Jackson Free Press

Walmart is closing six Walmart Express stores in Mississippi, all located in the northern part of the state in small towns. The store closures translate to about 180 lost jobs, but the national corporation said its main focus is to take care of the associates, offering them the option to transfer to nearby Walmart or Sam's Club stores. The Walmart Express stores in Belmont, Mantachie, Sardis, Walnut, Derma and Nettleton will close on January 28.

Walmart spokeswoman Anne Hatfield said that some associates will stay on in the Walmart Express stores until all inventory is removed by the second week of February. Associates that have not transferred will be paid for an additional 60 days, and those associates that have been with the company for a year or longer also have a severance option. Walmart is getting rid of most of the Walmart Express stores nationally, and to compensate for potential food shortages in communities where the stores are closing, Walmart will donate $3,000 to local food banks, Hatfield said.

On a more positive note for Walmart workers, all hourly employees can look forward to a wage increase of $10 per hour as long as they have been with the company since Jan. 1. Workers who started work after Jan. 1 can complete a training program in order to watch their wages jump to $10 per hour. The pay raise goes into effect on Feb. 20. Hatfield said that this is a part of Walmart's commitment to investing in their associates and doing things to ensure their employees are happy and engaged with their work. 2016 is Walmart's second year of a $2.7 billion investment in its workers.

Sen. Josh Harkins, R-Flowood, is touching up a bill that proposes to change the Jackson airport commission structure. Harkins told the Jackson Free Press he will likely file his bill on Monday or Tuesday next week, which will change who appoints and who qualifies to serve on the airport's governing body.

The current commission is made up of five members, all appointed by the Jackson mayor. Harkins' bill will require the commission to include members from Madison, Rankin and city of Jackson. Harkins is still working on the details, but he said it is important for some commissioners to have aviation and business experience.

Jackson-based legislators have vocalized their distaste for the proposed bill, as well as Jackson business leaders calling the bill an attempted "takeover." Harkins said the city of Jackson will not suffer financially from the plan.

Mayor Tony Yarber announced his support of reducing the number of people with mental illnesses in county jails on Tuesday. Yarber presented a resolution in his role of Mayor of the City of Jackson at a rally that the National Alliance on Mental Illness, NAMI, held at the Capitol on Tuesday.

"It is extremely important that we say out loud that we recognize and understand the seriousness of mental illness," Yarber said. "Particularly what our role is at the city of Jackson whether it has to do with interfacing of the police department with those in community who are afflicted with mental illness or making sure health policies are in place (so) that we are dealing with this issue."

NAMI estimates that 2 million people suffer from mental illnesses nationally. NAMI held the rally at the Capitol to bring awareness to the incarceration of people with mental illnesses. The organization, which is partially funded by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, is asking the state to step up its efforts to divert those with mental illnesses from jail and into treatment instead.

Yarber said that mental illness rates are much higher in jails than in the general public, and he said he is committed to "Stepping Up" to share lessons learned across counties and the state to work on making sure those suffering from mental illness in the community get the treatment and services they need instead of going to jail.

"Church protection" would come with firearms if a House bill passes through the Legislature this session. Rep. Andy Gipson, R-Braxton, introduced the "Mississippi Church Protection Act" this week which would give churches legislative permission to create a "security program" that would designate certain members to carry weapons at church.

The bill would establish requirements for members of a church's security program. Members of a security program would be required to have firearms permits and go through an "instructional course in the safe handling and use of firearms." Any member of a church's security program would be immune from civil liability for any action taken while serving on the program.

The bill, HB786, was referred to the House Judiciary B Committee, which is chaired by Rep. Gipson.

The much-anticipated Senate bill that would change the governing authority of the Jackson airport has attracted most of the attention in the airport "takeover" fight between Republican lawmakers and Jackson city officials and citizens, but Rep. Mark Baker, R-Brandon, filed a second airport bill earlier this week in the House of Representatives.

