Gov. Bryant signs education reform bills.

Gov. Phil Bryant continues to tout the “transformative” potential of new education measures.

The Republican Bryant signed four bills into law Wednesday at Northwest Rankin High School, where he pledged last fall to seek many of the changes.

Among the new laws is one that expands the authority to create charter schools — public schools run by private groups that agree to meet certain standards in exchange for less regulation.

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Sound Off: Wicker’s vote on gun control debate.

, member of the United States Senate from Mississippi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Despite Sen. Roger Wicker’s explanation regarding his vote to end a filibuster in the US Senate, he continues to take considerable heat here at home.

Wicker released a statement yesterday saying he voted to end the filibuster because he supports a vote that would put all Senators on record regarding the Second Amendment.

“I have never voted for gun control and will not do so. This begins a debate to put the Senate on record about a basic constitutional freedom.”

Many of the comments on Facebook regarding Wicker’s vote center around the opinion that the Second Amendment should never be up for debate.

We want to hear from you on this. What do you think?

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12 of Barbour’s pardons won’t be challenged

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Twelve ex-convicts who committed mostly non-violent crimes in 11 Mississippi counties no longer need to worry whether their pardons from former Republican Gov. Haley Barbour will stand.

“I feel like a weight’s been lifted,” said Barry Sanderson Jr., who served more than three years on probation for kidnapping in the late 1990s. He received a full pardon a week ago today. “I’m real grateful to Gov. Barbour.”

In a review of 181 files from the governor’s office, Attorney General Jim Hood found that 12 included evidence the applicants had met the constitutional requirement for requesting a pardon.

Hood said the five former Governor’s Mansion trusties released Jan. 8 did not meet the requirement, and neither did five pardoned criminals still being held in prison on a court order. Barbour has said his office sent notices for the former trusties on time.

via 12 of Barbour’s pardons won’t be challenged | The Clarion-Ledger | clarionledger.com.

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• Pardon No More? Mississippi’s New Governor Eyes Tougher Rules for Clemency – ABC News (abcnews.go.com)

Poll: Will the pardon of four convicted murderers stain Gov. Barbour’s legacy?

http://www.sunherald.com/2012/01/09/3675290/four-murderers-among-barbour-pardons.html

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Sen. Michael Watson’s Charter School Bill likely to be met with opposition

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“Its easy to do a lot of stuff when you have a lot of money,” said Manly Barton, former Jackson County supervisor who is filling the seat left vacant by his friend Frank Hamilton in District 109.

“This is going to be more challenging. If you give one person a dollar youve got to take it from someone else.”One area angling for those dollars is education, and the newcomers said they expect to take active roles in crafting bills such as ones to introduce charter schools.

The charter school idea is favored by Sen. Michael Watson, R-Pascagoula, among others, but has met opposition from some educators.

Tony Smith, a small businessman in Picayune who was elected to represent District 47, is a former school board member and said he finds himself more and more interested in serving on the education committee.

via Insurance, education, budget among top issues for newly elected GOP legislators from southeast Miss. | gulflive.com.

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