Cooperation has been in short supply for the last three years, as the Republican leadership of the two chambers has sparred over nearly every major issue, including the budget.
The 2026 Mississippi legislative session is getting down to the short rows, scheduled to wrap by the first week of April.
That means it’s time for lawmakers to bear down on setting an over $7-billion state budget, the main job of a legislature.
But that requires cooperation between the 122-member House and 52-member Senate. And that cooperation has been in short supply for the last three years, as the Republican leadership of the two chambers has sparred over nearly every major issue, including the budget. Last year, the feuding was so bad that they could not set a budget and had to be called back to Jackson in a special session by the governor to finish up.
The two chambers have been at it again this year, arguing over nearly every major initiative and killing each other’s bills left and right. So, many political observers are wondering whether the two chambers can set a budget without costing taxpayers upwards of $100,000 a day if they have to be called back into extra innings later to set a budget or parts of it.
Some major budget issues still pending:
K-12 education: The biggest single chunk of the budget, well over $3 billion, is spent on K-12 public education. Until lawmakers agree on this one, it’s nearly impossible to set the rest of the budget. This year, the House and Senate have dueling large teacher pay raise proposals, and each has killed the other’s plan. They’ve revived them, but are still at odds over how much and how to increase teacher pay.
PERS: Shoring up the underfunded state Public Employees’ Retirement System has been a perennial issue for the Legislature, and the House and Senate remain at odds over addressing it this year as well. The Senate has proposed sinking $500 million into the system this year, then $50 million a year over the next decade. The House has proposed finding a recurring revenue stream, such as its proposal to legalize online sports betting and earmarking revenue to PERS. Beyond that, the two chambers are also still haggling over proposed changes to the system.
‘Christmas tree’ bill: The Legislature has typically passed a $200 million to $400 million “Christmas tree” bill with dozens of special projects spread across the state. In lean years, they’ve borrowed money for the projects. In flush times, they’ve used cash. But last year, amid other budget fighting, the Senate refused to agree to such a bill. It’s unclear whether they can reach an agreement on such a measure this year.
One-time money: The state has been flush with cash since the unprecedented windfall of billions of federal dollars in COVID-19 relief and infrastructure spending after the pandemic. Mississippi has about $1.5 billion in cash, plus another $700 million in the “rainy day fund.” But that federal flow has dried up, and more federal cuts appear to be in the offing. Some legislative leaders are warning against the state continuing to increase recurring spending by large amounts. The GOP took over state government starting in the early 2000s in part as a backlash to using “one-time” money for recurring expenses and dealing with subsequent deficits. With current economic headwinds and tax policy changes, it’s a little hard to tell what recurring revenue will look like for Mississippi in the coming years.
Quote of the Week
“I mean, it’s like arguing with my wife. I just don’t know what to make of it.”
House Education Chairman Rob Roberson, on disagreements with the Senate on education policy.
In Brief
Lawmakers keep ICE measure alive
The House last week inserted language into a Senate bill from its legislation to require all state and local governments to cooperate with federal authorities in enforcing immigration laws.
The Senate made some tweaks to the original HB 538, but kept the measure alive.
The measure would expand Mississippi’s ban on “sanctuary” jurisdictions to require all state and local government entities to cooperate with ICE if requested. It would also waive sovereign immunity for those violating it. Opponents said the proposal would expose local Mississippi police officers to arrest if they tried to stop ICE agents from engaging in illegal behavior and would rope a wide range of Mississippi institutions into carrying out federal immigration policy. Supporters said most Mississippians support the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. – Michael Goldberg
Most education bills dead
Thanks to infighting at the Capitol, just a fraction of education bills are still alive as lawmakers enter the final weeks of the session.
Lawmakers in both chambers filed several bills in January that would have enshrined students’ right to pray in school. But, two months later, none of those bills have survived.
Among other notable dead education bills is one that would have established more oversight of technology. Mississippi schools spent millions on technology during the pandemic, House Education Vice-Chairman Kent McCarty said in a February meeting, but it’s unclear if it’s still in use.
Another now-dead bill would have removed the requirement of a signed confidentiality pledge before mediation for special needs students — an issue the federal government has previously flagged. – Devna Bose
Election-night reporting bill dies in Senate
A bill that would have required local election officials to report election results to the secretary of state’s office on election nights died on a deadline last week in the Senate.
Other than media, no entity in the state provides real-time updates for election results after polls close. Secretary of State Michael Watson asked the Legislature to mandate local officials to report the results to provide more transparency on Election Day.
Though the measure received bipartisan support, some legislators expressed concern that voters could be confused by looking at unofficial results on an official government website. – Taylor Vance
Special needs, workforce bills revived
After both bills were killed, Sen. Nicole Boyd saved two programs she championed this session to support special needs students and fortify the state’s workforce.
HB 562 now contains language for the two programs, after the original bill’s language was completely replaced in committee and passed by the Senate.
The UPSKILL program would award grants to students at community colleges for in-demand careers, such as plumbing and construction. The money would cover students’ remaining balance after all aid and scholarships.
The bill would also establish the BRIDGE Act, intended to address the needs of students with disabilities. The act would direct the Mississippi Department of Education to evaluate the need for regional schools that serve special needs students and regional schools focused on career and technical education and workforce training. – Devna Bose
Committee to study impact of wind power
A House bill would establish a committee to study the agricultural and environmental impact of wind power.
The Senate replaced HB 1069 with language from its own wind tower bill. Sen. Joel Carter amended the bill so that for one year, the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks would review and approve all new wind projects based on their impact on the environment and waterfowl.
The amended bill passed the Senate and the House, but it was held on a motion to reconsider in the House. – Katherine Lin
Bill aims to keep kids safe online
Even though an education bill aimed at keeping kids safer online died earlier this session, another bill with the same goal is still alive.
The Mississippi Keeping Kids Safe Online Act, which would be established under HB 1224, would prohibit interactive computer service providers from entering into contracts with minors without their parents’ consent and from allowing minors to access harmful material or communicate with adults without safeguards.
It would also require providers to implement age-verification methods and allow the state attorney general to prosecute violations. – Devna Bose
By the Numbers
$328.5 million a year
Cost of the Senate’s proposed $6,000 a year teacher pay raise, once fully implemented. The proposal is to phase the raise in over three years, at a cost of $109.5 million more a year. It would bring starting teacher pay to $47,500 when fully implemented. The House has proposed a $5,000 a year teacher raise.
More Legislative Coverage
‘A good day for teachers’: Senate revives pay raise, ups House’s proposal to $6,000
The Senate on Wednesday unanimously passed a $6,000 teacher pay raise with an extra $3,000 for special education teachers. The House has proposed a $5,000 raise, with an extra $3,000 for special education teachers. Read the story.
Legislature passes law to take gambling jackpots from deadbeat parents after yearslong push
The Mississippi Legislature passed a bill on Tuesday that aims to prevent child support money for over 150,000 Mississippi children from being gambled away, the culmination of a yearslong effort to pass such a proposal. –Read the story.
Senate approves funding for Mississippi’s child care crisis. Will it survive the House?
The Senate voted Thursday to spend $15 million on child care vouchers to help alleviate the pressure on roughly 20,000 low-income Mississippi families waitlisted for subsidies since pandemic-era federal funds ran out in April. Read the story.
-- Article credit to Geoff Pender for Mississippi Today --
