The Mississippi House of Representatives and Senate worked extensively this week on their floor calendars as February 10 was the deadline for floor action on general bills and constitutional amendments. The bills that survived that deadline now will move to the opposite chamber for further consideration. A few hundred bills died by lack of floor action on Thursday. The next major deadline is Wednesday, February 23, which is the deadline for floor action on revenue and appropriations bills in the chamber of origin. Committee action in the respective appropriations and tax committees will ramp up during the next few weeks. March 1 is the next deadline for general bills and constitutional amendments. General bills and constitutional amendments must receive a favorable committee action by that date to remain alive in the remaining days of this legislative session.

This week, the Senate finally unveiled a draft plan of their long-awaited tax plan. On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee, chaired by Senator Josh Harkins (R- Flowood), presented the plan referred to as the Tax Relief Act of 2022. Unlike the House’s plan, the Senate’s draft plan eliminates the state income tax without revenue ‘triggers’ and would cost the general fund $446 million immediately. The main tenants of the draft plan are to phase out the 4% income tax bracket over four years, reduce the sales tax on groceries by 2%, provide a one-time cash rebate up to $1,000, and eliminate the state fee on car tags. While there still remains work to do on both the House and Senate plans, it is clear that eliminating the state income tax is a priority among Republican leadership during this session.

Changes to how Mississippi runs its Alcohol Beverage Control unit are being discussed and handled in both chambers. On Wednesday, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved House Bill 512, which removes the Department of Revenue from the distribution of wine and liquor and will allow private companies to provide distribution services across the state. HB 512 is authored by Representative Trey Lamar (R-Senatobia). Alternatively, the Senate has other plans which include funding for constructing a new ABC warehouse in metro Jackson and allowing a private operator to manage it. Senate Bill 2844, authored by Sen. Chris Johnson (R-Hattiesburg), passed 37-15 on Tuesday. Wine and liquor sales in Mississippi bring in over $100 million in revenue and have increased every year in the past five years.

The 2022 Governor’s Arts Awards were presented this week. Numerous recipients were honored for their contributions to the artistic communities across the state. The awards were presented by the MS Arts Commission in conjunction with the Office of Gov. Tate Reeves.