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Dear Friends and Neighbors,

I wanted to provide you with an update on the fourth week of the 2026 Legislative Session and highlight several important actions taken by the Mississippi Senate.

Due to inclement weather across the state, particularly in north Mississippi, the Senate did not meet on Monday.

We convened at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, and resumed our legislative work for the remainder of the week.

On Wednesday, January 28, the Senate passed House Bill 3, which makes several updates to Mississippi’s Certificate of Need (CON) laws. This legislation revises statutory requirements for the approval and regulation of certain health care facilities and services. It includes provisions affecting psychiatric residential treatment facilities, community living programs for adults with developmental disabilities, and long-term care hospital services in specified counties, along with additional revisions to statewide CON statutes.

On Thursday, January 29, the Senate passed Senate Bill 2766, designating the Friday before Memorial Day as “Buddy Poppy Day” in Mississippi, honoring the sacrifices of our veterans and supporting vital veterans’ programs. We also approved House Concurrent Resolution 21, as amended, calling for a joint session of the Legislature to be held in the Second Floor Rotunda of the Capitol on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, at 5:00 p.m., for Governor Tate Reeves’ State of the State address.

Additionally, I am pleased to share that I recently signed an official comment to the U.S. Department of the Interior supporting the Trump Administration’s efforts to protect property rights against unreasonable habitat regulations under the Endangered Species Act.

The current process has often harmed the very wildlife it is intended to protect. Mississippi is a clear example. Under the Biden administration, thousands of acres of the Skipper family’s timberland were designated as critical habitat after a single black pine snake was observed on their property over a 25-year period.

This type of overreach is simply not fair. The new rules proposed by the Department of the Interior strike a better balance between protecting endangered species and respecting private property rights. I encourage you to join me in thanking President Trump for working to make both environmental protections and property rights strong and sensible.

We continued a very busy schedule of committee meetings last week as we approach the Tuesday, February 3, 2026, deadline for committees to report general bills and constitutional amendments originating in the Senate.

As always, it is an honor to serve you. Please do not hesitate to reach out if I can be of assistance or if you have thoughts you would like to share.

Kevin
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