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Affordable Care Act Marketplace enrollments in Mississippi are down about 8% compared to the same time last year following the expiration of enhanced subsidies that made health insurance more affordable for millions of Americans, according to initial data from the federal government published last week.

As of Jan. 3, over 307,000 Mississippi had made selections for Marketplace health plans, which primarily insure small business owners, employees, farmers or people who are self-employed, according to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services data. That figure trends down from 330,000 people enrolled at about the same time last year — a year that marked an all-time high for enrollments in Mississippi. Open enrollment closed Jan. 15. 

“This dip is alarming, but we don’t have all the data needed to give us the real picture of the impact of the enhanced premium tax credits going away,” said Kimberly Hughes, government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network in Mississippi, in a statement. 

Experts told Mississippi Today they expect enrollments to fall further, because people may disenroll from coverage when they receive their first bill reflecting a higher monthly premium.

The enhanced subsidies, which made coverage more affordable for over 22 million Americans, were an added boost authorized by Congress in 2021 to raise the income ceiling for eligibility and allow low-income households to access insurance without paying premiums during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

During that time, the number of Mississippians enrolled in Marketplace health insurance tripled. That increase amounted to over 200,000 people between 2021 and 2025, according to enrollment data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. During the same period, the rate of people without insurance – one of the highest rates in the country – dropped by over 65,000 people.

But without the enhanced subsidies, the cost of premiums for Marketplace plans will more than double on average this year, according to KFF, though the rate changes will vary based on age, income and location.

Republicans and Democrats in Congress have tussled for months over whether or not to extend the subsidies, but have not yet reached a deal. The House of Representatives passed a three-year extension of the subsidies on Jan. 13 after over a dozen Republicans broke with their party to support their renewal. The Senate rejected a similar proposal in December, with Sens. Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith voting against extending the subsidies. 

Because Mississippi has opted not to expand Medicaid coverage, more low-income people depend on the Marketplace for health coverage, said Khaylah Scott, program manager for the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program. 

“For a lot of Mississippians, this is their only option,” she said. 

The drop in plan selections in Mississippi is twice as high as the country as a whole. Nationwide, Americans saw a 4% decrease based on initial numbers. U.S. enrollment declined by about 800,000 people compared to the same time period last year and about 1.5 million people from last year’s total enrollment. 

Scott said her organization has clearly seen the effects of the expiring subsidies in a surge of calls to its free helpline, Health Help Mississippi.

The nonprofit logged about 1,000 intakes last year, up from 400 the year before. Just two weeks into the new year, the program had already performed over 100 intakes. 

Among the callers, Scott said, was a woman calling on behalf of her brother, who has congestive heart failure. His premium for Marketplace insurance last year was $25, but this year, he was quoted at over $300 a month. He doesn’t have the option to let his coverage lapse, and plans to be more frugal and cut back on unnecessary spending in order to save up for the higher premium. 

A 63-year-old woman who called the help line saw her premiums increase from $70 to $540 a month. She will go without health insurance for a year and a half, when she becomes eligible for Medicare. Her 25-year-old son, whose premiums rose $395 a month, will also go without coverage. 

Scott said it’s been difficult for her organization to listen to Mississippians share their struggles accessing affordable health insurance coverage, knowing there is little they can do to help lower costs. 

“It’s been really tough telling people there’s nothing we can do…. It’s really in Congress’ hands right now.” 

The Urban Institute, a policy think tank, predicted in September that about 150,000 people in Mississippi would drop their Marketplace coverage if the increased subsidies were not extended — one of the steepest dropoffs in the country. The organization also estimated that uninsurance rates in Mississippi would rise by 65%.

Initial data shows a less steep drop off in coverage, but there is no evidence to suggest that the estimates should be adjusted at this point, said Matthew Buettgens, one of the authors of the study. 

