Deadlines are finally in sight as we enter week seven of the 2024 Mississippi Legislative Session. Wednesday, February 14th was the deadline to request general bills and constitutional amendments. Monday, February 19th is the introduction deadline for those bills. However, the drafters need time to write and proof all bills and then the leadership offices in the House of Representatives and Senate will have to refer them to committee. Bills will continue to drop online even after the Monday deadline.
As bill requests were being made this week, committees in both chambers continued to meet to organize, hold informational and budget hearings, and pass legislation. The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) met with the House Appropriations Committee to request additional funds for FY2025, including funds to supplement January’s two major economic development projects. One item included in their budget request was $5 million for customizable training to assist with recruitment of employees with specific skills related to certain economic development projects. Customizable training has been a helpful tool for economic development and workforce agencies in other states and something many would like to see implemented in Mississippi.
The House and Senate Judiciary Committees also held a joint hearing this week to discuss judicial redistricting. The Mississippi state legislature must redraw judicial districts by 2025. The committees presented data divided up by type of court, chancery or circuit, and then population and caseload. It was stated at the start of the meeting that the data was being presented merely to begin the discussion on redistricting. A major concern throughout the hearing was smaller counties’ ability to fund their court systems for the next 10 years until they can be once again be redistricted.
As legislative requests have been made this week, several environmental issues have been at the forefront of many discussions. While no legislation has been filed at this time, it is likely that a bill relating to voluntary fees for expedited permits from the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) will be filed. While Mississippi is one of the few states that does not have permitting fees, the backlog of permits for industry due to MDEQ’s inability to competitively recruit employees has caused major issues. Manufacturers specifically have indicated that they are eager for any solution, even if that means paying extra for MDEQ to hire outside contractors.
The House and Senate Technology Committees also held a joint meeting this week to discuss a range of issues including cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. The committee chairmen brought in an outside consultant who spoke on the latest trends in technology and how the state legislature might be able to utilize certain tools to help streamline various agencies and aspects of state government. No formal recommendations were made, but it was stated that this hearing was the first of many and the start of a larger conversation about technological advancements, both the good and the bad.
On Thursday, Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann held a press conference to announce that he anticipated a bill to address expanding health insurance for the working poor to drop in the Senate chamber by next week. During his statements, he anticipated that his legislation would require individuals to be employed to qualify and that around 230,000 Mississippians are estimated to be eligible. Additionally, he indicated eligibility to cover people making up to 135% of the federal poverty level. House Speaker Jason White (R-West) has stated on the record that he expects legislation addressing the same issue in his chamber, but as of today, no legislation by House leadership has been introduced.