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Mississippi is on the move. Over the past five years, economic output rose more than it did over the previous fifteen.
According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Mississippi’s economic output has soared by $41.4 billion, climbing from $116.1 billion in 2019 to $157.5 billion in 2024. That’s more growth in half a decade than we saw in the previous fifteen years combined.
This growth did not happen by chance. It came about thanks to deliberate, pro-growth policies that are transforming our state.
In 2021, we saw labor market deregulation with a bill to reform occupational licensing. Then in 2022 came a substantive tax reform bill, which paved the way toward the income tax elimination bill passing in 2025. At the same time, Mississippi has kept energy costs low and rolled out the red carpet for inward investors.
Every one of these victories came about thanks to principled conservative leaders who fought for change against fierce opposition from leftist lawmakers wedded to the status quo. At the time that these reforms were proposed, there was no kumbaya consensus in favor of any of it. Change only happened because a handful of conservative leaders – and dare I say it conservative organizations – were willing to go out on a limb for it.
The Mississippi Center for Public Policy (MCPP) recently honored some of those in our legislature that truly are committed to this pro-growth agenda, and we should all celebrate their determination.
But the question remains: Is your local lawmaker part of Mississippi’s new pro-growth agenda, or are they standing in the way?
Did your own Representative and Senator help lead Mississippi’s growth, or are they one of the one’s that opposed everything but showed up for the cameras?
Despite Mississippi’s strong conservative majority, we often fall short on basic conservative priorities like school choice. Too many solid bills mysteriously “die in committee” with no explanation, no recorded votes, and no accountability. Lawmakers who oppose pro-growth policies have gotten away with vague soundbites on Supertalk, dodging any real consequences. That ends now.
The new Mississippi Freedom Index, which you can access by logging on to our website at mspolicy.org, empowers everyday Mississippians to hold their representatives accountable. This tool shows how your lawmaker voted on key pro-growth policies, details their campaign finance contributions, and even lets you message them directly.
We’ve identified four flagship growth policies that define Mississippi’s economic surge—any lawmaker who opposed them doesn’t meet our definition of a conservative, plain and simple.
So, where does your representative stand? Log on to mspolicy.org and click on the Freedom Index to find out. If any lawmaker disagrees with their rating, they’re welcome to reach out. They can post their remarks, or if they’re willing to publicly commit to supporting the policies they didn’t vote for, we’ll reconsider their score.
Mississippi is on the rise. Check the Freedom Index today—because our state’s future depends on leaders who deliver, not ones who hide.
Douglas Carswell is the President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
MageeNews.com is the online news source for Simpson and surrounding counties as well as the State of Mississippi
