Less than 48 hours from now, Mississippi lawmakers will have left their respective nooks and crannies across the state and made their way back to Jackson for yet another legislative session. Always promising to be busy down at the state capitol building, we’ve compiled the following information on what to know before the gavel lands for the first time on Tuesday afternoon.
When is the session?
The 2025 session will officially begin on Tuesday, Jan. 7 at noon. Now in the second year of the term, lawmakers will return to the usual, 90-day calendar after an elongated 2024 session that lasted 124 days. This year’s sine die is scheduled for Sunday, April 6, with the end date always subject to change.
Who controls each chamber?
The GOP boasts a super majority inside the Mississippi Legislature with 36 of 52 members in the Senate being Republican and 78 of 120 members in the House sporting red. There are two vacant House seats set to be filled through special elections in March, but either way, these won’t impact Republicans’ stronghold in the chamber.
Leading the Senate for his sixth session as lieutenant governor is Republican Delbert Hosemann. Over in the House, Republican Jason White will oversee the chamber for his second session after being elected speaker last year.
What will lawmakers discuss in 2025?
This is the big question. Per usual, thousands of bills will be filed with hundreds making it to the floor for a vote. While we can’t predict every topic that’s bound to come up for discussion, we do know some.
Medicaid expansion
The House may have made history last session by passing a Medicaid expansion program for the first time ever; however, the Senate quickly stepped in and stepped on any plans to do so with a bill of its own that was destined for failure.
Mississippi, losing out on billions in federal dollars as one of few states not to expand government-provided health insurance under the Affordable Care Act of 2010, never truly considered Medicaid expansion until a year ago. Will year two of debates push a package across the finish line? Speaker White is hoping so, saying in October that his chamber plans to push for more coverage for working people who earn too little to afford private insurance.
Two possible problems remain, though. The first of which is Republican Gov. Tate Reeves’ consistent criticism of Medicaid expansion, something he often refers to as “welfare” and has promised in the past to veto if it comes to his desk. The second is the future of Medicaid feeling uncertain as Donald Trump is set to return to the Oval Office on Jan. 20. Along the campaign trail, the Republican vouched that enrollees need “much better” and he has a plan to either improve or replace the ACA. During his first presidency, Trump attempted to repeal the ACA but to no avail as Congress turned the measure down.
Ballot initiative process
Some lawmakers are hoping another year’s worth of time will put the House and Senate on the same page when it comes to letting citizens propose law changes. The two chambers have been at odds on if and how to restore the ballot initiative process since it was stripped over a medical marijuana grassroots campaign in 2021. The key point of contention over the past three sessions has been the number of signatures needed for citizens to place an initiative on the ballot, with the Senate wanting a higher number than the House.
READ MORE: Republican lawmaker promises ‘another run’ at ballot initiative process in 2025
While most Democrats would like to see the ballot initiative process restored to how it looked before being nullified, most Republicans would like to set in place no-go zones where citizens cannot propose new laws on certain matters such as abortion, the public employees’ retirement system, and anything that would essentially break the state’s budget.
Cutting taxes
Cutting taxes has been one of the hottest topics of the offseason. Gov. Reeves has continued to push for expediting the state’s ongoing process of reducing income tax – something Speaker White tends to agree with and even already has a plan in mind.
“You’ll see legislation in the House that phases out in its entirety the tax on work. Now, we do have core functions of government that do provide some taxes to be paid. We’ll figure that out through the sales tax or other means,” White said. “But we want to get away from punishing and penalizing people’s productivity by taxing your income.
READ MORE: Here’s what Mississippi’s current income tax phase-out looks like
“We want to take [the top rate] to three (percent) in that first year of 2026 and after full phase-in of our current tax cut and peel it down over six, eight, ten years without any future legislation. We want it in place, and it’s done, and we can finally say we’re on the path of full elimination.”
On the other side of the cash register, plenty of people remain concerned over Mississippi’s 7% sales tax imposed on groceries. Lt. Gov. Hosemann has previously said he would like that number to be lowered before pushing for a further reduction in income tax. But by lowering the sales tax on groceries, lawmakers will be tasked with helping municipalities figure out how they will make up the lost revenue.
Legislative and judicial redistricting
In what may be one of the most strenuous tasks placed on lawmakers’ shoulders, federal judges have ordered a redistricting of some legislative districts where Black voting power is currently diluted. A new map could end up impacting dozens of districts and will result in various special elections being held after the 2025 session.
