Bodden passed for 352 yards and a touchdown.
Murray State 59, Mississippi Valley State 8
Jayden Johannsen threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score, and Murray State (1-2) rushed for 219 yards as a team to beat Mississippi Valley State (0-3).
Johannsen accounted for two touchdowns in the first half as Murray State took a 31-8 lead into halftime.
Ty’Jarian Williams threw a 15-yard TD pass to Kerrick Ross late in the second quarter for Valley’s only touchdown.
Wingate 21, Delta State 7
Wingate (2-0) held Delta State (2-1) to 253 yards of total offense and handed the Statesmen their first loss of the season on Saturday. Wingate had five sacks.
Brooks Bentley completed 16 of 28 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown for Wingate, while O’Brien Barnett and Noah Bell scored rushing touchdowns.
Cole Kirk had a 65-yard touchdown run to give Delta State a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, but that one play accounted for nearly half of the team’s 144 rushing yards.
Texas A&M-Kingsville 27, Mississippi College 7
Roger Hagan ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns, and Texas A&M-Kingsville scored 24 unanswered points to beat Mississippi College (0-3).
Mississippi College took a 7-3 lead on Preston Godfrey’s 59-yard touchdown run with 2:42 left in the first quarter, and then did not score again.
Godfrey finished with 79 rushing yards on seven carries. Choctaws quarterback Eli Anderson was 13-of-17 passing for only 84 yards.
Trinity (Texas) 55, Belhaven 10
Seven players scored touchdowns for Trinity (Texas), and the Tigers scored on offense, defense and special teams in a rout of Belhaven (0-2).
Lamont Nickleberry scored on a 65-yard punt return and Tyson Cornett on a 24-yard interception return for Trinity (1-1). Winston Hutchison led the offense with 80 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Belhaven trailed 34-0 at halftime and got its first points on Constantine Hontzas’ 25-yard field goal midway through the third quarter. It also had a touchdown on a 2-yard pass from Brock Morris to Cooper Tullo with 3:38 left in the game.
The 2024 Mississippi Book Festival kicked off festivities with an unveiling on the Mississippi State Capitol Building steps Saturday morning. A new marker dedicated to the beloved Jackson festival will be added to the Mississippi Writers Trail.
At 9 a.m. Saturday, dozens of festival attendees were already strolling in front of the capitol building perusing the tents lining Mississippi Street. Behind them, a group of guests watched as Holly Lange and Jere Nash unveiled the new marker. Lange and Nash founded the Mississippi Book Festival in 2014 as a way to bring book lovers and authors together to celebrate literature in the heart of Jackson.
The festival, referred to as “the South’s literary lawn party,” celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
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The plaque is the newest marker on the Mississippi Writers Trail, a path designed to turn Mississippi’s literary history into visible markers throughout the state. First opened in 2018, the trail features markers placed in several Mississippi cities from the bottom of the state to the top. Existing markers honor past and present writers, including William Faulkner, Ida B. Wells, Eudora Welty, Tennessee Williams, Willie Morris and Richard Wright among others.
After the festival, the marker will find a permanent home on the capitol building lawn.
David Lewis, executive director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, said the marker is a great way to celebrate 10 years of the book festival.
“What a fitting way to honor the 10th anniversary by cementing it into history and putting a marker here on the grounds,” Lewis said. “What’s so great about the book festival is that it is on the capitol grounds, and that’s a great partnership with the state of Mississippi.”
The marker not only honors Mississippi writers but also the founders of the book festival and the state lawmakers who work with the festival each year.
All of the trail markers are chosen through the Mississippi Arts Commission. Ellen Daniels, executive director of the Mississippi Book Festival, said the new marker, which has been in the works for a year, is an honor.
“It really means (the book festival) has contributed something to the literary culture of the state,” Daniels said.
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Jane Alexander, CEO and president of the Community Foundation for Mississippi, said the new marker is an important reflection of Mississippi’s unique literary history.
“I think it’s really important that people know that Mississippi values our wordsmiths, our writers and the people who bring us ideas and share our ideas,” Alexander said. “It’s something all of us brag about, and so this is sort of the public way to brag about this to anyone who comes to the capitol. We own our history, but we also look forward to the future.”
The Mississippi Book Festival was held Saturday at the Mississippi State Capitol Building with seminars and featured guests, including LaVar Burton and Jesmyn Ward.
Got a news tip? Contact Mary Boyte at mboyte@jackson.gannett.com
JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Questions about rail safety linger for many across Mississippi after a Vicksburg train derailment unfolded earlier this month.
The accident resulted in a man being temporarily trapped under a rail car. According to data compiled by the National League of Cities, derailments in Vicksburg also occurred in 2018, 2021 and 2022. But outside of Warren County, USA Facts data indicates that Mississippi has a disproportionate share of derailments in the U.S.
Mississippi currently accounts for approximately 1.8% of the country’s GDP. Much of that contribution to the national economy never touches a train track. Still, the state currently accounts for roughly 2.1% of the 134,765 train derailments nationally between 1975 and 2022.
Man rescued after train derails in Vicksburg
The number of derailments in Mississippi during that period surpasses 23 states and Washington. Many of those states have larger populations, impact on the national economy and railroad systems than Mississippi.
As of publication, it is unknown why the train derailed in Vicksburg this month. However, USA Facts reveals that half of all train accidents are caused by either mechanical failure or structural issues involving the track or roadbed. Human error is the major factor in 30% of all train accidents.
Even if the train stays on the tracks, train accidents may still be devastating. In late August, two people died after their truck was hit by a train in Copiah County.
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