Rep. Zakiya Summers

Maddy summaryMississippi's HB 716, the "Equal Pay for Equal Work Act," would have prohibited employers from asking about or using job applicants' past wages when making hiring or pay decisions, affecting workers applying for jobs in Mississippi. It allows employers to consider voluntarily shared wage history only if the applicant offers it to negotiate a higher starting salary. Violations could result in up to $10,000 in statutory damages per applicant and protections against retaliation for refusing to disclose wage history. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.

Maddy summaryHB 713 would exempt cosmetologists, barbers, estheticians, nail technicians, and instructors who are 65 or older with at least 10 years of experience from taking a licensing exam to renew their license if it has been expired for more than three years. Instead, they would pay the standard renewal fee plus a delinquent fee for each year the license was expired. The bill, which was introduced in 2025 and died in committee in February 2025, would have taken effect on July 1, 2025, but was not enacted.

Maddy summaryHB 579 would add June 19 (Juneteenth) to Mississippi's official list of legal holidays under state law, making it a day when state offices and many public institutions close. This change directly affects state employees, public schools, and government operations, as they would observe June 19 as a paid holiday. The bill amends Mississippi Code Section 3-3-7 to explicitly include "the nineteenth day of June (Juneteenth)" in the list of recognized holidays. It does not change existing holiday rules for private businesses or alter other holiday designations in the code.

Maddy summaryHB 1351 would rename Mississippi's Ross Barnett Reservoir (spanning Hinds, Rankin, Madison, Scott, and Leake counties) to the "William F. Winter and Fannie Lou Hamer Reservoir." The bill requires new signage and plaques across the reservoir basin to display the backgrounds and service of Governor William F. Winter and civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer. These signs must be placed in prominent locations within each affected county and on the reservoir control tower. The renaming would take effect July 1, 2025, if enacted.

Maddy summaryHB 1347 created the Mississippi Child Poverty Task Force to address child poverty and ALICE (Asset-Limited, Income-Constrained, Employed) households in Mississippi. The task force, composed of legislative members (with bipartisan appointments), nonprofit representatives, and state agency directors, was required to identify poverty's root causes, evaluate community impacts, assess available resources, and develop strategies to improve economic mobility. It had to produce a final report with recommendations to the legislature by July 2026, including potential policy changes. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and never became law.

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 1343, the "Model Mississippi Hair Protection in Schools Policy Act," would have required Mississippi public and charter schools to adopt policies banning hairstyle-based discrimination against students. The bill mandated specific provisions, including explicitly prohibiting discrimination against natural and protective hairstyles, removing rules disproportionately affecting certain racial groups, requiring staff training on mental health impacts, establishing clear reporting channels for discrimination, and banning suspensions for appearance violations. It aimed to create standardized guidelines to protect students from biased enforcement of school appearance policies. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.

Maddy summaryHB 717 authorizes Mississippi's Commissioner of Public Safety to create an alternative state identification card for homeless individuals, removing the requirement for proof of address. The bill directly affects homeless Mississipians who lack a fixed residence, as defined by the law (including those living in shelters or temporary accommodations). Key provisions amend state code to allow this alternative ID without federal Real ID Act conflicts, while maintaining standard card validity periods and fee structures for other applicants. The bill does not change eligibility for non-homeless residents but specifically streamlines ID access for those experiencing homelessness.

Maddy summaryHB 718 would require Mississippi substance use disorder facilities treating pregnant women with opioid use disorder to provide onsite access to at least one FDA-approved medication treatment (like methadone or buprenorphine). It directly affects pregnant women seeking treatment and facilities certified by the State Department of Mental Health. The bill mandates facilities to submit compliance attestations by 2026 and requires the Department to monitor adherence and report annually to health committees on treatment access. However, the bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, so it has not become law.

Maddy summaryHB 1420 would increase penalties for making terroristic threats against airports in Mississippi, raising the minimum sentence from the standard felony penalty to at least five years in prison. It directly affects individuals who make threats targeting airports, such as threats of violence or harm that cause reasonable fear. The bill amends Mississippi's terroristic threats law (Section 97-7-75) to specify this enhanced penalty for airport-related threats, while maintaining existing provisions for other threats. The bill was referred to the Judiciary Committee but died there on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.