Rep. Tracy Arnold

Maddy summaryHB 55 (Mississippi Code § 97-3-5) would prohibit the manufacture, mail order, sale, distribution, or advertising of medicines that cause abortions prohibited under Mississippi law. It directly affects pharmacies, healthcare providers, and anyone distributing such medicines within the state, making these actions a felony punishable by fines ($1,000-$10,000) and/or 2-5 years in prison. The bill specifically targets mail-order access to abortion-inducing medicines, expanding existing restrictions to include online or mailed delivery. This bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and would not take effect (as planned for July 1, 2026), so it remains unenacted.

Maddy summaryHB 56 would have designated September 11 as "Patriot's Day" in Mississippi to honor the 2,977 victims and injured in the 2001 terrorist attacks. The bill specified this day would be a commemorative observance, not a legal holiday requiring government office closures. It was introduced in 2026 but died in committee without becoming law. This proposal would have directly affected Mississippi residents through state observances and school activities. The bill's text explicitly stated such days of remembrance should not be recognized as legal holidays, consistent with other similar designations in the code.

Maddy summaryHB 59, if passed, would allow Mississippi nurse practitioners and registered nurses (RNs) to administer vitamin-infused IV fluids for immune health support in clinical settings, without limits on the number of vitamins or requiring compound pharmacy preparation. This would directly affect healthcare providers and patients seeking IV vitamin therapy in clinics. The bill removed current restrictions that previously limited such administration. However, the bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and did not become law.

Maddy summaryHB 54 requires Mississippi courts to pay court-ordered restitution to crime victims in full before disbursing any court costs or fines to the court. This applies specifically to justice, county, and municipal courts handling criminal cases where restitution is ordered. The bill changes the payment sequence by mandating victim restitution take priority over other court collections. It becomes effective July 1, 2026, if enacted.

Maddy summaryHB 284 would automatically restore voting rights to individuals convicted of a felony once they complete all sentencing requirements, including fines, probation, or parole. It directly affects Mississippi residents with felony convictions who have satisfied all court-ordered obligations. The bill amends multiple election code sections to ensure their names are automatically removed from the voter suppression list upon completion of sentencing and restored to the voter rolls without requiring separate applications. This change applies to all felons regardless of the crime's nature, streamlining the process for re-enfranchisement.

Maddy summaryHB 529 would have allowed Mississippi pharmacists to dispense the antiparasitic medications albendazole and mebendazole without a prescription, directly affecting patients seeking these treatments and pharmacists providing them. The bill required pharmacists to follow standardized protocols set by the State Board of Pharmacy and granted them legal immunity for reasonable dispensing under these rules. It did not become law, as it died in committee on February 3, 2026, and was never implemented. The proposed change aimed to increase access to these medications for conditions like parasitic infections, but no policy change occurred.

Maddy summaryHB 574 would increase the paid military training leave allowance for Mississippi state and local government employees who are reserve military members, raising the current 30-day limit. The bill requires employers to grant additional leave without loss of pay, time, annual leave, or efficiency rating, and mandates reinstatement to the employee's original position or an equivalent after training. It also establishes a process for enforcement through county or district attorneys if reinstatement is denied. This change would directly affect reserve members working for state agencies, counties, municipalities, and other political subdivisions.

Maddy summaryHB 705, titled "Enhanced penalties for use of mask in commission of a crime; authorize," would have required Mississippi courts to add a mandatory 1-2 year prison sentence for anyone convicted of a crime while wearing a facial mask, hood, or other face-covering that concealed their identity. The bill directly affected individuals convicted of crimes committed with facial concealment during sentencing. Key provisions mandated the enhanced penalty be added to the standard sentence for such offenses, with no judicial discretion to reduce it. However, the bill died in committee in February 2026 and never became law.

Maddy summaryHB 675 gives Mississippi law enforcement officers who test positive for drugs in a urine test the right to request a more reliable hair follicle test before facing termination or unpaid suspension. Officers have two business days to contest the initial test result and up to five additional days to get a hair test (paid by the officer initially, but reimbursed if negative). If the hair test is negative, the officer is reinstated immediately and reimbursed for the test cost; if positive, they keep the cost and face disciplinary action. The bill directly affects all full- or part-time law enforcement officers in Mississippi who receive a positive drug test result under current policies.

Maddy summaryHB 747 prohibits Mississippi state agencies, schools, counties, municipalities, and other public entities from requiring any vaccination not recommended by the CDC’s current Childhood or Adult Immunization Schedules. It directly affects students, staff, and residents in public schools, state institutions, and community settings by restricting mandatory vaccines to only those endorsed by the CDC. The bill amends existing laws (Sections 41-23-37 and 41-23-43) to ensure all immunization requirements align with CDC guidance, while maintaining existing medical exemptions and CDC-recommended schedules. It does not eliminate required vaccines but bars mandates for non-CDC-recommended ones, such as those for school enrollment or public health programs.