Buettgens said he expects to see a more clear picture of how the expired subsidies have influenced enrollment when data showing the number of people who have paid their initial premium payments is released. This data is typically released in the summer. 

CMS data shows that more than half of Mississippians insured through the Marketplace were automatically re-enrolled last year, suggesting many people may not have reviewed their premiums or actively updated their coverage this year. 

Though open enrollment has now ended, Congress could opt to create an additional enrollment period, he said. But even so, many people will still experience a gap in coverage or pay higher premiums in order to maintain their insurance. 

Several states, including Connecticut and Pennsylvania, have extended their open enrollment period through the end of the month to give people more time to sign up. 

The expiration of Marketplace subsidies is also not the only factor expected to affect health insurance coverage rates, Buettgens said, pointing to changes in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald J. Trump this summer. 

The law requires more frequent eligibility determinations for Medicaid beginning at the end of this year, which is expected to result in fewer people with health insurance. Fewer lawfully present immigrants, including refugees, people granted political asylum and victims of domestic violence and trafficking will be eligible for Medicaid or Marketplace financial assistance beginning in 2026. 

“The declines that we see this year, that’s not the end of it,” Buettgens said.

Michael La Sasso, the reigning NCAA men’s golf individual champion, announced Tuesday he will forego his senior spring season of golf at Ole Miss to turn professional and join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League.

La Sasso’s decision takes him out of the 2026 Masters. He had earned an invitation to Augusta National based on the NCAA championship, but only if he had retained his amateur status through the Masters, April 9-12.

La Sasso will join World Golf Hall of Famer Phil Mickelson’s Hy Flyers GC on the LIV tour.

“It’s a rare opportunity to learn from one of the greatest players in the history of the game, and I don’t take that lightly,” La Sasso said in a statement. “LIV Golf allows me to compete at the highest level on a global stage, and I thrive in a team environment, especially one with the camaraderie and support that defines HyFlyers GC. My focus is on learning, continuing to improve, and doing everything I can to help our team succeed.”

Ole Miss begins its spring golf season Jan. 31 in the Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate at Statesboro, Georgia, a two-day event. The first full-team event will be the Water Sound Invitational Feb. 16-18 at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course in Inlet Beach, Florida.

“Clearly, it’s not ideal timing from a team standpoint,” Ole Miss golf coach Chris Malloy said in a phone interview. “But I am happy for Michael. Financially, this was a no-brainer for him. Still, he struggled with the decision because he is such a team guy.”

Financial terms of La Sasso’s LIV deal were not made available, but Malloy called it “certainly life-changing money.”

La Sasso, 21, is a Raleigh, North Carolina, native who transferred to Ole Miss from North Carolina State after his freshman season. Last year, he set the Ole Miss season scoring record, averaging 69.46 strokes per round. He was a consensus All-American.

Mickelson called La Sasso “one of the most exciting young players in the game today, bringing a competitive fire that’s evident every time he tee it up.

“He combines tremendous power and speed with an exceptional feel for the game,” Mickelson said in a statement. “Beyond his talent, his personality, work ethic, and commitment to being a great teammate make him a terrific addition to HyFlyers GC. We’re excited to support his development, accelerate his learning curve, and help him achieve his goals—while he, in turn, makes our team even stronger.”

Ole Miss was to enter the spring golf season as one of the favorites to win the NCAA team championship. Losing La Sasso clearly hurts the Rebels’ chances.

“It’s a blow and we’d be kidding ourselves if we said it wasn’t,” Malloy said. “I mean, we’re losing an NCAA champion and a first team All-American, but we’ve got three other All-Americans sitting in that locker room. We’ve still got firepower. We’ve still got a damned good team, and we’ve got some other guys in that locker room who will have a chance to step up and make a difference.”

Indiana achieved one more first to end its magical season full of firsts: The national champion Hoosiers are No. 1 in the final Associated Press Top 25 college football poll.

