Dear friends,

It’s been another busy week at the Mississippi State Capitol as lawmakers continue to advance legislation with a little more than three weeks remaining in the 2025 legislative session.  

Wednesday was the deadline for floor action on general bills that originated in the other chamber. If it originally passed out of the House, it needed to pass out of the Senate, and vice versa. 

So where do we stand on key bills?

Strong DEI bill advances

The Senate advanced legislation to prohibit DEI teaching in Mississippi. Thank you Senator Boyd for sponsoring. 

House Bill 1193 is sponsored by Rep. Joey Hood. In its current version, the bill includes:

• Prohibition of DEI Offices: The bill bans public universities, community colleges, and public schools from establishing or maintaining Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) offices, hiring employees for DEI-related roles, or engaging in activities that promote preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, gender identity, or sexual orientation.

• Merit-Based Employment and Admissions: The act ensures that hiring, admissions, and student engagement are based solely on individual merit, qualifications, and academic performance without considering an individual’s stance on DEI-related issues.

• Restrictions on DEI Training and Activities: Institutions are prohibited from requiring DEI training or compelling individuals to adopt beliefs regarding race, gender, or sexual orientation as a condition for employment, enrollment, or contracts.

• Enforcement and Reporting Mechanisms: The bill mandates universities, colleges, and schools to establish reporting and complaint processes for violations, with oversight from their governing boards and potential enforcement by the state Attorney General.

• Modification of Unlawful Gift Restrictions: The bill amends existing laws to allow institutions to modify or remove unlawful restrictions in gift agreements that include race, color, or ethnicity-based limitations.

With the amendments from the Senate, the bill now goes back to the House for concurrence. Thank you to both the House and Senate for supporting efforts to prohibit discriminatory practices and policies from Mississippi schools, colleges, and universities.

Senate advances other key bills

👉 The Senate also advanced House Bill 599, sponsored by Rep. Price Wallace. It would add civil liabilities for child sexual exploitation, distribution of child pornography, and other obscene matters by commercial entities. It is headed back to the House for concurrence.

Thank you to both the House and Senate for supporting efforts to keep kids safe from predators and harmful and abusive online content. After passing the House, and then passing the Senate, HB 599 now heads back to the House for concurrence with a technical amendment. We are looking forward to seeing this bill sent on to the Governor very soon.

👉 And House Bill 1308, sponsored by Rep. Jansen Owen, which would create a crime for the sexual grooming of children, passed the Senate and is headed back to the House. Thank you to both the House and Senate for supporting efforts to keep kids safe from predators.

Headed to the Governor

Legislation to protect the safety, privacy, and dignity of women in correctional facilities is on its way to the Governor. House Bill 188, sponsored by Rep. Gene Newman, is known as the Dignity and Safety for Incarcerated Women Act. 

It would mandate that restrooms, changing rooms, and sleeping quarters in correctional facilities be designated exclusively for males or females and that incarcerated individuals can only access facilities designated for their biological sex. It should be signed by Gov. Tate Reeves very soon! Thank you to both the House and Senate for supporting efforts to protect the safety and dignity of incarcerated women. 

🚨🚨 Finally, the legislature continues to consider Medicaid expansion, with two bills as possible vehicles: SB 2386 and SB 2867.  Republican voters are very opposed to Medicaid expansion for able-bodied adults. Also, the Trump administration and Congress are eyeing cuts to the enhanced Obamacare funding that has been used to encourage states to expand Medicaid beyond the original intention of the program. The cuts could be significant and will only make Medicaid expansion that much more expensive, reducing state funding for K-12 schools, roads — and tax cuts.

Thanks for reading! We will keep you posted with updates in the days ahead.

Please check out previous stories here.