Mississippi session: Yes to moms’ Medicaid, no to tax cuts

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — In the course of the three-month session that ended early Saturday, Mississippi lawmakers assured a 12 months of Medicaid protection for ladies after beginning however ignored broader Medicaid growth for working folks whose jobs don’t present medical insurance.

The bulk-white and Republican-controlled Legislature voted for a bigger state police presence within the capital metropolis of Jackson beginning in July 2024, regardless of objections from Black lawmakers who known as it an influence seize over the majority-Black metropolis ruled by Democrats. Supporters of Capitol Police growth stated they’re attempting to cut back crime within the metropolis of practically 150,000 residents, which had greater than 100 homicides every of the previous three years.

Right here’s a glance different points:

TAXES: Republican Home Speaker Philip Gunn isn’t looking for reelection this 12 months, and certainly one of his primary targets was to part out the state earnings tax. He stated doing so would make Mississippi extra aggressive with fast-growing Texas and Florida, which don’t tax earnings. Opponents of the tax elimination cautioned that Mississippi mustn’t jeopardize its skill to pay for colleges and different providers. Though legislators enacted a the state’s largest-ever tax minimize in 2022, Gunn’s proposal died with little dialogue this 12 months.

ELECTIONS: Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed a legislation setting tighter restrictions on absentee ballots. The legislation, beginning July 1, units a brief listing of people that can “gather and transmit” a poll mailed to a different individual. That listing consists of workers of the U.S. Postal Service or different mail carriers, plus any “member of the family, family member or caregiver of the individual to whom the poll was mailed.” Reeves stated it will stop fraud by political operatives. Opponents stated the brand new restrictions might harm nursing residence workers or others who make good-faith efforts to assist folks receive and mail absentee ballots.

EDUCATION: Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and different Senate leaders sought to revise and totally fund the Mississippi Ample Schooling Program, a funds components designed to present colleges sufficient cash to fulfill midlevel tutorial requirements. MAEP was put into legislation in 1997 however has been totally funded solely two years. Home leaders rejected the Senate proposal. Legislators voted to extend schooling spending by greater than $100 million throughout the 12 months that begins July 1, however they nonetheless left MAEP in need of full funding.

INITIATIVES: Legislators didn’t revive an initiative course of to let folks petition to place points on statewide ballots. Mississippi allowed initiatives for about 30 years, however the state Supreme Court docket dominated in Might 2021 that the method was invalid as a result of it required folks to assemble signatures from 5 outdated congressional districts relatively than 4 districts the state has had because the early 2000s. The Home voted this session to permit initiatives on many points however not for proposing adjustments to abortion legal guidelines. That proposal died within the Senate, the place Accountability, Effectivity and Transparency Committee Chairman John Polk stated he preferred the abortion restriction however wished to considerably improve the variety of signatures over what the earlier initiative course of required.