Rep. Mark Tullos

Maddy summaryHB 1487 repositions an existing exemption for school wrestling within Mississippi's athletic regulations. The bill moves Section 75-75-123 (which already exempts high school and college wrestling matches from the Mississippi Athletic Commission's oversight) to a more logical position in the code. It does not change the exemption itself - wrestling matches in schools were already excluded from the Commission's jurisdiction. The bill only adjusts the legal citation structure to align with other provisions, affecting only school athletic programs directly. The bill died in committee and never became law.

Maddy summaryHB 1667 would require health insurance plans and prescription drug programs in Mississippi to apply manufacturer copay assistance (money drug companies provide to help patients pay for drugs) toward reducing patients' annual deductibles and out-of-pocket maximum costs. Currently, some plans may not apply this assistance to these broader cost-sharing limits, meaning patients could still owe the full deductible even with copay help. The bill mandates that the value of the copay assistance must be used to lower these annual thresholds, rather than only reducing the immediate drug cost. This directly affects patients using prescription drugs and the health plans that cover them by changing how copay assistance is applied.

Maddy summaryHB 1717 extends the expiration date of a local restaurant tax in Mize, Mississippi, from July 1, 2025, to July 1, 2029. The tax, which allows Mize to charge restaurants up to 2% on food and drink sales, funds tourism and parks projects after a required local election (60% voter approval). It requires separate accounting for tax revenue and mandates that funds be used strictly for designated purposes, not general town spending. The bill does not create a new tax but prolongs an existing one that has been in effect since 2021.

Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial resolution (not a policy bill) passed by the Mississippi House of Representatives. It formally commends the Stringer Attendance Center Lady Devils Volleyball Team for winning the MHSAA Class 1A State Championship - their first state title in school history. The resolution highlights their 23-6 record, three-year South State dominance, and the significance of two players committing to college volleyball for the first time in school history. It was adopted unanimously on March 5, 2025, to honor their achievement.

Maddy summaryHB 1081 declares that parents have a fundamental right to direct their children's upbringing, education, care, and control. It prohibits Mississippi state agencies and local governments from infringing on this right unless a narrowly tailored law serves a compelling state interest using the least restrictive means. The bill would have applied to all parents and state entities like schools or child welfare agencies, limiting their ability to intervene in family decisions. However, the bill "died in committee" on March 4, 2025, and did not become law, so these provisions never took effect. (Note: The bill was pending but not enacted as of the provided status.)

Maddy summaryHB 1656, the STRONG Act, would provide tax benefits and health care support for Mississippi National Guard members and their families. It increases income tax exemptions for Guard and Reserve members, creates a $250 annual credit against motor vehicle taxes for service members and their spouses, and establishes a program to reimburse National Guard members for Tricare Reserve Select health insurance premiums. The Adjutant General would administer the program and report its progress to the legislature. The bill passed the legislature in February 2025 but died on calendar before becoming law.

Maddy summaryHB 1075 updates Mississippi's property tax exemption for broadband equipment to align with current FCC standards, requiring qualifying equipment to deliver at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds. It directly affects broadband providers (like fiber, cable, DSL, or fixed wireless companies) by requiring them to report subscriber counts to county assessors and confirm equipment usage via FCC broadband data. The bill also caps fixed wireless access (FWA) site exemptions at 30% of total asset costs per site. These changes ensure tax exemptions apply only to modern broadband infrastructure meeting federal benchmarks.

Maddy summaryHB 145 requires defendants in civil lawsuits to identify other responsible parties (joint tortfeasors) in their legal answers to complaints. If a defendant fails to name these parties, they forfeit the right to later allocate fault to them. The bill does not change how fault is calculated (it remains proportional based on each party's percentage of responsibility) but adds a procedural step for identifying all potentially liable parties early in the case. This is a procedural change to court filings, not a substantive shift in liability rules. The bill died in committee and was never enacted into law.

Maddy summaryHB 549 would change Mississippi workers' compensation rules by requiring employers or insurers to join third-party lawsuits (e.g., against a negligent contractor) to recover costs paid to injured workers. If they fail to join such lawsuits, they lose the right to be repaid from any settlement or judgment. The bill also reduces repayment amounts proportionally if the employer is found negligent. The bill died in committee in February 2025 and never became law.

Maddy summaryHB 1457 would adjust Mississippi's caps on non-monetary damages (like pain, suffering, or emotional distress) by requiring them to increase annually starting July 1, 2025, using an 8% compounded interest rate. Currently, medical malpractice cases have a $500,000 cap and other civil cases have a $1,000,000 cap for these damages. The bill would automatically raise these amounts each year to account for inflation, rather than keeping the fixed dollar amounts. This change directly affects plaintiffs in civil lawsuits involving noneconomic damages, such as medical malpractice or personal injury cases. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.