Issues
Tightening Pre-Need/Perpetual Care Laws
- posted January 05, 2010
Mississippi was dealt a harsh blow when it was discovered several of our cemeteries possessed unscrupulous owners bent on thievery. Several pre-need and perpetual care cemeteries were literally robbed of the funds hard-working Mississippians invested with their organization to take care of their most sensitive arrangements. Secretary Hosemann stepped in and was appointed overseer of several cemeteries found deficient in their pre-need trusts and has worked toward turning those cemeteries back to into private management. He has since drafted and the Legislature adopted more stringent pre-need laws that to stop this practice and to protect Mississippi ...
Making our State the Most Business-Friendly in the Nation
- posted January 05, 2010
Our State has a lot to offer a business looking to relocate to Mississippi. In the current economy, we need to make sure we have the most business-friendly laws to attract those businesses. Through business reform study groups composed of citizens statewide, Secretary Hosemann has been successful in drafting new business and corporate laws, which are the most up-to-date in the nation. New laws including:
- Charities. Mississippians are the most generous people in the nation. We donate more money, per capita, than any other state in the union. Secretary Hosemann has a strong commitment to ensuring Mississippi donors have the most knowledge available in charitable giving. The Non-Profit/Charities Act of 2009 reduces costs for smaller charities, strengthens the agency’s ability to enforce laws against dishonest charities, provides more transparency in charitable giving, and even gives the Office of the Secretary of State the ability to revoke charitable status. The new law ensures the good names of strong charitable organizations are protected, and Mississippi donors can have more confidence in their charitable giving.
- Securities. The ...
Maximizing the Rate of Return on our 16th Section Lands
- posted January 05, 2010
Secretary Hosemann made a promise to the people of this State to improvement the management of our school trust lands. Through various reforms, the amount of funds generated from 16th Section lands has increased over $22,000,000—an increase of over 42%--at a time when our school children need it most.
He has accomplished this by:
- Publishing all 16th Section lease information on the Secretary of State’s website. Fulfilling a campaign promise to have all 16th Section leases available on the website within 90 days, Secretary Hosemann has enabled the public to have a hands-on view of school trust leases, the lease rates, and lease terms. In one month alone, that portion of the Secretary of State’s website generated over 180,000 hits.
- Personally reviewing all 16th Section leases executed in the State of Mississippi. Secretary Hosemann felt it was important to get out on the limb with local school boards and county supervisors when fair value was determined. The signature on those leases is authentic to ensure every lease executed in the State is fair and equitable.
- Entering into a historic memorandum of ...
Bringing Accountability to Mississippi Elections
- posted January 05, 2010
Realizing the importance of an open and fair election process, Secretary Hosemann drafted and supported legislation to bring more credibility to Mississippi elections. He has worked tirelessly to:
- Promote and adopt a strict voter identification requirement. Voter identification is a common sense approach to providing confidence in the election system. Mississippi cannot move forward looking over its shoulder. It is time to put this issue behind us and adopt a strict voter identification requirement in our State.
- Reform absentee and affidavit balloting. Absentee and affidavit ballot are the most common ways unscrupulous citizens steal your vote. Only through tough reforms and more stringent penalties can we curb this practice.
- Reform assistance voting. Anytime there are “four legs under the curtain,” there is an opportunity for mischief at the polls. Only those who are blind, disabled, or unable to read or write qualify for assistance in voting. Secretary Hosemann is a proponent of imposing stricter guidelines on who can assist a voter and who can receive assistance.
- Purge bloated voter rolls. ...
