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A bill to close three public universities in Mississippi will die as expected after inspiring a weeklong ruckus that some lawmakers blamed on misleading news articles.

But another bill that advanced in the Senate Universities and Colleges Committee on Monday has raised questions abouts its potential to yield similar results. The sponsor said that isn’t the intention.

The author of controversial Senate Bill 2726, Sen. John Polk, R-Hattiesburg, seemed relieved his bill’s death was official. It would have required the governing board of Mississippi’s eight public universities to shutter three by 2028 after analyzing criteria such as enrollment, economic impact or any other “special factors.”

“Please, everyone, get that message out: The chair has killed my bill,” Polk said during the Senate Colleges and Universities Committee meeting. “And that way I can sleep at night.”

Senate Bill 2725, by Committee Chair Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, would require a similar analysis of factors. The legislation, Boyd explained, was inspired by a hearing earlier this session on the impending decline in high school graduates going to college that is poised to hurt the bottom-lines of Mississippi’s tuition-dependent universities.

If her bill becomes law, a 10-member task force — a mix of lawmakers and appointees representing the regional colleges, HBCUs and research institutions — would review IHL’s funding formula, the system’s physical plant, enrollment and graduation rates, and any existing plans to tackle the enrollment cliff.

Then the task force would make recommendations to the Legislature with an eye to increasing efficiency and the number of Mississippians with college degrees.

“This bill looks at really what is going on at our colleges and universities as they are right now, what we need to do in regard to that enrollment cliff that we see is coming,” Boyd told committee members. “We need to be proactive in helping our universities and colleges manage this.”

Sen. Sollie Norwood, D-Jackson, asked if Boyd anticipated the task force making a recommendation to address the building deficiencies at the HBCUs which, despite a decades-long settlement, many alumni say continue to be underfunded. At Alcorn State, students have complained of mold in the dorms, and Jackson State has sought to upgrade its water system since the water crisis in 2022.

Boyd replied that she could not say what the task force’s findings would be and added that all of the universities struggle with deteriorating infrastructure.

After the meeting, Boyd told Mississippi Today that she can’t say closing universities is off the table for the task force, but that it is not her intention with the bill. She said the goal is to ensure tax dollars are meeting the universities’ needs.

“Everybody is trying to look at how we can make our IHL system the most efficient and effective to get a strong Mississippi workforce,” she said.

Polk’s bill would have put the decision on closures in the hands of the Institutions of Higher Learning Board of Trustees.

More than 14,000 people had signed an online petition calling for the bill’s death. The local newspaper in Columbus, home to Mississippi University for Women, published an op-ed against it. And alumni of Mississippi’s historically Black public universities decried the bill, with some saying they didn’t trust the IHL board, which is mostly comprised of graduates of the state’s three largest predominantely white institutions, to make a fair decision.

“We urge you, as elected representatives of the people of Mississippi, to recognize the profound value of all our state’s institutions by opposing this bill and working together to shift the focus from closure to investing to further strengthen these vital institutions,” read a letter from the alumni association presidents of Alcorn State University, Jackson State University and Mississippi Valley State University.

Though the bill was depicted by some news articles as targeting the three HBCUs, Polk and other lawmakers had suggested that more likely in its crosshairs were on the three smallest universities by enrollment: MVSU, Delta State University and Mississippi University for Women.

After Boyd confirmed she was not bringing Polk’s bill before the committee, she apologized to him for what she called misinformation.

“It’s a little bit ironic to me that this bill and this legislation has been so misquoted,” she said. “Clearly we might have some literacy issues that we need to look at, because … what his legislation said and what it was purported to say were entirely two different things.”

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Mississippi Today Editor-at-Large Marshall Ramsey sits down with Michael Guidry, the new Mississippi Today managing editor. Michael comes to Mississippi Today from Mississippi Public Broadcasting where he served in the same role (he is currently hosting their show, @Issue). Michael talks about how he got to Mississippi, his background as a coach and teacher, and his plans for the news coverage at Mississippi Today.

