The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives from Mississippi

As Short-Terms Rentals Boom, Regulation an Issue

Popular online travel sites like Airbnb and HomeAway are luring customers away from hotels and into the spare rooms and vacation rental homes of locals. The surging popularity of these rentals poses challenging questions for state and local regulators.

State Rankings for Health of Seniors

Rankings of states by the health of their seniors.

Despite Governors’ Opposition, Strong Southern Support for Medicaid Expansion

New poll shows Deep South politicians are out of step with their constituents on Medicaid expansion.

Cheers! All 50 States Embrace the Home Brew Boom

As of July 1, all 50 states will allow aspiring brewers to make their own beer at home. But states are still figuring out how to regulate the popular hobby.

Jackson Free Press: Lawmakers Must Decide on Raft of Tax-cut Bills

How much is too much? When it comes to tax cuts, that's the question that lawmakers and Gov. Phil Bryant must decide in coming weeks.

Fight Over Abortion Rules Could Reverberate Widely

Mississippi could be one step closer to becoming the first U.S. state without an abortion provider after a state hearing Thursday. But the legal fight over the state’s abortion law is far from over, and could have far-reaching implications for other states with similar laws.

States Look to Raise Standards for New Teachers

Would paying teachers more improve the quality of teaching candidates? Some states are considering that and tougher admission standards at education programs.

The 5 States Most Vulnerable to Sequestration’s Education Cuts

Automatic federal budget cuts will slash more than $1 billion in K-12 education dollars this year, paring everything from Title I money for low-income students to school improvement initiatives.

Issue To Watch: School Testing

A number of states are pushing to up the stakes on reading tests for younger students and assign letter grades to schools.

Mississippi State of the State Address 2013

JACKSON, Mississippi -- Jan. 22 -- Following is the prepared text of Gov. Phil Bryant's (R) 2013 State of the State Address:

Falling Short on Dental Sealants: Mississippi

How well is Mississippi protecting kids from tooth decay?

States Get More Time to Decide If They Will Run Their Own Health Insurance Exchanges

Only a few new states have opted to build and operate their own insurance exchanges. More are taking a wait and see approach.

The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff: Mississippi

Federal and state finances are closely intertwined, and the fiscal cliff’s tax and spending provisions will have consequences for states.

Still Risky: Safe Checking in Mississippi

Checking accounts, the most widely used financial product in America, contain hidden risks that can harm consumers. Three of the 12 largest banks nationwide offer checking accounts in Mississippi and hold 17 percent of all deposits in the state. Here’s what consumers in Mississippi may be paying.

Jindal Stays Put as Isaac Swirls Toward Coast

This week was supposed to be Bobby Jindal’s time in the limelight — a chance at complete redemption for the Louisiana governor, whose star in the Republican Party is rising once again. But a hurricane named Isaac thought otherwise.

One of Five Americans Struggling To Afford Food, Survey Finds

Despite record food stamp enrollment around the country and an economy considered to be on a modest upswing, the Great Recession is continuing to take its toll on many Americans, a Gallup survey found.

Mississippi Tops List Of Fattest States — Again

For the seventh straight year, Mississippi has claimed a dubious title: the nation’s fattest state. That’s according to the latest estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In 2011, nearly 35 percent of adult Mississippians were considered obese, according to data released on Monday (Augu

Best of #StateReads: Illinois Fails to Investigate Abuse and Neglect in Deaths of Disabled

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

For Some States, Medicaid Expansion May Be a Tough Fiscal Call

GOP governors appear poised to leave federal dollars on the table.

New Anti-Abortion Strategy Pays Off

The past few months have seen a flurry of new state laws restricting abortion, most of them based on the concept of “fetal pain.”

Widening Gap Update: Mississippi

Mississippi paid its full annual pension contribution four times from 2005 to 2010, but the system was 64 percent funded in fiscal year 2010 and faced a $12 billion funding gap.

Time Served in Mississippi

The average offender in Mississippi released in 2005 served 2.1 years in custody, 7% more than the average offender released in 1990.

Mississippi's Jim Crow Poll Tax Rebranded as Voter ID

Why do some Mississippi officials want to turn back the clock and revive one of the Jim Crow laws from the post Civil War "black code," installed to suppress blacks from voting?

Mississippi Republicans Challenge Powers of Attorney General

Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood hires lots of outside lawyers. They make a great deal of money for the state, and for themselves. Not everyone is happy with that situation.

Mississippi State of the State Address 2012

JACKSON, Mississippi - Jan. 24 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Phil Bryant's (R) 2012 state of the state address: Thank you Governor. First, let me congratulate you on your excellent appointments of committee chairs. I know them all very well and look forward to our successes together. Mr. Spea

Haley Barbour Pardons Nearly 200, Including Brett Favre's Brother

TODAY'S TAKE: Before he left office on Tuesday (January 10), Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour pardoned nearly 200 people, including convicted killers and the brother of former NFL quarterback Brett Favre.

Nation's Newest Governor Takes Office in Mississippi

TODAY'S TAKE: Republican Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant of Mississippi will step into the state's top job today (January 10), succeeding the term-limited Haley Barbour.

Election Websites: Mississippi

Being Online Is Still Not Enough provides state-by-state reviews and analysis based on detailed criteria of election websites for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

Democrats Face a Reckoning in Deep South Legislatures

Democrats used to lose presidential elections in the South while holding on to the grassroots. Now even the grassroots have turned red.

