Jackson Jambalaya

If a member of any state board or agency is required to travel in carrying out his her state duties, it's plumb damned ludicrous to claim they should not be reimbursed according to the state travel regulations. But, you can bet your ass and Lubertha's winter drawers that travel-voucher padding (fraud) occurs every day in every agency. I'm not suggesting that's the case here, but what I just stated is a fact. If every state employee's monthly travel-voucher (or equivalent form) were posted on the agency, division or office bulletin board every month, this crap would stop!

Now if she claimed reimbursement for travel or meal allowance during which no travel was actually performed, that's one thing. But, if that's the case or either there was no required documentation (with approval), the auditor is correct to show them as audit exceptions, no matter how much whining the above rebutter engages in.

Every soul ever indicted has at least one character witness to say they're honest as the day is long. And, what's Christmas got to do with it...as if this is no time for the Auditor to be doing his job and he should give passes during this month of peace and love?

@7:16 Quite correct. EVERY agency pads those reimbursement forms and then some. All part of the Mississippi way....and NO ONE will say a word, because you'll get fired.

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks."

'The Lady' did not protest. The head of the Board did.

Shad is going to choke on his Shad. Dude is WAY to eager. He is the classic case of guy that was picked on growing up and is like, "I have a badge, I am going to make your life hell." Shad, get the super-wedgie out of your ass and stop being a little eager beaver. Lord it is almost too much with Gibson and Watson's "look at me" syndrome going around. These three goobers would make a great reality show of having to share an apartment and it be streamed for the public to enjoy. This state is screwed.

I don't know who is right, but I do think its BS to do a press release accusing a person of wrong doing without even giving them a chance to respond to the charges prior to the press release. Seems like our State Auditor is following the lead of all the major news networks.

There is no state law that allows a state employee to be reimbursed for commuting to and from work. It's that simple.

"...without sending a single email, letter, phone call or inquiry to the accused or supervisor. Unfortunately, in today's endless news cycles, mentioning someone's name in a financial scandal story gives the impression of wrong doing and corruption."

This is a primary tactic used by the Auditor and unfortunately, in today's world one is guilty until proven innocent. Ole Shad loves to be in the spotlight. It appears he likes to make accusations without doing his complete due diligence on the front end, and then he circulates his narrative to the general public who follow like sheep. Folks accused of wrong doing deserve an opportunity to defend themselves before the Auditor uses them for political fodder.

Next up, Shad will be on social media telling us all why he's right and how great he is.

Cue Twitter in 3, 2, 1.....

Need to randomly check some of the Mississippi Child Protective Services Workers Travel Logs. I know for a fact my Foster Child had not seen his Caseworker in months while her travel payments and case logs says otherwise!

Understaffing and COVID-19 ain’t no freeking excuse!

The little fraud adds up to big fraud.

I’m sure it’s not only CPS but that’s the only one I was advised of!

Remember the Olivia Y. Lawsuit

Civil Action No. 3:04CV251LN

Y’all need to lay eyes on these children!

This is 9:22 I meant to say, I know for a fact my Foster Child has not seen his Caseworker in months while her travel payments and case logs “might say otherwise. I left out the word( might) in my original post!]

Shad rocks!

Betty Lou, the state does not pay state workers to travel to and from your job everyday.

2nd @836 I agree it is so wrong to not ask the accused questions and give them a chance to defend their reputation. Unfortunately it occurs in Federal audits as well. Sicko pencil neck nerds can hide behind their sometimes anonymous positions and get their kicks out of making unverified claims and watching the rabid media lick it up.
3rd@836 Where you living —on the moon. Legislators,state board members not living in the county, elected officials, and city state and county employees get paid for travel expense when it is authorized.Grow up.

Actually, Billy Boy, if you bothered to read the audit, you would seen an MDOC response to every finding.

So if you can’t be reimbursed for travel to and from work, then why does the board pay it? So do you blame the person who asked for the money or the person who payed it out? Help me out KF understanding this

Where's the magic line at for getting reimbursed for commuting to work? If I live 10 miles from my office, do I get paid for travel?

"All the boys are getting ready to fight
Betty Lou's getting out tonight"

The only remotely viable statewide candidate the Donkeys have waiting in the wings is Brandon Presley. Let that sink in haters.

The way some here attack Shad makes me think that their women ran off with him. That green doesn't look good on them.

"There is no state law that allows a state employee to be reimbursed for commuting to and from work. It's that simple."

Actually, melon-head, travel regulations are established and regulated by particular agencies. State law does (since back about 81) address per diem regulations as relates to claiming meals. State law also does set cents per mile each year. Many state jobs require supervisory personnel to be in various parts of the state on a weekly (and almost daily) basis, so your comment is beyond ridiculous.

This is not a matter of commuting to and from work. You think Jimbo Hood did not claim reimbursement for traveling to Jackson after moving his office to his home county?

So is Chairman Pickett lying when he said “without sending a single email, letter, or phone call”?