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After facing initial pushback, a proposal to close most of the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman passed its first hurdle in the Senate Corrections Committee Friday morning. 

Senate Bill 2353 by Committee chair Juan Barnett, D-Heidelberg, proposes shutting down most operations at the state’s oldest and most infamous prison by sending incarcerated people, staff and programs to other facilities. 

The vote comes days after the U.S. Department of Justice released a report slamming unconstitutional conditions at three Mississippi prisons. Parchman was not the focus of the report, but Barnett said two years after the DOJ’s initial report about Parchman, conditions there have not improved much.  

“I know this bill is not the fix-all but we have to start somewhere,” he said. “… Even yesterday was too late and tomorrow will definitely be too late.” 

A key point of the phase down plan is for the state to gain operation of the Tallahatchie Correctional Facility, which is located less than 10 miles away in Tutwiler and run by CoreCivic. 

Earlier this week, committee members asked for more information about how much it would cost for the state to gain operation of the Tutwiler prison and how that compares to the cost to repair Parchman. 

On Friday, Barnett said there is not a contract or memorandum of understanding between the Department of Corrections and CoreCivic in writing yet, but the prison prison company gave an estimate of $14 million a year to lease Tallahatchie Correctional, including the cost of maintenance and upkeep of the facility. 

Sen. Angela Burks Hill, R-Picayune, said problems with violence and gang control are present beyond Parchman and failure to address staffing won’t get the prisons under control. 

“Moving the inmates seven miles up the road is not going to solve our problem,” she said before the committee approved the bill. 

Barnett agreed, but added that the reason why the prisons are that way is because money hasn’t been invested to make sure they are secure. 

He noted that during the riots at the end of 2019 and early 2020, about 1,000 inmates were transferred from Parchman to Tallahatchie Correctional, and there were no problems. 

A committee substitute version of SB 2353 passed, including a name change for Parchman. In the meeting, Barnett said he consulted with members of the Delta delegation about renaming the prison because of its current and historical negative association. 

As of Friday morning, a copy of the committee substitute was not available online. 

The bill now heads to the Senate Appropriations Committee, which is scheduled to meet Tuesday. Appropriations Chair Briggs Hopson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After reporting on prison conditions in 2019 by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica, the U.S. Department of Justice, at the urging of U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and others, began an investigation into four Mississippi prisons, starting with Parchman. It concluded in April 2022 that those imprisoned at Parchman were being subjected to violence, inadequate medical care and lack of suicide prevention.

In a 60-page report released this week, the Justice Department found the state is also violating the constitutional rights of those held in the other three prisons: the Mississippi State Penitentiary at Parchman, the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility, the South Mississippi Correctional Institution and Wilkinson County Correctional Facility.

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Former Republican President Donald Trump endorsed U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker’s bid for reelection on Thursday, likely giving the incumbent senator a major boost weeks before Mississippi’s party primaries. 

“Senator Roger Wicker is a fantastic Senator for the Great State of Mississippi,” Trump wrote on social media. “As the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Roger is working hard to Strengthen our Military, Defend our Country, and Support our Veterans.” 

Wicker, a 72-year-old Tupelo resident, has represented the Magnolia State in the U.S. Senate since 2007. Before the Senate, he served several terms in the U.S. House and in the Mississippi Legislature. 

He is currently the top Republican serving on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which has jurisdiction over matters involving the U.S. military. If the GOP gains a majority in the Senate this year, Wicker could be the first Mississippian to lead that committee since former U.S. Sen. John Stennis.

“We are proud to have President Trump’s support for our campaign and re-election efforts,” Wicker campaign manager Jake Monssen said in a statement. “Republicans across Mississippi are excited to take back the Senate and the White House in 2024 and put an end to the radical Biden-Harris agenda.” 

Wicker will compete against state Rep. Dan Eubanks of DeSoto County and retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Ghannon Burton in the Republican primary on March 12. Civil rights attorney Ty Pinkins is the only candidate who qualified in the Democratic primary. 

