Rep. Hester Jackson-McCray

Maddy summaryThis resolution commends Captain Jimmy Wiseman of the Southaven Fire Department for his 43 years and seven months of service - the longest tenure in Southaven's history - and congratulates him upon his retirement. It recognizes his career progression from volunteer firefighter (1980) to Captain (1996), his specialized rescue expertise, and his decade-long service with Mississippi Task Force One. The resolution formally acknowledges his contributions to the city and its residents through the Mississippi House of Representatives. As a ceremonial resolution, it has no policy impact or direct effect on legislation.

Maddy summaryHB 709 would have required Mississippi public and charter school boards to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom by January 2026, using a specific text and format (11x14 inch framed poster with a context statement about historical educational use). The bill mandated that displays include a historical explanation noting the Ten Commandments' role in early American textbooks and education. It also allowed school boards to choose additional historical documents for display and directed the state to provide free resources for compliance. This bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and was never enacted into law.

Maddy summaryHB 947 revises Mississippi's initiative petition process to modernize requirements. It removes specific paper size rules for petitions (previously requiring 8.5" x 14" sheets), mandates the Secretary of State to provide petition forms online, and requires county circuit clerks to submit certified petitions with signatures to the Secretary of State once the minimum signature threshold is met. This directly affects citizens and groups seeking to place initiatives on the ballot by streamlining the filing process. The bill aims to reduce administrative barriers while maintaining verification steps for petition validity.

Maddy summaryHB 678, the Mississippi Doxxing Prevention Act, prohibits intentionally sharing restricted personal information (like home addresses, phone numbers, or email) of specific protected individuals with the intent to harass or threaten them. It directly affects law enforcement officers, government employees, jurors, witnesses, and informants (defined as "covered persons") by creating criminal penalties: first offenses are misdemeanors (up to 6 months jail or $2,000 fine), while repeat offenses or cases involving violence become felonies (up to 10 years in prison or $10,000 fine). The bill also amends Mississippi’s public records law to exempt the restricted personal information of these covered persons from public disclosure. The bill was referred to the Judiciary Committee but died there on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.

Maddy summaryThis bill would have prevented Mississippi Medicaid from seeking repayment for benefits from ABLE savings accounts established under state law. It specifically protects funds in these accounts - designed for people with disabilities to save without losing eligibility for benefits - from being used to cover Medicaid costs after the account holder's death. The bill amended state laws to ensure ABLE accounts are exempt from estate recovery rules that typically allow Medicaid to reclaim funds from a beneficiary's estate. This change would directly affect Mississippi residents with disabilities who use ABLE accounts to save for future needs while maintaining eligibility for public assistance.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment to update Mississippi's initiative petition signature requirements. It ensures that the maximum number of signatures allowed from any single congressional district is calculated based on the *current* number of congressional districts (as determined by the latest federal census), rather than a historical count. This change aligns the process with modern district boundaries after redistricting. It does not alter the total signature threshold (12% of gubernatorial votes) but adjusts how signatures must be distributed across districts to qualify a petition. The amendment directly affects citizens and organizers gathering signatures for constitutional initiatives.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment requiring initiative petitions for Mississippi's constitution to collect an equal number of signatures from each current congressional district (based on the latest federal census), rather than a statewide total. It affects citizens or groups gathering signatures to propose constitutional changes through the initiative process. The change ensures signatures are distributed geographically across all districts, preventing any single district from dominating the petition drive. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.

Maddy summaryHB 806 would make noncompete clauses unenforceable in contracts between Mississippi-licensed health care providers (like doctors, nurses, and clinics) and their employers. Specifically, it invalidates any restriction preventing a provider from practicing in a specific geographic area after ending their employment or partnership. Other parts of the contract would remain valid, but this provision would apply only to new contracts or renewals starting July 1, 2025. This bill directly affects health care providers and employers by removing geographic practice limitations upon contract termination.

Maddy summaryHB 946, the "Early Voting Act," would have required Mississippi counties to offer 10 days of early voting before all elections (primary, general, runoff, special, and municipal), ending at 5 p.m. on the Saturday before Election Day. It would have mandated voting at county registrar offices during regular business hours, required posting notice of early voting locations in three public places 8 days in advance, and established minimum additional voting locations based on population. The bill directly affected all Mississippi voters participating in covered elections by standardizing early voting access and procedures, including requiring photo ID and prohibiting in-person absentee ballot casting at county offices. The bill was referred to the Apportionment and Elections committee but died in committee on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment to require a 10-day early voting period before all Mississippi elections (including primaries, general elections, runoffs, and municipal elections), ending at 5:00 p.M. on the Saturday before election day. It would directly affect all qualified Mississippi voters by expanding access to vote early at county election offices, with specific requirements for location availability based on population (e.g., one additional location per 30,000 county voters). Key provisions include mandatory photo ID verification, simultaneous counting of early votes with election day votes, and public notice of voting hours. The amendment, which died in committee in February 2025, would have required voter ID and mandated specific early voting hours and locations statewide.