After beating Miami in the College Football Playoff title game to cap a 16-0 season that was unprecedented in the modern era, the Hoosiers on Tuesday became the third straight Big Ten team to finish on top of the rankings. Indiana’s championship and No. 1 final ranking followed those of fellow Big Ten teams Ohio State in 2024 and Michigan in 2023.

No. 2 Miami (13-3) moved up eight spots and ended with its highest ranking since the 2002 season, when it was second behind Ohio State. The 2003 Miami team had been the most recent to finish in the top 10.

Mississippi (13-2), which lost to Miami in the CFP semifinals after it beat Tulane in Oxford and Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans following under new head coach Pete Golding after Lane Kiffin’s departure for LSU, was No. 3, its highest final ranking since 1962.

No. 4 Oregon (13-2) finished in the top 10 for a third straight year and No. 5 Ohio State was in the final top 10 for the 12th straight year. The Big Ten had three teams in the final top five for the second straight year.

Georgia (12-2), Texas Tech (12-2), Texas A&M (11-2), Alabama (11-4) and Notre Dame (10-2) rounded out the top 10.

The Bulldogs were No. 6 in the final poll for the second straight season and have ended in the top 10 every since since 2017. Texas Tech is a season-ending top-10 team for the first time. Texas A&M hadn’t been ranked in a final poll season since Jimbo Fisher’s 2020 team was No. 4. Alabama, which had ended every season between 2008-23 in the top 10, was back after slipping to No. 17 last year.

Notre Dame won 10 straight games following an 0-2 start, was left out of the playoff and opted to not play in a bowl game. The Irish slipped one spot and were ranked in a ninth straight final poll.

The Hoosiers were No. 20 in the preseason poll after going 11-2 in Curt Cignetti’s first season. They earned their then-highest ranking ever at No. 3 after they won at Oregon to go 6-0. They moved up to No. 2 the following week and stayed there for seven straight polls. Their 13-10 win over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game pushed them to No. 1 heading into the playoff.

Poll points

— No. 17 Iowa was ranked for the first time this season after winning three straight, including a bowl win over Vanderbilt. No. 22 Houston beat Baylor and LSU to end the season and was ranked for the first time in four polls. No. 25 TCU, which had been 18 spots out of the Top 25, was ranked for the first time since September after beating Houston, Cincinnati and USC.

— Arizona (21), Georgia Tech (24) and Missouri (25) dropped out.

— The SEC had seven teams in the final Top 25 for the second straight year. Last season was the first time that had happened since 2013.

— No. 15 Vanderbilt has its highest final ranking since the 1948 team was No. 12.

— No. 19 James Madison No. 24 North Texas are in the final poll for the first time.

Conference call

SEC (7 ranked teams): No. 3 Mississippi, No. 6 Georgia, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 9 Alabama, No. 12 Texas, No. 13 Oklahoma, No. 15 Vanderbilt.

Big Ten (6): No. 1 Indiana, No. 4 Oregon, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 17 Iowa, No. 20 Southern California, No. 21 Michigan.

Big 12 (5): No. 7 Texas Tech, No. 11 BYU, No. 14 Utah, No. 22 Houston, No. 25 TCU.

American (3): No. 18 Tulane, No. 23 Navy, No. 24 North Texas.

ACC (2): No. 2 Miami, No. 16 Virginia.

Independent (1): No. 10 Notre Dame.

Sun Belt (1): No. 19 James Madison.

Mississippi will soon be able to get a break on their taxes for contributing to private-school scholarships, thanks to a federal program. 

Gov. Tate Reeves announced Monday that he had opted the state into the program. It’s a win for school-choice proponents, as Mississippi lawmakers continue to debate the policy on the state level. 

School choice — policies aimed at giving families more educational options, often funding those choices with public money —  is the top issue of the current legislative session, led by House Speaker Jason White. Both chambers have passed school-choice bills, but Senate leaders have firmly taken a stance against programs that send public dollars to private schools, as the federal tax-credit program does. 

