senate
Senate to vote on bill that would allow liquor sales on Sunday
The Senate will soon vote on House Bill 329 -- which would allow liquor stores to be open on Sundays from 1 to 6…
Mississippi lawmakers moving to crack down on machine gun conversion devices
BY MICHAEL GOLDBERG JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Legislation advancing in Mississippi — where lawmakers are typically loathe to introduce new gun restrictions — would ban most devices used to convert semi-automatic firearms…
McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November after a record run in the job
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November. McConnell, who turned 82 last week,…
Congress approves temporary funding and pushes the fight over the federal budget into the new year
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ending the threat of a government shutdown until after the holidays, Congress gave final approval to a temporary government funding package that pushes a confrontation over the federal budget into the new year. The Senate met into…
Senate sidesteps Tuberville, confirms first female as chief of naval operations
BY MARY CLARE JALONICK, TARA COPP AND LOLITA BALDOR WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate circumvented a hold by Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville on Thursday and confirmed Adm. Lisa Franchetti to lead the Navy, making her the first woman to be a Pentagon service…
Senate moves to avert rail strike amid dire warnings
By KEVIN FREKING and JOSH FUNK Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate has moving quickly to avert a rail strike that the Biden administration and business leaders say would greatly damage the economy. The Senate passed a bill Thursday…
Senators reach bipartisan compromise on gun violence bill
WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate bargainers have reached agreement on a bipartisan gun violence bill. That potentially tees up congressional passage this week on an incremental but notable package that would stand as Congress’s response to mass shootings in Texas and…
US Sen. Wicker of Mississippi again tests positive for COVID
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Republican U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker of Mississippi has again tested positive for COVID-19, his office said Monday. His communications director, Phillip Waller, said Wicker took a required test and received a positive result. “He will be…
Jackson confirmed as first Black female high court justice
By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MARK SHERMAN WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate has confirmed Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court, shattering a historic barrier by securing her place as the first Black female justice and giving President Joe Biden…
Mississippi House and Senate approve own redistricting
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi House and Senate voted by wide margins Tuesday to approve plans to redraw legislative districts to account for population changes revealed by the 2020 Census. The House has 122 districts, and the Senate has…
Mississippi Senate passes $230M teacher, teacher assistant pay raise plan
The Mississippi Senate unanimously advanced a $230 million teacher pay raise plan today, according to a press release from Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. This is the third time senators have sent legislation proposing a significant raise for teachers to the…
Mississippi lawmakers want to make change to wind pool money
State lawmakers are looking to make a change to Mississippi’s wind pool fund which has largely benefited restoration on the Gulf Coast since Hurricane Katrina. The…
Mississippi legislators push 1st round of budget proposals
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators are working on proposals to fund state government for the year that begins July 1. The Republican-controlled House and Senate on Thursday passed the first draft of budget bills for…
Wicker: Black woman Supreme Court nominee would be ‘quota’
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — One of Mississippi’s Republican U.S. senators said that if President Joe Biden nominates a Black woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, that nominee would be the beneficiary of a “quota.” Sen. Roger Wicker spoke…
Bill banning critical race theory goes to Mississippi Senate
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi Senate committee on Thursday advanced a bill that would ban schools from teaching critical race theory, even though the state superintendent of education has said the theory is not being taught…
Medical marijuana proposal moves to Mississippi Senate
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A bill to create a medical marijuana program is headed for debate in the Mississippi Senate in coming days. Senate Bill 2095 passed the Senate Public Health Committee on Wednesday. It would allow a person with a…
Mississippi House panel OKs bill to phase out income tax
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi House is working on a proposal to phase out the state income tax, reduce the sales tax on groceries and increase the sales tax on many other items. The House Ways and Means Committee…
Separate plans propose raises for Mississippi teachers
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi House and Senate are pushing forward with separate plans to give pay raises to teachers. The House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday passed House Bill 530, and the whole House could debate the bill in…
House passes Palazzo bill to rename post office after Biloxi officer Robert McKeithen
Congressman Steven Palazzo spoke on the floor of the United States House of Representatives to honor the life of fallen Biloxi Police Officer Robert McKeithen. Palazzo introduced a bill, H.R.…
Senate leaders announce agreement to extend government's borrowing authority
WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate leaders have announced an agreement to extend the government’s borrowing authority into December, temporarily averting an unprecedented default that experts say would have decimated the economy. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer made the announcement as he…
Senate approves $1T bipartisan infrastructure bill
By LISA MASCARO AP Congressional Correspondent WASHINGTON (AP) - With a robust vote after weeks of fits and starts, the Senate has approved the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure plan. A rare coalition of Democrats and Republicans joined together Tuesday to…
Mississippi tax cut proposal dies without a Senate vote
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS Associated Press JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A bill to make big changes to Mississippi's tax structure is dying in the state Senate. The bill passed the House last month. But Senate Finance Committee Chairman Josh Harkins…
Mississippi Senate passes bill to ban transgender athletes from girls’ sports
The State Senate has voted to ban transgender athletes from competing in girls or women’s sports in the state’s schools and universities. There was little discussion before senators passed Senate Bill 2536 in a late-night session Thursday.…