JACKSON — The Mississippi Rural Water Association has sued the state Public Service Commission in federal court, claiming the commission overstepped its authority and conflicted with federal law when it required a 60-day delay in utility deposits for domestic violence victims.
The suit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Jackson by the association, which has more than 1,000 members statewide. It says federal law bars states and localities from doing anything to harm the finances of water utilities that owe money to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program.
The suit asks U.S. District Judge Daniel Jordan III to block the rule and order the commission to pay damages and court costs.
Northern District Commissioner Brandon Presley, a Democrat who pushed for the waiver, calls the lawsuit frivolous.
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