School-choice proponents say the policies give parents more control over their children’s education. Opponents argue that they siphon money away from the public education system, which is required to serve every child.

“Mississippi believes that parents – not government – know what’s best for their children’s education,” Reeves said in his announcement. 

The federal tax-credit program, created by President Donald Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” allows Mississippians to contribute up to $1,700 to an organization that awards scholarships to private-school students, starting in federal tax year 2027. Donors will be given a break on their taxes equal to the amount they contribute — that’s called a dollar-for-dollar tax credit, and it’s about three times as much as people receive from donating to a children’s hospital or other causes. 

To qualify for these scholarships, one can earn up to 300% of the area’s median income. That’s six-figures in Mississippi, or about $150,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. 

Research shows a majority of private-school vouchers across the country go to students who could already afford and were attending private schools. 

In the coming months, Reeves’ office will designate eligible scholarship-granting organizations — groups that will disburse these vouchers, whose sole purpose must be doing so — to participate in the program.

Mississippi Today Jackson Editor Anna Wolfe, who won a Pulitzer Prize for her investigative reporting on Mississippi’s massive welfare scandal, provides insight on the first – perhaps only – criminal trial from the federal investigation into misspending of millions of dollars meant to help the needy, fight poverty and feed the hungry as it enters its third week in court.

As the U.S. Supreme Court weighs a case that could further weaken the federal Voting Rights Act, some Mississippi lawmakers are moving to write their own version.

State lawmakers in the the Legislative Black Caucus on Martin Luther King Jr. Day filed legislation to create a state-level version of the Voting Rights Act. They said their act is designed to safeguard minority voting rights, as the nation’s highest court has indicated it’s open to revisit provisions of the Civil Rights era federal law and has already overturned some.

The state legislation would prohibit dilution of minority voters, create a Mississippi Voting Rights Commission and require some jurisdictions to obtain preclearance approval from the newly created commission.  

Rep. Zakiya Summers, a Democrat from Jackson and author of the legislation, said at a press conference in front of the state Capitol on Monday that the bill is not about one party or one race, but about protecting the voting rights of future generations. 

“I’m a mother of three sons, and what we do today determines what we do with their future,” Summers said. 

The bill would be named the Robert G. Clark Jr. Voting Rights Act, in honor of Clark, who in 1967 became the first Black Mississippian elected to the state Legislature in the modern era. Clark was ostracized when first elected to the House and sat at a desk by himself without the traditional deskmates that other House members had. But he became a respected legislative leader.

Clark later held some of the highest positions in the Legislature. He served 10 years as chairman of the House Education Committee, including during the period when the historic Education Reform Act of 1982 was passed.

Clark later served as speaker pro tempore of the House, the second-highest position in the chamber. Clark died last year at age 96. 

Rep. Bryant Clark, a Democrat from Pickens and son of Robert Clark, said his father would be horrified to know that the U.S. Supreme Court is considering rolling back the protections that he and so many civil rights pioneers fought for so heavily. 

“But my daddy taught me one thing,” Clark said. “He taught me when democracy is threatened, you don’t give up. You fight harder.” 

In a Legislature dominated by Republican politics, it’s doubtful that the legislation will gain major traction. 

In 2024, a federal three-judge panel ruled the Legislature violated the Voting Rights Act when it redistricted itself and it ordered the lawmakers to redraw some legislative seats to give Black voters in certain areas of the state a fair shot at electing a candidate. 

Republican leaders largely complied with the order, though many of them complained that the judges, who were appointed by Republican President George W. Bush, were forcing them to redraw the districts and disagreed with the rulings.

Last year, another federal judge, also appointed by Bush, ruled the state violated the Voting Rights Act by diluting Black voting strength in Mississippi’s state Supreme Court district lines and ordered the Legislature to redraw them. 

In each of these instances, Black voters were able to file such a suit because of protections in the Voting Rights Act — the same federal law the U.S. Supreme Court is considering dismantling. 

