Mississippi

Mississippi's 2024 legislative session: What to know – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

8 months ago

January 1, 2024

Mississippi's 2024 legislative session: What to know – SuperTalk Mississippi

Another legislative session is officially upon us as lawmakers prepare to gavel in on Tuesday. With it being the start of a new term and a hodgepodge of hot-ticket topics still needing to be discussed, here’s what to know about this year’s session.

When is the session?

The 2024 session will officially begin on Tuesday, Jan. 2 at noon. Due to it being the start of a new term, the legislature will convene for 125 days rather than the usual 90 days, meaning lawmakers should wrap business up by or during the first week of May.

Who will be the new House speaker?

While Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann will be back leading the Senate, the House will need to take care of business in electing a new speaker. With longtime House Speaker Philip Gunn choosing not to seek reelection, Speaker Pro Tempore Jason White has emerged as the frontrunner for the open seat. The Republican from West, who already has the full support of others within the party, should be a shoo-in as GOP members maintained a supermajority in the House following this year’s elections.

“I am humbled to be unanimously selected as the Republican nominee for the Mississippi Speaker of the House by the Republican Caucus,” White said in a statement after the caucus unanimously decided to back him during a November meeting. “Mississippi has made tremendous strides over the previous 12 years of conservative Republican leadership and has greatly prospered under Speaker Philip Gunn. I appreciate the trust my fellow Republicans have now placed in me as the nominee for speaker.”

Even though Democrats will submit a nominee heading into the vote, the chances of White losing are slim to none. Rep. Manly Barton, a Republican from Moss Point, is expected to take over as speaker pro tempore.

What will lawmakers be discussing?

This is the big question. As always, thousands of bills will be filed with hundreds making it to the floor for a vote. While we can’t predict every topic that’s bound to come up for discussion, we do know a few.

Medicaid expansion

Medicaid expansion is going to be a topic that comes up and it might even be considered more so by lawmakers this year than in years past. However, the recent passing of a bulk of Gov. Tate Reeves’ reimbursement plan that could create up to $700 million for hospitals should take some heat off expansion.

“[The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] accepting that proposal was huge,” Sen. Jeremy England, a Republican from Vancleave, said. “That’s going to allow hospitals to get money that they didn’t otherwise have, and we don’t have to expand Medicaid to do that and that’s very important.”

While full-on Medicaid expansion might not be a top-ticket item for Republicans, other hospital-related bills are expected to be considered such as changing the state’s Certificate of Need laws and finding more funding for struggling hospitals.

Ballot initiative process

With Mississippi being the only state to ever have a ballot initiative process before taking it away, lawmakers are once again expected to try to restore citizens’ ability to propose laws and constitutional amendments.

After stripping the ballot initiative process in 2021, the House and Senate have failed to agree on the number of signatures needed for the people to propose a law or amendment. The House has consistently seen 106,000 as a suitable number while the Senate found 240,000 to be the most appropriate figure during last year’s session.

Sen. Daniel Sparks, a Republican from Belmont, believes if the two chambers can meet on a number, they need to monitor what people can propose. For example, he does not believe that people should be able to create initiative campaigns regarding Medicaid expansion, recreational marijuana, abortion, or anything that impacts the state budget.

“If you really sat down and listened, it has to do with marijuana, it has to do with abortion, it has to do with things that otherwise would not pass through the legislature,” Sparks said. “I think we need to think long and hard about what we’re doing and what that means if somebody is going to pass something that causes the state of Mississippi to impact its budget.”

House Minority Leader Robert Johnson, a Democrat from Natchez, disagrees with censoring the people but would be willing to raise the number of signatures if it meant restoring the ballot initiative process.

“I don’t have a problem requiring more signatures… If it’s going to make it a more thorough process and more trustworthy process, that’s fine,” Johnson said. “What I don’t want to see is us limit what people can put on [the ballot]. I think voters in this state and the citizens of this state are smart enough to know what they want.”

Personal income tax

Even though Mississippi is in the middle of its largest tax phase-out in state history, Reeves continues to push for the full elimination of personal income tax.

“I pushed to eliminate the state income tax, and we’ve achieved the largest tax cut in state history,” Reeves said this summer. “And we can do more because this is Mississippi’s time.”

