Gov. Phil Bryant

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Bryant gets bill to ban portion size restrictions

March 15, 2013 Kermit 0

It’s up to Gov. Phil Bryant to protect the Big Gulp and the Happy Meal in Mississippi.

The House passed the final version of Senate Bill 2687 on a 92-26 vote Wednesday, March 6. It bars local governments from requiring nutritional information, restricting portion sizes, or barring toys in kids’ meals.

The bill, introduced by Picayune Republican Sen. Tony Smith, is meant to keep Mississippi cities and counties from modeling rules after cities like New York. […]

Health

Slim chance of Medicaid expansion in Mississippi

January 9, 2013 Kermit 0

Mississippi lawmakers can expect to be pulled in opposite directions this year on a big-dollar question of whether to expand Medicaid.

Gov. Phil Bryant and fellow Republicans who lead the House and Senate say they oppose expansion because they believe the state can’t afford to put millions more dollars into the federal-state health insurance program for the needy.

On the other side, health advocates say Mississippi – one of the poorest states in the nation – can’t afford to turn down billions of federal dollars that would come with expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, the federal health care law that President Barack Obama signed in 2010. Hospitals and other providers want lawmakers to consider the economic benefits that could come from an influx of money from Washington. […]