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Rep. Noah Sanford
The last few weeks have seen the House of Representatives in floor debate over many bills of consequence.
Senate Concurrent Resolution 533 would restore the initiative process to Mississippi voters. The former initiative process was struck down by the state supreme court due to certain wording which, according to the supreme court, made it impossible for those gathering signatures to follow. Unlike the old initiative process, the new process would permit voters to change general laws rather than the state constitution itself. The House amended the Resolution to reduce the number of signatures required from 12 percent of registered voters to 12 percent of voters in the last governor’s election. The Resolution ultimately passed 77-9, with a large number of members voting present.
Senate Bill 2079, dubbed the Mississippi School Protection Act, which passed by a vote of 80-35, would permit (but not require) school boards to designate personnel who could carry firearms on campus after undergoing a training program through the Department of Public Safety. These personnel and the school district, if acting within the scope and course of the law, would be immune from liability.
House Bill 1222, known as the Mississippi Collaborative Response to Mental Health Act, passed the House unanimously and has been sent to the Governor for his signature. The bill arose after several hearings last year with many different law enforcement, court, and healthcare professionals. All parties seemed in agreement that the current system of how the government interacts with criminals with mental illness is inadequate. The bill would require that all county and municipal law enforcement agencies have at least one officer who is has undergone crisis intervention training with the State. In addition, by 2031, all law enforcement officers must have certain mental health training.
The next few weeks will be the last of the session, as final details of budget bills and many general bills are ironed out in conference, with House and Senate negotiators working to reach a compromise.
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.
MageeNews.com is a news source serving Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi.
