Rep. Kabir Karriem

Maddy summaryHB 1091 would have allowed Mississippi veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces to park motor vehicles for free at any state airport or airport parking facility. To qualify, veterans would need to show specific proof of service (like a DD-214, military ID, or "Vet" designation on a Mississippi driver's license) and be the driver or passenger exiting the facility. The bill required airports to implement this policy but did not mandate state funding for the free parking. It died in committee on February 13, 2025, and was never enacted.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes amending Mississippi's Constitution to add human trafficking, sexual battery, child exploitation, and commercial sexual activity to the list of crimes that result in loss of voting rights. It simultaneously removes bribery, theft, obtaining money under false pretense, perjury, forgery, and bigamy from that list. The change would directly affect individuals convicted of these specific crimes, altering which offenses permanently prevent voting eligibility. The amendment would take effect July 1, 2025, and be submitted to voters in November 2026.

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.

Maddy summaryThis bill (HC 13) proposes amending the Mississippi Constitution to automatically restore voting rights after five years for people convicted of nonviolent crimes, once they complete their sentence, probation, or restitution. It directly affects individuals with nonviolent criminal convictions who would regain voting rights without needing court or legislative action after the five-year period. For violent crime convictions, the amendment specifies voting rights would still require a two-thirds legislative vote. The bill died in committee in February 2025 and did not advance to a vote by the public.

Maddy summaryHB 739 would allow individuals with driver's licenses suspended due to nonpayment of child support or similar court-ordered support to apply for a limited "hardship license." This license would permit driving only to work and religious services, require court approval based on documented hardship (including a recommendation from the Mississippi Department of Human Services), and carry a $25 fee. The license would be valid for four years, look distinct from regular licenses, and exclude commercial vehicle operation. It directly affects people whose driving privileges were suspended for support order violations, providing a limited pathway to maintain employment access.

Maddy summaryHB 1593 would have amended Mississippi's Medicaid program to explicitly cover neonatal circumcision procedures for eligible infants. This change would directly affect newborns whose families qualify for Medicaid, ensuring the procedure is included in standard covered services without additional cost-sharing. The bill's key provision is a simple addition to Medicaid coverage rules (Section 43-13-117), specifying that circumcision procedures would be paid for under the program. The bill died in committee in February 2025 and did not become law.

Maddy summaryHB 847 would have amended Mississippi's state holiday code by removing "Confederate Memorial Day" as a legal holiday and relocating Robert E. Lee's birthday to the same date (the last Monday in April), while keeping Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday as the third Monday in January. The bill did not create new holidays but restructured existing ones, eliminating the Confederate Memorial Day observance and attaching Lee's birthday to the April date. This proposed change would have affected state employees, schools, and government operations by altering which days are recognized as legal holidays. The bill died in committee in February 2025 and did not become law.

Maddy summaryHB 755 would have revised Mississippi's statutory rape law (Section 97-3-65) to create a rebuttable presumption that statutory rape did not occur if both parties were in a consensual relationship while enrolled as secondary school students (grades 7-12). The bill directly affected teenagers in dating relationships at Mississippi high schools by potentially removing criminal liability for consensual sexual activity between students in this specific scenario. Key provisions included requiring proof of a consensual relationship to trigger the presumption and maintaining other statutory rape elements like age differences. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and never became law.

Maddy summaryHB 665 would revise Mississippi's driver's license requirements by allowing applicants without a Social Security number to use a sworn affidavit instead of providing one. It creates a new "Certificate for Driving" option and updates rules for proving residency during license applications. The bill also requires additional staff training for license examiners and specifies acceptable documents for verifying address. These changes would directly affect applicants, particularly those without Social Security numbers, by simplifying documentation for license issuance.

Maddy summaryHB 707 requires all Mississippi cities to provide body-worn cameras to police officers on patrol and mandates county boards of supervisors to include camera funding in annual sheriff's office budgets. The bill defines "body-worn cameras" as devices recording audio/video and specifies that deputy sheriffs on patrol must wear them. Cities and counties face penalties for failing to comply with these requirements, as outlined in the bill’s penalty provisions. This directly affects police departments and sheriff's offices across Mississippi, requiring them to budget for and equip officers with the cameras.