Betty Lou Jones is a state-appointed commissioner, not an employee. If she wasn't allowed to be reimbursed for travel, they should have told her sometime over the past 12 years! If Shad interprets the rules differently, let a court figure it out. To drag her name through the mud, implying any dishonestly on her part, is bogus and unfair.

I retired from the state, and I'm well aware of "comp time" and "per diem" regulations.

Seems most agencies abide by the rules when it comes to the rank & file, but the "executives" are exempt.

Hell, during my Mother's last three years of life . . . I took her to Jackson (from McComb) three times per week for various medical appointments.

Over those three years, my gasoline costs were no where close to two thousand dollars.

For Forty-three thousand dollars, I could have flown her to Europe every month for three years.

So . . . great job Shad !

It might be time to look at Department of Corrections even closer.

Legislators make a fortune on travel expenses. Just sayin

7:16 and anyone after that said basically the same thing.

No. Employees are entitled to reimursement for travel required by their job. But they are not allowed travel from home to their place of employment. By your standard, someone living in Eastover working at the Woofolk building would be entitled for the eight miles from home to office and return every day.

The fact that Ms Jones lives in Meridian but accepts AN APPOINTMENT to the Parole Board (an elite appointment, evidently desired by Ms Jones since she has asked for reappointment three times following her first request for the job) must acdept the cost of getting to work --- on her own.

My employees do not get paid for the travel from their home to my plant every day. Those that have to travel after getting here, get reimbursed adequately and promptly. If they want to move next door to my plant, there are house sites available and one or two nice residences on the market for sale today. But they choose to live at their present locations and realize the cost of getting to work is theirs, not mine as their employer.

I understand Pickett defending Ms Jones (who I am sure is a fine woman as he says) but he has to protect his rear end as well since he was the one signing off on her illegal expense vouchers. The bad part of this story is that the audit appears to be for only 2 1/2 years, and according to Pickett she has been making this 200 mile round trip for 12 years. The $47,000 must be a drop in the bucket once a complete audit or her travel reimbursements gets made.

There is a difference between "legislators" and (non-paid) "board members" from employees - appointed or hired.

Legislators are by law part-time employees.
Board members, such as the PERS Board, Mental Health Board, or Cosmotology Board, are not paid for their service. (Some board members are paid a $40/board meeting, but most are not even given that.)

But the Parole Board and the Tax Appeals Board are full time employees of the state. They are appointed rather than hired, but they are employees not volunteers serving at their own expense.

The non-paid board members are paid travel costs from their residence to the location of the meeting. But those that are employees are not to be paid for travel, just as no other state employee is.

Here is the test. The Parole Board has five members. Did the other four, including Mr. Pickett who evidently approved Betty Lou's travel vouchers, claim travel from their home to North Street? Picket lives in Raymond, not Jackson. Did he file a travel voucher every day for the 40 or 50 mile round trip from home to work? Asking for a friend of course. Maybe a friend of Shad's.

5:01
For most of us it cost money to be in the Legislature. If there is a bag of money floating around I have never seen it.

You can’t get travel for going to work. If she was traveling to the prisons to conduct business or training it’s justifiable. If she was getting travel to drive from home to Jackson she’s wrong and whoever approved the payment is wrong.

7:36 - Your comment, quoted here, is pure BS:

"But those that are employees are not to be paid for travel, just as no other state employee is."

I'm not sure what you meant by that, but it's totally inaccurate. Unless the employee is traveling in a state provided vehicle, the employee is indeed allowed to claim mileage reimbursement at the state-approved rate if the travel was performed as a condition and obligation of employment. If overnight stay is required, per diem, according to agency and state policy, is also due to be reimbursed.

@736pm—do the 5 board members come from the different congressional districts or at large? Are they required to be at the office in Jackson full time? I have served on state boards where I got that big check of $40 for attending meetings and some I didn’t. The board members not from Hinds county were allowed travel expenses.Some of us didn’t take it since we were close to Jackson.Appointments were from the congressional districts. Having said that I can see that if you are an appointed or elected salaried person and not required to be from a distant district you have the option to move to the metro area and not get paid for commuting.This would be similar to state agency heads who are appointed.

8:22....admit it, your travel per diem counts toward your PERS high four. You'll be getting paid for travel for the rest of your life once you reach 60. SLURP also

827, the 5 Parole Board members are all At-Large appointments, not from congressional districts.

I don't know for sure, but doubt that she (and the others) are employees. If they are, then they get state benefits including PERS participation. Again, I doubt it.

But, in either case and in any case, nobody is (or should be) paid for their daily commute to work. Since when (never) do parole board members have to be or need to be in Jackson every day?

Federal regulations that address traveling to and from work are specific as relates to an employer's obligation. What we have here, however, are state regulations, agency regulations, board regulations and various allowances set up by any or all three of those.

By the way, to expand the discussion, if my shift starts at 7 a.m., but you require me to be there in time to don an assortment of PPE and join the shift workers in loosening up exercises and watch a four minute safety video before I actually begin work....you are obligated to pay me for that time as well.