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The Mississippi House of Representatives spent most of this week debating and voting on legislation. Thursday was the deadline for the House and Senate to vote on bills originating in that chamber.

The House worked to consider each bill that was passed out of committee. Dozens of new laws made it past this deadline, while others died.

Here’s a look at some of the significant bills that were passed by the House:

• HB 732: This bill, referred to as the “Heartbeat Bill,” was monumental progress for the rights of the unborn. This bill prohibits abortions if a heartbeat is detected except in situations that endanger the life of the mother.

• HB 688: This bill relaxes school regulations by allowing schools within districts of innovation to be graded by the Cambridge Assessment or other nationally recognized assessment standards in lieu of the Mississippi Assessment Program or the State Subject Area Testing Program. This decreases the regulatory burden on the State.

• HB 816: This bill seeks to reduce the tax burden on recent college graduates who stay in Mississippi. The state should always seek to lower the aggregate tax burden on all individuals, and create an environment that our children can grow and prosper.

You can see every bill that the House considered on my weekly vote post by clicking here. I’ve included a short description of what each bill does, how I voted, and why.

At this point, the House and Senate will now “swap” bills. The House will consider bills that passed out of the Senate and vice versa. Next week will include more committee meetings as committees vet these bills and decide which should move forward in the process.

As the session moves forward, the House will also start to consider more revenue bills dealing with the state’s expenses and budget. I’ll keep you updated on these measures as they move forward.

You can scroll through a list of all of the bills that are still alive in the legislature here.

Be sure to like my Facebook page, where you can see the live stream of debate from the House each day.

As always, please let me know if you have any questions, concerns, or comments about matters before the legislature, or if I can help you in any way.

It’s an honor to serve and represent you!

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