Amir Badat, an attorney with Fair Fight Action, encouraged hundreds of people at a rally on Monday to call legislators and urge them to pass the voting rights legislation and to signal to the U.S. Supreme Court that overturning federal voting protections would be a grave mistake. 

“Justice does not move on its own,” Badat said. “People move it. So today we are choosing to move. We are choosing to fight.” 

Notes, quotes and an opinion or three:

The educated guess here is that Trinidad Chambliss will be the starting quarterback for Ole Miss when the Rebels open the 2026 season against Louisville at Nashville on either Sept. 5 or 6.

Yes, I know, the NCAA has denied Chambliss’s initial request for a sixth year of eligibility. But Ole Miss has appealed that decision, and Chambliss has petitioned for both temporary and permanent restraining orders against the NCAA. That case will be heard in the Chancery Court of Lafayette County, about a mile from Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and a decided home field advantage for Chambliss and Ole Miss.

Lose there – as we presume the NCAA will – and the NCAA could appeal to the the Mississippi Supreme Court. Not exactly the most neutral of sites, either.

A decision on the temporary restraining order could come as early as this week.  Should the TRO be granted, the legal process to decide the permanent restraining order could take weeks or even months and possibly not be decided until 2027, by which time Chambliss will be preparing for the NFL Draft.

There is also a chance that the NCAA will regroup, consider the likelihood of losing in Mississippi courts (and the cost involved there) and grant the Ole Miss appeal in the near future. 

Either way, Chambliss and Ole Miss win.

•••

Should Chambliss be allowed to play another season of college football? Your answer depends on your allegiance. But consider this: Carson Beck was leading Miami into Monday night’s national championship game in his sixth year of college football. We don’t know if Beck, a multimillionaire at 23, will take the team bus to Hard Rock Stadium or make the short drive over in his Lamborghini.

We do know that Beck has made sort of a mockery of the education element of college football during the lead-up to the national championship game against Indiana. Beck graduated from the University of Georgia in 2023. Asked last week if he had attended classes at Miami in the week leading up to the game, Beck responded, “No class. I graduated two years ago.”

Meanwhile, Indiana will be quarterbacked by Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza, a mere 22-year-old who graduated from the University of California last year and has one year of college eligibility remaining. Mendoza is expected to forego that final year of eligibility to likely be the first pick of the upcoming NFL Draft.

You ask me, the best way to prevent these seemingly endless eligibility issues is to give college athletes five years to complete their careers. That would be five years to play as many as five seasons. You could solve other problems by allowing for only one transfer during those five years.

•••

Don’t look now, but Ole Miss is starting to play basketball the way we have become accustomed to Chris Beard-coached teams playing. The Rebels won their third straight game Saturday night, edging Mississippi State 68-67 at Starkville. The victory lifted Ole Miss to 11-7 overall and 3-2 in the SEC, good for a seven-way tie for third place and only one game out of first. State dropped to 10-8, 2-3.

Just goes to show you how fast things can change in the SEC. Ten days ago Ole Miss was 0-2 and in last place. Ten days ago, Mississippi State was 2-0 and tied for first.

Ole Miss plays host to Auburn at 8 p.m. Tuesday. State plays at Texas A&M Wednesday night at 8. 

Five games into the SEC schedule, the league has never seemed more balanced. Thirteen of the 16 teams are within two games of first place.

•••

d1baseball.com last week came out with its pre-season college baseball poll and Mississippi State, unranked in the final 2025 poll, has zoomed to No. 4 in the first poll of 2026. Southern Miss was ranked No. 20. Eleven SEC teams, not including Ole Miss, were ranked.  No. 6 Coastal Carolina was the only other Sun Belt team ranked.

Believe it or not, opening weekend for D1 teams is just 25 days away. 

