Rep. Jeramey Anderson

Maddy summaryHB 1402 designates a one-mile segment of Mississippi Highway 537 in Yazoo County as the "Colonel Donnell Berry Memorial Highway" to honor Colonel Donnell Berry. The Mississippi Department of Transportation will install and maintain signage along this highway segment. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026. This is a commemorative designation with no policy or funding changes.

Maddy summaryHB 4 requires municipalities seeking to annex adjacent unincorporated land to hold separate voter elections in both the municipality and the proposed annexation area, replacing the previous court approval process. If 20% of residents in the target area petition for an election within 60 days of an annexation ordinance, officials must schedule votes in both locations within 60 days of petition certification. Annexation only proceeds if majority voters in *both* areas approve the measure; otherwise, the municipality cannot re-propose the same annexation for five years. This bill directly affects municipalities aiming to expand and residents in territories targeted for annexation by shifting decision-making from courts to voter input.

Maddy summaryHB 1446, the "Robert G. Clark, Jr., Voting Rights Act of Mississippi," would create a Mississippi Voting Rights Commission to prevent voter suppression and protect voting rights. It prohibits political subdivisions (like counties and cities) and state agencies from implementing election policies that disproportionately affect racial, ethnic, or language minority voters, requiring such policies to be reviewed by the Commission before implementation. The bill also mandates protections for limited English proficient voters and voters with disabilities, requires advance notice of election policy changes, and establishes a statewide voting database with universities. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and was never enacted.

Maddy summaryHB 11 authorizes $23.3 million in state funds for the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District to cover its operating expenses during fiscal year 2025-2026. The bill specifies funding for 102 permanent staff positions, dredging operations in Ross Barnett Reservoir, a study on spillway gates, and construction of a new office building. It also includes conditions requiring the district to waive traffic control fees for "REZ" tag vehicles and exempt certain fishing tournaments (like the ESPN Bass Masters Classic) from launch fees and lottery systems. The funds must be spent per state accounting rules and cannot replace federal or other special funds. This is a funding bill directly affecting the district's budget and operational planning.

Maddy summaryHB 3 appropriates $20.7 million from general funds and $252.7 million from special funds to support Mississippi's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for fiscal year 2026 (July 2025-June 2026). The bill directly affects DEQ staff by setting strict limits on personal services spending (including salaries and vacancies), requiring that no more than $34.6 million be used for personnel, and prohibiting fund transfers to other categories. It authorizes 13 new positions (8 permanent, 5 time-limited), such as Environmental Engineers and Geologists, while mandating detailed accounting and compliance with Mississippi’s Variable Compensation Plan. The funding aims to maintain DEQ operations without increasing personnel costs beyond the approved budget.

Maddy summaryHB 857 expands Mississippi's literacy program to support students in grades 4 through 8 by requiring evidence-based reading instruction and interventions. It mandates annual universal reading screenings for all students in these grades, professional development for teachers focused on the "science of reading" (including phonics and decoding), and prohibits the use of "three-cueing systems" for teaching word reading. The bill also creates a system to identify "Middle Literacy Support Schools" based on reading data and requires the state education department to develop a structured literacy course for grades 6-8. Schools must provide targeted interventions for struggling readers, and the department must submit annual implementation reports to the legislature.