Dear friends,

There’s a lot going on at the Mississippi Capitol right now. Lawmakers have been busy moving appropriations and revenue bills, which dictate how much the government will spend and how much they will tax you. 

This is just the first step in that process and details will be hammered out in the last week of the session before Sine Die. The last day of the session is scheduled for April 6 so time is getting short, as it always does. 

The next task for lawmakers will be to advance bills that passed out of one chamber earlier in the session. If a bill does not move out of committee by Tuesday, it will be dead for the year. 

So where do we stand on key bills at this point? And where can you help? We need YOU now to contact your lawmakers now!

Stopping DEI

Legislation that will protect students from divisive DEI teachings have advanced in both chambers. We have seen direct and immediate directives from the Trump administration wiping out DEI at the federal level. We have also seen many corporations start to push back.

👉 House Bill 1193, sponsored by Rep. Joey Hood, would prohibit DEI teachings and trainings in all public K-12 schools, as well as colleges and universities. It has been referred to the Universities and Colleges committee.

👉 Senate Bill 2515, sponsored by Sen. Nicole Boyd, prohibits DEI in colleges and universities. It has been referred to the Judiciary A committee.

If you’re curious as to why this is necessary, I encourage you to check out this post from the Mississippi Republican Party about what is being taught at the Ole Miss Pharmacy School. It’s disturbing.

Protecting parental rights

Crucial legislation that will reinforce parental authority and limit government overreach into family matters is still alive. Parents should have the final say when it comes to their children’s upbringing!

👉 House Bill 1081, sponsored by Rep. Kimberly Remak, would affirm and protect parents' fundamental rights to direct the upbringing, education, care, and custody of their children. It has been referred to the Education committee.

It was very concerning that Senator Tyler McCaugh’s strong Parent’s bill of rights died. Rep. Remak’s is the only remaining Parent’s bill left.  

Why is this controversial in Mississippi?

Protecting women

Legislation to protect the safety, privacy, and dignity of women in correctional facilities is moving. 

👉 House Bill 188, sponsored by Rep. Gene Newman, known as the Dignity and Safety for Incarcerated Women Act, has passed the House and aims to protect the privacy, safety, and dignity of individuals in correctional facilities by mandating that restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters in correctional facilities must be designated exclusively for males or females and Incarcerated individuals can only access facilities designated for their biological sex. It has been referred to the Corrections committee. 

Please take a minute to call your lawmakers and ask them to support these bills!

There is no time to waste—the deadline is this Tuesday, March 4.

Capitol Switchboard: 601-359-3770.

Find your Representative here: https://pluralpolicy.com/find-your-legislator/

Other strong conservative bills of note

👉 Senate Bill 2192, sponsored by Sen. Angela Hill, which would require the identification of sex on a driver’s license to be consistent with the sex of the individual that was determined at birth. It has been referred to the Judiciary B and Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency committees. Please call your lawmakers today and ask for their support!

👉 House Bill 599, sponsored by Rep. Price Wallace, which would add civil liabilities for child sexual exploitation, distribution of child pornography and other obscene matters by commercial entities. It has been referred to the Judiciary A committee. Please call your lawmakers today and ask for their support!

👉 House Bill 1308, sponsored by Rep. Jansen Owen, and Senate Bill 2309, sponsored by Sen. Joey Fillingane, which would create a crime for the sexual grooming of children. Both bills have been referred to the Judiciary B committee in their respective chambers. Please call your lawmakers today and ask for their support!

We’ll let you know how these bills progress next week!

Please check out previous stories here.