Lawmakers are also being required to redraw Mississippi’s 23 circuit court districts and 20 chancery court districts, something that must be done five years after the U.S. Census is administered.
School choice
As the battle over the prospect of letting parents have more of a say as to where their children are educated continues, the speaker recently spoke openly about a school choice pilot program his chamber plans to discuss.
READ MORE: Speaker White says lawmakers will consider school choice-related bills in 2025
In it, three ideas will be put on the table: further portability for public school students looking to transfer to a different public school district, expansion of the state’s charter school system, and the creation of a program where students and their parents are eligible for an education savings account that would allow public dollars to be used for tuition at a private school.
Additionally, White plans for K-12 schools to be fully funded for the second year in a row under a more pupil-based formula passed in 2024.
Restoring voter rights
During Mississippi’s Democratic convention this summer, one of the issues discussed was how to advance legislation that would restore voting rights on a broader basis post-incarceration. Lawmakers have taken those discussions and are ready to make a push in 2025 to make the process more programmatic for those trying to regain their ability to vote.
Mississippi historically has had a piecemeal approach when it comes to disenfranchisement, in which someone who has paid their debt to society must contact a local representative or senator and ask them to introduce a voting restoration bill on their behalf. On average, hundreds of suffrage bills are filed with around eight to ten being approved. In some sessions, none are approved.
READ MORE: Lawmaker to introduce bill easing voting restoration process for nonviolent offenders
Another facet of the conversation will be narrowing down which crimes result in one losing their right to vote. While lawmakers tend to agree on murder, rape, and other violent crimes being included on the list where the perpetrator loses their right to vote, seemingly minor crimes such as tree larceny and writing a bad check for as little as $100 can currently result in disenfranchisement.
Parole reform
In his executive budget recommendations for the new fiscal year, Gov. Reeves encouraged lawmakers to look at making two changes to the parole process for Mississippi’s inmates – something that has garnered the public’s attention with controversial convicted murderers being granted parole in recent years.
READ MORE: Here’s why Gov. Tate Reeves is pushing for parole reform
The first of the changes Reeves recommended was an amendment to the current law that allows many offenders to be paroled without a hearing before the parole board. Instead, Reeves said all parole decisions should be discretionary under the board’s purview, requiring each case to go through a hearing to remedy what he said to be a “shortcut” to public safety.
The second recommendation is aimed at redefining violations of offenders who are on parole, which often allows those offenders to stay out of prison if the offense falls under the “technical violation” category. Reeves stumped for all new offenses from those parties to be excluded from the definition.
PERS
Lawmakers took a step in addressing the long-term, financial stability of the public employees’ retirement system in 2024 with a bill increasing the PERS employers’ contribution rate by 2.5% over five years. But many believe it isn’t even a drop in the bucket to resolving the multi-billion-dollar liability that the program is believed to be.
Based on recommendations from the PERS board, lawmakers are expected to consider creating a fifth tier for public employees, one that could see new state employees receiving less money post-retirement than current retirees. One concern the legislature must consider is how to ensure current retirees and current public government employees receive the benefits promised to them upon being hired.
Mobile sports betting
The odds of Mississippi implementing mobile sports betting slowly decreased as the 2024 session moved along, and eventually, lawmakers decided to kill a bill that would have done so. That being said, sports fans have not forgotten as many would like to be able to place wagers from the comfort of their own homes rather than having to travel to one of the state’s brick-and-mortar sportsbooks to do so.
With an increase in revenue guaranteed if mobile sports betting is legalized, lawmakers are once again expected to discuss the prospect and how it coincides with the state’s already prospering casino community.
Casino in the capital city
A group of business leaders spearheaded by former Gov. Haley Barbour spoke to lawmakers in December about bringing a casino to Jackson – something they believe would spur economic development and tourism inside the capital city. The only possible hiccup might be what a change to state law allowing Jackson a casino would do to other areas.
READ MORE: Gaming expert says allowing Jackson a casino would open Pandora’s box
Currently, casinos can only be built within 800 feet of the Mississippi River, Mississippi Sound, or on tribal land. Would changing that help or hurt the industry? If Jackson is allowed a casino, are places like Tupelo and Meridian, for example, allowed to open one as well? These are all details lawmakers will have to consider and iron out before moving forward with legislation on the matter.