The House bill would dissolve the "municipal airport authority located in a municipality with a population of 173,514 according the 2010 federal decennial census" by June 2017. The only city in the state with that population is Jackson. Rep. Baker's bill goes on to describe a nine-member commission that would replace the municipal airport authority. The new "municipal-regional airport authority" would be made up of a representatives from 9 municipalities.

Rep. Baker's bill does not name municipalities; instead it uses 2010 Census figures to describe each separate municipality that would get representation on his proposed commission. Using 2010 Census numbers, the"municipal-regional airport authority" would be made up of one representative each from Jackson, Madison, Ridgeland, Flowood, Pearl and Brandon. There would be one Hinds County Board of Supervisors commissioner and two Rankin County Board of Supervisors commissioners if Baker's bill passes.

The bill was referred to the House Judiciary A Committee (which Rep. Baker chairs) and the House Ports, Harbors and Airports Committee.

The Southern Poverty Law Center has published a map of active hate groups in the United States, and in Mississippi, there are 19 groups, including several Ku Klux Klan factions. SPLC defines a hate group as having "beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics." Hate group activities include: criminal acts, marches, rallies, speeches, meetings, leafleting or publishing, SPLC's website says.

Nationally, there are 892 hate groups, by SPLC's definition, and since 1999, the number of hate groups in the country has almost doubled. There are 190 Ku Klux Klan groups in the U.S., SPLC data shows.

To view the map visit: https://www.splcenter.org/hate-map.

If [the state flag][1] is going to change, lawmakers from either the Senate or House Rules committee will have to pass a bill through in the next 24 hours.

House Speaker Philip Gunn released a statement defending his position on the state flag, after all filed bills to change the state flag referred to the House Rules Committee died today. No Senate or House flag bill made it out of committee by today's deadline.

Gunn's statement is below, verbatim:

"For anyone to suggest I have surrendered or backed up on my position of changing the flag is simply not true," said Speaker of the House Philip Gunn. "I have not wavered in my viewpoint that we need a different flag to represent Mississippi. I have spoken with many House members both individually and collectively and have tried to convince them to adopt my view."

“I have explored every option from taking legislative action to change the flag to adopting two official flags, but we cannot get a consensus on how to address the issue,” he continued. "I will continue to stand by my view that changing the flag is the right thing to do. The flag is going to change. We can deal with it now or leave for future generations to address. I believe our state needs to address it now. I am disappointed that nothing took shape this year, but I will continue this effort."

A news release from the Mississippi State Department of Health about City of Jackson drinking water is reproduced in its entirety below:

Today the Mississippi State Department of Health– after consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency, is advising all residents who receive their drinking water from the City of Jackson Water System to take the following precautions:

· Before using tap water for drinking or cooking, run your tap on cold for one to two minutes; for more detailed information visit www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/tips/water.htm; · Households should never use hot water for drinking or cooking; · Any child five years of age or younger and any pregnant woman should use filtered water (NSF53 certified filter http//info.nsf.org/Certified/DWTU) or bottled water for drinking and cooking; · Baby formula should be “ready-to-feed” or prepared using only filtered water or bottled water; and · Parents with children six years or younger should contact their child’s pediatrician or primary care provider to ensure adequate lead screening and blood testing have been performed.

“Although the majority of home lead testing performed identified no lead, or lead below the action level of 15 ppb, we are issuing these recommendations as a special precaution for young children and pregnant women,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Thomas Dobbs.

“It’s important to remember simple measures, such as flushing the faucet for one to two minutes, can markedly reduce lead levels in tap water,” added Dobbs.

The Mississippi State Department of Health will mail the above health recommendations about lead to all customers on the City of Jackson Water System, and will closely monitor the City of Jackson’s progress to reduce the corrosiveness of water. Corrosive water leads to leaching of lead in some older homes where plumbing contains lead pipes or lead solder.

“We believe these precautions should remain in place at least six months while the City of Jackson makes the necessary changes required to stabilize the alkalinity and pH levels in the system. These changes should ensure better optimization of corrosion in the Jackson Water System, which should lead to minimal leaching of lead in home plumbing,” said Director of Health Protection Jim Craig.

