Another major deadline has passed in the 2024 legislative session. Tuesday, March 5th was the deadline for general bills and constitutional amendments to pass out of committee in their chamber of origin. Over half of the general bills in both the Senate and House of Representatives died on this deadline, with only 41% of Senate bills surviving the deadline and 36% of House bills surviving. Now both chambers begin a long week of floor debates.
House Education Chairman Rob Roberson (R-Starkville) took up a bill to rewrite the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) funding formula, which funds K-12 education in Mississippi. The Senate also passed their own version tweaking the current MAEP formula. Senate Bill 2332 applies a 20-year average inflation rate to 25% of the base student cost, which would curb the growth of MAEP. The Senate plan passed the floor on Thursday by a vote of 49 – 0. The House plan, which passed on Wednesday, sets a base student amount and then adds weighted funding based on the needs of the student. After two hours of lively debate on the House floor, House Bill 1453, passed by a vote of 95 – 13.
In a press conference on Thursday, Speaker of the House Jason White (R-West) applauded his members at their passage of the new formula stating that it would add $240 million to public education in Mississippi. Speaker White also stated that the Senate’s plan to keep the funding based on an objective formula was a non-starter in the House. Likewise, Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar (R-Leakesville) said that the Senate plan would add $210 million to public education and that their plan was based on real numbers and actual data. The disagreement between the two chambers over who has the best ideas on public education funding, Medicaid expansion, fixing the Public Employee Retirement System, and other big policy issues could have a downstream effect on other issues as we move towards the end of session.
Cornerstone’s own Camille Young was recognized this week as one of Mississippi’s Top 50 Most Influential Leaders. This honor is given to government, business, media, culture and community leaders who are making a difference in Mississippi. Cornerstone also had a number of clients who were named as Top 50 honorees as well:
- John Damon, Canopy Children’s Solutions
- Wil Ervin, Empower
- Mark Keenum, Mississippi State University
- Mike McCormick, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation
- John McKay, Mississippi Manufacturers Association
- Taylor McNair, Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation
- Hu Meena, C Spire
- Zac Selmon, Mississippi State University
- Dr. Nashlie Sephus, The Bean Path
Tuesday of this week was Super Tuesday, where many states held their Presidential and Congressional primaries. See the attached report for the Cornerstone federal team’s breakdown and summary of the Super Tuesday results. Mississippians will go to the polls next Tuesday, March 12th.
Looking ahead to next week, the next major deadline is Thursday, March 14th, which is the deadline for floor action on bills in their chamber of origin. The Legislature will then switch focus and begin working on revenue and appropriations bills. There is no committee deadline for those bills. Revenue and appropriations bills must pass from the floor of their chamber of origin by Wednesday, March 27th.