Rep. Noah Sanford

Maddy summaryHB 1402 designates a one-mile segment of Mississippi Highway 537 in Yazoo County as the "Colonel Donnell Berry Memorial Highway" to honor Colonel Donnell Berry. The Mississippi Department of Transportation will install and maintain signage along this highway segment. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026. This is a commemorative designation with no policy or funding changes.

Maddy summaryHB 1241 requires Mississippi's Secretary of State to create a centralized system for collecting and publishing real-time election results statewide. County election officials must submit initial results within one hour after polls close, then every 30 minutes until all votes are recorded, with public access to live results via the Secretary's website. Officials submitting these reports receive $150 per election night for the extra duty. The bill excludes municipal elections and references related code sections for potential future amendments.

Maddy summaryHB 476 sets maximum fees that Mississippi healthcare providers can charge for sharing medical records electronically. It limits charges to $30 flat for sending records electronically when they're already digital, or $0.25 per page (capped at $25 total) for converting paper records to electronic format, plus actual costs for media and postage. The bill directly affects patients requesting their own records and third parties authorized by patients to receive records. It amends existing law to establish these electronic fee caps while maintaining separate limits for photocopying. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 1240 requires Mississippi circuit clerks to print a daily report at the close of business during in-person absentee voting, showing the total number of in-person absentee ballots cast that day using OMR equipment. This report must be made available to the public upon request. The bill directly affects local election offices (circuit clerks) and ensures transparency in absentee voting counts by mandating a public-facing daily tally. It does not change voting procedures but adds a reporting requirement for existing absentee voting operations.

Maddy summaryThis Mississippi bill allows county and municipal executive committees to enter into written agreements with circuit clerks or election commissions, permitting those officials to perform the executive committee's election duties. The agreement becomes mandatory if the executive committee chooses to delegate all responsibilities, provided the committee meets specific voter support thresholds based on recent gubernatorial election results. The bill also clarifies poll manager training requirements, allowing local officials to delegate training duties to clerks or commissions while maintaining standards for poll manager certification and compensation.

Maddy summaryHB 910 removes the annual gross sales cap for Mississippi cottage food operations and permits them to sell products online directly to consumers within the state. It allows sales via mail order, wholesale, third-party retail, or through the producer's agent, with all products delivered directly to Mississippi residents. The bill requires all cottage food products to be prepackaged with specific labeling, including the business name, ingredients, allergen information, and the disclaimer "Made in a cottage food operation that is not subject to Mississippi's food safety regulations." This change primarily affects small-scale home-based food businesses currently limited by sales volume and delivery restrictions. The policy update takes effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 477 clarifies that Mississippi residents aged 18 or older can independently enter binding contracts for real property, personal property, mortgages, and investments like stocks or mutual funds, without court intervention. It specifically allows 18-year-olds to lease residential property they occupy and secure essential utilities (electricity, water, internet) for their home. The bill also ensures such individuals can sue or be sued in their own name as adults in contract disputes. This updates existing law to remove ambiguity about 18-year-olds' contractual capacity, while also revising court procedures for minors (Section 93-19-1) regarding real estate transactions. The changes take effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryHB 1253, the SHIELD Act, requires Mississippi voter registrars to verify citizenship using the federal SAVE system when processing new voter registrations. If the system flags an applicant as potentially non-citizen, the registrar must send a notice requesting proof of citizenship (like a birth certificate or passport) within 30 days; applicants may cast an affidavit ballot while pending verification. The bill mandates annual reports to the Secretary of State on flagged applicants and requires the Secretary to annually compare statewide voter records with the SAVE database, excluding verification data from public records. This directly affects voters whose citizenship is initially flagged during registration, with removal from voter rolls only possible after verification failure or ineligibility confirmation, not during the 90 days before federal elections.

Maddy summaryHB 437 amends Mississippi's sales tax code to exempt sales of tangible personal property or services to "Veterans Outreach" organizations from state sales tax. This directly affects businesses selling goods or services to qualified Veterans Outreach groups, removing the tax burden on those transactions. The bill adds this exemption to the existing list of tax exemptions in Section 27-65-111, which already covers entities like hospitals, schools, and nonprofit organizations. The change creates a specific tax relief for Veterans Outreach groups without altering other existing exemptions.

Maddy summaryThis is a symbolic resolution (not a binding law) passed by the Mississippi House of Representatives. It expresses support for strengthening economic ties and friendship between Mississippi and the Republic of China (Taiwan), highlighting Taiwan's role in global trade and technology. Key provisions include supporting the establishment of a Mississippi Trade and Investment Office in Taiwan, advocating for Taiwan's participation in international organizations like the WHO and UN climate talks, and celebrating the U.S.-Taiwan relationship. The resolution does not create new policy but formally encourages deeper economic collaboration and diplomatic engagement.