Mayor Tony Yarber reiterated during a press conference at City Hall Wednesday night that the city’s drinking water system is safe, while at the same time mentioning meetings with Jackson Public Schools superintendent about needed renovations to the corrosion control system.

“I spent a little time today with the superintendent,” the mayor said. “He and I will wrap around. I wanted to make sure that I meet with the team so that…the message will be uniform.”

The city also discussed the possible repair plan to the corrosion control system, estimating the total cost at around $500,000. Director of Public Works Kishia Powell said the city applied for a grant to pay for the repairs but did add that if the money did not come from outside sources, it would come out of the city budget.

Read more about the city of Jackson and the Mississippi State Department of Health's statements on lead levels here.

Note: This post was reported and written by Tim Summers Jr.

The Mississippi Black Legislative Caucus will continue to slow down Republican lawmakers and the legislative process after House Bill 868 set off a debate Wednesday. Rep. Earle Banks, D-Jackson, said his caucus is not going to give up their slim majority and even after a meeting with the Speaker today, have not changed their position.

Rep. Banks said that House Bill 868, which would re-district Simpson County into the same Supreme Court district as Hinds and Madison counties, caused the caucus to vote to slow down the process yesterday. House Bill 868 prompted hours-long debate on Wednesday but ultimately passed to the Senate (after a tabled motion to reconsider).

Today, the Black Legislative Caucus opposed House Bill 14, which would create a moratorium on superintendent salary increases for school districts with C, D and F grades. They asked that the 431-page bill be read, after a long debate on the bill. The bill is still being read and has yet to be voted on. To listen to the live reading click here.

Below is the Black Legislative Caucus' press release in full, from Rep. Banks:

"During the 2016 Legislative Session, the Mississippi House Republicans have hosted one substantive hearing this session. That was on the election dispute involving Bo Eaton and Greg Tullos.

There, the Republican Leadership ignored the testimony of election experts; including the local election commissioners and the Secretary of State; and threw out 5 duly recorded votes. So it's not surprising that the House GOP has given up on the pretense of debating and vetting policy.

Instead, they have rushed out bills that would wreck public education; change voting districts; and throw up bureaucratic red tape for public health programs. Last summer, Speaker Phillip Gunn made a promise that he would not involve any democrats in the policy process. And so far, he has kept his word.

Now comes House Bill 868 which greatly reduces the black vote in the central district. Which in turn would insure a majority white representation from the Supreme Court to the Public Service commissioner. The current political climate in the State of Mississippi has changed like fall winter night as the Republicans have displayed their might in pushing bad legislation to the deferment of our State.

Today, caucus members met with Speaker Gunn to discuss our concerns. As a result, the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus has not changed its position to slow down the process by which Republican lawmakers are passing bills we view as detrimental to Mississippians."

Mississippi is one step closer to election reform after the House passed the 283-page election code bill this morning. The bill is the product of a committee formed by the secretary of state last year, which included lawmakers, circuit clerks and election commissioners from around the state. Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann told the Stennis Capitol Press Forum in February that the reform is "well worth our efforts, and all of these changes are big parts of an interwoven election code that should be passed."

A similar election reform bill is still on the Senate calendar, but it would have to pass today to stay alive. The deadline for original action on either chamber floor for general bills is today. For bills that have been held on a motion to reconsider, the deadline is tomorrow.

Developing story ...

This afternoon is the deadline for general bills held on a motion to reconsider to pass through both the House and the Senate. The Senate calendar includes Jackson airport "takeover" bill and a bill that would prohibit "sanctuary cities" in the state, while the House could take up a bill that passed by one vote that would require the Attorney General to receive written approval from the Outside Counsel Oversight Commission for any lawsuit that would cost more than $250,000 in the amount sought.

The House passed the Attorney General oversight commission bill last Tuesday, but the bill was held on a motion to reconsider after it passed by a vote of 61-60. The Senate debated the airport "takeover" bill for over two hours last Thursday, and after it passed (mainly along party line votes), it was held on a motion to reconsider and not taken up on Friday. The House and the Senate both reconvene at 4 p.m. this afternoon.