The winner of the Republican primary will compete against Pinkins on November 5.

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For most of this made-for-Hollywood season, the remarkable Blue Mountain girls basketball team has been known as the Super Six. That’s because for most of the season there were only six players, three with the last name of Foote. 

That explains the Six. The Super? The Blue Mountain Cougars brought a 28-1 record into Thursday night’s Class 1A State Championship at Mississippi Coliseum, known as the Big House throughout Mississippi high school basketball. Rarely, if ever, has there been a smaller team in the Big House.

The opponent this night was 26-6 Lumberton, and nothing came easy for Blue Mountain. Nothing ever has for the Cougars, who represent the fourth smallest public school in Mississippi. The three smaller: The Mississippi School for the Deaf, the Mississippi School for the Blind and Piney Woods.

But basketball is big in small schools across northeast Mississippi’s Hill Country, and that’s especially true in Blue Mountain where there aren’t enough boys to field a football team. The school also recently has dropped baseball and softball due to the lack of players.

“We’re a little school in a little bitty town,” said Dominique Foote, a former Blue Mountain Cougar and proud father of Keyauna Foote, the team’s star player and Miss Basketball for Class 1A.

About 800 folks live in Blue Mountain. There are 66 students – boys and girls, combined – in grades 7 through 12. The Cougars play their home games on a gym floor that is roughly about three-quarters the size of a regulation basketball court. Put it this way: A player with big feet can’t shoot a three-pointer from the corner because the three-point line extends just six inches short of out of bounds.

And even that’s not all that’s small about the Tippah County town about 34 miles northwest of Tupelo about six miles southwest of Ripley, the county seat.

“Nope, we don’t have any traffic lights in Blue Mountain,” said Regina Chills, the team’s coach.

But the town without a traffic light now has one gleaming, gold state championship trophy. Despite many scary moments – and a dogged effort from Lumberton – Blue Mountain prevailed 38-36 in a defensive struggle that turned into an offensive barn-burner in the fourth quarter.

As usual, only the original Super Six played for Blue Mountain, while two more youngsters, promoted from the junior high team late in the season, watched and cheered from the bench. The three Footes, Keyauna and her first cousins A’rare and Beiga, made play after play after play, especially in the fourth quarter.

Keyauna scored 14 points, grabbed seven rounds, blocked two shots and passed out two assists. A’rare scored 11 points and made two steals. Beiga scored seven points and stole the ball three times. So, the three Footes provided 32 of the team’s 39 points.

There were some tense and anxious moments, like when Beiga Foote went down hard after a collision midway through the first quarter and had to leave the game. The Super Six was suddenly down to five. Thankfully, Beiga returned after a short rest to recuperate. Another starter and key player, Ahkeeah Lipsey, drew her fourth foul in the last minute of the third quarter and sat for much of the fourth. But the Cougars kept hustling, kept answering every Lumberton challenge –  and there were plenty of those.

“We’ve done that all season,” Coach Chills said afterward. “Plus this was a championship game. No matter what happens, you have to stay in the game and keep playing.”

Mission accomplished. Baskets were cherished like rare gems through the first three quarters. Blue Mountain led 21-19 heading into the fourth quarter when both teams started scoring almost at will. Keyauna Foote scored three straight baskets to give the Cougars a five-point lead midway through, but Lumberton fired back and kept firing back until Keyauna scored what proved to be the winning basket on an in-bounds play with 20 seconds left.

As is always the case in the Big House this time of the year, a wild celebration ensued. If 866 folks live in Blue Mountain, nearly all were present and dancing in the stands.

Hard to say what comes next for Blue Mountain basketball. Four of the Super Six are seniors and won’t be around next year. This year’s junior high team was winless. 

“What are you going to do?” someone asked Coach Childs.

She held up her hands as if to dismiss the question. “Right now,” she said, “I’m going to go celebrate.”

No doubt, all of Blue Mountain, bursting with pride, will celebrate with her.