A Chancery Court judge has agreed to dissolve a partnership formed to profit from uninsured motorists whose license plates were captured by traffic cameras in Ocean Springs, Biloxi and other Mississippi cities.

A politically prominent trio of Mississippians formed QJR LLC to run the uninsured motorist program in Mississippi with Jonathan Miller, chairman of Georgia-based Securix LLC. Miller and his company have a proprietary system that randomly checks license plate numbers against state databases to identify uninsured vehicles and ticket their owners through law enforcement agencies.

Miller and Securix started the program in Ocean Springs, signing a contract in May 2021 with the city. Miller then teamed up with QJR, whose members are Quinton Dickerson and Josh Gregory of Frontier Strategies advertising firm in the metro Jackson area, plus attorney Robert Wilkinson of Pascagoula.

Frontier manages high-profile state and local political campaigns, while Wilkinson was city attorney for Ocean Springs when the partners formed Securix Mississippi to spread the potentially profitable program to more cities and states. Miller was supposed to manage the technology, while an operating agreement between his company and QJR stipulated that only QJR would handle marketing and direct contact with Mississippi customers.

Motorist ticketing program unravels

The partnership began to unravel within a month, Josh Gregory testified in Chancery Court before Judge Harris. Miller failed to show up for the trial. He was representing himself after Harris excused Miller’s attorney from the case in October, when the attorney-client relationship had completely broken down.

QJR filed its lawsuit against Miller and Georgia Securix in September 2024, asking that Harris dissolve Securix Mississippi and order Miller to stop defaming QJR and its members and levy punitive damages against him. The lawsuit was sealed for more than a year, although Harris did not follow established procedure for removing the case from public view. He unsealed most, but not all, records in the case after statewide media company Mississippi Today, later joined by the Sun Herald, objected to the sealing.

Harris decided that Securix Mississippi bank records would remain sealed — again without establishing a need to prevent public access to the entire bank record.

By the time QJR filed its lawsuit, the state Department of Public Safety had cut off Securix Mississippi’s access to the database of uninsured motorists after receiving at least one complaint from Miller about how Securix Mississippi was operating.

Gregory testified that Miller was not supposed to be communicating with public officials, according to their operating agreement. He said Securix Mississippi had ceased operations by 2025 and has no remaining assets. The company had previously pulled in $1.3 million in a year, according to records in a federal case that motorists filed in August 2023 against Georgia Securix.

MS partner testifies about Securix

Gregory testified that Miller was spreading false rumors of criminal wrongdoing against him and QJR. Miller sent emails and letters to public officials, including Public Safety Commissioner Sean Tindell, and others. Miller claimed QJR was misusing sensitive personal information about vehicle owners that only law enforcement officers were supposed to access.

“Pretty much everything he wrote, via email, letter or post, was untrue,” Gregory testified. “ . . . If he didn’t get his way, he would send email after email, to the point that we had to block his emails. They were excessive.”

Gregory said that QJR had attempted to keep Miller out of day-to-day operations in Mississippi because the program Miller and Georgia Securix ran in Ocean Springs was “such a disaster.” One of Miller’s later allegations was that Wilkinson was involved in the Ocean Springs program and shared in its profits, which Gregory testified was “completely untrue.”

Commissioner Tindell pulled Securix access to the uninsured motorist database in August 2023, court records show, after a letter from Miller alleged the program was being mismanaged.

Gregory testified that Miller did not provide documentation of the wrongdoing that he alleged.

Judge Harris has found Miller in contempt of court multiple times, but Miller has not returned to Mississippi and still owes more than $63,603 in attorney’s fees that Harris ordered the businessman to pay QJR’s attorney, Jaklyn Wrigley. Harris ordered the fees paid after finding that Miller had wrongly tried to move QJR’s case to federal court. The federal judge sent the case back to Harris.

In addition to dissolving Securix Mississippi, Harris also could consider QJR’s request for punitive damages against Miller and Georgia Securix, along with other relief QJR is seeking.