The Mississippi State Department of Health if offering lead testing for children on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays until further notice at the Hinds County Health Department located at the Jackson Medical Mall, 350 W. Woodrow Wilson, Suite 411. No appointment is needed.

This service is only provided for children 6 months to 5 years old who regularly consume water from the City of Jackson water system.

The cost of lead testing will be covered by Medicaid, MS CAN (Magnolia and United) and CHIP recipients. For children not covered by those programs, lead testing costs $30.

Parents with children 5 years or younger should contact their child's pediatrician or primary care provider to determine whether lead screening may be needed for their children.

Jackson State University announced some personnel shifts this morning. Dr. Kimberly Hilliard will transition from the Office of Community Engagement to work under President Carolyn Meyers as the Executive Assistant to the President for Special Initiatives.

Read the full press release below:

Dear JSU Family: As previously announced, Mrs. Sandra Hodge will assume the position as Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement on March 15, 2016. Due to the transition, Dr. Kimberly Hilliard, Executive Director of the Office of Community Engagement will fulfill the role of Executive Assistant to the President for Special Initiatives. Dr. Hilliard has over 28 years of experience in the areas of engineering, urban planning, and community development. As the Director of the Office of Community Engagement, she has provided leadership in connecting JSU with local and state agencies, community-based organizations, and local residents and businesses. She obtained her Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning from Jackson State University in 2007 and has worked in various community-oriented roles for JSU since 2004. She holds several statewide and local board appointments. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Hilliard to this new position that will commence on March 15, 2016. She will also retain oversight of the community engagement work for the university and serve as a member of my executive leadership team. Carolyn W. Meyers President

Below is a verbatim press release from Rep. David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, the House minority whip leader, released today:

House Democratic Caucus Leader David Baria issued the following statement regarding Speaker Philip Gunn’s refusal to adhere to agreed upon promises for debate and discussion in the chamber:

"I want to clarify for the public 2 important points regarding the activities in the Mississippi House yesterday.

The reason that members of the Hinds County delegation were requesting that bills be read is very simple-- the Speaker broke his promise to them that the Jackson Airport takeover bill would be killed. I expect that bills will be read again today. The House Democratic Caucus supports the Hinds County delegation on this important issue.

The other point of clarification has to do with the rule on Points of Personal Privilege. As you are aware, we negotiated a deal with the Speaker to restore the rule with slight modifications. During the negotiations the Speaker came to me with a proposal to restore the rule, but only recognize members at the end of the day. I told him that we would not accept having to wait until the end of the day. After a few days in which he contemplated our position, he agreed and offered a 10-minute time limit instead. We agreed to the time limit and reached a deal on a new rule. The Speaker also represented to us that while we were removing language from the rule that made the personal privilege a precedent motion, he would not make members wait until the end of the day. Yesterday, when a member sought recognition for a point of personal privilege the Speaker said he would not recognize him until the end of the day. When the member was recognized he questioned why he had to wait all day when the rule did not require it. The Speaker responded that because certain language had been removed from the rule he had the discretion to refuse to recognize a request for a point of personal privilege until the end of business. This is clearly a breach of our agreement reached only a week ago.

I have expressed my profound disappointment on these 2 issues to the Speaker in a personal letter. Unfortunately, his actions have made it much more difficult to work together as trust is such an important factor in conducting the business of the House."

The Senate passed House Bill 1523 on March 30, which would allow certain elected officials, businesses and religious organizations to not offer services based on their religious belief that marriage is between a man and a woman. Although the bill's proponents say it protects individuals from government discrimination, its critics say the bill actually allows discrimination based on religious belief. Read about the full debate here.

Below is a list of organizations that oppose House Bill 1523:

Mississippi Economic Council, the state's Chamber of Commerce

The Mississippi Economic Council has updated its overall policy on diversity and opposes HB1523. Full statement below:

“As the State Chamber of Commerce for a state that has proven its hospitable and business-friendly approach, MEC opposes efforts that would intentionally or unintentionally prevent Mississippi businesses from implementing and enforcing non-discrimination policies or that would limit diversity and inclusion impacting their customers and employees. HB 1523 conflicts with this policy."

