July is here, which means a long list of bills are going into law – with or without the signature of Gov. Tate Reeves. After four months of lawmaking at the state capitol in Jackson, with sine die officially taking place on May 14, over 170 bills made it through the gauntlet that is the legislative process. Below is a summary of some of the top pieces of legislation enacted as of Monday.
K-12 funding formula
Arguably the biggest topic lawmakers addressed during this year’s session was how to fund Mississippi’s public schools moving forward. Republican House Speaker Jason White led the charge on replacing what he referred to as the “outdated” Mississippi Adequate Education Program and instead convinced his peers to implement the new Mississippi Student Funding Formula. The “updated” formula is intended to maintain objectivity while giving districts the chance to address specific needs, such as special education or number of students from low-income households, through a per-pupil module. It is estimated to deliver an extra $250 million to K-12 public schools.
Automatic Medicaid for pregnant women
While conversations regarding full Medicaid expansion died at the end of the session, lawmakers did pass some other health-related bills. One of which was House Bill 539, allowing earlier Medicaid coverage for pregnant women in an effort to improve health outcomes for mothers and babies in the state with the worst infant mortality. The new law provides presumptive eligibility for pregnant women, meaning Medicaid will pay for outpatient medical care for up to 60 days while applications are being processed and considered. This tails a bill passed in 2023 that extended postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a full year.
Prior authorization
Another health-related piece of legislation was Senate Bill 2140, which forces insurance companies to answer quicker on whether they will cover a prescribed procedure, service, or medication. For emergent requests, providers will have 48 hours to decide, and for non-emergent requests, seven working days to decide. Reeves did not sign this legislation but allowed it to become law after arguing that it would up premiums for state employees. The updated prior authorization process will be hosted by a web portal created by the Mississippi Insurance Department.
Election changes
A couple of changes are coming to Mississippi’s runoff election process. Senate Bill 2144 includes two main components: (1) Pushing Mississippi’s runoffs in state elections from three weeks to four weeks after the initial Election Day, and (2) Banning ranked-choice voting, or instant-runoff voting, the process where voters can rank multiple candidates for a single office. The former is the only measure on this list that won’t go into effect until next year while the latter will go into effect immediately.
Machine gun conversion ban
Mississippi is now the 16th state to ban machine gun conversion devices, which allow users to convert semi-automatic weapons into fully automatic machine guns. Often referred to as “Glock switches,” the modified pistols can fire up to 30 rounds in 2.6 seconds. Under the new law, if caught in possession of a machine gun conversion device, the penalty could be up to 10 years behind bars along with a fine of up to $3,000.
Purple Alert
Mississippi is now the second state, along with Florida, to implement a special alert notification when individuals with cognitive disabilities go missing. Like an Amber Alert or Silver Alert, the Purple Alert will be sent out by law enforcement when someone with special needs, such as autism or Down syndrome, goes missing. The intention is to better prepare citizens and police who might approach the missing individual.
Walker’s Law
Named in honor of Walker Montgomery – a Starkville Academy student who took his own life after being exploited online – Walker’s Law creates the offense of sexual extortion and aggravated sexual extortion, commonly referred to as “sextortion.” Those who threaten to release sexual images, videos, or other material of another person as a form of blackmail will now face up to 15 years in prison, based on the number of offenses. A complementing bill called the Walker Montgomery Protecting Children Online Act also goes into law and aims to force social media platforms to make reasonable efforts to prevent or mitigate children’s exposure to potentially harmful content.
Bathroom crackdown
One of the more controversial bills of the session, the Securing Areas for Females Effectively and Responsibly (SAFER) Act received no Democratic support but was pushed through by the legislature’s Republican supermajority. The SAFER Act restricts transgender people’s use of bathrooms and locker rooms in public buildings. For example, under the new law, a transgender woman who attends a public university is required to use men’s rooms on campus.
Marijuana modifications
Two years after medical marijuana was legalized in Mississippi, lawmakers are still making laws on how to improve the process. Senate Bill 2857 allows patients to pick up their supply of medicinal marijuana once a month rather than every week. Senate Bill 2888 tightens testing oversight in response to recent litigation against two Mississippi medical cannabis companies while also expanding research into synthetic CBD products.
Squatted vehicle ban
One of the more talked about bills this year was one to ban “squatted” vehicles. High riders whose front bumpers are raised four or more inches above the height of their rear fender will now have to return to earth. Punishment includes tickets on the first two offenses with a third offense resulting in a license suspension.
Electronic search warrants
Law enforcement will now have a more digital-friendly route for issuing and receiving search warrants. The enactment of House Bill 295 allows officers to use an electronic platform to request a search warrant with the judge being allowed to sign from home. This law is intended to quicken the process of searching a person, place, or automobile for criminal evidence.
First responder death benefits
Senate Bill 2487 increases death benefits for those who die in the line of duty from $100,000 to $250,000 while covering funeral expenses up to $15,000. It also authorizes a grant program for enhanced training and safety equipment for state agencies.
State symbols
Mississippi now has two new official symbols as lawmakers designated the Kemp’s ridley as the state sea turtle and the American quarter horse as the state horse. The two animals join a club that already includes the mockingbird, bottlenosed dolphin, and largemouth bass.
Hunters can wear pink.
While many outdoorsmen and women were hoping for a change to the state’s wildlife commission or a turkey stamp bill, both of those efforts failed this session. However, hunters did get a change in apparel. House Bill 526 allows hunters to wear fluorescent pink as an alternative to the usual orange safety gear.
What’s on tap for 2025?
Of course, that’s a loaded question and there are bound to be some surprises. But from speaking to lawmakers since sine die, it sounds like Mississippians can expect the following topics to at least be brought up for discussion: expanding Medicaid, restoring the ballot initiative process, implementing further tax cuts, replacing confederate statues, restoring voting rights for some felonies, legalizing mobile sports betting, and updating the state’s jumbled set of alcohol laws.
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