Blog

*Note: This page will be continuously updated as votes are taken and posted. By clicking on the bill number, you can view the full text of the bill, current status, and vote totals. Vote totals are preliminary and may differ from the final totals. To view the vote by party, copy and paste the names from the vote totals pdf here.

Wednesday March 23, 2016

 

• The House considered SB 2051, a bill that expands the authority of MDA to use money borrowed at the taxpayers’ expense to expand their role in projects related to shipbuilding facilities. I voted No, the bill passed 117-3.

 

• The House considered SB 2240, a bill that allows tax assessors to conduct online auctions for tax sales. I voted Yes, the bill passed 68-49.

 

• The House considered SB 2419, a bill that expands opportunity for those who wish to work in a facility that sells alcohol, to help give them a second chance. I voted Yes, the bill passed 93-27.

 

• The House considered SB 2752, a bill that extends the state income tax credit for those using port facilities in the state. I support lowering the income tax burden on all Mississippians. I voted Yes, the bill passed 119-1.

 

• The House considered SB 2146, a bill that diverts a portion of sales tax revenue back to municipalities to make infrastructure improvements. This bill keeps more money in our local communities. I voted Yes, the bill passed 109-11.

 

• The House considered SB 2055, a bill that establishes procedures for the Department of Revenue to dispose of illegal alcohol that has been seized. There is currently no method for disposal. I voted Yes, the bill passed 116-5.

 

• The House considered SB 2209, a bill that prevents local authorities from placing new restrictive regulations on seeds. This protects our farmers from the burden of additional regulation. I voted Yes, the bill passed 111-9.

 

• The House considered SB 2342, a bill that allows the Department of Agriculture to charge fees for a marketing program. Our state government should not be in the business of running promotional programs for particular products and charging our producers to participate. I voted No, the bill passed 114-6.

 

• The House considered SB 2189, a bill that increases the regulatory reporting requirements for insurance companies by raising the amount of capital required for companies to avoid certain regulatory actions. I voted No, the bill passed 112-6.

 

• The House considered SB 2192, a bill that expands the regulatory power of the state’s Insurance Department to investigate insurance providers in the state. I voted No, the bill passed 65-54.

 

• The House considered SB 2300, a bill that allows the Commissioner of Insurance to close the state’s high risk pool, a program that is no longer utilized in the current health care environment. I voted Yes, the bill passed 111-7.

 

• The House considered SB 2750, a bill that allows the state to contract for health plans for individuals who do not qualify for the state’s default plan. I voted Yes, the bill passed 116-3.

 

• The House considered SB 2291, a bill that allows Southern Miss to lease a portion of their property. I voted Yes, the bill passed 119-2.

 

• The House considered SB 2644, a bill that allows the state to transfer a portion of state-owned property back to the municipality. I voted Yes, the bill passed 111-7.

 

• The House considered SB 2483, a bill that simply codifies the county of jurisdiction for incorporated entities. I voted Yes, the bill passed 120-1.

 

• The House considered SB 2704, a bill which makes a correction to the bad check law to ensure that those who authorize bad checks are included. I voted Yes, the bill passed 117-0.

 

• The House considered SB 2675, a bill that allows for several groups to pay for specialty car tags. I voted Yes, the bill passed 121-0.

 

• The House considered SB 2321, a bill that extends a tax on forests in our state. I voted No, the bill passed 115-3.

 

• The House considered SB 2193, a bill that increases fees and regulatory requirements for insurance adjusters. I voted No, the bill passed 110-11.

 

• The House considered SB 2309, a bill that renames a highway in Lowndes County. I voted Yes, the bill passed 120-0.

 

• The House considered SB 2525, a bill that creates a new board to spend money (and borrow money) on new projects within the capitol complex. This is funded by diverting money from Jackson’s sales tax revenues. I voted No, the bill passed 113-7.

 

Thursday March 24, 2016

 

• The House considered SB 2162, a bill that creates the Jackson Metropolitan Airport Authority. This bill expands representation on the board governing the Jackson Airport to include representatives from other metro areas, including a commissioner from Madison County. I voted Yes, the bill passed 74-46.