IBM "IBM is disappointed by the Mississippi legislature's passage of H.B. 1523, because we believe this legislation with permit discrimination against people based on their marriage status, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression.

"IBM encourages Governor Bryant not to approve H.B 1523, and will continue to support passage by Congress of the Equality Act, which would provide federal non-discrimination protection to all Americans."

AT&T

"AT&T supports our freedom of speech and religion just as vigorously as we oppose discrimination. Legislation that permits discrimination against any of our employees or customers conflicts with our core values. Our position on discrimination is simple; we oppose it."

Levi Strauss & Co. "We believe that treating all people equally and fairly is good for business, and discrimination has no place anywhere. #NoOnHB1523"

Mass Mutual Tweet: "Diversity is a core value @massmutual. We encourage Gov. @PhilBryantMS to keep MS open for business and veto #HB1523."

Lance Bass Tweet: "An anti-LGBT bill in Mississippi is dangerously close to becoming law. Take action with me & @HRC to say #NoOnHB1523 hrc.org/Mississippi"

Statement: "Mississippi is my home—I was born there and grew up there. My husband Michael and I frequently travel back to Laurel to spend time with family. However, the state we know and love is under attack by hateful lawmakers who want to legalize discrimination. If they have their way, on our next visit, Michael and I could be kicked out of a hotel or refused emergency shelter in a storm just because of who we are. That does not sound like the Hospitality State. We are better than this bill, and I urge my fellow Mississippians to join me in calling on Governor Bryant to veto HB1523 when it reaches his desk." Read Diana Bass, Lance's mother, testifying to her church about learning that her son was gay: http://www.jacksonfreepress.com/news/2014/apr/30/diane-bass-testimony-her-church/

ACLU of Mississippi

Executive director of the ACLU of Mississippi Jennifer Riley-Collins released this statement today:

"The ACLU of Mississippi is deeply disturbed that the Mississippi State Senate passed …

The Jackson Free Press obtained a statement from Nissan after inquiring about their stance on House Bill 1523. The statement is reproduced in full below:

“Nissan is committed to providing our employees with an inclusive workplace environment that supports diversity. It is Nissan’s policy to prohibit discrimination of any type, and we oppose any legislation that would allow discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals.”

A U.S. District Judge ruled Mississippi's adoption ban for same-sex couples unconstitutional today. U.S. District Judge Daniel P. Jordan released an order in the Campaign for Southern Equality v. Mississippi Department of Human Services preliminary enjoining MDHS from enforcing Mississippi's same-sex adoption ban.

Jordan dismissed the complaints against the governor and the attorney general in the case, but said that MDHS is involved in the adoption process and therefore responsible for enforcing Mississippi's ban on same-sex couples adopting in the state. Jordan ruled that the ban violates the Equal Protection Clause and ruled that the executive director of MDHS is not allowed to enforce the adoption ban, as of today.

Read the whole order here. Read more about the CSE v. MDHS case here.

Sen. John Horhn, D-Jackson, held a press conference this morning with House and Senate Democrats calling on the legislative leadership to suspend the rules and bring back Senate Bill 2147, Horhn's bill that would create a commission to re-design the Mississippi state flag.

Horhn and other lawmakers called on the people of the state to reach out to the legislative leadership and said it's time for a change of heart.

"What we need is a heart transplant and a change of heart in this state," Horhn said.

Several lawmakers said they want the state flag to change by 2017 for the state's bicentennial as well as the 71st Annual Meeting of the Southern Legislative Conference, which will be held in Mississippi. At the press conference, Sen. Sollie Norwood, D-Jackson, said that some of their colleagues are not interested in coming to Mississippi if the current state flag is still flying.

"We've already been advised by some of our colleagues in other states that they're not interested in coming to Mississippi because Mississippi still flies a Confederate flag," Norwood said. "I think it would be a tragedy if we lose the opportunity for our colleagues to come to our state and celebrate with us as we've gone to their states and (celebrated) with them because of our refusal to take down this flag."