NOTE: Please contact your local House delegation and request that Senate Bill 2432 be voted out of both committees for a House floor vote.

NOTE: Please contact you local Senate delegation and request that House Bill 1525 be voted out of the Senate AET Committee (with no changes) for a Senate Floor Vote.

Homestead Exemption Reimbursement

Measure Passes Senate Chamber

Senate Bill 3090

Senate Bill 3090: This measure makes an appropriation for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the MS Department of Revenue and for the purpose of reimbursing the counties, county districts, and municipal separate school districts for tax losses incurred by reason of the exemption of homes from certain ad valorem taxes.

NOTE: This measure has passed the Senate Chamber and will transmit to the House Chamber for consideration. 

Additional Note: Section 7 of this measure provides $94 million for the homestead exemption reimbursement. This monetary value represents level funding from last year’s appropriation. 

Proposed Increased Tax Credit/Ad Valorem Reduction Passes House Chamber

House Bill 1944

House Bill 1944: This measure revises credits authorized for contributions to certain charitable organizations. With this measure, counties are technically reimbursed by the Department of Revenue for ad valorem credits applied, the bill effectively shifts local property tax revenue replacement to the state’s general tax collections.

As the annual cap increases to $40 million, the volume of credits applied against real property taxes could materially expand. If state revenues experience volatility, delay, or future budget constraints, counties become indirectly dependent on state appropriations for reimbursement. This introduces fiscal uncertainty into what is traditionally the most stable and locally controlled revenue source—real property ad valorem taxes. Counties lose direct revenue autonomy and instead rely on intergovernmental transfers subject to state cash flow conditions.



NOTE: This measure passed the House Chamber by a vote of 80 to 35. This measure is now transmitted to the Senate Chamber.

House Local Improvement Project Claw back Measure Dies Senate Version Still Alive

Senate Bill 2894

Senate Bill 2894: This measure requires the return of unexpended funds and earned interest for the Local Improvement Projects measure passed in 2021.

NOTE: This measure currently resides in the House Ways and Means Committee.

Comprehensive Purchasing Measure

Passes House Chamber

House Bill 1314

House Bill 1314: On February 12^th, House Bill 1314 passed the House Chamber by a vote of 119 to 2.

House Bill 1314 significantly revises Mississippi’s public purchasing laws by raising bid thresholds, expanding procurement flexibility, and modernizing competitive processes for state agencies and local governing authorities.

Purchases not requiring a purchase requisition or purchase order increase from $2k to $5k.

Purchase only requiring two competitive bids increase from $5k to $15k.

Purchases that require posting advertisement and public bids increase from $75k to $100k.

This measure also makes reverse auction discretionary, and it contains a county group purchase provision.

NOTE: This measure resides in the Senate Accountability, Efficiency, and Transparency Committee.  

Ad Valorem Tax Notice Legislation

House Bill 1383

House Bill 1383: On February 11^th, House Bill 1383 passed the House Chamber by a vote of 121 to 0.

House Bill 1383 amends Section 27-39-203 of the Mississippi Code to require that each taxing unit annually mail individual property tax notices to taxpayers comparing the prior year’s ad valorem tax and millage rate with the projected current year tax if the same millage is applied, along with the difference between the two amounts, while maintaining existing public hearing and advertisement requirements.

NOTE: This measure currently resides in Senate Finance Committee.

OPPOSE!!

Mississippi Video Service Act

House Bill 1664

House Bill 1664: This measure creates a statewide franchise authority. The Secretary of State would serve in a ministerial role. The language within this proposed new measure preempts and strips various powers of county and municipal government, and it prohibits any franchise fee agreement negotiation above 5%.

NOTE: This measure currently resides in the Senate Energy Committee.

MAS asks that this measure be STRONGLY OPPOSED!

Comprehensive Rural Fire Truck Reform Legislation

House Bill 1392

House Bill 1392: On February 6^th, House Bill 1392 passed the House Chamber by a vote of 121 to 1.

House Bill 1392 restructures Mississippi’s fire apparatus standards and local fire-assistance funding by (1) requiring the State Fire Marshal and Mississippi State Rating Bureau to adopt Insurance Services Office (ISO) standards for fire trucks while prohibiting any “age-out” retirement rule based solely on calendar age if the apparatus is properly maintained and passes required safety and performance testing, and (2) consolidating multiple existing rural fire funding streams into a single “FIRE Grant Fund” in the State Treasury to be administered by the Department of Finance and Administration (DFA).

NOTE: This measure currently resides in the Senate Insurance Committee and the Senate Accountability, Efficiency, and Transparency Committee.

Further Note: Consolidating and moving fire funds from the State Department of Insurance to DFA could pose a significant threat to fire funds that both counties and municipalities receive.

MAS asks that this measure be STRONGLY OPPOSED!

The House and Senate will reconvene Monday.

Note: Bill numbers in bold and blue are hyperlinked to the bill.

*Copyright. All rights reserved.

Authors: Steve Gray, MAS Government Affairs Director & Deputy Director, and Derrick Surrette, MAS Executive Director.