Delbert Hosemann

Mississippi PEP couldn’t make it without our sponsors and donors. Thanks to Secretary Hosemann.

Hosemann says SEC finally releasing settlement money two years late.

In June 2011, Mississippi, other states and the SEC reached a settlement agreement with Morgan Keegan and Morgan Asset Management in the amount of $200 million. The settlement payments are for failing to disclose risks associated with certain investments and presenting misleading marketing materials to investors.

As part of the settlement agreement, $100 million has already been distributed to investors by the states. The other $100 million was to be distributed by the SEC. The Office of Secretary of State reports it made repeated demands for payment of these funds and requested the state’s congressional delegation make demands, which they did. Finally, three investors filed a lawsuit against the SEC to demand payment and the attorney general demanded action and gave the SEC 14 days to respond.

“By their own administrative rule, the SEC is required to have a distribution plan in place within 60 days of the commission receiving funds. It has been two years. We have thousands of Mississippians who have lost millions of dollars. It is unconscionable it took this long to get Mississippians their own money from their own government,” adds Hosemann.

Read More

Related articles

• Mississippi looking to purchase part of Cat Island. (mississippipaddler.wordpress.com)
• SEC’s Settlement With SAC Capital Draws Judicial Scrutiny (forbes.com)

Mississippi counts how many lack ID under voting measure

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said Monday he’s trying to determine how many people in Mississippi lack the type of photo identification that might eventually be needed for voting.

In last November’s election, 62 percent of Mississippi voters approved a constitutional amendment that would require voters to show a driver’s license or other form of photo ID at the polls. House Bill 921, passed this spring by the GOP-controlled Legislature and signed by Republican Gov. Phil Bryant, aims to put the mandate into law.

Because of Mississippi’s history of racial discrimination, it is required by the 1965 Voting Rights Act to get federal approval for any changes in election laws or procedures. Such approval is not guaranteed. In recent months, the Justice Department has rejected ID laws from Texas and South Carolina, amid concerns that they would dilute minority voting strength.

Hosemann and other supporters of voter ID say it will prevent people from masquerading as others to cast ballots. Opponents say there’s little evidence that such things are happening.

Opponents also liken voter ID to poll taxes that were used for decades to suppress black citizens’ constitutional right to vote. To get past that comparison, supporters said that if ID cards are provided for free by the state, it’s not possible to draw parallels between an ID mandate and a poll tax.

The Mississippi bill says anyone without proper identification can get a state-issued photo card at no cost, though no money was set aside to make them during the fiscal year that begins July 1.

Hosemann said that he’s asking people to let his office know if they need ID.

“We want to ensure everyone who needs a voter ID receives one when the requirement is approved,” Hosemann, a Republican, said in a news release. “By providing us their information early, they will go to the head of the line. We will also solicit free transportation to your county courthouse to anyone who needs transportation.”

via Miss. counts how many lack ID under voting measure – The Dispatch.

Miss. now needs federal nod for voter ID amendment

Image via Wikipedia

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said he wants to include opponents of voter identification as state officials work to implement Initiative 27, the state constitutional amendment passed last week calling for Mississippians to present photo identification before voting.

“My goals would not be to have people on the sidelines of the field waiting for someone to fumble the ball,” he said. “Help me implement it.”

Getting opponents’ help could aid the state when it seeks Justice Department approval. Under the federal 1965 Voting Rights Act, Mississippi must seek preclearance from federal officials before it makes changes to election procedures because of its history of discrimination against black voters.

Attorney General Jim Hood will make the filing with help from Hosemann and the Department of Public Safety. Hosemann said he hopes to have voter ID working before the 2012 presidential election.

Opponents say they’re willing to talk, but they’re also planning to seek federal rejection of the amendment, which 62 percent of voters favored Nov. 8. It calls for voters to show government-issued photo identification before they are allowed to vote, but lays out no details. How voter ID will actually work could prove crucial to federal approval.

“We expect to be involved in opposing the law,” said Nancy Abudu, a lawyer with the Voting Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union. Her arm of the ACLU has filed detailed letters questioning both the basis and the plans for implementing voter ID in South Carolina and Texas. The Justice Department is supposed to approve or reject both in December. Those are the first states that have sought preclearance for voter ID since President Barack Obama took office.

via Miss. now needs federal nod for voter ID amendment – WTVA.com.

Related articles

• The Loyal Opposition: Maine’s Voter ID Law (loyalopposition.blogs.nytimes.com)
• More intrigue in SD 9: NEMS360.com is reporting party switcher could be Tollison. Wonder what Todd Wade thinks of that? (mississippipep.wordpress.com)
• Voter Suppression and Voter ID (hcvoice.wordpress.com)
• Miss. voter registration deadline is Saturday – WXVT-TV Delta News – More Local News and Weather WXVT.com | (mississippipep.wordpress.com)

More intrigue in SD 9: NEMS360.com is reporting party switcher could be Tollison. Wonder what Todd Wade thinks of that?

NEMS is reporting:

OXFORD – Mississippi‘s Republican Party said today it will announce at 4 p.m. “a major development” for the GOP in the state Senate.

