The Empower Podcast Empower Mississippi

Elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives in 2019, Summers serves on the County Affairs, Drug Policy, Technology, Tourism, and Workforce Development Committees. Her Jackson roots run deep, as her grandfather, William Bill Summers, owned and operated The Summers Hotel, the city’s first black-owned hotel. In this episode, she shares about growing up in West Jackson, shopping at Metrocenter Mall, and watching Soul Train on Saturday mornings. We discussed crime, the Capitol Complex Improvement District, Mississippi’s labor force woes, charter schools, and the House’s proposed education funding formula. Tune in for a conversation about the top issues facing the state from one of Jackson’s brightest rising stars.

 “That’s the last time I’m going to vote for a bill that I’m against!” shouted a 1970’s era Mississippi State Senator from the well of the Senate. In this episode, longtime bill drafter Bob Davidson shares this story and others.
You may think that Schoolhouse Rock taught you everything you need to know about how an idea becomes law, but the process is a lot more involved. Before his retirement, Bob Davidson served as Chief Counsel for the Mississippi Senate and Director of the Senate Legislative Services for over 40 years. The institutional knowledge he has and stories he can tell is truly remarkable. Forest Thigpen, Empower Senior Advisor, sat down with Davidson for a fascinating conversation. After which, Grant Callen ​​talked with Thigpen about the interview and the bill drafting process from a lobbyist’s perspective. Tune in to this episode for some colorful stories and a behind the scenes look at the real legislative process.

Two of the top issues being debated this legislative session are Medicaid Expansion and ways to reform PERS, Mississippi’s Public Employees Retirement System. From his 33 years in business and now his seat behind the SuperTalk radio microphone, Gerard Gibert has covered these two issues extensively. On this show we do a deep dive into the origins of Medicaid Expansion, how it fits into the Affordable Care Act, and why some are clamoring for Mississippi to join the 40 other states who have already expanded their Medicaid programs. We talk about the financial challenges facing PERS and a few of the ideas to reform PERS that legislative leaders are considering this session. If you’re following the headlines and want to understand more about why these topics are garnering so much attention this session, this episode is for you.
We want to hear from you! Tell us what you think of the podcast at mail@empowerms.org.
Show Notes:
– Column: “We need out-of-the-box thinking to address Mississippi’s healthcare woes” by Gerard Gibert
– Column: “Analysis: PERS is the elephant in the room” by Gerard Gibert
 

For the last 19 years, Henry Barbour has served as Committeeman from Mississippi on the Republican National Committee, a role that has given him a front-row seat to the American political scene, and not just as an observer. He’s advised presidents and governors – most notably his uncle Haley Barbour and former Texas Governor Rick Perry – and has become a savvy political operative that has demonstrated his ability to win elections and issue campaigns across the country.
I invited him on the podcast to get his perspective on the craziness of our national political scene, what it’s been like to serve on the RNC during this very tumultuous era, and to discuss the 2024 presidential election. I have long respected Barbour for his bridge-building approach to politics, the “politics of addition, not division,” as he put it, and this conversation did not disappoint. Tune in to learn why he’s not a fan of former President Trump but is supporting him in November nonetheless.
 

First elected to the State Senate in 2019, Senator Sparks has distinguished himself as one of the smartest and most hard-working lawmakers in the building. In this conversation, Senator Sparks discusses the intersection of policy and people, emphasizing the importance of human-centered governance. We explore the dignity of work, economic challenges, education, and criminal justice reform. The episode culminates in an examination of House Bill 585, a measure that was enacted nearly a decade ago, but has never been fully implemented. 
Join us for an engaging discussion on legislative priorities and your role in shaping the state's future.
 

In this episode, Dr. Matthew Ladner, Senior Advisor at the Center for Education Policy at the Heritage Foundation, shares about Arizona’s journey with school choice. Arizona passed the first education savings account (ESA) program in the nation in 2011 for students with special needs, expanding it multiple times over the years, and in 2022 made it a universal eligibility program, so it’s now open to every student in the state and 70,000 students participate. In 1994, a full 19 years before Mississippi, Arizona passed a robust charter school law and today 22 percent of the student population is enrolled in a charter school. Additionally, Arizona has a strong open enrollment program so that students can choose any public school they want to attend even if that school is in a neighboring town or school district. All these options for parents have made Arizona an educational destination for families. Tune in to see what Mississippi leaders can learn from The Grand Canyon State.