HB 872: Expand the Fresh Start Act
House Bill 872, sponsored by Rep. Tracey Rosebud, expands the provisions of the Fresh Start Act to make it applicable to more Mississippi licensure types. The purpose of this bill is to make it easier for someone with a criminal record to be approved for a professional license when the past crime doesn’t directly relate…
SB 2079: Full practice authority for nurse practitioners
Senate Bill 2079, authored by Sen. Kevin Blackwell, would provide full practice authority to nurse practitioners in Mississippi. Currently, a nurse practitioner is required to enter into a collaborative agreement with a physician. This bill would exempt nurse practitioners from that requirement after 6,240 hours (about three years) of practice. A majority of states now…
HB 821: Full practice authority for nurse practitioners
House Bill 821, authored by Rep. Donnie Scoggin, would provide full practice authority to nurse practitioners in Mississippi. Currently, a nurse practitioner is required to enter into a collaborative agreement with a physician. This bill would exempt nurse practitioners from that requirement after 3,600 hours (about 18 months) of practice. A majority of states now…
SB 2234: Make it easier for students to move between public schools
Senate Bill 2234, sponsored by Sen. Chris Johnson, would allow students to transfer to public schools outside of their residentially assigned school district. The bill would make it easier for students to move between public schools to find the setting that works best for them. State law currently allows any student to apply for a…
HB 867: Make it easier for students to move between public schools
House Bill 867, sponsored by Rep. Jansen Owen, would allow students to more easily transfer to schools outside of their school district, further enabling them to access the education setting that works best for them. State law currently allows any student to apply for a transfer to another district by submitting a request to his…
HB 1173: Teacher supply cards for public charter school teachers
House Bill 1173, authored by Rep. Richard Bennett, would provide charter school teachers with teacher supply cards. This would be the same debit cards provided to teachers in traditional public schools that help pay for classroom supplies. This simply provides equity to charter school teachers and provides them with the same resources currently available to…
What’s Still Alive in the Legislature?
Two major deadlines occurred this week that affect legislation. The deadline for filing to run for re-election was Wednesday afternoon, and while that doesn’t directly affect this year’s session, it does indirectly. Some legislators, if they don’t have an opponent, will feel freer to vote how they want to, knowing they won’t be punished at…
SB 2160: Move Function of Cosmetology and Barber Boards to Health Department
Senate Bill 2160, sponsored by Sen. Kevin Blackwell, would dissolve the Boards of Cosmetology and Barber Examiners and move the operations to the Department of Health. The bill would also provide a pathway to licensure through apprenticeship programs. This bill comes after a scathing PEER report outlined deficiencies within both boards and recommended the change.…
HB 1113: Home-based business freedom
House Bill 1113, sponsored by Rep. Jansen Owen, prohibits local governments from restricting home-based occupations. As Mississippi continues to grapple with a stagnant population, one of the brightest areas for potential is home-based businesses. We know that entrepreneurship began to climb at the beginning of the pandemic. But as technology has progressed over the…
SB 2537: Expand cottage food operators sales cap
Senate Bill 2537, sponsored by Sen. Melanie Sojourner, would raise the annual sales cap for cottage food operators from $35,000 to $50,000. 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. They face a number of limitations, such as where…