Infographic: Southern Strength

Republican dominance in the South started with presidential elections and only later came to statehouses.

Mississippi to Put Abortion in Election Spotlight

Mississippi voters will pick up where state lawmakers left off this year as they consider a ballot measure that would essentially outlaw abortion.

Governor Candidate Makes History in Mississippi

TODAY'S TAKE: Johnny DuPree, the mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, won a Democratic runoff for governor on Tuesday (August 23), making him the first African-American nominee for either party in state history.

Mississippi Lieutenant Governor May Succeed His Boss

TODAY'S TAKE: Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant became the Republican choice for governor on Tuesday (August 2) and awaits the winner of a Democratic runoff election later this month.

Children's Dental Health: Mississippi

Mississippi meets four of the eight policy benchmarks aimed at addressing children’s dental health needs, enough to improve by one letter grade since 2010.

Measuring Transportation Investments: Mississippi

A May 2011 report, Measuring Transportation Investments: The Road to Results, found considerable differences among the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

In Mississippi, New Republican Power Collides With Black Quest for Seats

The always contentious process of seeking racially fair legislative districts in Mississippi is even more contentious this year as Republican power has added a new dimension to the calculation.See Stateline's redistricting page for the latest news

Where Labor is Weak, State Workers Face Huge Cutbacks

As the nation debates collective bargaining in Wisconsin, public workers in Alabama, Texas and many other states are fighting over massive pay cuts, huge increases in health premiums and basic civil service protections.

Missouri is Toughest on Crack Cocaine

PUBLIC SAFETY BEAT: Missouri punishes crack dealers more severely than those who sell the powder version of the same drug… Police are stretched thin in one of the nation's most dangerous cities… The Colorado probation agency comes under scrutiny, and other public safety news.

New Jersey Democrats Want to Roll Back Tunnel Tolls

TRANSPORTATION BEAT: Some New Jersey legislators look to reduce driving costs… A major public works law in Illinois catches a break… Maryland's governor looks to deny driver's licenses to tax delinquents, and other transportation news.

Mississippi State of the State Address 2011

JACKSON, Mississippi - Jan. 11 - Following is the prepared text of Gov. Haley Barbour's (R) 2011 state of the state address: Thank you Speaker McCoy and Governor Bryant, and thanks to you in the Legislature for your warm welcome. General Freeman is with us tonight. While we don't have as many of our National Guard

Texas Again Leads Nation in Executions; Ohio a Distant Second

TODAY'S TAKE: Texas executed more than twice as many inmates in 2010 as the next-closest state, Ohio, according to a new report. Nationally, states executed 46 prisoners this year, a 12-percent decline from last year.

Mississippi Considers Pro Bono Mandate for Lawyers

Many poor people still lack adequate legal representation. Can a state court force private attorneys to provide it?

Mississippi Budget Proposal: Sign of Those to Come?

TODAY'S TAKE: Mississippi's Haley Barbour on Monday (November 15) became one of the first governors to propose a state budget for the new year. The plan is full of deep cuts - and could resemble what other Republican governors will propose in the months ahead.

States Pressed to Fix Local Water Systems

American cities - including state capitals - are responsible for their own water systems. But when cities can't afford to make urgently needed repairs, some states are stepping beyond their traditional roles to help finance upgrades to the nation's aging water infrastructure.

Gulf States Fear Long-Term Fiscal Effects of Oil Disaster

The Gulf Coast states were hopeful that 2010 would be a year of economic revival. Now, one of the worst environmental tragedies in U.S. history is jeopardizing the future of the tourism, fishing and deep-water oil drilling industries. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida do not have the money to offset the revenue losses and are counting on BP to rescue them.

A Tale of Two Governors

TODAY'S TAKE: One Mississippi governor talks down the damage of the Gulf oil spill. Another has been given the task of managing the cleanup.

Subsidized Jobs: A Faint Echo of the New Deal

A small piece of the federal stimulus program is going toward funding jobs in the private sector. Even conservatives seem to like the idea.

Tea on the Menu

Long-time advocates of limited government hope the anti-tax fervor of the Tea Party movement will breathe new life to initiatives aimed at reining in state spending and will reverse a string of ballot box defeats in recent years. Opponents speculate that tea partiers' influence on ballot measures may be limited since their focus is on Washington. Either way, no one is taking Tea Party activists lightly, and the first big test will come next month in Arizona, where voters will consider a temporary sales tax increase - anathema to Tea Party groups everywhere.

Still Too Many Schools?

As states become determined to keep more school money inside the classroom, rather than in an administrative office, they are beginning to turn to the thorny issue of consolidation as a way to save on administrative costs. But consolidation of anything related to schools is notoriously difficult, and doesn't always turn out to provide the fiscal windfall states hope for. Implementation is fraught with complexities. Communities worry about the possibility of local schools closing even when it's promised that proposed changes would be largely administrative.

Smaller Prison Count Breaks 38-Year Trend

State prisons have been a dynamic growth industry over the past four decades, with the number of inmates exploding by more than 700 percent. No longer. A survey released Wednesday (March 17) by the Pew Center on the States, the parent organization of Stateline.org, finds that the total number of prisoners in state custody declined last year for the first time since 1972.