JFP Blogs (http://blogs.jacksonfreepress.com/author/arielledreher/page/4/)
The special session will start at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 5. The session will focus on state appropriations and incorporating best practices that will bolster our ability to maintain a balanced budget and healthy finances. The session should last one, perhaps two, days, in order to minimize costs to taxpayers.
The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus has called for Rep. Karl Oliver, R-Winona, to resign from his post representing District 46, after he made a Facebook post on Saturday calling for the “LYNCHING” of those who brought down the Confederate monuments in New Orleans. Yesterday, Oliver removed the post and issued an apology. House Speaker Philip Gunn condemned Oliver’s statements and stripped him of his vice-chairmanship. Below is the full verbatim statement from the Legislative Black Caucus, published by Chairwoman Rep. Sonya Williams-Barnes, D-Gulfort, on Twitter this morning:
The MS Legislative Black Caucus is calling for the immediate resignation of State Representative Karl Oliver for his statement calling for the lynching of people responsible for the removal of Confederate statutes in New Orleans, LA. “Members of the MS legislature already struggle to work across party, racial and gender lines. Continue Reading
In case you missed it, the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act, jokingly referred to as “Trumpcare” by some, this afternoon. The bill repeals several parts of the Affordable Care Act, more often called “Obamacare,” replacing it with legislation that will cut Medicaid funding, allow seniors to be charged more for healthcare as well as allow states to determine what pre-existing conditions insurance companies must cover for their residents. (The ACA required insurers to cover preexisting conditions.)
The bill also repeals several taxes implemented by the ACA, which were used to make insurance plans available to more Americans, while requiring all Americans to have insurance or be fined. The AHCA repeals that penalty and mandate to have health insurance, too; however, as BBC reports, Americans who forgo health insurance for more than 63 days after the bill passes would have to pay a 30 percent surcharge on their insurance payments for a year. The Senate still has to pass the bill before President Donald Trump could sign it into law, but the bill’s passage signals the coming change to healthcare in the nation–and the state with Republicans in charge of the White House and Congress. Continue Reading
The University of Mississippi Medical Center will close the University Wellness Center Downtown and University Wellness Center Northeast, both in Jackson, by April 1. The press release from UMMC says the closures are due to “unanticipated cuts in patient care reimbursement and other budget reductions.” “We regret having to close these locations but our need to improve our finances leaves us little choice,” said Kevin Cook, chief executive officer of UMMC’s health system said in a press release. “We are attempting to minimize impacts on employees and members through this transition.”
On Feb. 22, UMMC administrators announced that departments and units across campus must identify ways to reduce expenses and/or increase revenue by a net $24 million by June 30. Continue Reading