Mississippi

This week in politics: Reeves uses budget meeting to urge on tax reform

Published

12 months ago

November 17, 2024

This week in politics: Reeves uses budget meeting to urge on tax reform

Updates on Medicaid policy, former Medicaid director and US Sen. Roger Wicker

State leaders are again looking toward the 2025 Mississippi Legislative Session now that most elections are over and the money they will have to set the new state budget.

Members of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, consisting of Republicans Gov. Tate Reeves; Speaker of the House Jason White of West; and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and others, agreed Thursday to set the state’s Fiscal Year 2026 revenue estimate at $7.62 billion.

In the spring, they will vote to set a more concrete estimate, which is used to determine the actual state budget.

The current figure is less than $30 million above what was estimated for Fiscal Year 2025, which began in July.

During the meeting, Reeves said about $600 million of unspent tax dollars remains in this year’s budget and suggested the committee members, made up of House and Senate lawmakers, to give that money “back to the taxpayers.”

Both Hosemann and White are eyeing major tax cuts in the 2025 Session. Hosemann has publicly advocated for a cut of the state’s 7% grocery tax, while White is looking to take an axe to the state’s personal income tax.

Reeves has been on record for years saying the income tax should be cut, which is currently being phased down to 4% by FY 2026.

“There are lots of crosshairs on that $600 million that you speak of,” White said, jokingly, in response to Reeves’ suggestion.

State Economist Corey Miller told the committee sales tax revenues are growing at a slower pace than in the previous three years, while income tax revenues despite the phasedown, are up.

Former Medicaid director is now leading up a healthcare lobbying group

Former Mississippi Division of Medicaid Executive Director Drew Snyder appears to have found a new job, albeit not very far from his last one.

On Tuesday, Capitol Resources, a powerful lobbying group in Mississippi and beyond, announced Snyder will lead Health Resources LLC, its latest division aimed at healthcare policy.

“Health Resources is a health policy consulting and strategic advisory firm whose primary focus is advancing sound healthcare policy and providing impactful solutions for clients in the healthcare sector,” a press release states.

When asking if Snyder would be in violation of any state ethics guidelines by working in the same sector as his previous vocation, the Clarion Ledger was provided an ethics opinion on the Mississippi Ethics Commission website. Ethics commission questions are posted with those who asked for the opinion listed anonymously.

The commission ruled if a former state agency head does not work directly with their new company’s clients that do work with that state agency, there shouldn’t be an issue.

“I could not be more excited to be part of Health Resources and contribute to a mission that aligns with my passion to enhance operational efficiency and deliver cost-efficient, high-quality care,” Snyder said in the press release.

Gov. Reeves ‘open to discussions’ about Medicaid

Speaking of Medicaid. Reeves said he is hoping that Trump will allocate Medicaid funding in a block grant to the state rather than the current funding model.

Each year, Mississippi currently receives approximately $6.5 billion federal funds for Medicaid. Reeves said during a meeting Wednesday he thinks that money has too many federal restrictions.

Reeves has for years been an opponent of Medicaid expansion. During the 2024 Session, the Clarion Ledger reported his unwavering opposition to Medicaid expansion at every juncture.

Medicaid expansion was considered for the first time in a decade in the Legislature this year, but Senate and House lawmakers could not come to an agreement on expansion specifics by a legislative deadline to do so.

Both Hosemann and White have vowed to return Medicaid expansion to the forefront of state politics in 2025.

With US Senate GOP majority, Wicker now reps Mississippi in a powerful position

As Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker makes his way back to Washington, D.C., for the next four years, he will be walking into a position of high regard.

As the most senior member of the now-majority party on the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Wicker is tapped as its chairman, sources close to the senator confirmed and according to Senate procedure.

With Wicker in the driver’s seat of the committee, he will have serious sway on any conflict-related policy and spending. It will certainly be interesting to see how he moves on policy in the near future.

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

Three business organizations joining forces to become the Mississippi Business Alliance

Published

18 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Press Room

Three business organizations joining forces to become the Mississippi Business Alliance

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – The state’s top lawmakers and business leaders mingled at the Mississippi Coliseum on Thursday morning – tradition for the annual Hobnob event.

The Mississippi Economic Council played host for the 24th and final time.

If you’re involved with politics or business, you’ve heard of these three organizations and the work they’ve been doing.

The Mississippi Economic Council, the Mississippi Manufacturers Association, and the Business and Industry Political Education Committee.

“Mississippi needed a single authoritative and common voice for business,” explained MEC Chair John Hairston. “Policy makers were asking for clarity when it comes to legislative priorities. Business owners were asking for alignment of our policies, and our members were asking to become more impactful.”

So, these three groups will become one.

“Will represent every sector of Mississippi’s economy under one banner: the Mississippi Business Alliance,” said Scott Waller, MEC President and CEO.

The new rebranding was unveiled in front of the Hobnob crowd.

However, things officially began with the merged efforts on Jan. 1.

“Previously, you had legislators and policymakers trying to look for advice or input and they had three different organizations that were similar and overlapped,” described John McKay, current head of the Mississippi Manufacturers Association.

McKay will lead the Mississippi Business Alliance.

The joint organization will build on the already existing work of the three groups – everything from policy to workforce development and vetting of business-friendly candidates.

According to policymakers, there will be a value in having a singular group for business interests.

“These three organizations are merging not just to consolidate, but to elevate,” Gov. Tate Reeves emphasized.

“To have a unified voice is very helpful to those of us who are supposed to implement public policy,” Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said.

And they’re looking at this as more than a simple merger.

“It’s really a transformation of how we operate and sponsor the business community moving forward,” Hairston continued. “It’s the uniting of our collective strengths into one clear and very decisive force for progress into the future, for the benefit of our grandchildren and those that come after them.”

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Mississippi

Mississippi woman searches for daughter in Jamaica

Published

2 days ago

October 30, 2025

Press Room

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.

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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Mississippi

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

Published

2 days ago

October 29, 2025

Press Room

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”.

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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