Rep. Bryant Clark

Maddy summaryHB 537 amends Mississippi's state code to add June 19th (Juneteenth) as an official legal holiday, alongside existing holidays like New Year's Day and Independence Day. This change directly affects all state government offices, employees, and public schools, which would close on Juneteenth as a paid holiday. The bill updates Section 3-3-7 of the Mississippi Code of 1972 to include Juneteenth in the official list of legal holidays, specifying it as "the nineteenth day of June (Juneteenth)." Unlike other designated days (e.g., Elvis Presley Day), Juneteenth is recognized as a legal holiday requiring state operations to close, not merely a day of observation.

Maddy summaryHB 427 would expand Mississippi Medicaid eligibility to include non-pregnant adults under age 65 with incomes up to 133% of the federal poverty level (FPL), who currently do not qualify for coverage under existing rules. This directly affects low-income working adults in Mississippi who earn too much for current Medicaid but fall below the ACA's income threshold for coverage. The bill amends Section 43-13-115 to add this new eligibility category, excluding pregnant individuals and those enrolled in Medicare. It aligns Mississippi's Medicaid program with the federal Affordable Care Act's expansion, enabling thousands of uninsured adults to gain health coverage without requiring new state funding.

Maddy summaryHB 429 authorizes counties to reimburse poll workers for mileage when they return to the registrar's office after election polls close. Specifically, it adds a provision allowing poll managers or other personnel present at voting precincts to receive reimbursement at the federal employee rate for miles traveled beyond 10 miles after election day. This applies to any required return trip to the registrar's office, building on existing compensation for poll workers. The bill directly affects local election staff who travel post-election and updates Mississippi Code Section 23-15-227 to include this mileage reimbursement. The change takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryHB 536 lowers Mississippi's age of legal adulthood from 21 to 18 across multiple state laws. It directly affects all Mississippi residents turning 18 by changing their legal status in areas like contract signing (allowing 18-year-olds to enter binding agreements), jury service, marriage licensing, adoption proceedings, and guardianship. Key provisions include revising the definition of "infant" to include those under 18 (Section 1-3-21), updating marriage license age requirements (Section 93-1-5), and aligning adoption and guardianship laws with the new age (Sections 93-17-5, 93-20-102). The bill also repeals two older exceptions that previously allowed certain veterans or executors to retain minority status beyond age 21.

Maddy summaryHB 361 would ban smoking in most enclosed public places, workplaces, apartment buildings, and certain outdoor areas across Mississippi. It requires businesses and facility owners to post "no smoking" signs at entrances and allows them to voluntarily create smoke-free zones. The bill repeals Mississippi’s current Clean Indoor Air Act and directs the state health department to educate the public and businesses on compliance. This would directly affect businesses, employees, residents in multi-unit housing, and patrons of public venues like restaurants and bars.

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 summaryHB 1238 would have prohibited Mississippi private prisons housing state inmates from expanding their capacity and banned the state from entering new contracts with private facilities for this purpose. The bill specifically targeted facilities currently used by the state, blocking both capacity increases and new agreements under existing laws. This moratorium would have directly affected private correctional facilities operating under state contracts and prevented the state from expanding reliance on private incarceration. (Note: The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.)

Maddy summaryHB 506 creates a state fund called the "Historic Courthouse Fund" to provide grants to Mississippi counties for maintaining or restoring historic courthouses. Counties must contribute 25% of the grant amount as matching funds. The Department of Archives and History will manage the fund, which can also accept donations and gifts, with unspent funds rolling over annually. All funds must be used for courthouse maintenance or restoration projects as determined by the department.

Maddy summaryHB 1550 would establish Mississippi's first state minimum wage at $8.50 per hour for most workers, effective immediately. Tipped employees would receive a base wage of $3.62 per hour, with tips required to bring their total earnings to at least $8.50. The bill also requires overtime pay at 1.5x regular rate for employees earning $455 or less weekly, specifically protecting manual laborers, public safety workers (like police and firefighters), and others from exemption. It exempts certain industries but aligns with federal overtime rules for uncovered workers. The bill died in committee without becoming law.

Maddy summaryThe provided context does not include the specific language of the amendment to Section 43-13-117 regarding Durable Medical Equipment (DME). While the bill title states it "revise[s] the calculation of Medicaid reimbursement for Durable Medical Equipment (DME)," the bill text excerpt only shows existing provisions for hospital services, laboratory care, and nursing facilities - without any mention of DME-related changes. Without the actual amended text or details of the new DME calculation mechanism, a factual summary cannot be generated.