Rep. Omeria Scott

Maddy summaryHB 167 requires Mississippi public school districts to create and implement age-appropriate policies restricting student cell phone use during the entire school day (from bell-to-bell). The policies must prohibit suspensions or expulsions for violations and include specific rules, such as requiring elementary students to store phones turned off and middle school students to store phones during school hours. School boards must post these policies online and integrate them into school safety plans, with exceptions for students needing phones for health reasons under IEPs or 504 plans. The bill applies directly to all public elementary, middle, and high schools in Mississippi.

Maddy summaryHB 367 requires rural hospitals in Mississippi (defined as facilities with 50 or fewer acute beds) to transfer patients to a major hospital's emergency room when a treating doctor deems it medically necessary. The bill directly affects patients at rural hospitals who may need specialized care not available locally. The State Department of Health must create rules defining "medically necessary" situations, considering factors like health disparities, chronic conditions, emergencies, and efficient transfer processes. These rules will ensure transfers prioritize patient safety while addressing gaps in rural hospital capacity.

Maddy summaryHB 307 creates Mississippi's "Dream Makers Program," an after-school initiative for public school students in grades 7 and 8. The two-year program requires participants to maintain a 2.5 GPA, receive teacher recommendations, and have consistent attendance, with eligibility including parental consent. Key components include specimen dissection, health professional panels, interactions with UMMC medical students, and blood pressure/temperature instruction. The bill establishes a state trust fund to cover startup and operational costs for school districts, mandates designated program advisors and regional coordinators, and requires UMMC to provide a project coordinator.

Maddy summaryHB 472 amends Mississippi law to change how vacancies in municipal executive committees are filled. If a vacancy occurs within 90 days of a municipal primary election, the State Executive Committee must appoint a replacement instead of the local committee. Appointees serve until the next regular election for executive committees. This directly affects municipal political parties and their committees, ensuring continuity in committee membership close to election periods. The bill also references Sections 23-15-309 and 23-15-313 for potential future changes.

Maddy summaryMississippi's HB 368 requires all public school students to receive specific health education. For grades 9-12, it mandates 20 hours per school year of "healthy living" instruction focused on nutrition, exercise, and behavior choices. This includes adding hands-on CPR and AED training to physical or health education starting with the 2015-2016 ninth-grade class. Schools must also adopt wellness plans promoting healthy eating, physical activity, and avoiding tobacco/drugs, with the State Department of Education monitoring compliance.

Maddy summaryHB 519 allows Mississippi counties to distribute a portion of highway privilege tax revenue collected from buses and property carriers to cities or towns within the county. This tax revenue, currently allocated to counties, can now be directed by county boards of supervisors to fund specific road or bridge construction, improvement, or repair projects within cities or towns. Cities must use these funds only for designated projects, and counties may set conditions for how the money is spent. The bill directly affects local municipalities receiving funds and county governing bodies managing the distribution.

Maddy summaryHB 468 amends Mississippi's Medicaid law to add a new eligibility category for the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). It directly affects Mississippians aged 55 or older who need nursing facility-level care, reside in a PACE service area, and meet additional program-specific requirements. The bill adds this group to Medicaid's covered recipients under Section 43-13-115, ensuring they receive coverage through the PACE program instead of traditional nursing home care. This change aligns Mississippi's Medicaid eligibility with the federal PACE program structure, providing a community-based alternative for qualifying elderly residents.

Maddy summaryHB 55 would expand Mississippi's Medicaid program to cover two groups: (1) adults under 65 who aren't pregnant, don't qualify for Medicare, and earn up to 133% of the federal poverty level (about $20,000 annually for an individual), and (2) children under 19 whose families earn between 133% and 200% of the federal poverty level (about $30,000 annually for a family of three). The bill replaces Mississippi's existing Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) with federal standards under the Affordable Care Act, repealing seven previous state CHIP statutes. It directly affects low-income Mississippi residents who currently fall outside Medicaid eligibility due to income thresholds. The proposed changes would align Mississippi's coverage with federal Medicaid expansion guidelines.

Maddy summaryHB 323 requires Mississippi's State Department of Education to create the "African-American Male Success Academy" for public school students in kindergarten through grade 8, specifically focusing on African-American male students. The program must be implemented as a one-semester course starting in 2025-2026, featuring culturally affirming lessons on African-American history and literature, social-emotional skill-building, and interactions with community authority figures like educators and law enforcement. It mandates that the curriculum avoid unconscious bias, build on students' strengths, and include mental health resources. The bill directly affects K-8 public school students in Mississippi, aiming to address educational disparities through school-based support.

Maddy summaryHB 381, the "Create a Respectful And Open Workplace For Natural (CROWN) Hair Act," prohibits discrimination based on natural hairstyles like afros, braids, twists, and locs in Mississippi workplaces and schools. It directly affects employees and students of color, particularly African Americans, by banning dress codes or policies that restrict natural hair or penalize individuals for wearing it. Key provisions include preventing termination, pay cuts, or expulsion due to hair texture, requiring equal pay for equal work regardless of hairstyle, and allowing legal action for violations. The law also amends state discrimination codes to align with these protections and clarifies that real estate license revocation may occur for discriminatory practices.