 

• The House considered SB 2200, a bill that reduces regulations by preventing certain reporting requirements from applying to crowdfunding sites. I voted Yes, the bill passed 111-8.

 

• The House considered SB 2532, a bill that extends the authority of the Department of Transportation to allow for trucks hauling heavy materials to operate on state roads, with a permit. I voted Yes, the bill passed 114-2.

 

• The House considered SB 2597, a bill which expands the authority of the state to use public money to construct new facilities for a government program related to oysters. I voted No, the bill passed 116-4.

 

• The House considered SB 2600, a bill that reduces the regulatory scope of the Department of Marine Resources. The bill states that the department no longer has to test closed oyster reefs. I voted Yes, the bill passed 119-1.

 

• The House considered SB 2699, a bill that revises and simplifies procedures for removing derelict vessels from the waters of the state. I voted Yes, the bill passed 119-1.

 

 

• The House considered SB 2126, a bill that expands a state board to evaluate educational achievement by adding members who represent independent colleges and proprietary schools. I voted No, the bill passed 98-18.

 

• The House considered SB 2366, a bill that expands the scope of state regulations governing how private businesses can contact Mississippians. I voted No, the bill passed 119-1.

 

• The House considered SB 2755, a bill which creates two new boards to oversee activities related to underground utilities. I voted No, the bill passed 112-8.

 

• The House considered SB 2527, a bill that expands the “Right to Try” in Mississippi by providing immunity to hospitals that use drugs not approved by the FDA. The state should not prevent sick patients from trying any medication that could help alleviate their condition. I voted Yes, the bill passed 93-25.

 

• The House considered SB 2438, a bill that requires school district superintendents be appointed rather than elected. I voted Yes, the bill passed 80-36.

 

• The House considered SB 2409, a bill that expands the ability for loan providers to practice in the state. I voted No, the bill passed 91-24.

 

• The House considered SB 2664, a bill that places new regulations on the bail bond industry and impose fees on those that fail to register. I voted No, the bill passed 107-12.

 

• The House considered SB 2157, a bill that strengthen’s our “Third Grade Reading Gate” law by increasing the standard for promotion. I voted Yes, the bill passed 82-37.

 

Friday March 25, 2016

• The House considered SB 2388, a bill which allows the State Department of Education to administer the Third Grade Reading Gate in low-performing districts. I voted Yes, the bill passed 108-14.

• The House considered SB 2313, a bill which expands 2nd Amendment rights by removing a prohibition on silencers for firearms. I voted Yes, the bill passed 109-7.

• The House considered SB 2515, a bill that exempts hunting and fishing license information of private citizens from public records requests. I voted Yes, the bill passed 82-37.

• The House considered SB 2468, a bill that adds assault on a military member to a list of aggravating circumstances for assault. This only applies when they are assaulted while in performance of their official duties. I voted Yes, the bill passed 116-3.

• The House considered SB 2669, a bill that corrects a reference to the US Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, to reflect the new name of the court. I voted Yes, the bill passed 119-0.

• The House considered SB 2778, a bill that makes revisions to the DUI laws to ensure that sentences run consecutively, and also removes interlock requirements for some offenses. I voted Yes, the bill passed 118-1.

• The House considered SB 2169, a bill that revises penalties for some drug offenses. This version is different than the one the Senate passed, and has a reverse repealer, which means it cannot become law in its current form. We will work on the bill in conference committee and consider it again in its final form. I voted Yes, the bill passed 114-5.

• The House considered SB 2661, a bill that loosens regulatory requirements concerning the establishment of healthcare facilities in the state. The state should not limit healthcare providers from locating and offering services to the citizens of Mississippi. I voted Yes, the bill passed 118-0.

• The House considered SB 2179, a bill that establishes the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services. This bill seeks to help mend Mississippi’s foster care system in compliance with a federal court order. I voted Yes, the bill passed 113-6.

