HB 917: Home-based business freedom

House Bill 917, sponsored by Rep. Jansen Owen, prohibits local governments from restricting home-based occupations. We have seen tremendous growth in home-based businesses thanks to new technology, and that was only accelerated by the pandemic. There are roughly 15 million home-based businesses in the United States, which makes up about half of all small businesses.…

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HB 814: Allow cottage food operators to sell products online

House Bill 814, sponsored by Rep. Shanda Yates, would expand cottage food operations in Mississippi by repealing the prohibition on internet sales. Cottage food operators can sell certain allowable non-perishable foods they make in their own kitchen without government inspections while labeling the product as such. In recent years, the legislature has expanded the sales…

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Leading Conservative and Business Organizations Call for Income Tax Elimination

As lawmakers consider proposals to eliminate Mississippi’s income tax, nine conservative and business organizations penned a letter to Gov. Tate Reeves, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, Speaker Philip Gunn, and members of the legislature in support. “Empower is proud to join with leading national and state conservative and small business organizations in calling for the elimination…

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Mississippi School Bus Tour to Celebrate School Choice Week

A School Choice Roadshow celebrating National School Choice Week will highlight five different schools across Mississippi. On Tuesday, January 18 and Wednesday, January 19, the bus tour will make mini-stops at five school stops throughout the state for special student celebrations of choice, including confetti poppers, balloon releases, cookie cakes, a dance performance, and more.…

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Teachers would benefit from income tax elimination

On the morning after the Mississippi House of Representatives passed both a landmark income tax elimination and a landmark teacher pay raise, I rolled out of bed, picked up my phone, and was confronted by an ad from a special interest group that purports to represent parents with kids in public schools. This ad suggested…

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Mississippi legislature: Week 2 recap

The legislature kicked off this session with a number of big-ticket items to resolve. And as we conclude the second week of the session, it is clear they aren’t ducking the big issues or waiting until the closing days. @empowermississippi Empower 60: Our 60 second update of week 2 in the Mississippi state legislature. #fyp…

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Income tax elimination would benefit Mississippi seniors

Mississippi seniors have a good thing going. Income tax elimination would benefit the overwhelming majority of seniors even more—yes, even income tax elimination that involves partial offsets of the tax cut with sales tax. Here’s how. Mississippi routinely rates as one of the most friendly states for retirees for two primary reasons. First, Mississippi has…

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Population movement tells us a story

While most of the South experienced large population gains last year, Mississippi continues to be on the wrong side of population changes. According to new Census data from July 1, 2020 through July 1, 2021, a net of 4,246 Mississippians moved to other states. When we factor in natural causes (births and deaths), that loss…

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House advances income tax repeal

The Mississippi House of Representatives has again advanced legislation designed to eliminate the income tax in Mississippi. Today, House Bill 531, sponsored by Speaker Philip Gunn, passed the House and will soon head to the Senate for consideration. “Our research, which included dynamic modeling by a Ph.D. economist at Rice University, shows the potential of profoundly…

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HB 531: Mississippi Tax Freedom Act

House Bill 531, sponsored by Speaker Philip Gunn, seeks to eliminate the income tax in Mississippi. Like last year’s bill, the mechanism for eliminating the income tax begins with increasing the tax exemption available to Mississippians. For single workers, the exemption would go up from $6,000 under current law to $37,700. For married workers, the…

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Empower Mississippi releases report on how occupational regulations limit job opportunities in Mississippi

Empower Mississippi released a report today that examines the burden created by Mississippi’s occupational regulations, how they impact entrepreneurs, consumers, and the larger economy, and potential reforms that could reduce the burden. The report was authored Dr. Ed Timmons, a professor of economics and Director of the Knee Center for the Study of Occupational Regulation…

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Teacher pay front of mind for legislature

For a number of years, teacher pay has been at the forefront of education conversations in Mississippi. Both the Governor’s office and legislative leadership have worked to provide a series of raises while indicating a commitment to address the teacher compensation structure comprehensively. Roughly a week into session and two plans have emerged to do…

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