It’s widely believed that longtime liberal, Oxford Democrat Gray Tollison‘s party switch is the “development.”

Tuesday, Tollison was re-elected to the Senate as the climax of a dispute by a strong GOP opponent, Todd Wade, who was declared ineligible over a voter registration issue.

During the entire Todd Wade debacle, Governor Barbour disappeared for the final vote, and was replaced on the Election Commission by soon to be Governor Phil Bryant. Two other votes took Wade off the ballot–that of Democrat Jim Hood and Republican Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann. Hosemann is the one who brought Wade’s eligibility into question outside of the legal time limit to do so. Wade decided not to fight the decision citing worries that it may keep military personnel’s votes from being counted.

Wade had this to say about Hosemann’s decision to pursue removing him from the ballot on September 13:

“The Secretary of State gave my campaign only an hour and forty-five minute notice of the original hearing to remove me from the ballot. I don’t believe it was Secretary Hosemann’s wishes that I be able to attend. Luckily I was already on my way to Jackson, and I was able to be there. The voters in Senate District 9 deserve more respect than this from Mr. Hosemann.

I won’t pass judgement on the entire Secretary of State’s office, but this particular issue has been mishandled and should frighten every Mississippian about what is going on in Jackson. This type of action from our Secretary of State only increases voter apathy, decreases participation, and continues to promote an environment of  ’good ole boy, status quo politics’. It is bad for Mississippi.”

Read the entire release HERE.

For all you conspiracy theorists out there, here is a question for you to consider: Did Hosemann know something then about Tollison’s plan to switch parties after the election?

Related articles

• PERRY/Dems hosing of Todd Wade – Madison County Journal – Madison County Mississippi (mississippipep.wordpress.com)

Mistake forces counties to reprint ballots – Elections – SunHerald.com

Image via Wikipedia

A mistake by Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann’s office is apparently going to force many Mississippi counties to reprint ballots for the Nov. 8 election, to add wording to ballot initiatives on personhood, voter ID and eminent domain.

A spokeswoman for Hosemann on Wednesday said absentee votes already cast will still count, and the Secretary of State’s Office will reimburse counties for any reprinting expenses.

The Attorney General’s Office on Friday notified the Secretary of State’s Office the state Constitution requires the “fiscal analysis” — an estimate of the cost to taxpayers — must be on the ballot for the three initiatives. “After reviewing applicable statutes over the weekend, the Secretary of State’s Office agreed with the opinion of the Attorney General,” a written statement from Hosemann’s office said.

Hosemann

Pamela Weaver, a spokeswoman for Hosemann, said Wednesday she did not know how many counties might have to reprint ballots or what the costs might be. She said she was uncertain whether counties could use an insert or addendum to ballots for Nov. 8, but that they were instructed to do so in the meantime with absentee ballots.

The fiscal analysis had been printed on pamphlets the Secretary of State’s Office has been handing out to voters for months and is published online, but it wasn’t included on the ballot wording the office sent to counties.

The ballot initiatives for Nov. 8 are on requiring voters to show photo identification at the polls; whether to restrict government’s power of eminent domain to take private property; and “personhood” — whether life begins at conception.

For personhood and eminent domain, there is no estimated cost to taxpayers, so the additional wording will read: “There is no determinable cost or revenue impact associated with this initiative.”

For voter ID, the estimate of supplying free photo cards to residents is estimated at nearly $1.5 million. The ballot on this initiative will say: “Based on Fiscal Year 2010 information, the Department of Public Safety issued 107,094 photo IDs to U.S. citizens of voting age. The individuals were assessed $14 per ID to offset a portion of the $17.92 cost per ID. The cost is estimated to remain the same, but the assessment will no longer be allowable under the provision of Initiative 27 (voter ID). Therefore, the Department of Public Safety is estimated to see a loss of revenue of approximately $1,499,000.”

via Mistake forces counties to reprint ballots – Elections – SunHerald.com.

Related articles

• PERRY/Dems hosing of Todd Wade – Madison County Journal – Madison County Mississippi (mississippipep.wordpress.com)
• Minor: “Imagine some black single mother who rides the city bus to her part time job having to shell out $14 to vote.” (mississippipep.wordpress.com)
• Sen. Fillingane talks politics with local women at luncheon – WDAM – Channel 7 – Mississippi News, Hattiesburg, Laurel (mississippipep.wordpress.com)

Miss. voter registration deadline is Saturday – WXVT-TV Delta News – More Local News and Weather WXVT.com |

Image by joseph a via Flickr

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippians who want to vote in the Nov. 8 general election must be registered by this weekend.

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann says the law requires circuit clerks’ offices in all 82 counties to be open 8 a.m. until noon this Saturday, the registration deadline.

Hosemann says mail-in voter registration forms must be postmarked by this Saturday.

The November ballot has all eight statewide positions, including governor. It also has regional races for transportation and public service commissioners, district races for all 174 legislators and county races for supervisors, circuit clerks and other jobs.

