Please note that this post contains affiliate links and any sales made through such links will reward MageeNews.com a small commission – at no extra cost to you.
Rep. Noah Sanford
The date by which most bills must be voted out of committee—Tuesday, February 4—is the first major deadline of the 2025 session. The vast majority of them will not be brought up for a vote and, thus, will die.
Two substantive bills have already passed out of committee and the House floor.
House Bill 1, dubbed “Build Up Mississippi Act,” would reform the state tax code by phasing out the state income tax while adjusting other taxes; once fully phased in, it would amount to a $1.1 billion tax cut. That bill passed by a margin of 88 to 24, earning support from members of both parties, and now goes to the Senate, which is likely to pass a tax cut of its own.
House Bill 1123, which passed with 90 yeas and 8 nays, would require drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to submit various information to the Board of Pharmacy regarding their charges and costs. Pharmacists in Mississippi and around the country have long claimed that PBMs—the middlemen who contract with health insurance companies and drug manufacturers to “manage” the flow of medicine and payment—are taking advantage of consumers, pharmacies, and insurers alike. Referring to PBMs, President Donald Trump recently promised to “knock out” the middlemen to bring down drug costs.
Though it got little attention from the press, there was a fight behind the scenes last year playing out between PBMs and independent pharmacists and, when no compromise could be reached that could garner sufficient support, the bill died. The purpose of Bill 1123 is to gather information that will help assess what actions should be taken in the future.
Over the next several days, committees will meet to green light the bills chairmen wish to survive. The vast majority will not.
I appreciate the opportunity to serve. Please contact me if I may be of assistance or if you have questions or concerns.
Noah Sanford represents parts of Covington, Simpson, Jefferson Davis, Forrest, and Jones Counties in the Mississippi House of Representatives. He can be reached at NSanford@house.ms.gov.
MageeNews.com is the online news source for Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi
