Legislative roundup
Week of March 11-14, 2025
From staff reports
Things inside the Capitol continue to chug along, albeit somewhat slowly. The real tax fight continues to loom, with speculation building that we could see a special session called by the governor to specifically address the elimination of the income tax. This week Gov. Tate Reeves and Speaker Jason White each took shots at the Senate on both taxes and school choice. While expanding school choice seems dead, what will happen with the income tax in these closing days is anyone’s guess.
Paid leave for state employees
One bit of very good news from under the dome this week: Soon, state employees who are primary caregivers will be entitled to six weeks of paid family leave. HB 1063, which passed the House unanimously earlier this session, will now head to the governor’s desk to be signed into law. It did not make it through the Senate with unanimous support.
Despite the Republican governor’s having (vaguely) advocated for a post-Roe “new pro-life agenda” for conservatives, a large number of Senate Republicans voted against the paid leave bill. The senators who apparently didn’t get Reeves’ memo that being pro-life is about being more than anti-abortion were: Jason Barrett, Kevin Blackwell, Kathy Chism, Dennis DeBar, Josh Harkins, Briggs Hopson, Chris Johnson, Chad McMahan, Walter Michel, Rita Potts Parks, John Polk, Mike Seymour, Daniel Sparks, Jeff Tate, Mike Thompson, and Neil Whaley. Angela Hill bravely voted present.
It will be interesting to see how pro-life, pro-baby and pro-mother these folks are in the future.
Nobody likes taxes but how is MS going to support itself if income tax is eliminated? What is the plan, higher property tax? More tax on companies really does not work, if anything it could cost jobs. I am for more state income tax and less Federal income tax and reliance on handouts from DC. I have not worked out the numbers but maybe something like this; a flat 3% for any household income under $100K, 5% upto $400K and then 10% above $400K. Despite being a "welfare state" I believe there are many wealthier people that would not be effected by a 10% state income tax. Also, I do not believe in SALT, where state income tax is deductible from the amount somebody pays in Federal income tax.