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Gov. Tate Reeves announced 167 awards totaling more than $104 million through Mississippi’s Rural Health Transformation Program. The funding will support rural healthcare technology, capital projects, and telehealth initiatives across the state. #Mississippi #RuralHealth

The project is expected to bring new visitors, overnight stays, restaurant and retail spending, tourism activity, jobs, and economic opportunity to Madison County for years to come. #MadisonCounty #RidgelandMS #Mississippi

“This conference center changes the landscape of Madison County. It's not just a building; it's a recruitment tool that helps us compete for corporate relocations, conventions and investment we simply couldn't pursue before.” — Joseph P. Deason

A key part of the public-private structure will direct approximately $18.9 million in tourism rebate proceeds back to Madison County to help accelerate repayment of conference-center construction debt.

It will be paired with a privately financed 250-room Dolce by Wyndham hotel — the first Dolce property in Mississippi. Together, the conference center and hotel represent an approximately $120 million investment.

The conference center will accommodate up to 1,800 attendees and host major conferences, corporate meetings, school banquets, trade shows, and regional events.

Two Decades in the Making: Madison County’s Conference Center is a Go MS's First Dolce by Wyndham Coming to Prado Vista at Ridgeland Madison County has given final approval for the 50,000-square-foot conference center, officially moving the long-planned project forward.

It follows her introduction of the Safer Shrimp Imports Act (S.667), which would require overseas shrimp facility inspections and require foreign countries wishing to export shrimp to the US to meet food safety inspection standards equivalent to those of U.S. shrimp producers.

Hyde-Smith has also introduced the Save Our Shrimpers Act (S.4805), which would prohibit federal funds from being made available to international financial institutions for financing activities related to foreign shrimp farming, processing, or exporting.

Early last month, the Senate Agriculture Committee adopted an amendment to a pending new Farm Bill that is based on Hyde-Smith’s Let Americans Buy with Explicit Labeling (LABEL) Act (S.3065), which would ensure all seafood, whether wild-caught or farm-raised, is clearly labeled.

Hyde-Smith also recently led a letter promoting a Section 32 purchase of U.S. farm-raised catfish, which resulted in a USDA decision in July to purchase $20 million of the product.

The latest AMS purchase of wild-caught shrimp was announced in late August as part of an overall $156 million Section 32 acquisition of domestic agricultural commodities.

I’m glad this purchase will support food banks and school nutrition programs across the country,” said Hyde-Smith, who consistently advocates for Section 32 purchases of Mississippi commodities.

“This $20 million purchase of domestic shrimp will offer some much-needed relief to our shrimp industry as it continues to fight through unfair and foreign competition," said Hyde-Smith. "Our shrimpers work hard every day to provide safe, nutritious shrimp to American tables."

The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is purchasing the domestic shrimp through the Section 32 Program, a permanently authorized program that allows the USDA to buy surplus U.S. commodities for domestic food and nutrition assistance programs.

U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) has announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture decision to purchase up to $20 million in surplus wild-caught shrimp products for distribution to schools and food banks.

HYDE-SMITH HIGHLIGHTS USDA PLAN TO PURCHASE $20 MILLION IN WILD-CAUGHT SHRIMP FOR SCHOOLS, FOOD BANKS Gulf Coast Shrimp Industry Should Benefit from USDA Section 32 Program Purchase

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