Blog

This week the Mississippi House of Representatives returned to normal order after a brief period of disruption last week. Thursday was the deadline for each chamber to pass general bills originating in that chamber. Due to this time frame and the number of important policies the House considered, we worked late several days this week to debate and pass bills that were reported out of committee.

The House passed over 200 bills this week, and I’m proud of the work we have done. I’ve posted each of my votes online, along with a short description of the bill and vote totals. You can view all of my votes from each day here: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. I’ve listed some of the notable bills we passed below.

• HB 571  defines the terms “courthouse” and “courtroom” in Mississippi’s law for concealed carry of a firearm. This bill safeguards our 2nd Amendment rights by ensuring that the current law is not interpreted broadly to abridge the right to carry outside of courtrooms.
• HB 897 eliminates a regulatory requirement for Medicaid planners to purchase surety bonds. This will provide more people the opportunity to help the least among us plan for unexpected medical emergencies.
• HB 809 modernizes a part of our election code by allowing for online voter registration. The private sector is able to offer services online that are cost-effective and convenient for consumers. This bill helps government follow suit to do the same for our citizens.
• HB 989 creates an achievement school district to assist failing schools. By creating a special school district to oversee schools that are currently under-performing, we will be able to focus resources and strategies to help these schools improve
• HB 1531 eliminates M-STAR, a statewide teacher evaluation tool. By getting rid of a bureaucratic requirement, this gives teachers more time to actually teach and promotes local control by allowing districts to set their own evaluation methods.

It’s always a pleasure to welcome neighbors from Madison County to the Capitol each week. This week I enjoyed visiting with Logan Thomas, who was at the Capitol with the Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi for their Capitol Day. Logan suffered from seizures through childhood, and after years of treatment has been seizure-free for over two years.

Logan dedicates his time to promoting awareness of epilepsy in Mississippi, and in 2015 he received the Star Student Heroes Among Us Award from the Epilepsy Foundation of Mississippi for his advocacy efforts. Logan is a 9th grader at Jackson Academy; he is the son of Chris and Lisa Thomas of Ridgeland. If you will be at the capitol in the coming weeks, or would like to schedule a visit, please let me know!

Next week, the House will begin to consider bills that have passed the Senate. You can view a full list of all bills that are still alive here. Each of the Senate bills that passed will head to House committees for consideration before they are reported to the House floor. As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about upcoming legislation, or if I can do anything for you.

It’s an honor to represent you.

—-

Enter your email address below to receive weekly updates straight to your inbox!