• The House considered SB 2392, which allows Mississippi State University and the local school district to establish a model rural school, at their discretion. I voted yes, the bill passed 110-3.

• The House considered SB 2495, which allows for administrative consolidation in the Montgomery County School District. I voted Yes, the bill passed 88-24.

• The House considered SB 2500, which allows for administrative consolidation in the Lumberton Public School District. I voted Yes, the bill passed 81-36.

• The House considered SB 2501, which provides for Coahoma Agricultural High School to transition to an early college high school. I voted Yes, the bill passed 105-9.

• The House considered SB 2111, which extends the statute allowing the Secretary of State to sale tax forfeited lands by online auction and receive electronic reports of tax-forfeited lands. I voted Yes, the bill passed 100-17.

• The House considered SB 2237, which prevents identification of anyone who serves on the state execution team or supplies execution drugs. This bill presents significant concerns about restricting free speech rights. I voted No, the bill passed 80-39.

• The House considered SB 2660, which revises the qualifications for a senior judge. This bill moves the years of service required from 8 to 6. I voted Yes, the bill passed 115-1.

• The House considered SB 2725, which requires background checks for those seeking to obtain real estate licenses. This bill creates an additional barrier to employment. I voted No, the bill passed 115-2.

• The House considered SB 2306, which restricts the ability of municipalities to set policies related to immigration. I voted No, the bill passed 93-20.

• The House considered SB 2156, which strengthens our human trafficking statute to ensure that coerced behavior is included. I voted Yes, the bill passed 117-0.

• The House considered SB 2684, which allows election commissioners to file for mileage reimbursement for the driving that they do on Election Day. I voted Yes, the bill passed 115-2.

• The House considered SB 2167, which dramtically increases the filing fees required for candidates to run for public office. This makes it more difficult for ordinary citizens to seek political office. I voted No, the bill passed 95-23.

• The House considered SB 2508, which is an antiquated regulation that requires physicians to file physical registrations with county clerks. I voted Yes, the bill passed 118-0.

• The House considered SB 2528, which extends regulations and licensing requirements on those who wish to work as barbers in the state. These requirements limit employment options in the state. I voted No, the bill passed 111-8.

• The House considered SB 2625, which allows for fingerprinting of medical students who work in healthcare environments with sensitive information. I voted Yes, the bill passed 119-0.

• The House considered SB 2484, which extends regulations on those who work as chiropractors in the state. I voted No, the bill passed 115-3.

• The House considered SB 2372, which allows the Public Contract Review Board to review RFP’s before they are issued by the Department of Finance and Administration. I voted Yes, the bill passed 117-0.

• The House considered SB 2081, which updates the Open Meetings Act to ensure that meetings held over video or teleconference are still subject to the Open Meetings Act. I voted Yes, the bill passed 119-0.

• The House considered SB 2123, which clarifies that only certain contracts entered into by the Department of Corrections falls under the purview of the Contract Review Board. I voted Yes, the bill passed 104-12.

• The House considered SB 2533, which states that under the Open Records Act, information concerning copyrights can be released after notice has been provided and 21 days have passed, unless a court order is obtained. I voted Yes, the bill passed 119-0.

• The House considered SB 2591, which ensures that all state employees who act as purchasing agents receive the required training. I voted yes, the bill passed 119-0.

• The House considered SB 2791, which allows for expanded parole eligibility by retroactively apply rules that the House adopted for new offenders in 2014. I voted Yes, the bill passed 118-0.

• The House considered. SB 2064, which creates a new government program within the Department of Education to set up distance learning programs with taxpayer dollars. I voted no, the bill passed 118-1.

• The House considered SB 2160, which allows students who have completed graduation requirements to receive a diploma if they pass a reasonably comparable exit exam. I voted Yes, the bill passed 118-0.

• The House considered SB 2678, which exempts school safety plans from public records requests. I voted Yes, the bill passed 116-0.

• The House considered SB 2777, which creates a task force to study the flow of DUI information within our criminal justice system. Members do not receive compensation for their service. I voted Yes, the bill passed 117-0.