Jackson Free Press

Barbour Reaffirms Vow to Sue

In response to Attorney General Jim Hood's statement yesterday that his office needed additional time to assess the constitutionality of the health-care reform bill signed by President Barack Obama earlier …

Hood Delays Health-Care Suit

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is waiting to act on Gov. Haley Barbour's request that Mississippi to sue the federal government over health-care reform. "Since the reconciliation bill will remove …

Bonds, Boards and the School for the Blind

Ah, spring—the season when a state lawmaker's mind turns to money. The Mississippi Legislature spent most of last week considering appropriations bills; lawmakers had until Friday to concur or invite …

Bluster Isn't Enough, Governor

Earlier this week, Gov. Haley Barbour announced that he would sue the federal government over the new health-care law the U.S. Congress passed March 21. In his usual windy style …

Legislators Want Session Postponed for Education Funds

The Mississippi Legislature should suspend negotiations on the 2011 budget for three weeks until lawmakers know whether the state will receive an additional $150 million in federal money, Rep. Cecil …

Barbour to Challenge Health Care Reform

Gov. Haley Barbour yesterday asked Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood to challenge the constitutionality of the health-care reform legislation passed by the U.S. Congress on Sunday. If Hood refuses to …

Lawmakers to Rally for Education Funds Tomorrow

House Education Committee Chairman Cecil Brown, D-Jackson, will lead a rally in support of education funding tomorrow in the rotunda of the state Capitol at 11 a.m. The rally comes …

Community Events and Public Meetings

11:30 a.m., Stress Presentation, at Jackson Medical Mall (350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.), in the Community Meeting Room is presented by the Jackson State University chapter of the Master of …

Haley Barbour: Heath Reform ‘Crammed' Down Americans' Throats

Also see: Immediate Effect of Health-Reform Bill

Shortly after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the historic health-reform bill, Gov. Haley Barbour released the following statement, verbatim:

Barbour Leads Anti-Health Reform Rhetoric

Gov. Haley Barbour and other opponents of health-care reform are making final efforts to derail an upcoming House vote on the Senate health-care package this Sunday.

Bill Adds Teeth to Stalking Law

Sitting on Gov. Haley Barbour's desk this morning awaiting his signature is a bill designed to give Mississippi's stalking laws some bite. House bill 1309 revises and strengthens the definition …

Medical Examiner Bill Sent To Barbour

The Mississippi Legislature has passed a bill that would require state medical examiners to be certified forensic pathologists. The House of Representatives today approved Senate changes to House Bill 1456, …

Strangulation, Security and Suffrage

Both chambers of the state Legislature spent the past week considering bills from the opposite chamber. The House amended Senate Bill 2923—a bill that expands domestic assault to include strangulation …

Revenue Estimates Down, Barbour to Announce Budget Cuts

With newly revised revenue estimates projecting a slow recovery for the state economy, Gov. Haley Barbour is preparing to cut an additional $41 million from the state budget for this …

Barbour Signs Strip Club Bill

Gov. Haley Barbour signed a bill on March 15 giving rural counties authority to regulate strip clubs. House Bill 170 demands supervisors publish and post notice of any proposed ordinance …

Silver Alert Legislation Awaits Barbour's Signature

Keeping our parents and grandparents safe is the goal of a Mississippi House bill creating a Silver Alert system. The system, based on Amber Alerts for children, will allow family …

Community Events and Public Meetings

8:30 a.m., Stimulus Funding Opportunities Conference, at River Room Conference Center (100 Ridge Drive, Flowood). The Mississippi Development Authority will host a conference to explain opportunities for Mississippi-based certified minority …

Clarion-Ledger Drops Stringfellow Column After First Lady Flap

Eric Stringfellow, who has worked with The Clarion-Ledger as a writer or editor since 1982, revealed today that the executive editor of the paper, Ronnie Agnew, has dropped his column. …

Gov. and Dems Play Blame Game

Gov. Haley Barbour and House Democrats are blaming each other for the Legislature's failure to re-authorize the Mississippi Department of Employment Security, an agency that provides workforce services and dispenses …

Appropriations and Pole-Dancing

The House and Senate agreed on a major appropriation bill last week, when negotiators came to terms on appropriations bill SB 2495, which restores $82 million to the Fiscal Year …