JACKSON (AP) — Mississippi legislators accomplished two huge gadgets a number of weeks in the past once they adopted a congressional redistricting plan and enacted a medical marijuana regulation.
They’re about to additional trim the checklist of points for the 2022 session. Tuesday is the deadline for Home and Senate committees to behave on basic payments and proposed constitutional amendments that already handed the opposite chamber. There are later deadlines for payments coping with taxes, bonds and budgets.
Right here’s a have a look at some basic payments:
TEACHER SALARIES — The Home and Senate have handed separate plans to extend a few of the lowest trainer salaries within the nation. The Home plan would give raises of $4,000 to $6,000. The Senate proposes a median improve of $4,700 over two years. Home Invoice 530 has been despatched to 2 Senate committees — Schooling and Appropriations. Senate Invoice 2444 has been despatched to the equal committees within the Home.
RACE AND EDUCATION — Senate Invoice 2113 would prohibit colleges, neighborhood faculties and universities from instructing that “any intercourse, race, ethnicity, faith or nationwide origin is inherently superior or inferior.” Black senators walked out in protest earlier than the Senate handed the invoice due to considerations that the proposal would restrict instructing about racism. The invoice is within the Home Universities and Schools Committee.
INITIATIVES — Home Concurrent Decision 39 would revive a type of an initiative course of by permitting folks to gather signatures on petitions to place proposed state legal guidelines on the poll. The state’s previous initiative course of allowed folks to gather signatures to place proposed state constitutional amendments on the poll. The state Supreme Courtroom dominated in Could that Mississippi’s former initiative course of was old-fashioned as a result of it required folks to assemble signatures from congressional districts that had not been utilized in twenty years. The decision has been adopted by the Home and despatched to the Senate Accountability, Effectivity and Transparency Committee. If each chambers undertake the decision, the proposed constitutional modification would go on a statewide poll for voters to simply accept or reject.
EQUAL PAY — Home Invoice 770 and Senate Invoice 2451 would require Mississippi employers to pay men and women the identical amount of cash for a similar work. A 1963 federal regulation requires equal pay for equal work, however Mississippi is the one state with out its personal equal pay regulation. Some advocates of equal pay say the state proposals wouldn’t be efficient as a result of the payments wouldn’t ban potential employers from asking about candidates’ earlier wage historical past in the course of the hiring course of. The 2 chambers have handed their very own payments. The Home invoice is within the Senate Judiciary A Committee. The Senate invoice handed the Home after being amended.
POSTPARTUM MEDICAID — Senate Invoice 2033 would permit Mississippi’s Medicaid program to cowl girls for as much as 12 months after they offer delivery, in an effort to cut back the state’s excessive price of maternal mortality. The state’s Medicaid program normally permits two months of postpartum protection. The Mississippi Division of Medicaid quickly prolonged postpartum protection to girls who enrolled in this system whereas pregnant, with no time restrict, as a situation of federal COVID-19 aid funding signed in 2020 by then-President Donald Trump. An identical invoice handed the state Senate in 2021 however died throughout ultimate Home-Senate negotiations. This yr’s invoice has handed the Senate and awaits motion within the Home Medicaid Committee.
COVID VACCINATION EXEMPTION — Home Invoice 1509 says Mississippi authorities entities couldn’t withhold companies or refuse jobs to individuals who select to not get vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19. It additionally says personal companies and authorities entities couldn’t require a COVID-19 vaccination for any worker who has a “sincerely held spiritual objection.” The invoice has handed the Home and has been despatched to the Senate Guidelines Committee.