Lawmakers, on the other hand, might not be too sure about immediately eliminating the income tax as it is already expected to be phased out within the next 12 to 14 years. Some Republican legislators, such as Hosemann, have voiced support for lessening the nation’s highest grocery tax instead.

School Choice

One of the more controversial topics expected to come up, school choice is a conversation that has heated up in recent months.

The idea of implementing a program that allows families to use public money to access private schools beyond their local public school option, especially if they’re in a struggling district, is backed by some Republicans and opposed by most to all Democrats.

“I just want the taxpayer resources to stay with public education,” Johnson said. “I would not be in support of [school choice].”

Rather, Johnson would support an easier route for parents in low-rated districts to enroll their child in a neighboring district that has a better public school system.

“I think there’s room for that,” he continued. “If we put heads together and come up with a plan that would not cause districts to be unnecessarily adversely affected, I have looked at some ideas on that and I think that’s workable.”

Other topics in education that are bound to come up are the state’s public school funding formula and the possible implementation of free community college for post-secondary students.

PERS

One elephant in the room this legislative session will be addressing the financial stability of Mississippi’s Public Employees Retirement System (PERS).

Even though people are always wary of any conversations that have to do with PERS and potential changes, England said now is the time to resolve the system’s financial woes as all three primary financial metrics used to measure the program’s health are in red signal-light status.

“What we’ve got with PERS is a can that’s been kicked so far down the road, we can’t kick it any further,” England said. “I think we’re going to have to, at some point, just put a wedge or a stop on the timeline of PERS to allow the benefits we have now up to a certain point and then, we’re going to have to do something completely different moving forward.”

Of the options the legislature may consider regarding PERS, included is increasing the employer contribution rate, creating a new retirement tier, transferring funds from the state’s reserves, increasing the target rate of return on assets, increasing the employee contribution rate, adjusting benefits, or a combination of any of these.

“It’s going to be a tough problem, and there are going to be a lot of talks on them,” England continued. “I’m ready to have them. We’ve got to get in and jump into this headfirst now.

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Mississippi

Vote for Mississippi boys high school athlete of the week Sept. 2-7

Published

3 hours ago

September 9, 2024

Press Room

Vote for Mississippi boys high school athlete of the week Sept. 2-7

There were several top performers across the state in boys high school sports, but only one can be voted athlete of the week for Sept. 2-7.

Fans may vote in the poll BELOW one time per hour per device. The poll closes at noon on Friday.

To nominate a future athlete of the week, email mchavez@gannett.com or message him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.

To submit high school scores, statistics, records, leaders and other items at any time, email mchavez@gannett.com.

Nominations

Kendetryon Backstrom, Kemper County: Backstrom had 247 passing yards, going 13-of-16 on completions for with two touchdowns and had six carries for 45 yards and three touchdowns in Kemper County’s 46-8 win over Noxapater.

Ronde Baker, Terry: Baker produced 171 rushing yards on 12 carries with four touchdowns in Terry’s 57-6 win over Pure Academy.

Wyatt Bond, Lamar School: Bond recorded 320 passing yards, going 24-of-37 with three touchdowns, and had 43 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Lamar’s 35-34 loss to Winston Academy.

Coby King, Greene County: King was 24-of-35 passing for 418 yards with a touchdown and had 11 carries for 137 rushing yards with four touchdowns in Greene County’s 51-36 loss to George County.

Tray Kinkle, Holly Springs: Kinkle produced 10 carries for 300 yards and four touchdowns in Holly Springs’ 33-0 win over Byers.

Tyshun Willis, Velma Jackson: Willis had 15 carries for 203 rushing yards with a touchdown, four receptions with 59 receiving yards, and a touchdown. On defense, he recorded four sacks, 8.5 tackles and three tackles for loss in Velma Jackson’s 24-22 win over Yazoo County.

Michael Chavez covers high school sports, among others, for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at mchavez@gannett.com or reach out to him on X, formerly Twitter @MikeSChavez.

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Mississippi

Mississippi woman killed in two-vehicle crash in Grenada County

Published

10 hours ago

September 9, 2024

Press Room

Mississippi woman killed in two-vehicle crash in Grenada County

GRENADA COUNTY, Miss. (WJTV) – A Mississippi woman was killed during a two-vehicle crash in Grenada County.