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Students from across the state competed in the 2024 High School Welding Competition held at Delta Technical College in Ridgeland. Every competition participant will receive a $500 Delta Tech scholarship plus an opportunity to enroll in one of the college’s welding programs.

“All of you are being offered an opportunity to have a career, not a job,” the students were told during orientation. “You have a job doing fast food. This can be a career for where you make over $100,000 a year.”

The winner of the competition will receive a $5,000 scholarship to Delta Technical College. One thousand dollars will be donated to his or her high school welding department. Second and third prize winners will receive DTC scholarships towards welding training at the college.

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Justice Department officials sent a letter Thursday to the Lexington Police Department, raising questions about its use of force, fines, arrests and “discriminatory policing.”

“Lexington must stop jailing people for outstanding fines without assessing their ability to pay,” Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Civil Rights Division and U.S. Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi wrote in a joint letter.

City Attorney Katherine Riley responded Thursday, “We welcome the Justice Department’s presence, and we think it’s going to be a positive to the city of Lexington, to the police department and to the people. We are working to make better changes.”

Last April, Justice Department officials put out a letter explaining that courts needed to determine a person’s ability to pay before putting them behind bars.

On June 10, Lexington police arrested attorney Jill Collen Jefferson, who was filming a traffic stop from her car, and she spent the weekend in jail. The arrest came after she filed lawsuits against the city of Lexington and its police department for allegedly abusing its Black residents.

She was convicted, and a judge has since rescinded those misdemeanor convictions.

Jefferson called the Justice Department’s actions Thursday “a step in the right direction, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. The police department targets, harasses and violently abuses Black and brown residents. The extremely egregious behavior of these officers should not only be acknowledged, but we need action so this abuse comes to a full stop. The people of Lexington need justice.”

She said she looks forward to what else Justice Department officials find “as they continue their investigation.”

In November, Clarke announced that the Justice Department had opened a civil rights investigation to determine whether the Lexington Police Department engaged in a pattern or practice of conduct that violated the Constitution and federal law.

“Specifically, we will assess whether the police department uses excessive force; violates people’s civil and constitutional rights during stops, searches and arrests; engages in discriminatory policing; or violates people’s rights to engage in speech or conduct protected by the Constitution,” she said in a press conference.

In Thursday’s letter, she wrote that the Lexington Police Department “may not force people to remain in jail because they cannot afford to pay a fine or processing fee. LPD may not require payment as a condition of release unless it has conducted an appropriate assessment of the person’s ability to pay. If the person cannot afford to pay the fine, LPD may not jail them unless there are no alternatives that would satisfy its interests in punishment and deterrence.”

In a statement, Clarke said, “It’s time to bring an end to a two-tiered system of justice in our country in which a person’s income determines whether they walk free or whether they go to jail. Unjust enforcement of fines and fees is unlawful, and it traps people and their families in a vicious cycle of poverty and punishment. There is great urgency underlying the issues we have uncovered in Mississippi and we stand ready to work with officials to end these harmful practices and ensure the civil and constitutional rights of Lexington residents are protected.”

Gee noted that a third of those residing in Lexington “live below the poverty line. The burden of unjust fines and fees undermines the goals of rehabilitation and erodes the community’s trust in the justice system. Each step we take towards fair and just policing rebuilds that trust. Lexington and LPD can take those steps now, while our investigation is ongoing.”

In the joint letter, Justice Department officials warned police against seeking unlawful arrest warrants for people who owe fines.

These bench warrants “are not predicated on any ability-to-pay analysis,” the letter says. “They do not demand that the person come before the court. Instead, they order LPD to arrest the person and jail them for a certain number of days unless they pay the outstanding fine that they owe.”

Justice Department officials asked Lexington officials “to assess the serious concerns” identified in the letter and share how they plan to remedy them.

“We will continue to examine whether there is a pattern or practice of conduct by law enforcement officers that deprives people of their rights related to the collection and enforcement of fines and fees in violation of federal law,” the letter said.

