Home delivery of alcohol, paying college athletes, criminal justice changes still on table for Mississippi lawmakers

Published 6:57 am Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Bills to allow college athletes to earn money from their own name, likeness and image are still alive at the Mississippi Capitol. Among the bills that died under the latest deadline is one that would have required any governor to disclose information about donors to his or her inaugural fund.

Tuesday was the deadline for Mississippi House and Senate committees to consider general bills and constitutional amendments that had already passed the other chamber. Bills that survived will move to the full House and Senate for more debate. There are later deadlines for budget and revenue bills.
Here is the status of some general bills:

ALIVE

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ALCOHOL — House Bill 1135 and Senate Bill 2804 would allow home delivery of beer, wine and liquor.

COLLEGE ATHLETES — House Bill 1030 and Senate Bill 2313 would allow college athletes to be compensated for their own name, image and likeness.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE — House Bill 525 and Senate Bill 2795 would revise some rules for parole.

GUNS — Senate Bill 2107 would prevent cities and counties from having contracts or rental agreements that restrict possession, sale or transport of firearms or ammunition. It also would prevent many state agencies from putting restrictions on guns; exceptions would be allowed for courts, universities, community colleges and schools. House Bill 634 is similar.

HIGHWAY PATROL — Senate Bill 2788 would give the Highway Patrol more authority to respond to speeding, blocked highways or other emergencies. The bill would remove the current ban on the Highway Patrol’s use of radar to detect speeding in cities with a population of at least 15,000.

OUTDOORS — House Bill 1231 would create the Mississippi Outdoor Stewardship Trust Fund to pay for conservation projects.

PECANS — Senate Bill 2072 would create a committee to study “to maximize the benefits” of pecan harvesting. This is a change from the original version of the bill, which proposed stricter penalties for stealing pecans.

TEACHER PAY — House Bill 852 was amended by the Senate Education Committee to give most teachers a $1,000 pay raise. Newer teachers would get $1,100.

TRANSGENDER ATHLETES — Senate Bill 2536 would ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ or women’s sports teams in Mississippi schools, community colleges and universities.

DEAD

CAMPAIGN FINANCE — House Bill 718 would have required the secretary of state’s office to make campaign finance reports publicly available within a day of receiving them.

ELECTIONS — Senate Bill 2588 would have allowed quicker purging of names from voter rolls. If a person failed to vote at least once during a two-year period, local election commissioners would send a postcard to check the person’s address; if the person did not vote or respond to the postcard in four years, the name could be purged from voter rolls.

INAUGURATION — House Bill 1019 would have required governors to disclose information about who donates to their inauguration fund and how the money is spent.

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS — House Bill 1136 said college-educated people who live, work and buy property in Mississippi would have been eligible for a rebate of five years’ worth of the state income tax they pay.