ASB resolution to condemn HB 1125 fails in private ballot

During the final formal senate of the academic year, the Associated Student Body failed to pass Senate Resolution 23-6, which proposed that ASB publicly condemn a new state law banning gender-affirming care for transgender people under the age of 18.

The vote was done by roll call on Tuesday, March 21, with the names of the senators kept off the record. Only the final vote count was made public.

Known as the Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (REAP) Act, HB 1125 was approved by the Mississippi Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Tate Reeves on Feb. 28.

ASB Sen. Caleb Ball, chair of inclusion and cross-cultural engagement, was one of the authors of SR 23-6. Ball said HB 1125 bill singles out transgender youth in Mississippi.

“This bill isn’t about protecting kids,” Ball said. “It’s about singling out, bullying and discriminating against the LGBTQIA+ community.”

A lengthy debate followed Ball’s introduction. Some senators expressed concerns that the bill was too political for ASB to address. ASB has taken stances on highly politicized bills before, including HB 2113, the controversial anti-critical race theory legislation.

“It just seems like a slippery slope, especially in such a charged political climate for us to either have to condemn or affirm an action that the governor or the state legislature passes,” Sen. Colton Jones said.

Other senators expressed their agreement on the content of HB 1125.

During the period of debate, Sen. Helen Phillips motioned for a private bal- lot so how the senators voted would not be recorded.

The ASB Code states the body can withhold the recording of a vote only if the results “may lead to targeting, threats, or injury” or “additional special circumstances outside the control of the Senate may require the vote be withheld from the record.”

In the first vote, the number of “abstain” votes outweighed the “yes” and “no” votes combined, causing the senators to go into a re-vote.

In the final vote, the resolution failed 13-15-1.

Out of the five executive office candidates present, four voted to have a private ballot: Kate Wall, Mason Greenwald, Lorne Turner and Helen Phillips. Ethan Robertson was the only executive

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When asked why they felt the need for a private ballot, Wall and Greenwald declined to comment. Turner and Phillips did not provide any comment before the time of publication.

Robertson, one of the authors of the resolution, said that many senators may have been afraid to speak during the debate since election season just started.

“Because this bill was ‘political’ people were scared to let their answer be known, especially with an election on the line,” Robertson said.

Robertson said he is still cordial with the senators that voted no to the resolution but is shocked at who voted yes to a private ballot.

“If the U.S. government

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LIZ HAYWOOD online editor voted on a bill and decided to not post the results of who was for or against it, we would not hear the end of it. But for our student government, it’s okay?” Robertson said. “We are senators for a reason. We represent our academic schools or registered student organizations. We are voted on by the people, yet we want to hide our vote from our constituents.”

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Ball told The Daily Mississippian he was disappointed by the results as he represents the UM Pride Network and had to tell the members the resolution had failed.

“ASB wasn’t there for them when the queer community needed them. That was hard for me because I felt I let them down,” Ball said. “I think that members in ASB aren’t sup-

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Kendall Scott portive of the trans community and I guess that’s why it failed. I can’t even tell you who voted against it. That’s the part that really upsets me.”

During senatorial comments at the end of senate, Ball stood up and expressed his disappointment with the offthe-record voting. Like Robertson, he emphasized that he wasn’t concerned on how the senators voted but that they were not transparent.

“If you don’t have the backbone to stand up and let everyone know how you voted, then I can’t respect that,” Ball said. “If you want the student body here to take us seriously, then we have to be transparent.” continued from page 1

Emily O’Reilly contributed reporting.

Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. has been indicted by a grand jury on the charge of capital murder for his involvement in the death of Ole Miss student Jimmy “Jay” Lee, who went missing on July 8, 2022. The indictment comes after months of silence from local law enforcement officials about the status of the case against Herrington.

If Herrington stands trial and is found guilty, he faces the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.

A special grand jury heard the case against Herrington in Oxford on Monday. A special grand jury differs from a regular grand jury chiefly because the jurors hear one case as opposed to multiple, which is typical for a regular grand jury term.

On Tuesday, the Lafayette County Grand Jury returned a true bill, indicating that the jurors found that there was sufficient evidence to charge Herrington with capital murder.

“The grand jurors of the state of Mississippi … present that Sheldon Timothy Herrington Jr. … on or about July 8 and within the jurisdiction of this Court did unlawfully, willfully, and feloniously, without authority of law, kill and murder Jimmy Dale “Jay” Lee III,” reads the jury’s indictment of Herrington.

Specifically, the grand jury found Herrington to have violated section 97-3-19(2)(e) of the Mississippi Code, or murder during the commission of a felony. The grand jury is accusing Herrington of murdering Lee while he was engaged in the act of kidnapping.

Currently, it remains unclear what, if any, new information was presented by prosecutors during the grand jury hearing.

At Herrington’s bond hearing in August 2022, then-prosecutor for the case

Assistant District Attorney Tiffany Kilpatrick and a rep - resentative for the Oxford Police Department, Detective Ryan Baker evidence that linked Herrington to Lee, including messages that revealed the pair shared a sexual relationship, video footage of Herrington dumping Lee’s car at an Oxford apartment complex and results from a cadaver dog search indicating that human remains had been present in Herrington’s apartment.

The most damning evidence was that Herrington

Google searched, “How long does it take to strangle someone like Gabby Petito,” in the minutes before Lee arrived at his apartment at Herrington’s request. The last time Lee was seen was when he left his apartment to go to Herrington’s apartment in the early hours of July 8.

The OPD released a statement on Wednesday stating that Herrington was served by the Lafayette County Sheriff’s Department and that his trial date will be set at a later date.

“Our thoughts and prayers are constantly with the Lee family, and we thank them for their constant support,” the department said. The department also emphasized that the investigation remains ongoing: Those with information should contact OPD at 662-2322400 or CrimeStoppers at 662-234-8477. Lee’s remains have yet to be recovered.