Voters also will decide whether to adopt three proposed constitutional amendments. One would restrict eminent domain, one would require voters to show identification at the polls and one would define life as beginning at conception.

via Miss. voter registration deadline is Saturday – WXVT-TV Delta News – More Local News and Weather WXVT.com |.

Related articles

• PERRY/Dems hosing of Todd Wade – Madison County Journal – Madison County Mississippi (mississippipep.wordpress.com)
• Mississippi to vote on reversing abortion rights by redefining ‘person’ (guardian.co.uk)
• Voter ID Equals ‘Jim Crow’? Nonsense! (dakotavoice.com)
• Bryant focuses on job creation – Elections – SunHerald.com (mississippipep.wordpress.com)
• Mississippi GOP Aims for a Sweep (online.wsj.com)
• Johnny Dupree wins historic Miss. nomination (cbsnews.com)
• Why is Mississippi so red when it’s so black? (thegrio.com)
• Bryant Wins Mississippi Republican Primary (politicalwire.com)

Delbert Hosemann puts one Rebel on the Ballot, and kicks another one off

Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has sided with Democrat Jim Hood on the Election Commission to remove Todd Wade from the ballot for Senate District 9 in a 2-1 vote with Phil Bryant voting that he believed Wade to be qualified. Wade is a Republican as is Bryant and Hosemann. Word is that Hosemann brought up the issue outside of the statutory number of days allowed for such a challenge, and did so despite no formal challenge from Wade’s Democrat opponent Gray Tollison.

Wade played football at Ole Miss and now lives in Oxford. More to come on this as details become available.

One funny irony is that Hosemann allowed that one Rebel be allowed to stay on the ballot. Initiative Measure 37 was allowed to move forward. The Initiative allows for a petition for a ballot initiative to maintain Colonel Reb as the mascot at Ole Miss. Initiative Measure # 37: www.colonelrebpac.com/Initiative37.php

Hosemann certified Wade for the primary earlier this year.

One has to wonder why Hosemann would bend the constitution by bringing this up outside the statutory time limit to kick a fellow Republican off the ballot, when last year he was touting the constitution and the rule of law in punting redistricting to 2012.

No word yet on whether Wade will file suit.

#Todd #Wade #Mississippi #Delbert #Hosemann #Secretary #of #State #Rule #of #Law #Colonel #Reb #Ole #Miss #Oxford #SD9 #Gray #Tollison #Phil #Bryant #Jim #Hood #Republicans #Democrats

Public meeting on Northeast Mississippi cemeteries scheduled

| The Republic: www.therepublic.com/view/story/046084f20965467ba88…Order

CORINTH, Miss. — Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann and his staff will answer questions about the status of two northeast Mississippi cemeteries at a public meeting Tuesday night in Corinth.

The public meeting is 6 p.m. at the Alcorn County Courthouse in Corinth.

In August, Hosemann’s office ordered Forrest Memorial Park of Corinth and Oaklawn Memorial Park of Booneville to stop selling "pre-need" goods and services. Hosemann said THE two cemeteries had more than $100,000 missing from perpetual care trust accounts. Both cemeteries are owned by Wayne Hight of Corinth.

#Mississippi #Secretary #of #State #Delbert #Hosemann #Corinth #Alcorn #County

Sports agents on notice in Miss.

| The Clarion-Ledger | www.clarionledger.com: www.clarionledger.com/article/20110905/NEWS/109050…Miss-

Strengthening a Mississippi law is helping to ensure athletes are protected from unscrupulous agents, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said.

"Mississippi’s new law will provide greater accountability to sports agents who wish to recruit our student athletes and will bring more responsibility to the recruitment process," he said. "Our goal is to protect not only the eligibility, but also the future of our student athletes."

This past session, state lawmakers toughened requirements of the Uniform Athletes Agents Act, which the secretary of state’s office enforces.

Hosemann said he became interested in reforming the system after NFL running back Reggie Bush had to return the Heisman Trophy he earned while playing for the University of Southern California.

Hosemann talked with officials from the NCAA, universities and colleges, professional sports leagues and sports agents – conversations aimed at making it difficult for unscrupulous agents to operate.

"If Mississippi ever wins a Heisman trophy, we want to keep it," Hosemann said.

Brackey Brett, Mississippi State University’s associate athletic director for compliance, praised the new law. "Secretary of State Hosemann and the Mississippi Legislature have really put some teeth in this act," he said. "That’s the encouraging part for us."

With the success of the Southeastern Conference in general and MSU specifically come "issues you have to manage, dealing with agents and those acting on their behalf," he said. "We live in that part of the nation where the culture of college football is extremely strong compared to other parts of the nation."

One problem has been that of "runners," who act on behalf of agents, he said. "A lot of these runners are students on our campuses."

Athletic officials eventually figure out who they are, "but there’s not a way to know up front," he said.

Under the new law, "compensation" to an athlete has been broadened to include "anything of value."

That means if a runner gives something of value to a student athlete, he or she becomes an "agent" under the law and could face civil or criminal penalties.

#MIssissippi #athletics #agents #Delbert #Hosemann #Secretary #of #State #Heisman #Trophy #MSU #education #Higher #Learning #IHL