Legislators have introduced hundreds of new bills in the House and Senate since the Mississippi State Legislature convened in early January. To see all the bills introduced, go to the Mississippi State Legislature website, click on the Legislation tab at the top and then choose “All measures not dead” in the dropdown list. This YouTube video explains other ways to look up legislation important to you and your family.
Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann assigns introduced bills to their related committees in the Mississippi Senate. (Senate bill numbers start with an S.) Speaker Jason White does the same thing with newly introduced bills in the House. (House bill numbers begin with an H.) Chairpersons of committees decide whether to bring bills up for votes in committees. If the committee doesn’t vote on a bill, it “dies” and goes no further. Bills must be voted out of committee by Tuesday, February 4, to move forward.
If there is a bill you have feedback about, one of the most helpful things you can do at this point is call the chairman of the committee to whom it is assigned (committee assignment is hyperlinked right under the bill, and you can see who chairs committees at this link) and let them know if you think they should vote the bill out of committee—or let it die. You can leave messages for committee chairs at the Capitol switchboard at (601) 359-3770.
Families as Allies is following this list of bills related to these areas:
- Mental Health
- Education
- Healthcare
- Youth Court/ Law Enforcement
- Juvenile Justice/Criminal Justice
- Medicaid
- Individual and Parental Rights
- Transparency and Accountability
Inclusion on the list does not imply that we endorse the bill. It just means the bill’s subject is related to our work. (We apologize for the document’s spacing; some bills may not be listed in order.)
Families as Allies typically does not take stances on legislation unless it is directly related to our mission. This week, we highlight some bills that seem particularly relevant to what families share with us.
- House Bill 807 establishes a Division of Autism Services within the Department of Mental Health. It has already passed out of committee. If this bill is important to you, contact your representative in the House of Representatives and let them know your thoughts.
- Senate Bill 2166 reauthorizes special occupational diploma option for students having a disability as defined by federal IDEA. If this bill is important to you, contact Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar and share your feedback with him.
- Multiple bills propose safety planning and additional mental health support in schools. We appreciate the intention of these bills but have concerns that none of them appear to include families and family-run organizations in planning groups, although we could have missed this given the sheer number of bills. Many do not seem to coordinate with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act federal laws. We also believe these bills could be better coordinated with multi-tiered systems of supports already required in Mississippi schools and with the system of care for children’s mental health already mandated in state law. We will offer support on these issues for those bills that progress. If you have feedback about these bills, contact Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar and House Education Chairman Rob Roberson.
- Multiple bills mandate that school boards develop policies to limit student cell phone access and use at school.
Please let us know if we can assist you in finding bills or contacting legislators.