UPDATE 2/29/24: This story was updated to include the comments of civil rights attorney Jill Collen Jefferson,

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Note: This Q&A first published in Mississippi Today’s InformHer newsletter. Subscribe to our free women and girls newsletter to read stories like this monthly.

Rep. Zakiya Summers, D-Jackson, is a second-term lawmaker who has been outspoken on the need for Medicaid expansion and on a number of women’s health issues. Summers authored House Bill 1154 this session to ensure access to contraception. 

After the fall of Roe v. Wade in June of last year, the federal constitutional right to contraception became a topic of national discussion. U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas called on the Supreme Court to review Griswold v. Connecticut, the landmark decision in which the court ruled that married couples have the right to access contraception. 

Soon after, 195 Republican members of the U.S. Congress, including every Mississippi Republican in the House, voted against the “Right to Contraception Act,” which would have codified the right to contraception under federal law. Since then, some state legislatures have introduced bills to restrict access to contraceptives or allowed health providers to refuse to provide or cover contraception. 

The Dobbs ruling made access to contraception more critical in Mississippi, which has among the country’s highest rates of unplanned pregnancy and maternal mortality and the highest rate of infant mortality.

Gov. Tate Reeves has been unclear about his stance on contraception, refusing to rule out contraceptive bans or define what he considers contraception versus “abortion-inducing” pills and devices. 

Mississippi Today spoke with Summers hours before the House passed a Medicaid expansion bill and the day before a presumptive eligibility bill, co-authored by Summers, was sent to the governor for approval. 

Editor’s note: This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.

Mississippi Today: Can you tell us a little bit about yourself? What have you been focused on in past sessions and what’s on your agenda this session?

Zakiya Summers: I am Zakiya Summers. I serve as state representative for House District 68, which covers Hinds and Rankin counties. I’m in my second term, so this is my fifth session. The first term was a bit of a learning curve even though I had been a part of the policy advocacy table for a number of years, it’s different when you’re in the belly of the beast. I really prioritized five issue areas: education, election reform, increasing access to health care, infrastructure and economic development. We were pretty successful during the first term – we got a few things passed through our work with colleagues across the aisle. 

My proudest moment has been to be in a position where I was able to cast my vote to take down the Confederate flag and put up a new flag. It was very personal for me because the flag was a very traumatizing symbol, even for my husband. I was honored and privileged to be able to do that after many, many years, decades, of a lot of different people who were working on that issue for a long time. 

Another bill that I’m really proud of is a law that now implements computer science curriculum in K-12 education. I thought that was extremely important because I understand that in order for us to do some of the things that Gov. Reeves talked about in his State of the State around really helping to build wealth and prosperity in the state of Mississippi, we have to prepare young people for the jobs of the future. And I know that jobs of the future will be heavily technology-based. I mean, we saw that in the huge economic development deal that we did at the beginning of the session with Amazon web services. 

This year, I’m pushing the Right to Contraception Act. I’m also pushing a bill called the Crown Act which would prohibit hair discrimination in schools and I think it’s gaining some momentum. 

MT: Can you tell us a little bit about the story behind the Right to Contraception Act?

ZS: The Right to Contraception Act is really an effort to be proactive and to raise the bar, elevate the message around preventative health. We’ve received so many dismal reports from health experts, from our medical health officer, from out chief health officer about the really negative, unfortunate health outcomes and health disparities we have in the state of Mississippi. Mississippi is 50th on the list in the entire country with those health disparities. And we know that when families have access to the things they need they can make the best decisions for their lives and for their families and for their future. And so we see the Right to Contraception Act as an opportunity for Mississippians to have unfettered access to contraception if they would like to have that and it will help them to make the best decisions for them. 

MT: It might seem far-fetched to some people that Mississippians could lose access to contraception. But we’ve seen with recent events – IVF in Alabama, for instance – that liberties we take for granted aren’t always guaranteed. Why is it important in the Legislature to predict what may happen down the road and get ahead of it with policies and laws that preserve the liberties we take for granted?

