Jackson Free Press logo

This story originally appeared in the Jackson Free Press. It was added to the Mississippi Free Press website in 2025.
Note that any opinions expressed in legacy Jackson Free Press stories do not reflect a position of the Mississippi Free Press or necessarily of its staff and board members.

— The Mississippi Consumer Finance Association’s lobbying efforts focus on key lawmakers in both the House and Senate who serve on Banking and Financial Services Committees, and for the past few years, the association pays to send lawmakers to Florida for the association’s annual convention held in Destin, Fla. In 2015, the association spent more than $13,000 to send nine lawmakers and the state’s banking commissioner to the convention. In 2014, the association spent over $23,000 to send 15 lawmakers and the state’s insurance and banking commissioners to the same convention.

2015 Lobbyist’s Client Report

MCFA Annual Convention, July 23, 2015

(actual expenditures per lawmaker not itemized, total cost varies per lawmaker)

Senators paid for:

-Sen. Rita Parks, R-Corinth, Chairman of Business and Financial Institutions

-Sen. Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, Vice Chairman of Business and Financial Institutions

-Sen. Nickey Browning, R-Pontotoc, on Business and Financial Institutions, Finance and Insurance Committees

Representatives paid for:

-Rep. Chris Brown, R-Aberdeen, on Banking and Financial Services and Appropriations Committees

-Rep. Mark Formby, R-Picayune, Chairman of Revenue and Expenditure General Bills Committee

-Rep. Greg Holloway, D-Hazlehurst

-Rep. Lester Bubba Carpenter, R-Burnsville, on Banking and Financial Services and Ways and Means Committees

-Rep. Becky Currie, R-Brookhaven, Chairman of Tourism Committee, on Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency and Appropriations Committees

-Rep. Nolan Mettetal, R-Sardis, on Banking and Financial Services and Appropriations Committees

Other officials paid for:

Charlotte Corley, State Banking Commissioner

Total Cost of 2015 MCFA Lobbyist Expenses: $13,286.22 (convention expenses)

2014 Lobbyist’s Client Report

MCFA Annual Convention July 2014

(actual expenditures per lawmaker not itemized, total cost varies per lawmaker)

-6 Senators

-9 Representatives

-Mike Chaney, Commissioner of Insurance

-Jerry Wilson, State Banking Commissioner (at that time)

Total Cost of 2014 MCFA Lobbyist Expenses: $23,112.88 (convention expenses)

All Figures taken from available lobbyist’s client reports for the Mississippi Consumer Finance Association on the Secretary of State’s website.

Mississippi native Donna Ladd and partner Todd Stauffer founded the Jackson Free Press in 2002 in the capital city. The heavily awarded local newspaper did many investigations heralded across the state and nation and served as a paper of record due to its diversity, inclusion, in-depth reporting and deep connection to readers and dedication to narrative change in and about Mississippi. In 2022, the nonprofit Mississippi Free Press, founded by Ladd and JFP Associate Publisher Kimberly Griffin in 2020, purchased the journalism assets and archives of the Jackson Free Press. A Google grant through AAN Publishers enabled Newspack's integration of the JFP archives into the Mississippi Free Press website to become part of a more searchable archive of recent Mississippi history and essential journalism.