The ceiling of the Capitol rotunda
The Mississippi Senate and House of Representatives took action on 93 pieces of legislation Thursday, the deadline for original floor action for general bills.
Here are several of note that lived and died:
House bills that passed
House Bill 509 – Requires the Department of Public Safety to develop a program instructing students on how to respond to law enforcement when stopped.
House Bill 679 – Allows the Department of Finance and Administration to lease the Mississippi Highway Patrol Headquarters Facility in Jackson; Highway Patrol would likely move to a new location in Rankin County, paid for by the lease on the old property.
House Bill 920 – Changes sentencing options for juveniles convicted of capital murder to life imprisonment or 25 to 50 years in prison.
House Bill 1046 – Expands the Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship program to students in 12th grade.
House Bill 1392 – Revises the list of crimes eligible for expungement.
Senate bills that passed
Senate Bill 2222 – Private prisons must have lower recidivism rate than public prisons.
Senate Bill 2483 – Bona fide separation is legal grounds for divorce.
Senate Bill 2632 – State agencies and universities cannot use public dollars to pay for outside lobbyists.
Senate Bill 2687 – In-person absentee voting may be conducted by voting machine or paper ballot at circuit clerk’s discretion.
Senate Bill 2704 – Increase state marriage license fee from $20 to $50.
Senate Bill 2896 – Establish fantasy sports regulations and assess new tax on fantasy sports operators.
House bills that are dead
House Bill 267 — Elect all school boards at statewide general or presidential election for four-year term.
House Bill 293 — Reduce the number of school days in a scholastic year to 170 days.
House Bill 442 — Revises the minimum qualifications for school superintendents.
House Bill 503 — Require cursive writing to be taught in elementary school.
House Bill 1130 — Give preference for some state contracts to veteran-owned businesses.
House Bill 1050 — Authorize issuance of procurement cards for use for students with special needs.
House Bill 1237 — Require all passengers to wear seatbealts.
House Bill 1294 — Revise the education funding formula.
House Bill 275 — Revise the Assistant Teacher Forgivable Loan Program to increase financial assistance to those pursuing teacher licensure.
Senate bills that died
Senate Bill 2036 – All school boards would be elected every four years, not appointed, starting in 2019.
Senate Bill 2302 – “Ban the Box” initiative that would not require certain felons to disclose their convictions on early job applications.
Senate Bill 2459 – Increase compulsory school attendance age to 17 instead of 16.
Senate Bill 2468 – Make technical revisions to state election laws.
Senate Bill 2511 – Establish licensing procedure for naturopathic medicine.
Senate Bill 2893 – Create State Capital Infrastructure Fund and require DFA to administer certain infrastructure projects in Jackson.