Jackson Free Press

Gov. Phil Bryant joined 15 other governors in pledging to refuse Syrian refugees should they be sent to Mississippi, following the terrorist attacks in Paris over the weekend that left 129 people dead and hundreds wounded in France.

Meanwhile, President Barack Obama has pledged to accept about 10,000 Syrian refugees and argued Monday that the United States needs to allow them because many are fleeing terrorism, and that they would undergo rigorous security checks before being admitted to the U.S.

"We also have to remember that many of these refugees are the victims of terrorism themselves. That’s what they’re fleeing. Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values. Our nations can welcome refugees who are desperately seeking safety. And ensure our own security. We can and must do both," Obama said today at the G20 summit.

Mainly Republican governors from 16 states (including neighboring states Louisiana and Alabama) are responding to heightened concerns that terrorists might use the refugees as cover to sneak across borders after authorities said a Syrian passport was found near one of the attackers on Friday, according to an AP report. The Paris prosecutors' office says fingerprints from the attacker match those of someone who passed through Greece in October.

Bryant said in a statement that he is working with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security to determine the "current status" of any Syrian refugees that could be coming to Mississippi in the future.

Lavinia Limon, president and CEO of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigration, told the Associated Press that under the Refugee Act of 1980 governors cannot legally block refugees. Each state has a refugee coordinator, a post created as part of that law and funded by the federal government. The refugee coordinator helps with resettlement efforts and directs federal funding for refugees in each state, Limon told the AP.

Gov. Phil Bryant's statement is below:

"I’m currently working with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety and Mississippi Office of Homeland Security to determine the current status of any Syrian refugees that may be brought to our state in the near future. I will do everything humanly possible to stop any plans from the Obama administration to put Syrian refugees in Mississippi. The policy of bringing these individuals into the country is not only misguided, it is extremely dangerous. I’ll be notifying President Obama of my decision today to resist this potential action."

A new study found that Mississippi has the highest percentage of at-risk hospitals, mainly rural facilities that are caught in the crunch of rising healthcare costs and less reimbursements while serving at-risk populations that need the care.

Researchers from the Center for Mississippi Health Policy, Mississippi State and the University of Memphis identified 31 hospitals (33 percent) of hospitals in Mississippi as "at-risk," and using the State Auditor's report and their own research, focused on solutions and the impact of the closure of the nine most at-risk hospitals. The report states that if those nine hospitals close, around 2,600 jobs would be lost along with $8.6 million in state and local tax revenue. If Medicaid were expanded in the state, the hospitals could compensate for some of the Medicaid Disproportionate Share payments that allow the facilities to offer services to uninsured patients. The State Department of Health’s Office of Rural Health has so far offered assistance to the rural hospitals and has grants available to help facilities implement financial recovery programs.

The 9 hospitals most at-risk for closure:

• Covington County Hospital

• Highland Community Hospital

• Holmes County Hospital & Clinics

• Tippah County Hospital

• Hardy Wilson Memorial Hospital

• Montfort Jones Memorial Hospital

• Natchez Regional Medical Center

• Noxubee County General

• Tallahatchie County General Hospital

The Mississippi Business Journal is reporting that Farish Street in downtown Jackson may soon have a new developer with plans to move forward with an entertainment district.

Mississippi has earned a D- grade on the Center for Public Integrity's 2015 investigation of state government transparency and accountability issues. The state's overall rank nationally is 33rd out of 50 states.

After this year's election, it should come as no surprise that Mississippi was ranked last in the campaign-finance category.

As early as the primary elections, disputes over personal campaign-finance spending raged. For example, Stacey Pickering, the state's auditor, used campaign-finance money to buy an RV and a garage door. He said at the time that the FBI was not investigating, despite reports to the contrary.

Advocacy organizations played important roles in the campaign-finance game too--especially in DeSoto County where four Republican legislators were ousted for their anti-charter school views when Empower Mississippi, a pro-charter organization, funded their opponents' successful campaigns.

The only regulations in place in Mississippi state law limit corporate donations to candidates or political parties. Individuals, lobbyists, political initiatives or political action committees are not limited in their spending on candidates or campaigns, an important factor in the Initiative 42 public-school funding campaign and the "Vote No" anti-42 campaign this last election. Dark money--donations made through or by organizations with no transparency about motivation or primary sourcing--influenced both sides of the Initiative 42 debate.

Mississippi also received failing grades in the following categories: public information access, electoral oversight, executive accountability and judicial accountability.

The report stated that Mississippi could rise from its last-place rank if legislators would examine and update campaign-finance laws in the state.