Blog

It was a short second week in the Mississippi Legislature. Legislators are working to draft legislation ahead of Monday’s deadline for introducing bills. The House adjourned on Thursday afternoon as members work on finalizing bills to introduce before Monday.

 This week the House passed a bill that would allow electric power associations (EPAs) to offer broadband internet to more rural areas of the state through electric cooperatives with affiliates or other operators. I voted against this bill. While I am absolutely for providing Internet access to everyone, this was simply a bad bill for a couple of major reasons. One, the electric power associations (EPAs) are nonprofit corporations and do not have the expertise in providing broadband service. Second, this bill pursues a business model that is heavily dependent on tax subsidies that could backfire on the Mississippi taxpayers in the form of tax increases. Internet access is vital, but private solutions are needed to prevent another big government boondoggle.

 After Monday’s deadline, we will have a clearer picture about which legislation might become law. You can scroll through more than 1,000 bills that have already been introduced on the “All Bills” page here.

On Tuesday, Governor Phil Bryant delivered his annual State of the State address. If you missed it, you can watch the recording here. Governor Bryant recounted much of the successes Mississippi has seen during his past seven years as governor and highlighted his policy priorities for this session. One of the Governor’s priorities, which I share, is the need for continued criminal justice reform. Mississippi has been a leader on conservative reforms that reduce crime and incarceration, and I’m looking forward to working with our leadership to continue the progress this session.

 I will continue streaming Facebook Live videos directly from the House, so be sure to like my Facebook page for live videos throughout the week!

 As always, you can see all of the votes I have taken so far, with bill details, on my website.

 If you have any questions, comments, or requests, please send me an email at Joel@JoelBomgar.com or call me on my cell at (601) 207-0813.

 It’s an honor to represent you!

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