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As we kick off 2026, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy is more energized than ever. We are excited about the successes our state has seen – and we have a plan to build on that momentum with further free market reform!
For decades, our state lagged behind. Growth was slow and too many young people left our state to seek opportunities elsewhere. That is starting to change.
Over the past five years, Mississippi has seen more economic growth than in the previous 15 combined.
Mississippi’s progress is real, but it did not happen by chance. It is happening thanks to free market reform – including major tax cuts, flexible labor laws, affordable energy, and fiscal discipline.
MCPP aims to help build on this in the 2026 legislative session. We have a clear, targeted plan for further free market reforms. Here is our focus for the 2026 legislative session which starts this coming week:
- School Choice
Mississippi has already taken a strong step by assigning every public-school student a personalized education budget. Now is the time to let families truly control it. We are working to see a universal Education Savings Account (ESA) program, modeled on successful reforms like Arkansas’s LEARNS Act.
Other education reforms, such as making it easier for families to move from one public school to another are important, but the key goal must be an ESA system, just like they now have in Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama.
- Repeal of Certificate-of-Need (CON) Laws
Mississippi’s outdated health regulation regime stifles competition, blocks investment in healthcare and drives up costs – especially in rural areas. We are pushing for a partial repeal of these restrictions across regulated services.
It is also essential that we grant Advanced Practice Registered Nurses full practice authority. These changes could lower healthcare costs significantly, expand rural access, and save millions annually – freeing the market to deliver better, more affordable care.
- Conservative Spending
To enable future tax cuts, and to prevent the public sector crowding out local businesses, we need to see fiscal discipline in this state. The fiscal climate is changing, and the days of large federal subsidies is coming to an end. It is essential that our lawmakers live within our means. That means keeping spending under control and not squandering any surpluses.
These are MCPP’s big three priorities for the coming session – and we will be working closely with key lawmakers and our coalition allies to advance them.
MCPP is also supportive of a number of other reforms up for discussion. For example, we would love to see a restoration of the ballot initiative. With labor-force participation in Mississippi still too low, we would love to see reform in welfare administration to ensure more stringent requirements on able-bodied welfare recipients, and more meaningful sanctions for non-compliance. We would support such changes, but they are not our primary focus for this session.
We are super excited at the start of the 2026 legislative session. Our team will be working hard to ensure real reform – and I will be sure to keep you personally updated on the progress we make as the session advances!
Douglas Carswell is the President and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
MageeNews.com is the online news site for Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
