Sen. Kathy Chism

Maddy summarySB 2521 would require Mississippi public elementary schools to provide students with at least 20 minutes of daily physical activity, directly affecting all elementary students in public school districts. The bill specifies this must include unstructured outdoor play when weather permits (with indoor alternatives if needed), excluding time spent using electronic devices, during physical education classes, or walking between classes. It also prohibits withholding recess as punishment except for immediate safety threats. The bill died in committee in February 2026 and has not become law.

Maddy summarySB 2609 would have changed Mississippi's tuition residency rules for minor students (under 21) attending universities or community colleges. It would have established that a minor student's legal residence for tuition purposes is that of their parent or court-appointed guardian, rather than the student's own residence. To qualify for in-state tuition rates, students would have needed to provide proof of their parent/guardian's legal residence, their own legal status, and proof of graduating from a Mississippi high school after four years of attendance. The bill did not apply to voter registration residency rules. This legislation died in committee on February 3, 2026, and never became law.

Maddy summarySB 2605 would prohibit registered sex offenders from living in campus student housing or in sorority and fraternity houses at Mississippi's public universities and community colleges. The bill amends existing sex offender registration law to add this specific housing restriction, directly affecting registered sex offenders who are students or seeking on-campus housing. This provision extends the state's current residency rules (which ban living within 3,000 feet of schools) to explicitly cover campus housing types. The bill was referred to committees but died in committee in February 2026.

Maddy summarySB 2592 (Mississippi) would establish closed primaries in the state, requiring voters to be registered with a political party to vote in that party's primary election starting in 2027. It mandates that unaffiliated voters can only participate in nonpartisan elections held alongside party primaries. The bill creates a uniform voter registration form to designate party affiliation, requires voters to update their registration by October 1, 2027, and prohibits voting in a primary for a party different from their registered affiliation (classified as vote fraud). This bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and did not become law.

Maddy summarySB 2770, the Mississippi Workplace Safety Act, restricts workplace safety inspectors (from OSHA or other authorities) from allowing nonemployee representatives (like union officials or outside experts) to accompany them during inspections unless specific conditions are met, such as the representative having relevant industry expertise or language skills. Employers must receive written credentials of any such representative before an inspection begins, and they are not required to pay for these representatives or allow them without a warrant. The bill enables employers to seek court orders to stop violations, claim damages for infringements, and imposes a $10,000 civil penalty for government inspectors who knowingly violate the law. It also bars government from using sovereign immunity as a defense in related lawsuits and ensures that if part of the law is deemed unconstitutional, the remaining provisions stay in effect.

Maddy summarySB 2875, the Federal Funding Transparency Act, requires all Mississippi state agencies receiving federal funds to publicly report detailed financial information about those funds annually. It mandates agencies to disclose specific data - including the exact amounts from each federal source, how funds were collected, their intended uses, transfers to other entities, and fund balances - on the legislature’s website in an accessible format. The bill imposes a $100 daily penalty per violation, plus legal fees, on agency heads who fail to submit these reports, with personal liability (not sovereign immunity) for noncompliance. This law directly affects every state agency managing federal funds, aiming to increase accountability by making funding sources and expenditures transparent to the public.

Maddy summarySB 2891 requires municipalities seeking to annex unincorporated territory to hold an election within that specific area, where only residents of the proposed annexation zone can vote. The annexation requires approval by 50% plus one of all voters in the election, and the municipality must pay all election costs. The bill also changes appeal procedures, requiring municipalities to cover attorney fees and court costs if they challenge election results in court. It repeals a prior requirement that annexation petitions be filed directly in chancery court. This bill directly affects residents in proposed annexation zones and municipalities pursuing boundary changes.

Maddy summarySB 2922, the Mississippi Energy Security and Agricultural Growth Act, defines new permissible clean energy sources including Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) from agricultural waste like poultry litter and livestock manure, and "Advanced Natural Gas" using carbon capture technology. It directly affects Mississippi farmers (especially poultry and livestock producers) by enabling them to convert farm waste into energy via anaerobic digesters and join the state's energy grid as "Energy Harvest Partners." The bill requires utilities to meet clean energy goals using these sources while protecting ratepayers from cost increases or reliability issues by mandating the least-cost energy options and preventing premature retirement of natural gas infrastructure. It aims to diversify Mississippi's energy portfolio, attract investment, and support agricultural economic growth through specific energy definitions and grid integration mechanisms.

Maddy summaryThis is a non-binding resolution (SR 32) that formally commends President Trump for issuing pardons and commutations on January 20, 2025, related to individuals charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol events. It does not create new law or affect any policies; it is a symbolic expression of support for the pardons. The resolution includes disputed claims about the January 6th events and prosecutions, but the resolution itself only expresses this commendation. It was referred to committee and died there on April 3, 2025, without further action.

Maddy summaryThis Mississippi legislative resolution (SC 542) is a symbolic request asking the U.S. Supreme Court to reverse its 2015 *Obergefell v. Hodges* ruling that legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. It directly reflects Mississippi's position, citing the state's 2004 voter-approved definition of marriage as exclusively between one man and one woman. The resolution’s key mechanism is formally urging the Supreme Court to "restore the rights of the state" to define marriage, while rejecting the Court’s interpretation as unconstitutional. The bill died in committee on April 3, 2025, and has no legal effect - resolutions like this cannot change court decisions or laws. It represents a political statement by Mississippi lawmakers, not a policy change.