Blog

This week the House continued the process of working through bills amended by the Senate. We concurred with the Senate’s changes on a number of bills and sent them to the Governor for his signature. We sent the remaining bills to conference, where members from the House and Senate will meet to make final changes to legislation and send it back for consideration by both houses. You can view bills currently in conference on the calendars for the House and Senate. The deadline to adopt committee reports for revenue bills is Monday, April 18. The legislature will likely work into next weekend to meet this deadline.  

Here are a few notable bills that were passed by the House this week:

• SB 2053 extends sales tax exemptions for medical devices and products sold to schools.
• HB 519 protects the right to life by prohibiting dismemberment abortions in Mississippi.
• HB 207 clarifies the process for reimbursement for teachers seeking National Board certification. The bill makes it easier for teachers to receive reimbursement for completing their National Board certification.
• As always, you can view each of my votes this week, along with bill explanations and vote totals, on my website here. 

I was honored to help recognize the City of Ridgeland at the Capitol this week. The House unanimously adopted a resolution commending the city for their successful “Keep Ridgeland Beautiful” campaign. The city recently received a national award for its implementation of the program to reduce litter and help beautify the community. Congratulations to the schools and volunteers who participated to help make Madison County an even better place to live!

You might have seen in the news this week that the House passed an amended version of the Taxpayer Pay Raise Act of 2016. This bill will help hardworking Mississippians by reducing their state income tax burden. The bill originally contained language with extensive tax cuts that would have allowed working people to keep more money in their pockets. While the amended version limits the impact of the cut, I was glad to support its passage and hope that the bill will ultimately help alleviate the tax burden on the citizens of our state.

As the end of this session draws nearer, the legislature will begin considering final versions of revenue and appropriations bills towards the end of next week. As always, please let me know if you have questions or concerns about any pending legislation, or if I can help you in any way. I appreciate all of you who have taken the time to send me your thoughts and opinions on matters before the legislature. I ask for your continued prayers and support.

It’s truly an honor and a privilege to represent you.