“While the other side did not show up for court yet again, we continued to provide the facts about this matter and are glad to be moving toward the resolution we’ve been advocating for since the start of this process more than a year ago,” said Jaklyn Wrigley, attorney for QJR.

Republican Speaker Jason White got his omnibus education overhaul/school-choice bill through the House last week, but it was a squeaker for the speaker.

The vote was 61-59 with 17 of White’s GOP supermajority peeling off and voting no, and two either absent or “taking a walk” and not voting.

White put on a full-court press in whipping reluctant Republicans to vote for the measure, which would, notably, allow families to use state tax dollars for private schooling.

Last week White invoked President Donald Trump and secured a social media endorsement for the bill from Trump Education Secretary Linda McMahon. White has touted letters of endorsement from the state’s Catholic dioceses and other religious groups supporting school choice that could garner their school systems public money. And famed football star Tim Tebow is coming to Mississippi this week to promote the “Tim Tebow Act” part of the House bill that would allow homeschooled kids to play public-school sports.

But opposition to the bill appears more grassroots, and lawmakers are getting calls from their school superintendents and teachers back home urging them to oppose it.

Can White keep his razor-thin vote together for what promises to be an uphill battle for House Bill 2? Senate Republican leaders have declared the House school-choice bill — at least the part about using tax dollars for private schools — dead on arrival.

A win-one-for-the-Gipper campaign, even with Trump as the Gipper, might not be enough to keep the bill alive through a battle with the Senate, especially if House supermajority votes are needed to do so later in the session.

When Trump says jump, Republican Mississippi politicians typically only ask “how high?”

But so far, this appears to be the odd occurrence where a majority of Republicans in the 174-member Legislature in ruby red, Trump-supporting Mississippi are prepared to buck a proposal from his White House.

Quote of the Week

“If little Johnny’s momma is on crystal meth, and little Johnny’s daddy is a pimp, can you tell me how they (are) gonna be able to choose that little Johnny is getting the right kind of education services when that’s not even on their plate?” — Rep. John Hines, during debate over accountability for private schools if the Legislature approves letting parents use tax dollars to pay tuition.

In Brief

Legislation would support nuclear expansion in MS

State officials have signaled they are open to expanding nuclear power development in the state.

Bills to support this have been proposed in the House and Senate, driven in part by demand for power created by data centers popping up all over the South and Mississippi to support the artificial intelligence boom.

A bill authored by Sen. Joel Carter, a Republican from Gulfport, would provide $10 million to the Mississippi Development Authority to spend on “future nuclear development” for the upcoming fiscal year. A House bill by Rep. Jody Steverson, a Republican from Ripley, would create a special fund for MDA to administer nuclear site development grants, including reimbursement for some expenses. – Katherine Lin

Antisemitism bill would exempt reporting from DEI ban

Mississippi captured international attention last week after a 19-year-old Madison man allegedly set fire to the state’s largest synagogue, allegedly for its “Jewish ties.”

In the Legislature, Rep. Lee Yancey, a Republican from Brandon, has introduced a bill to combat what he says is a “historic rise in antisemitic violence, harassment and discrimination targeting Jewish students” at K-12 schools and in the higher education system.

The bill would require public schools to prohibit and report antisemitic discrimination and use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, which has been adopted by several other state legislatures. Notably, the bill exempts all its provisions of a law the Legislature passed last year to ban DEI statements. This could mean that public school might be required to implement measures that might otherwise be considered DEI-related. – Michael Goldberg

Senate considering pieces of House ed plan

Senate leaders have started filing education bills that mirror portions of the massive education package the House passed Thursday.

This includes a bill that would allow homeschooled children to play public school sports and another that would establish a math program modeled after the 2013 literacy act. It’s a sign that the Senate is going to kill the House bill — after they pick the sections that they like.

