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Rep. Noah Sanford
Over the last few weeks, the House of Representatives has primarily considered House bills pertaining to tax policy, as well as Senate bills on a variety of topics. Tuesday, April 10, was the deadline for most Senate bills to be voted on by the full House.
House Bill 1768 would provide a tax credit to businesses that provide parental leave to employees, up to a maximum of twelve (12) weeks leave. As this really is a pilot program, and to make sure it does not drastically affect the state’s revenue, the bill capped the total tax credit that all businesses cumulatively could claim at $5 million. It passed 120-0.
House Bill 1985, which passed 117-0, would provide a child tax credit of $500 for state income taxes. Unlike the federal child tax credit, the state credit would be non-refundable.
Senate Bill 2689 would replace some state subject area testing with the ACT. The bill, which passed by a vote of 103-6, would keep the American history test, which eleventh graders take, as a subject area test.
Senate Bill 2577, which was very similar to a House bill that passed earlier in the session, would criminalize the dissemination of computer-generated images, audio recordings, or videos which are distributed within 90 days of an election with the intention of influencing the election. With the incredible capabilities of artificial intelligence, meddling in elections—where videos appear to show candidates saying or doing things they didn’t actually say or do—has become somewhat common. Such audios or videos are indistinguishable from reality. The bill would make exceptions for satirical use as well as for the media reporting on such artificial productions.
Senate Bill 2226, which passed by a margin of 81 to 24, would renew and extend a 2019 law which prevents the state from investing in companies which boycott the nation of Israel, as well as increase the cap on the amount of Israeli government bonds Mississippi may purchase.
The House bills concerning tax policies now head to the Senate, while the Senate bills—if not amended by the House—will head to the Governor for his consideration. Many of the these bills, if not most, will be transmitted to a conference committee made up of three representative and three senators, with the expectation that they reach a compromise between the two bodies’ positions on the various issues.
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.
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