We spent more time on the floor of the House last week as we debated measures that had lived past the committee deadline on January 31. In fact, we considered over 100 bills, some of which I was proud to support.
I am proud that we started the week off with a Prayer breakfast at The Mississippi Baptist Convention Association building. Dr. Shawn Parker and others prayed for us as state leaders. Just knowing that others are praying for us and our state is a comfort, and I welcome every single one of those prayers.
Many citizens have called and emailed me to alert me to the threat that House Bill 605 poses to the stability of the Public Employees Retirement System. First, I will be voting “No” on this bill if it comes up for a vote. There is no reason why we should be taking management decisions away from the very capable PERS Board. There are 353,000 PERS members. It is vital that this system they have paid into and depend upon not be “tinkered with” by the Legislature. The pension system of our faithful public servants should not be used as a political or crony benefit. I appreciate every single contact on this subject. It is very important that citizens be aware, informed, and active on the issues that come before the Legislature. Thank you.
I was proud to sponsor and support several education bills that passed this week. House Bill 1365 would ensure that assistant teachers receive their pay raises from last year, as well as a $3,000 years with a new salary minimum of $20,000. They certainly deserve this raise in salaries.
House Bill 1369 would adjust the funding formula of MAEP from being based on average student attendance to student enrollment. After the pandemic, we finally realized that whether or not a student is in a classroom, the school still has to provide services as if they were there. This should help in our efforts to fully fund MAEP.
House Bill 1373, or the “Released-Time Moral Instruction Act of 2023,” would allow school boards to permit students who wish to participate in religious activities during the school day to be excused with parental consent. These activities would not take place on school premises, but it would allow parents to take a child to a religious activity one hour a week without repercussions.
House Bill 989 removes Child Protection Services from the Department of Human Services and makes it a separate agency. CPS provides such an essential service to our vulnerable children. It is important that they establish their own entity that is transparent and strong. CPS was established by the Legislature in 2016 and was made a subagency of MDHS. The bill passed by a vote of 102-9 and has been sent to the Senate.
On the topic of MDHS, House Bill 1392 would require the Department of Human Services to establish and maintain the Mississippi Vulnerable Persons Abuse Registry. This will be an important deterrent to those people who would abuse people who can’t defend themselves. The bill passed as amended by a vote of 113-0.
In an act to protect the most vulnerable of all, House Bill 1318 would revise provisions related to baby drop-off and safe haven laws. The maximum age of the infant would be changed to 90 days, and municipalities and counties would be able to sponsor a baby safety device, or “baby box,” for anonymous drop-off. The bill passed unanimously by a vote of 111-0 before being held on a motion to reconsider.
We also enjoyed getting to have our First Responder Caucus luncheon this week to talk about issues to improve the quality of life for our first responder heroes.
It was also great seeing some of our local hometown heroes at our meeting like Chief Will Jones, President of Mississippi Fire Fighter Association Chief John B. Pope III, Safety Risk Specialist/ Paramedic (and my classmate) Eric Phillips. Thanks to all of our First Responders across the State for your service to us when we are in dire need of help.
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to serve you. Feel free to reach out to me anytime at [email protected] or call me at 601-469-7886.
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