Kevin McCarthy was expecting to be elected House Speaker in Washington this week. So far things haven’t worked out that way. In multiple votes, a small number of conservatives have refused to support him for the job of Speaker, leaving everything in limbo.
Some will say this is evidence of a dysfunctional and divided conservative movement. Others might point out that the issues of contention are vital. Unless the legitimate concerns of those opposed to McCarthy about House procedures are taken seriously, how is the House going to do anything other than rubber stamp the growth of big government?
Whatever the truth of it, watching events unfold in Washington this week underlines the importance of keeping a close eye on our elected lawmakers after they’ve received our vote.
To help folk in Mississippi keep track of our state lawmakers during the new 2023 legislative session, we have built this bill tracker. You can view it here.
Our bill tracker will allow you to see every bill under consideration. Our assessment of the key bills cuts through the political bluster and provides a succinct analysis based on a simple question; does this measure extend liberty or not?
We won’t just be monitoring bills. As Mississippi’s free market think tank, we are very active in working to ensure real conservative reform. In the 2023 session, we would like to see:
Tax cuts: With a massive state budget surplus, we have just published a Responsible Budget for Mississippi that authentic conservatives can support.
Action against ‘woke’ corporatism: The ESG (Environmental Social and Governance) agenda promoted by big money managers is forcing publicly listed corporations to promote a “woke” agenda. New legislation is needed to help restore the voices of everyday citizens in the economy.
Giving people the power of Recall: Local residents should have the power to recall ineffective and incompetent local officials.
School choice: Legislation is needed to break the monopoly of the Charter School Authorizer Board, which acts as a roadblock to reform. At the same time, we need a bill to ensure transparency in education, so that moms and dads can see what their child is being taught
A Women's Bill of Rights: We need to codify, for purposes of law and regulations, the common sense—and previously self-evident—definition of “woman.”
Cuts to the cost of Healthcare: Too many people in our state are unable to afford healthcare. The answer is not to hose more federal dollars at local healthcare, which would simply inflate costs. Instead, we need a concerted effort to eliminate the restrictive practices that make health care more expensive by preventing new providers from operating.
A Parents' Bill of Rights Young people have been subjected to irreversible gender reassignment procedures that they have subsequently come to regret. Our proposal would stop this in our state.
A Mississippi REINS Act: Bureaucrats like to make decisions and spend taxpayers’ money without accountability. To combat this, conservatives in our state should support a “Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny” (REINS) bill.
Action to fix the right of Initiative: It is time to fix the right of initiative so that the public is able to vote to change state law.
Each Wednesday Tyler Jones, our head of legislative outreach, will send you an update on progress in the legislature. She will update you on what your lawmakers are actually doing to deliver these conservative reforms.
