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Election process bills passed by House of Representatives

Election process bills passed by House of Representatives

It has been yet another exciting and busy week in Jackson. The House of Representatives met throughout the week to discuss bills that made it out of committee and onto the calendar. Last Thursday was the deadline for members to introduce and discuss these general bills. Any bills not discussed in session by this deadline died on the calendar. The coming weeks will consist of floor discussion of House appropriations and other revenue bills. The deadline for these revenue bills to be sent to the Senate is Wednesday, Feb. 23. The House will then work on general Senate bills.

As always, I continue to pray for the health and wellbeing of my constituents and the greater community here in Mississippi. I hope you will continue praying for us as we approach the midpoint of the legislative session.

The bills that we considered this week covered a wide range of topics, including American Rescue Plan funds and child support payments. If passed, a few of these bills could bring about major changes to our state. One such bill is House Concurrent Resolution 39.

If you recall, Initiative 65 was passed by Mississippi voters in November 2020 to allow qualified Mississippi patients with debilitating medical conditions to use medical marijuana. The initiative was struck down by the Mississippi Supreme Court over a technicality in the ballot initiative process. House Concurrent Resolution 39 proposes an amendment to the Mississippi Constitution to create a new ballot initiative process. Under the new process, Mississippi voters could change current statutes or introduce new statutes by a ballot initiative. As a legislator, I can truthfully say the best suggestions we receive is from our constituents, and this bill would allow all Mississippi voters more opportunities to exercise their voices. After several failed amendments, HC 39 passed 92-26 and has been sent to the Senate for consideration. House Bill 1510 was yet another bill concerning the election process. Along with revising other provisions related to the integrity of elections, the bill would authorize the Secretary of State to audit local elections. After much discussion and several amendments, the bill passed 75-43.

Along with changes to the election process, another major change that could be happening in Mississippi is the state song. House Bill 1487 would designate Mississippi country artist Steve Azar’s song “One Mississippi” as the official state song. Azar wrote the song to commemorate the bicentennial of Mississippi in 2017. Currently, the official state song is “Go Mississippi” by Houston Davis which was adopted by the Legislature in 1962 The bill passed by a vote of 95-12 and has been sent to the Senate.

Visitors to the Capitol this week included Alcorn State University; the Mississippi Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association; the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks; and the Mississippi Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. As always, I would love to see you all in Jackson. If you have a group who would like to schedule a tour, please contact me. Groups are limited to 70 people and must be scheduled in advance. Email me at jsteverson@house.ms.gov or message me on Twitter and Facebook.

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