The Mississippi State Legislature introduced over 2,000 bills in this year’s legislative session, and Lt. Governor Hosemann and Speaker Gunn then assigned these bills to committees. The deadline for bills to be brought up and voted on in committees was February 1. Bills that were not voted out of committee by that deadline died and will not progress through the legislative process.
Click here for a list of bills related to mental health, disabilities and children that are still alive. Our list sorts bills according to their content area: mental health, education, child welfare, juvenile justice, special health care needs, disability rights and transparency/access to information. Inclusion on the list indicates that the bill is related to the issue listed. It does not imply that we agree with or endorse the bill. Families as Allies does not typically take stances on legislation. Still, we want you to have as much information as possible so that you can advocate for what you think is best for your children and family.
We know many of you are following legislation about organ transplants for people with disabilities (Cole’s Law – HB 20), insurance coverage for hearing aids (HB 155) and required broadcasting of open meetings of public bodies (SB 2087). All of those bills are still alive. We encourage you to read the whole list.
Lt. Governor Hosemann and Speaker Gunn will now place bills that passed out of committee on the calendar to be voted on by the entire Senate or House, whichever chamber the bill started in. You can tell which chamber a bill started in by looking at the bill number. Senate Bill numbers start with SB, and House Bill numbers start with HB. There are also House and Senate Resolutions and Concurrent Resolutions and Senate Nominations that do not always follow the exact timelines that Bills do.
The Senate and House must pass the bills that originated in their chambers by February 10, or the bills will die. When the House and Senate are in session, they each publish calendars that tell what bills may be considered that day. Being on the calendar does not guarantee a bill will come up for a vote, but it is a good indicator. Sometimes bills die on the calendar. They also die if they are voted on and do not pass.
To read what a bill says on our list or the legislative website, click on the bill number. The underlined information in the bill is typically the new part the bill’s author is proposing. What is not underlined is already in state law.
To find out what is happening with a bill, click on the hyperlink underneath the bill. The hyperlink connects to a page with information about the bill. About halfway down the page, a section titled History of Actions explains the bill’s current status. These are some common phrases that you may see in the history of actions right now and what they mean:
- Title Suff Do Pass – The committee passed the bill as written, and it has gone to the full chamber to be placed on the calendar for a vote.
- Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub – The committee passed a committee substitution of the bill, and it has gone to the full chamber to be placed on the calendar for a vote. The substitute bill may or may not be similar to the original bill. You can read all versions of a bill at the top of the information page under the phrase Bill Text for All Versions.
- (H) Passed: The House passed the bill as written.
- (H) Passed As Amended: The House passed an amended version of the bill. You can read the amendment about halfway down the information page under Amendments.
- Transmitted To Senate: The House has transmitted the version it passed to the Senate.
- (S) Passed: The Senate passed the bill as written.
- (S) Passed As Amended: The Senate passed an amended version of the bill. You can read the amendment about halfway down the information page under Amendments.
- Transmitted To House: The Senate has transmitted the version it passed to the House.
- Tabled Subject To Call: The bill has been tabled but can still be brought back up. It is not dead.
- Motion to Reconsider Entered: The bill passed, but is being held for more consideration and will be voted on again.
- Motion to Reconsider Tabled: The motion to reconsider is tabled and the bill will proceed as originally voted on.
- Referred To Ways and Means, Referred To Appropriations or Referred To Finance: The bill has to do with funding and has later deadlines.
One of the quickest and most effective ways to give feedback on a bill at this point in the session is to call the Capitol switchboard at (601) 359-3770 and ask them to tell your State Senator and State Representative how you would like them to vote on the bill. If you think the bill is a good idea, say they should vote yes and why. If you do not think the bill is a good idea, say they should vote no and why.
To find out who your state senator and representative are, go to Open States Find Your Legislator and put in your address. It will also list your federal representatives, but you want to contact your state senator and representative. Contact your state senator about senate bills (the ones that start with SB) and your state representative about house bills (the ones that begin with HB). If there are bills you want to give feedback about, contact your legislators as soon as possible. You do not need to wait until the bills are on the calendar.
To find a specific bill not on our list, use the legislation tab on the legislative website, and go to the bottom of the page to click on “select a measure.” Then choose HB (for house bill) or SB (for senate bill) and fill in the number of the bill. If you don’t know the number of a bill, you can also search by text, committee, or legislator at the top of the page.
