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This week in politics: Legislators honor, reflect on legacy of Robert Clark

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This week in politics: Legislators honor, reflect on legacy of Robert Clark



Updates on what happened on committee deadline last week, what legislative priorities are now dead

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As the past week’s legislative business came and went, several House and Senate lawmakers made speeches and posts on social media on the life and legacy of former House Speaker Pro Tempore Robert Clark.

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Clark, who died on March 4 at the age of 96, was the first Black man elected to the Mississippi Legislature since 1894, and had served as a symbol of progressiveness in the legislature, his colleagues said several times throughout the week.

At first, when Clark was elected in 1967, he was remanded to a one-person desk and put in the corner of the House chamber, not being recognized to speak or make motions on the House floor or even to sit alongside his colleagues.

That, however, did not stop him from inspiring other Black politicians to run for office and serve in the state’s legislature. Nor did it stop him from his significant rise to prominence in the House.

Clark in his time would rise to chair the House Education Committee, a powerful panel of lawmakers overseeing funding, structures of and reforms to Mississippi’s education system.

After that in 1992, he became the House Speaker Pro Tempore, the second-highest position in the House with the responsibility of overseeing the chamber when the speaker was away. He would serve in that position until his retirement in 2004.

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“His leadership paved the way for greater representation of African Americans in Mississippi politics, inspiring generations of public servants to follow in his footsteps,” said Cheikh Taylor, D-Starkville, Mississippi Democratic Party chairman. “Representative Clark’s legacy is one of courage, perseverance, and unwavering commitment to justice.”

When Clark’s death was announced, both Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and House Speaker Jason White, who is also from Holmes County, like Clark, honored his memory.

“He was a trailblazer and icon for sure,” White said to the House chamber on Tuesday. “He was always mighty good to me when I was elected to office.”

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Clark served as the only Black lawmaker for nearly a decade. Today, there are more than 50 Black legislators in Mississippi.

What happened in the capitol last week?

As lawmakers considered bills in committee by Tuesday’s legislative deadline, many pieces of legislation were left on the chopping block.

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By the end of the day, both Senate and House lawmakers had killed about 100 bills that previously passed the Senate and House chamber, respectively, according to Mississippi Statewatch, a legislative intelligence service.

Notably, the legislature’s only vehicle to make reforms to the Public Employment Retirement System of Mississippi was abruptly killed by the House Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee.

When asked why the committee didn’t take up the legislation that would have established a new retirement benefits package for government employees, Chairman Kevin Ford, R-Vicksburg, said he simply needed more time to consider the legislation.

“The failure to pass SB2439, despite countless hours of work in collaboration with the PERS Board and others, is devastating for Mississippi,” Hosemann told the Clarion Ledger in a written response. “Gov. Barbour warned of this crisis in 2009, and it has only worsened. SB2439 ensures funds for our retirees and state employees, including teachers, while providing an increased competitive benefit for future hires. This is a disaster.”

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The committee had originally been scheduled to take up the bill, but the committee never did, and it was not on the final agenda.

Ford’s House committee was not the only one to do that after Senate committees killed House priorities by not bringing them up, raising questions of whether House and Senate lawmakers were at that point trading blows.

Tuesday morning, the Senate Education Committee let a flurry of House school choice bills die without consideration. Similarly, the Senate Gaming Committee did not bring up a House-approved bill to establish mobile sports betting in Mississippi.

Later that day, several House committees killed Senate bills and changed others. For example, when the House Education Committee met at 1:30 p.m., it quickly recessed so Chairman Rob Roberson, R-Starkville, could meet with House leadership to figure out what to do next.

When the committee re-met hours later, it killed many Senate education bills, passing only one with an amendment inserting a portability bill into the legislation, which would allow students to move between school districts more easily.

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House Gaming Chairman Casey Eure, R-Saucier, also inserted his mobile sports betting bill into a Senate bill to reform the Tidelands Act, a law that creates a boundary between private and public land on the coast.

As for Hosemann and White’s legislative priorities for the year, some such as income tax cuts are very much still alive, some hang by a thread, like school choice, and others are at this point dead.

Those that are totally dead are state retirement system benefits reforms, ballot initiative restoration and suffrage restoration for some nonviolent felony holders.

Grant McLaughlin covers the Legislature and state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.



