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Rep. Noah Sanford
The 2022 session is winding down, as we expect to adjourn around April 1. The majority of bills have been sent to conference—the final step in the legislative process where three senators and three representatives meet to hopefully hammer out a compromise.
Last week, House and Senate conferees signed off on a conference report regarding the teacher pay raise bill. The compromise bill would boost average teacher salaries to above both the Southeastern and national averages. It would accomplish the goals of both the previous versions that passed out of the House (which provided a larger increase for beginning teachers and teacher assistants) and the Senate (which provided increases with each fifth year of experience). The conference report has passed the full Senate, and I anticipate that it will pass the full House this week.
The other major proposal which is still pending this legislative session is elimination of the state income tax. The House’s original plan called for phasing out the income tax over several years, reducing the grocery tax from 7 percent to 4 percent, and increasing sales tax on most non-grocery items from 7 percent to 8.5 percent, and reducing car tags by one-half. The Senate, in turn, passed its own much more modest plan, which would phase out only the 4 percent income tax bracket, lower grocery taxes from 7 percent to 4 percent, and reduce car tags by $5.
In order to address Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann’s concerns, the House passed a new version in hopes of compromise. In the latest House plan, the entire income tax would be phased out a little more slowly, with revenue triggers, and the sales tax on groceries would be reduced from 7 percent to 4 percent; however, there would be no increase of other sales taxes and no reduction in car tags. It is not clear at this time what action the Senate will take on the House’s most recent proposal, but Gov. Reeves has signaled that, if the two chambers cannot come to a decision during the session, he will call a special session and make tax reform the main agenda.
During the last week or so of the session, the final, compromise versions of dozens of bills will be hammered out in conference, and most will likely pass through each chamber on their way to the Governor’s desk.
As always, 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, and Jefferson Davis Counties in the Mississippi House of Representatives. He can be reached at NSanford@house.ms.gov.
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