It gets on my every last nerve to hear people at events I cover say “the liberal news media.” Telling the truth is neither liberal nor is it conservative: it’s fundamental for democracy. This isn’t a joke to me.
Mike Watkins, a Mississippi medical-cannabis patient and consultant, rallied protesters Monday morning after Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed two medical-cannabis bills.
“This is a worthy cause, an easy win, and I believe we can get the votes, but you got to put in the work," Watkins said.
buff.ly/JU2GHeg
Got on the elevator with a couple of legislators. One said, (paraphrasing), "I'm ready to go home. We're at the point in the session where we're just irritating each other." And ain't that the truth. Sine Die is on Sunday, but I'm doubtful we'll be here that long. Hopefully tomorrow is the last day.
The official portrait of former Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn was unveiled on Wednesday at the Mississippi Capitol Building.
Read Heather's story: buff.ly/h7HmXKx
Let conference weekend begin.
Philip Gunn served in the Mississippi House for nearly two decades and spent more than half of his tenure as speaker. His portrait in the Mississippi Capitol Building joined those who preceded him in the role.
buff.ly/h7HmXKx
Mississippi Republicans are pushing to verify the U.S. citizenship of every voter on the state’s rollbooks annually under the SHIELD Act.
The bill is headed to Gov. Tate Reeves for his signature.
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Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves accused the Senate clerk's office of removing language from the Winter Storm Fern recovery bill after its contents had already been approved by the Legislature.
He said it "calls into question the validity of every bill that I have signed into law this session."
Follow reporter @heatherharrison.bsky.social as she continues to report on the ongoings at the Mississippi Legislature, keeping power in check and reporting the facts.
Also, follow @mississippifreepress.org and please consider donating to support our non-profit, paywall-free journalism!
The Mississippi Legislature has passed several medical-cannabis bills that have the support of patients and caregivers, including ‘right-to-try’ and removing the concentrate potency cap. They now head to Gov. Tate Reeves’ desk for consideration.
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House Bill 895 also allows medical cannabis caregivers to reapply for their caregiver cards every 2 years instead of annually.
The potency cap for medical cannabis concentrate products may soon be lifted House Bill 895. It removes the 60% potency cap for concentrates, like Rick Simpson Oil, which means patients could buy the full-strength version of these products without the Legislature limiting their potency.
If a person has a non-qualifying medical condition, the person’s treating doctor may decide that they are a good candidate to try medical cannabis and would then refer the patient’s case to the state health officer, who would personally approve or deny the person’s application under H.B. 1152.
Mississippians who do not qualify for the state's medical cannabis program may be able to try the program under the sole approval of the state health officer under a bill that may soon become law.
The Mississippi Legislature confuses me because the House has an electronic voting board on the floor but doesn't livestream committee meetings, while the Senate livestreams meetings but votes on the Senate floor via roll-call with senators having to vocalize their position when their name is called
I was tanning on a boat in 80° sunny weather yesterday. Today I’m wearing a sweater and winter coat while watching snow flurries fall in 38° weather. Only in Mississippi.
They have😭 I’ve been twice this week in preparation for Michaela’s 30th birthday party and wasn’t ID’d either time
Follow @heatherharrison.bsky.social for more Mississippi Legislature updates.
The Mississippi Senate has passed a teacher pay raise with $6,000 for most K-12 teachers, $9,000 for special education teachers, $2,000 for assistant teachers and $2,000 for college educators.
www.mississippifreepress.org/6000-teacher...
Well, I guess I’m officially old. A high-school page said, “Excuse me, ma’am” as we passed each other on the Mississippi Senate’s secret stairs. At least he was polite!
NEW: A Mississippi bill criminalizing mail-order abortion pills as "drug trafficking" is headed to the Missisisppi governor's desk after passing both the House and Senate.
@heatherharrison.bsky.social reports: www.mississippifreepress.org/bill-crimina...
A teacher pay raise is back in the realm of possibility in the Mississippi Legislature, as the Mississippi House—in a surprise move—revived the effort by amending a bill that was originally about replacing federal ethics requirements with state requirements for school counselors.
Rep. Shanda Yates: “If you’re a candidate running for office, you need to learn how to use the damn internet!”
Read @heatherharrison.bsky.social's latest report for @mississippifreepress.org on the bills that died at the Mississippi Legislature this week:
Mississippi was on the verge of finally requiring political candidates to file campaign finance reports online in a searchable database—instead of on paper.
The Mississippi House killed it.
Rep. Becky Currie: "I have filed on paper for 19 years and I don’t want to do (it) online. I just don’t."
People often ask me if I drew the “short end of the stick” since I cover the Legislature. HELL. NO. This is my dream job, even if some of the rhetoric in this building causes me to lose my sanity. I wouldn’t have left the best small town in the South (Starkville) if I didn’t love my job.
Y'all I'm laughing so hard. Mississippi Sen. Daniel Sparks, R-Belmont, rose for an announcement on the Mississippi Senate floor and said, "I'd like to announce my disappointment." Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann replied, "It's shared by all." 👀
Legislators ask me where I’m from and my default response is “Mississippi Free Press” as if I was born in our office on South Congress Street 😂
And then I’m like “Oh, you wanna know where I’m FROM from. I was raised in Hazlehurst and now live in Brandon.”
Hopes for legislative action on banning cellphones in classrooms, providing health insurance for school board members and increasing funding for gifted students appear dead in the Miss. House. House Education Committee Chair Rob Roberson says the committee has had its last meeting of this year.
Mississippi may soon criminalize illegal immigration under State law, with felony prison sentences for undocumented immigrants entering the state.
www.mississippifreepress.org/undocumented...
