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 deadline for House members to file general bills was Monday, February 19, and a flurry of bills were dropped in the final hours. The Speaker’s office made quick work of getting these bills referred to the various committees. Though most bills are still in the committee process, several have already been voted on by the full House of Representatives.
In the Apportionment and Elections Committee, which I chair, we have passed two bills to take unnecessary partisanship out of our politics. House Bill 922 would make the office of election commissioner a nonpartisan position. Presently, election commissioners must run by party—Democrat, Republican, or Independent. Though some across our state run as Independents, many run by party. In my view, those in charge of conducting and certifying our elections should be the furthest removed from party politics. The House agreed and passed the measure 112-6.
Likewise, House Bill 1035 would make the position of justice court judge nonpartisan. All other judicial positions—from Supreme Court and Court of Appeals to chancery and circuit judges—have long been nonpartisan but, for some reason, justice court judges have continued to run by party. The judicial branch being the neutral, nonpartisan branch of government has been recognized as a cornerstone of our system, and there’s no reason for the justice court to be an exception. By a vote of 106-11, the House approved the bill.
House Bill 438, which passed by a vote of 89 to 28, would increase the penalties for shoplifting. In addition to paying restitution (repaying the victim), court costs, and potentially serving jail time, courts will have authority to impose additional fines.
These bills, along with many others, are now headed to the Senate for that chamber’s consideration. The deadline for bills to be voted out of committee is March 5, so committees will be pretty active over the next week.
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