ZS: It’s so important, especially when you see what’s happening across the landscape. We never would have thought that Roe v. Wade would be rolled back but elections have consequences. And when you don’t vote or you don’t vote for your best interests, you end up getting people in positions that can make these appointments to these courts and they end up rolling back precedents that we’ve had for decades. And it becomes more than just partisan politics – it becomes a matter of life and death. 

We’ve seen with the overturning of Roe v. Wade that individuals no longer have the ability to make their own decisions about their health and their bodies. And then we also saw as a result of that decision an opinion by Supreme Court Justice Thomas that even hinted at removing the right to contraception. And then, when our governor was questioned about it, he was not clear about how he would move or what he would support or oppose around the issue. 

You mentioned the IVF decision that came out of Alabama just last week. And now we’re talking about if an embryo is a person. So we’re beginning to see these – I really think they’re unintended consequences. Because I really don’t think that when the fight was around getting rid of Roe v. Wade that they even had the thought that these kinds of things would begin to roll out. And so what we want to do in Mississippi is we want to be pro-life all the way. And I actually see the Right to Contraception Act as a pro-life measure, because if we want to make sure that our boys and girls, men, women, families, are set up in the very best situation that they can possibly be in, where they can remain in a state that’s their home, but provides the conditions by which they’re not just surviving but thriving, then we should support the Right to Contraception Act because that is an important piece to this equation for them to be able to make those healthy decision for themselves. 

MT: You helped author House Bill 539 on presumptive eligibility for pregnant women. It passed the House a few weeks ago now – quite early on in the session. Are you feeling hopeful that it will have more success this year than last year?

ZS: I am feeling incredibly optimistic this session. We have a speaker now, Speaker Jason White, that has encouraged and urged all of us to work on a bipartisan level. We are seeing our colleagues across the aisle actually bring us into conversations on legislation that we have been introducing for a number of years that are finally getting some light and attention. I think the energy has changed in the House and I really appreciate the Speaker, as well as the chairmen and chairwomen we have on committees right now, wanting to work with the Democrats. Because, I mean, let’s face it, we are in a super minority – we get that, we understand that. But we believe that Mississippians want us to work together, because the best ideas and the best solutions to the problems many of us face come from when we can get together and hash it out. 

We know that we may not get everything we want. But let’s try to build some consensus and at least commit to working together as we move forward. And then Speaker White has also been very adamant about working with leadership in the Senate, as well. So that we can build a positive force on both ends of the Capitol and hopefully get some stuff to the governor’s desk that will be historic for the state of Mississippi. 

MT: There are a couple of bills on chemical endangerment this year, which would allow for prosecution of pregnant women who take drugs during pregnancy. The author of one of the bills says it would not prosecute women for taking the abortion pill – that abortion pills are protected because they are prescriptions. But the author of the other chemical endangerment bill said that could be open for debate. What do you make of the obscurity in this legislation and do you think that obscurity is dangerous?

ZS: I think with any bill where you’re getting one perspective that’s different from the other, it’s something that we need to watch. Because it could put our autonomy at risk. And we need to know how is this going to impact the folks that live in our communities on whether or not they can access the things they need. 

And, you know, we don’t represent the demographics of our state here in the Legislature. Our population, we have more women than we do men, but the percentage here, in the House as well as the Senate, is very, very low. I think we have a total of 17 women who serve as legislators. Now that doesn’t necessarily mean that because you’re a woman and you serve as a legislator that you’re going to do what’s best for women. But what I will say is that a man that has never had a uterus and has never carried a child and doesn’t understand the risks and also the fear that surrounds the ability and process of getting pregnant and having a child, it’s a real thing. When you look at the rates of our maternal mortality and infant mortality in the state, it’s something that our young women have in the back of their minds. And they want to be able to survive this pregnancy and also have a healthy child as an outcome. And then in addition to that be able to raise a child in a healthy environment. And so what we shouldn’t be doing, especially coming from a man, a man should not be telling women what to do with their bodies. I mean, that’s just the bottom line. And we should be able to get together, work with women, and work with experts that can give us the knowledge and the facts around what is good and what’s available for women and their families. Instead of doing everything we can to be punitive against women, we should be trying to help them be successful in the state. 