Officials with the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) said the crash occurred on Highway 7 just after 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 7.

Mississippi woman killed in head-on crash in Louisiana

According to MHP, a 2002 Toyota Sequoia was traveling north on the highway when the vehicle collided with a Mercedes van that was also traveling north.

The driver of the Mercedes, 53-year-old Loretta Hopkins, of Winona, died at the scene.

This crash remains under investigation by MHP.

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Mississippi

Mississippi State’s Loss Doesn’t Stop SEC from Owning Week Two in AP Top 25

Published

17 hours ago

September 8, 2024

Press Room

Mississippi State’s Loss Doesn’t Stop SEC from Owning Week Two in AP Top 25

Outside of Mississippi State, Arkansas and Auburn, the SEC had a very successful Week Two of the college football season. The latest AP Top 25 poll reflects the strength of the SEC with 6 of the top 7 spots belonging to SEC teams.

Here’s a recap of how the ranked SEC teams fared in the second full week of the college football season:

Click here for a recap of the unranked SEC teams.

Scenes from the game between the Georgia Bulldogs against Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles at Sanford Stadium. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

With the exception of giving up three points, this was probably exactly how Georgia expected this game to go. Carson Beck threw five touchdowns and the defense held Tennessee Tech to less than 150 yards of total offense. Anything less would be a surprise.

Matthew McConaughey looks on from the sideline during the game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Texas Longhorns at Michigan Stadium. The Academy Award-winning actor had a lot be happy about in Saturday’s game. / Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

More than 100,000 people saw Texas come into Ann Arbor, Mich. and leave with a huge win. The Longhorns looked like the better team from the first drive of the game where they easily marched down the field. That Oct. 19 game in Austin against Georgia is looking better and better.

Alabama fans hold up a sign reading “Hollywood” for Alabama Crimson Tide wide receiver Ryan Williams during the fourth quarter at Bryant-Denny Stadium. / William McLelland-Imagn Images

It was a lot closer than Alabama would’ve liked, but it’s a win that will fend off the “Nick Saban is gone, we’re doomed” crowd. At the same time, though, there were some things that crowd could point to at a later time.

Juice Kiffin makes his way down the Walk of Champions prior to the game between Ole Miss and the Middle Tennessee.

Juice Kiffin makes his way down the Walk of Champions prior to the game between the Mississippi Rebels and the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. / Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Two games against inferior competition and Ole Miss has outscored its opponents 129-3. They’ll take a slight step up in competition next week against Wake Forest, but the Rebels are still about a month away from playing a team that will truly test them.

Missouri Tigers fans apply body paint against the Buffalo Bulls prior to a game Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Missouri’s schedule just took an unexpected bump in its level of difficulty with No. 24 Boston College joining the top 25. Bill O’Brien is brilliant at game planning and calling plays (not so much with making trades, but that hasn’t reached the college ranks yet). Missouri needs to be on upset alert (and ready to stop the run).

Tennessee Volunteers mascots the Volunteer and Smoky celebrate a touchdown during the second half against the NC State.

Tennessee Volunteers mascots the Volunteer and Smoky celebrate a touchdown during the second half against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at the Dukes Mayo Classic at Bank of America Stadium. / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

This happens every year. Tennessee looks really good to start the season and by the end Volunteer fans are saying next year is their year. But maybe this year is their year with the way Nico Iamaleava has been playing.

Oklahoma fans watch during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Houston Cougars at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. / BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK

Of the two SEC newcomers, Texas is getting most of the attention which makes sense based on the current teams. But folks, don’t sleep on the Sooners. They ruined many of my own childhood memories growing up in Texas. This week’s way-too close game doesn’t help that argument, but think long term.

LSU Tigers student section fans paint their chest Back In the Bayou during pregame before the game against the Nicholls State Colonels at Tiger Stadium. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

LSU was one of three SEC teams to play FCS schools after playing top 25 teams last week. The Tigers and Texas A&M both lost, while Georgia won. So, it’s not surprising to see each of them play FCS teams and neither were any of the results.

SEC Week 2 Power Rankings: Which Teams Are Contenders or Pretenders?

WATCH: Mississippi State’s Bowl Hopes Take a Hit with Arizona State Defeat

Mississippi State Crumbles in the Trenches: What Went Wrong Against Arizona State?

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