This was the eleventh week of the 2023 Legislative Session. Because it is late in the session, much of the week was spent deciding whether to concur with any changes made to House bills by the Senate or to invite conference on those bills. In conference committees, we work together to finalize the details of each bill before they are sent to the governor. Included in the bills being sent to conference are most of the revenue and appropriations bills from the House and Senate, which will decide the state’s budget.
I’m so excited to see House Bill 1222, a bill I sponsored and have worked on, the Mississippi Collaborative Response to Mental Health Act, headed to the Governor’s desk for his signature. This is a bill that we have worked on for the last two years to help address the mental health crisis in our state. After over fifty meetings, public hearings and getting input from everyone in this field, we have passed a transformative piece of legislation. This, when signed into law, will provide funding, training for law enforcement officers, more beds for mental health patients, and a host of other things to help improve mental health. This bill is transformative and will have a significant impact on our state for generations to come to help with mental health issues in our state.
Both the House and Senate agreed this week on passing HB 4. This is a bill that would ban the sale of tianeptine, commonly known as “gas station heroin.” Tianeptine can have similar effects to opioids and can be sold in convenience stores. Those sales could soon stop in Mississippi when it becomes law. The bill is now in the hands of Gov. Tate Reeves.
Other legislative bills passed this week included:
• House Bill 549 exempts certain businesses from paying sales tax on property transported from Mississippi and first used in another state.
• House Bill 1723 authorizes up to $1 million in tax credits for certain organizations supporting community food pantries or soup kitchens.
• House Bill 1561 amends current law to allow tax exemption eligibility to “controlled environment agriculture enterprises meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority.”
• Senate Bill 2449 amends existing law to allow taxation of certain computer software. “Sales of computer software, computer software services, specified digital products, or other products delivered electronically, including, but not limited to, music, games, reading materials or ringtones, shall be taxed as provided in other sections of this chapter.”
We were proud to see the Governor sign these 3 bill this week to help our military families:
1. SB 2649 will streamline the process for any named beneficiaries of insurance policies for service members or veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
2. SB 2700 will exempt any qualified homeowners from property taxes on their primary residence if their spouse served in the military or was killed on active duty, including training.
3. HB 49, makes it easier for the children of active-duty service members born in the state to receive a sportsman hunting and fishing license for their lifetime. This ultimately does away with the usual 18 consecutive month residency requirement if they have moved due to their parents’ service. It also reduces the fee by roughly 33 percent.
When the session resumed the week of March 20, it was expected that we would spend much of our time in conference committees ironing out the final details of bills that were sent to the conference. These conference committees will then have to file reports before the end of session.
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