Maddy summaryHB 42 requires all individual and group health insurance plans, nonprofit contracts, HMOs, and self-insured arrangements in Mississippi to cover physician-prescribed proton beam therapy for cancer treatment, as recommended by the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). This applies to all residents with qualifying health coverage and specifically mandates the State and School Employees Health Insurance Plan to include this coverage. The bill’s key provision is the mandatory inclusion of this specific cancer treatment in insurance benefits, effective July 1, 2025, without requiring prior authorization beyond ASTRO guidelines. It does not alter cost-sharing or create new funding mechanisms, focusing solely on expanding coverage for this treatment option.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryHB 601 would have revised the composition of Mississippi's Board of Nursing by removing the licensed physician member and adding a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) member. It would have clarified that other registered nurse members cannot be advanced practice nurses and eliminated the requirement for the governor to appoint members from lists submitted by nursing organizations. The bill would have changed the board's structure to include 13 members: two nurse educators, three registered nurses in clinical practice (with specific degree requirements), one registered nurse at large, one nurse practitioner, four licensed practical nurses, one CRNA, and one consumer representative. These changes were intended to update the board's representation to better reflect nursing roles, though the bill died in committee in February 2025.
Maddy summaryHB 1552 would change Mississippi's child support calculation system to consider both parents' combined income instead of only the non-custodial parent's income. It replaces the current percentage-based schedule with fixed dollar amounts for different family sizes, as shown in the bill's table of adjusted monthly gross income ranges. This change would directly affect all parents involved in child support cases across Mississippi, including both custodial and non-custodial parents. The bill also incorporates additional court considerations from existing sections to guide judges in calculating payments.
Maddy summaryHB 41 would require Mississippi public employees and retirees in the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) or Supplemental Legislative Retirement Plan (SLRP) to repay misused public funds before resuming retirement benefits if convicted of felonies involving the unlawful taking, obtaining, or misappropriation of public funds. The bill applies to convictions for such crimes committed on or after July 1, 2025, and mandates that benefits be suspended only after all appeals are final and full restitution is made. The system must await a court order confirming the conviction's finality and an Attorney General's verification before suspending benefits. This policy directly affects current and retired state employees whose misconduct involves public funds misuse, requiring repayment before benefits resume.
Maddy summaryHB 851, the "Troy Floyd Act," creates a grant program to help Mississippi municipalities with populations under 3,000 purchase essential emergency equipment for their police departments, such as bulletproof vests, radios, and first aid kits. The bill establishes a dedicated state fund to provide grants of up to $50,000 per municipality, requiring applicants to submit detailed cost and equipment plans. Funds would be disbursed by the Mississippi Development Authority after legislative appropriation, with unspent balances rolling over annually. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and is not currently active.
Maddy summaryHB 1565 seeks a federal waiver to allow Mississippi's Medicaid program to provide temporary coverage for mental health or substance use disorder services. It would let qualified healthcare providers (like clinics) preliminarily determine eligibility for these specific services, creating a short "presumptive eligibility" period. During this period (ending within one month), individuals would receive only mental health or substance use services, not full Medicaid benefits, and must apply for full coverage by month's end. The bill requires providers to notify Medicaid within 5 days of a preliminary determination and ends the temporary coverage once full eligibility is confirmed or by the deadline. The bill died in committee in February 2025 and never advanced to a vote.
Maddy summaryHB 545 would have recognized U.S.-issued gold or silver coins as legal tender in Mississippi, meaning they could be used to settle debts or payments within the state. The bill specifically prohibited requiring anyone to accept gold or silver as payment except when explicitly agreed upon in a contract, protecting businesses and individuals from being forced to use such coins. It directly affected Mississippi residents and businesses by altering how monetary transactions could be structured, though it did not mandate the use of gold or silver. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and was never enacted.
Maddy summaryHB 45 would have made Mississippi observe daylight saving time year-round if federal law changed to allow states to do so. It would have taken effect on July 1, 2025, for all Mississippi residents and government operations. The bill’s key provision was conditional: it would only activate if Congress amended federal law (15 U.S.C. § 260a) to permit year-round daylight saving time. However, the bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and never became law.
Maddy summaryHB 1438 removes the Mississippi Department of Corrections' authority to automatically increase contract prices by 3% annually for housing state offenders in county facilities. The bill targets specific sections of state law governing contracts with county correctional facilities, eliminating a provision that allowed for this automatic annual cost adjustment. This change directly affects the Department of Corrections and county facilities that house state offenders, as it prevents future automatic price hikes in their agreements. The bill was referred to the Corrections committee but died in committee on February 4, 2025, and will not become law.
Maddy summaryHB 49 would create an Office of Inspector General (IG) within the Governor's office to investigate fraud, waste, misconduct, inefficiencies, mismanagement, abuse, and corruption in Mississippi's executive branch agencies. The IG would have authority to conduct investigations, issue subpoenas, hire peace officers, and protect employees who report wrongdoing without fear of retaliation. The bill specifies that the IG, appointed by the Governor with Senate approval, must meet certification standards and report directly to the Governor. The legislation died in committee on February 4, 2025, and was never enacted into law.