Mississippi State Government & Agencies
BPF strives to inform citizens and elected officials on its views regarding public policies that benefit or cause hard to Mississippi's economic condition. Bigger Pie believes sound public policy grounded in fiscal responsibility is a cornerstone to successful communities.
Featured Work
Bigger Pie Forum Projects
PERS
MS Legislative Session
Broadband COVID-19 Grant Program Fund
Fifteen non-profit power associations, two rural water associations and two existing broadband providers will receive more than $66 million from a $75 million emergency broadband grant program using COVID-19 relief funds.
Cutting Occupational Licensing Red Tape
Bills that give high school students the ability to earn credit for apprenticeships and another that gives the state’s Occupational Licensing Review Commission (OLRC) backward-looking review power were signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves. The governor also approved another bill that makes it easier for military members or their spouses to earn occupational licenses.
Watch Out for Earmarks
Legislators and taxpayers should watch out for earmarks, misplaced priorities, and general mischief that is appearing in legislation to spend almost $1 billion in federal funds that are supposed to address the costs of dealing with COVID-19.
The Process for Changing the State Flag
On Sunday, June 28, 2020, the Mississippi Legislature passed a historic bill to retire the current state flag and to establish a process for creating a new one. There has been some confusion about the process of changing the state flag of Mississippi. Here is what that bill calls for.
Less Regulations and More Freedoms
The Occupational Licensing Review Commission could soon perform reviews of existing regulations now that a bill is headed to the governor’s desk for signature.
One-Time CARES Act Money for Recurring Expenses
For years, Republican leaders in Mississippi have decried, and rightly so, the use of “one-time money“ to pay recurring expenses in the state budget. Then-candidate Haley Barbour complained about Gov. Ronnie Musgrove and the Democrat-lead Legislature’s use of funds from lawsuit settlements or other single-instance receipts to pay for ongoing expenses of state government, rather than cut the budget to match recurring revenue.