1.16.20 – Y’all Politics –
Hoping to keep up with what is happening at the State Capitol this year? Look no further than the Y’all Politics bills to watch list. This list will be updated throughout the 2020 Legislative Session as bills die and survive.
The first small round of bills were filled on Tuesday and came from the Senate. Several notable bills were included in this grouping and are listed below.
SB 2001 – Teacher Pay Raise Bill
- The bill was filed by Chairman of the Education Committee, Dennis DeBar. It will increase the base pay for Single A teachers from $35,890 to $37,000, which is a $1,110 raise. Other teachers will see a $1,000 raise in the coming year.
SB 2002 – Wildlife Trafficking Prevention Act
- This Act would prevent the purchase or sale of certain wildlife and tack on a civil penalty for doing so. The bill was authored by Sen. Jackson.
SB 2009 – Carly’s Law; Prevent future contact by sex offenders with victims
- This bill, authored by Sen. Blackwell would prevent any future contact by a sex offender with their victim. This includes but is not limited to telephone, mail or in person. It would exclude any allowances made by the court on behalf of the victim.
SB 2040 – Create a smaller Legislature
- This bill was filed by Sen. Blackwell and aims at reducing the number of Representatives from 122 to 99 and the number of Senators from 52 to 42. This would take effect in 2024, at the start of a new term.
SB 2045 – Flying of the Confederate Flag
- This bill, filed by Sen. Seymour would require that the state of Mississippi flag, which contains the Confederate Battle Emblem, be flown if you are a government organization. This would include colleges and universities. It also protects private citizens who choose to fly the flag.
SB 2047 – Mississippi Minimum Wage Act
- Filed by Sen. Jackson, this bill would increase the current minimum wage of $7.25 to $7.50 on July 1 and then eventually moving to $10/hour by 2024.
SB 2055 – The Red Flag Law – firearms restraining order
- Authored by Sen. Jackson of the 11th, this bill would create the Red Flag Law, a process by which a persons right to possess firearms can be restrained if the person is a danger to themselves or others.
SB 2062 – Require attendance for kindergarten-age children
- Authored by Sen. Hopson, this bill would require that kindergarten-age children are required to follow compulsory school attendance at a licensed public, parochial, nonpublic or homeschool kindergarten program.
SB 2067 – Meritorious earned-time credited applied to parole eligibility
- This bill written by Sen. Hopson would allow for meritorious earned time may be used to reduce the time required to be served for parole eligibility. It would also specify that only those offenders who are otherwise eligible may be allowed this reduction in time.
**UPDATED 1/16/2020**