Mississippi
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.
Mississippi
11 indicted in $12.3 million Mississippi Medicaid fraud scheme, AG says
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) – Eleven people have been indicted in connection with an alleged Medicaid fraud scheme involving more than $12.3 million.
This according to Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, who said the indictments involve allegations of fraudulent billing, wire fraud, and/or false documentation seeking to defraud the government.
All 11 charged include:
- Isluv Robertson, 36, of Jackson
- Shawncee Vassar-Cunningham, 51, of Olive Branch
- Katricia Smith, 47, of Olive Branch
- Sheila Boney Collins, 53, of Hollandale
- Ahyana Nicole Crosby, 34, of Laurel
- Angela Nannette Crosby, 51, of Laurel
- Yolanda Evette Blackman, 54, of Hattiesburg
- Linda Jenkins, 46, of Hermanville
- Deja Almore, 30, of Yazoo City
- Curtis Moore, 51, of Gulfport
- Taylor Christian Rushing, 34, of Gautier
Officials said the defendants are accused of participating in health care fraud schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in intended loss.
“These indictments are just the latest efforts we are taking to fight waste, fraud, and corruption,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “I am proud to partner with President Trump to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure that money meant to help those in need is not stolen from safety net programs. I will remain laser-focused on rooting out fraud, recovering money wrongfully stolen from hard-working taxpayers, and holding fraudsters accountable.”
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Mississippi
Governor: At least 47 homes, 50 roads damaged by Mississippi storms, flooding – SuperTalk Mississippi
Gov. Tate Reeves has released updated damage assessments following the severe weather and flooding that inundated parts of southern Mississippi last week.
According to Reeves, assessments through the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency are ongoing, and disaster aid is still being distributed through a mix of federal, state, and local agencies, along with nonprofits. But numbers as of Monday morning showed dozens of homes and businesses damaged and even more public roads affected.

Among the counties with significant impacts are Covington, Forrest, George, Greene, Hancock, Jackson, Pearl River, Perry and Stone. Across those counties and others, at least 47 homes were affected, seven of which were completely destroyed. Nine businesses sustained damaged, six of which are considered major. One farm sustained major damage.
50 public roadways were affected, including four that are considered major and four that were completely destroyed. Two bridges sustained major damage, while two public buildings sustained minor damage.
Reeves said two rivers are in the moderate flood stage – Leaf River near McClain and the Pascagoula River at Graham Ferry.
15 other waterways are in the minor flood stage: Big Black River near Bentonia, Biloxi River near Lyman, Chickasawhay River at Enterprise, Chickasawhay River at Leakesville, East Hobolochitto Creek near Caesar, Pascagoula River at Merrill, Pearl River at Jackson, Pearl River near Pearl River, Pearl River near Philadelphia, Pearl River at Rockport, Strong River at D’Lo, Tallahala Creek at Laurel, Tuscolameta Creek at Laurel, West Hobolochitto Creek near McNeill, and Wolf River around Gulfport.


Damage reports could have worsened on Monday with additional rounds of severe weather in some parts of the state. The worst of the storms and floods came with the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Arthur late last week and into the weekend.
Mississippi
Family of 1-year-old killed by police at a Walmart in Mississippi wants video released
(AP) – A Mississippi family whose 1-year-old child was killed when police fired into a moving vehicle said Monday they want authorities to release video showing whether officers were in danger of being struck when one of them opened fire.
The shooting has sparked outrage in the small city of Senatobia, where some say it’s the latest in a series of troubling encounters between police and Black residents.
Kohen Wiley was riding with his mother and another woman in a Walmart parking lot on June 14 when police responded to a shoplifting call. The family says they were driving away, while the officers say the car was heading toward them.
“I watched my baby take his first breath, and I watched my baby take his last breath,” Vellesiya Wiley said at a news conference Monday.
The other woman in the car, whose name has not been released, suffered “critical injuries,” according to the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, which is handling the inquiry.
Standing alongside Kohen’s parents and grandparents at a local church, civil rights attorney Ben Crump told reporters Monday that the best way to determine whether the officers were at risk is to publicly release any body camera, dash camera or Walmart security camera video.
“If that is the truth, then show us that,” Crump said. “The longer you delay releasing the video, the more distrustful we become.”
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on what videos investigators have or whether they would be released, agency spokesperson Bailey Martin said Monday.
“This case has been made a top priority,” Martin said in an emailed statement, “and we currently have multiple agents working tirelessly to ensure every aspect of the investigation is thoroughly examined.”
The agency says the officers weren’t hurt. Senatobia Police Chief Harold Vanderford did not return a phone message seeking comment Monday.
State investigators gave an initial account of the shooting last week, saying that when Senatobia police arrived at the Walmart, they found two women and a child getting into a car and driving away.
“Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene,” the agency statement said.
Kohen’s mother has said the shoplifting call was over a box of diapers that her friend was carrying — and that she believes her friend had paid for the diapers. State investigators declined to comment on those details.
Crump questioned why police didn’t let the car go and take down the license plate number.
“They were called over a box of diapers and a family now has to bury their baby,” Crump said Monday. “You cannot put those two things next to each other and call it reasonable policing.”
Crump also said an independent autopsy would be performed.
While there’s no question the child was shot by police, he said, details about the angles at which any bullets struck the child could yield clues as to whether the officer fired from in front of the car or off to the side — and therefore whether that officer was in any danger.
Policing expert Ian Adams, who teaches criminal justice at the University of South Carolina, told The Associated Press last week that police should know that “shooting into a moving vehicle is a very bad idea and one to be avoided at almost all costs,” noting the danger to passengers and other bystanders.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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