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Mississippi

Mississippi woman searches for daughter in Jamaica

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Mississippi woman searches for daughter in Jamaica


JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – A Mississippi mother is searching for answers after not being able to get in contact with her daughter who is trapped in Jamaica from Hurricane Melissa.

Lori Washington, an Ocean Springs native, told 3 On Your Side that she has not heard from her daughter since Monday.

“Now my mind is flashing back to the phone call that I got when my soldier was killed,” Washington said. “My oldest boy was killed in 2014 and now I’m scared that I’m going to get another phone call.”

She shared that her daughter, Lasha Thornton, travels frequently for work and the last location she knew of her whereabouts was Trelawny, Jamaica.

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Washington says Thornton just turned 26 and must’ve been in Jamaica for her birthday.

In a text from her daughter Monday, Washington shared that she informed her the airports were shut down, and she would have to wait out the storm.

It has now been two days since hearing from her daughter, and Washington is doing all that she can to find answers.

“Once some reporter over there can hear this and make sure that my daughter is either at the convention center, where they have some of the tourists, or if they can check, I just want to know she’s okay and that she’s eating and she’s hydrated,” Washington said. “And I want her to come home, it’s time to come home.”

According to a post Tuesday on the country’s government website, there were around 6,000 people in shelters.

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Lab monkeys on loose after Mississippi crash were disease-free, university says

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Lab monkeys on loose after Mississippi crash were disease-free, university says


A group of monkeys being transported on a Mississippi highway that escaped captivity on Tuesday after the truck carrying them overturned did not carry a dangerous infectious disease, a university has said.

The truck was carrying rhesus monkeys, which typically weigh around 16lb (7.7kg) and are among the most medically studied animals on the planet.

Video shows monkeys crawling through tall grass on the side of Interstate 59 just north of Heidelberg, Mississippi, with wooden crates labeled “live animals” crumpled and strewn about.

The local sheriff’s department initially said the monkeys were carrying diseases including herpes, but Tulane University said in a statement that the monkeys “have not been exposed to any infectious agent”.

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All but one of the escaped monkeys were killed, the Jasper county sheriff’s department said in a post on Facebook, warning that the monkeys were “aggressive”.

They were being housed at the Tulane University National Biomedical Research Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, which routinely provides primates to scientific research organizations, according to the university.

The crash happened about 100 miles (160km) from the state capital of Jackson. It was not clear what caused the truck to overturn.

The Associated Press contributed to this report



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What oddsmakers predict will happen when Mississippi State faces Arkansas

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What oddsmakers predict will happen when Mississippi State faces Arkansas


Mississippi State’s hope of reaching six wins and going to a bowl game this season are on life support.

The Bulldogs have lost their last four games, all SEC games, and in heart-breaking fashion, too. Two of those losses were overtime games and another was lost on last minute interception.

Mississippi State needs a win, not just for its bowl game aspirations, but also to give the fanbase something to cheer about instead of calling for a coaching change.

“One, thank you for the support, the atmosphere and the energy. And Saturday was as good as it gets,” Bulldogs’ coach Jeff Lebby said Monday when asked about what his message to the upset fans. “You’ve all heard me talk about how much I appreciate our community and our connection and the passion, the love that people have for Mississippi State. I love that. That’s one of the greatest things about our university.

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“I hate that (the fans are) not getting to enjoy (wins). My hope is that we have the ability to go take care of business and go get a tough, hard win on the road on Saturday. And then come back home to another great crowd.”

Fortunately, Mississippi State’s opponent this week represents the most winnable SEC game left on its schedule, even if Lebby won’t admit that’s what Arkansas is.

“No, not in the least bit,” Lebby said. “We’re playing the best two and six football team in the country this week. They’ve got a quarterback that is elite at everything that he does. They have played really well offensively. Auburn did a really good job defensively the other day, creating some turnovers. Arkansas struggled in the red zone a little bit.

“But their ability to score and play great offensively is very well documented. And then defensively, they’ve played better. They haven’t been great against the run, but they were better this past week.”

But that doesn’t change the fact the odds for the Bulldogs this week are the best they’ll be the rest of the season.

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Odds via FanDuel Sportsbook

Spread

Mississippi State: +4.5 (-112)
Arkansas: -4.5 (-108)

Moneyline

Mississippi State: +158
Arkansas: -192

Total

Over: 67.5 (-110)
Under: 67.5 (-110)



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