BY: Shelia Byrd
In Mississippi, not much is required to be a process server, and some lawmakers believe that needs to change.
Rep. Hank Zuber, R-Ocean Springs, says he'll file a bill in the 2011 Legislature that would require licensing and educational training for process servers. Zuber believes the proposal, which died in the past, will have a chance next session because of the recent scrutiny given process servers handling child support cases for the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
Earlier this year, judges in Hinds and Jackson counties were reviewing hundreds of child support cases to determine whether some process servers had lied about delivering subpoenas.
The process servers worked for subcontractors of YoungWilliams Child Support Division, a Jackson-based company that received a $23 million contract to file about 15,000 cases, manage another 13,000 and operate a call center. Company President Rob Wells has said about 30 of those cases are being reopened because they involved a process server facing the allegations.
Zuber said there's been other instances of process servers failing to properly perform their jobs and it's caused hardships for average citizens. Zuber said the case of Natalie Parker of Ocean Springs is the reason he first filed the bill in 2008.
Parker's driver's license was revoked in 2003 and, because of that, she missed out on job opportunities. She eventually wound up living in her car. Zuber said Parker had told him about how a process server had lied about delivering papers to notify Parker about a lawsuit that had been filed against her.
After the DHS situation, "I realized it came to the point that something needed to be done. I think there's momentum. It's a statewide problem," he said.
Currently, the only requirement to work as a process server in Mississippi is to be age 18 or older. Zuber, an attorney, wants a licensing procedure that would educate process servers about what is valid service and invalid service.
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Monday, December 6, 2010
Madison Co. center training pups to be guide dogs
BY: Lucy Weber
Sadie, along with five other pups, are in the first training class of Gallant Hearts run by Becky Floyd, who has relied on a series of eight different dogs to help her navigate through a sightless world since 1964.
"All my life I wanted to start a guide dog school," said Floyd, who retired in 2009 as executive director of the Mississippi Protection and Advocacy System. "I remember sitting in a law school class telling a classmate that was my dream. After I retired, I decided I want to do this now. I want to be able to give back to the community."
Gallant Hearts, which will provide dogs free of charge, is one of about 13 schools in the country. "There are approximately 18.8 million adults with significant visual impairment and only 1,500 teams (dogs matched with handlers) put out a year in the United States," Floyd said.
For now, Gallant Hearts, run out of Floyd's home by volunteers, has six puppies in foster homes learning basic skills in preparation for the next phase of working with a trainer on how to lead the blind. Tonto lives in Floyd's home, Sassy Sadie is in Vicksburg, Zoe and Dena are at the Hinds County Penal Farm and the two others live in homes in Jackson and Batesville.
The puppies will live in foster homes until they're about 12-15 months of age and then they will start working with a professional trainer for about four months to learn how to be a guide dog. Each dog is thoroughly screened for health problems. Gallant Hearts pays all expenses for the puppies in foster homes and for all the training.
"Each dog will have $22,000 worth of training," she said.
The program relies on donations, and Floyd is in the midst of seeking grants to help fund the operation.
"We've got to have a salary of $45,000 for a trainer or it's all for nothing," volunteer Kathie Curtis said. "The apprentice is another $30,000."
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Sadie, along with five other pups, are in the first training class of Gallant Hearts run by Becky Floyd, who has relied on a series of eight different dogs to help her navigate through a sightless world since 1964.
"All my life I wanted to start a guide dog school," said Floyd, who retired in 2009 as executive director of the Mississippi Protection and Advocacy System. "I remember sitting in a law school class telling a classmate that was my dream. After I retired, I decided I want to do this now. I want to be able to give back to the community."
Gallant Hearts, which will provide dogs free of charge, is one of about 13 schools in the country. "There are approximately 18.8 million adults with significant visual impairment and only 1,500 teams (dogs matched with handlers) put out a year in the United States," Floyd said.
For now, Gallant Hearts, run out of Floyd's home by volunteers, has six puppies in foster homes learning basic skills in preparation for the next phase of working with a trainer on how to lead the blind. Tonto lives in Floyd's home, Sassy Sadie is in Vicksburg, Zoe and Dena are at the Hinds County Penal Farm and the two others live in homes in Jackson and Batesville.
The puppies will live in foster homes until they're about 12-15 months of age and then they will start working with a professional trainer for about four months to learn how to be a guide dog. Each dog is thoroughly screened for health problems. Gallant Hearts pays all expenses for the puppies in foster homes and for all the training.
"Each dog will have $22,000 worth of training," she said.
The program relies on donations, and Floyd is in the midst of seeking grants to help fund the operation.
"We've got to have a salary of $45,000 for a trainer or it's all for nothing," volunteer Kathie Curtis said. "The apprentice is another $30,000."
Read More
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