Another education issue showing up in both chambers: cellphone bans. Both the House and the Senate have filed multiple bills that restrict or prohibit the usage of cellphones in school.

Youth mental health concerns have resulted in similar bans in at least 11 other states. A bill that would have required Mississippi school boards to create cell phone policies died last year, but several Mississippi school districts have since passed their own policies, including Jackson Public Schools and Madison County. – Devna Bose

More money for career coaching proposed

Rep. Donnie Bell, a Republican from Fulton, has proposed a bill to provide $20 million to expand a career coaching program for middle- and high-school students.

The career coaching program under Accelerate Mississippi, the state’s office of workforce development, helps students figure out their post graduation paths.

In a Senate Appropriations Committee meeting last week week, Courtney Taylor, director of Accelerate Mississippi, said there are currently 204 career coaches that serve 209 schools. The office has identified healthcare, advanced manufacturing and construction as priority career fields. – Katherine Lin

Sales tax exemption for farmers considered

Farmers are being squeezed from both sides with high input costs and low crop prices.

While there are larger economic forces at play, a bill authored by Sen. Neil Whaley, a Republican from Potts Camp and chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, would exempt commercial farmers from the 1.5% state sales tax on some agricultural and logging equipment. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has also championed this exemption. – Katherine Lin

Stand-alone tourism department considered again

A bill to create a Department of Tourism has once again passed the Senate.

A bill authored by Sen. Lydia Chassaniol, a Republican from Winona and chair of the Tourism Committee, would remove tourism from the purview of the Mississippi Development Authority.

Last year, a similar bill was vetoed by Gov. Tate Reeves over funding issues, and the issue has been debated for years. In 2024, tourism contributed over $18 billion to the state’s economy and provided 136,094 jobs. – Katherine Lin

Bill would create Bobbie Gentry Day

Rep. Sam Creekmore IV, a Republican from New Albany, has filed legislation to designate June 3 as Bobbie Gentry Day in Mississippi — a nod to the date that Gentry once described in a song as “another sleepy, dusty Delta day.”
The bill would honor Gentry, born Roberta Lee Streeter, a singer-songwriter from Woodland in northeastern Mississippi’s Chickasaw County.
Gentry rose to national prominence in 1967 with her hit “Ode to Billie Joe,” a haunting song in which an unnamed narrator learns that Billie Joe McAllister has died after jumping from the Tallahatchie Bridge.
Gentry has not made public appearances for decades and has largely avoided speaking with fans or the media, including in her home state. – Taylor Vance

Workers’ Compensation exemption proposed

A new exception to the workers’ compensation law would allow employers to not pay workers’ compensation for death or injury when an employee deliberately breaks a safety regulation.

The measure, authored by Rep. Donnie Bell, a Republican from Fulton, places the onus on the employer to prove that they had clearly communicated safety rules to the employee. – Katherine Lin

By the Numbers

$162 million

Estimated first-year cost of the House’s omnibus public education bill, including providing tax dollars for parents to use for private schooling or homeschooling.

More Legislative Coverage

Tears, Trump and student transfers: House barely passes school-choice bill. Will it survive?

The Mississippi House narrowly passed a major public-education overhaul Thursday after four hours of debate that centered on school choice — but also invoked President Trump, rifles and shotguns, the Psalm of David, pimps and meth addicts and even sexual innuendo. Read the story.

‘Absent’ Republicans, heavy whipping help Speaker Jason White pass school-choice bill

After perhaps the most intense vote-whipping he’s done as House speaker, Republican Jason White prevailed on a major school-choice bill, but only by a razor-thin, two-vote margin, with the future of the legislation uncertain. Read the story.

Mississippi House speaker invokes Trump in push for school choice. How involved might the president get?

Faced with internecine Republican opposition to “school-choice,” or spending tax dollars earmarked for public education on private schools, House Speaker Jason White broke out the biggest gun in Mississippi GOP politics: He invoked President Donald J. Trump. Read the story.