MT: Are there any other bills you’re keeping an eye on? How are you feeling about Medicaid expansion this year?

ZS: I am so overwhelmed with Medicaid expansion. It passed out of committee yesterday and it’s going to come up in the House today. This is the first time in 10 years that we’ve even seen Medicaid expansion be put on the table. It’s a huge deal for the state of Mississippi for all the reasons I’ve talked about today with the health disparities and the negative health outcomes we have in the state. So I’m very excited about that. I am hopeful that our colleagues in the Senate will stand strong and also support this legislation and if, and I say if, a veto were to happen, that we also stand united and override that veto. Because the working families in our communities and our districts across the state are depending on this. They’re depending on us to do the right thing, to give them a chance to work, be healthy, take care of themselves, take care of their families, and achieve that dream of prosperity that Gov. Reeves talked about this week.

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For the first time in more than a decade, the House of Representatives will consider legislation to restore voting rights and Second Amendment rights to people convicted of some nonviolent felony offenses.  

The House Constitution Committee on Wednesday afternoon advanced House Bill 1609, a bipartisan proposal to automatically restore suffrage to people convicted of nonviolent disenfranchising felonies after they’ve completed the terms of their sentence.  No committee member voted against the legislation.

“I’m very excited about this bill,” Democratic Rep. Cheikh Taylor of Starkville said. “In my opinion, this is one of the greatest bipartisan bills we’ve passed since changing the state flag.” 

Under the Mississippi Constitution, people convicted of any of 10 types of felonies lose their voting rights for life. Various opinions from the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office expanded the list of disenfranchising felonies to 23. 

The House measure would allow people convicted of nonviolent offenses such as bad check writing, perjury, and bribery to obtain their suffrage if they have not been convicted of another felony for five years after completing their sentence and paying any outstanding fines. 

But people convicted of murder, arson, armed robbery, carjacking, embezzling more than $5,000, rape, statutory rape, and voter fraud would still lose their voting rights for life. 

Constitution Committee Chairman Price Wallace, R-Mendenhall, told Mississippi Today that while he has never been convicted of a felony, he tried to look at this issue by placing himself in the shoes of someone who has had their voting rights taken away for life because of a prior mistake they made.  

“They don’t have pride and citizenship anymore,” Wallace said. “They can’t go vote. They can’t voice their opinion. That’s why I feel that this is important.” 

About 37,900 names are on the Secretary of State’s voter disenfranchisement list as of Jan. 29. The list, provided to Mississippi Today through a public records request, goes back to 1992 for felony convictions in state court. 

That number, however, may not be fully accurate because no state agency tracks people once they are struck for the voter rolls. Studies commissioned by civil rights organizations in 2018 estimated between 44,000 and 50,000 Mississippians were disenfranchised.

For someone to have their suffrage restored, a lawmaker must introduce a bill on their behalf, and two-thirds of lawmakers in both legislative chambers must agree. A person can also seek a gubernatorial pardon, though no executive pardon has been handed down since Gov. Haley Barbour’s final days in office in 2011.

READ MORE: Few options remain for Mississippians convicted of certain felonies to regain voting rights

The House proposal would not amend the Mississippi Constitution because the constitution already grants lawmakers the authority to restore suffrage to people who have been disenfranchised. 

Wallace said he intends to present the bill to the full House chamber next week. Because the plan essentially creates a process to restore suffrage to a group of people in perpetuity, two-thirds of House members, the Legislature’s highest bar to clear, must approve of the plan. 

If the proposal passes the 122-member House, it would head to the Senate for consideration, where its fate remains uncertain. 

The Senate Judiciary B Committee on Wednesday passed a separate proposal to restore the right to own a firearm to people convicted of nonviolent felony offenses after they’ve completed their prison sentence.

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