Special Session Recap by Jason White

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Jackson, MS – Speaker Jason White issues the following statement on adjourning the Special Session Sine Die.
“Early this morning, the House concluded our work on the state budget and adjourned the Special Session Sine
Die. I am proud of our House Appropriation Chairs, who worked extremely hard to come forward with a
conservative budget that reflects the priorities of the state and funds our core functions of government.
We are disappointed in the Senate leadership for not supporting worthy projects for cities and counties. We
believe Mississippians find their tax dollars well spent when bridges are built, roads are repaired, and sewage
issues are addressed in their hometown. The House will not go along to get along with establishment politicians.
Instead of hand-selecting projects that stand out on a campaign push card, the House will continue to work hard
to meet the demands and necessities of Mississippi’s local communities.
Some were frustrated that the budgetary process went into a Special Session this year. The House communicated
clearly and consistently with the Senate that the budget would not be finalized in the last few days of session
with little oversight. In the 2026 Legislative Session, the House will maintain its stance that the budget should
be developed early and in an orderly manner with transparency.
To address the necessity for transparency in the condensed timeline of a Special Session, the House shared the
final budget summary with House members on the morning of Tuesday, May 27th, prior to the Governor’s official
proclamation. The following morning, ahead of gaveling in, a hard copy of the budget summary was at the desk
of each House member on Wednesday, May 28th, when the Special Session began. When I was elected Speaker,
I stated my goal was to bring more order and timeliness to the budget chaos while allowing all House members
time to read and review the spending bills before they are asked to vote on them. While we may not have
perfected that process yet, as Speaker, I will maintain the goal of transparency and working in an orderly fashion.

We are pleased to conclude our work with the budget, allowing us to direct our focus on our priorities for the
2026 Legislative Session. One of those priorities will be addressing the Public Employees’ Retirement System. As
the Governor reiterated a House position in his press conference on Tuesday, a one-time cash infusion to PERS
does very little to address the retirement system’s financial challenges. The House has proposed an annual
dedicated stream of revenue for PERS for the last two years, and we will continue to push policies that stabilize
and secure our commitment to current and future state retirees. Perhaps 2026 will be the year we find consensus
with our Senate counterparts.
In addition to addressing the long-term stability of PERS, the House will dedicate much of this off-season to
studying and preparing for Education Freedom in Mississippi. Our education priorities align directly with
President Trump’s Executive Order, which promotes the concept of school choice, enabling families to select
educational settings that best suit their children, thereby improving overall student outcomes and success. The
House introduced this effort during the 2025 Legislative Session, but it was never brought up for a vote in the
Senate’s Education Committee. When we talk about Education Freedom, this idea does not stop at school choice
but extends to eliminating red tape and reducing the amount of mandated student testing, allowing our public
school teachers the freedom to do what they do best – educate our children. In Mississippi, we must prioritize
our children’s future by empowering parents to ensure that every child has access to a quality education. Our
education system should work for our parents, children, and teachers, not the other way around.
The Mississippi House of Representatives has a track record of identifying challenges and opportunities within
our state, studying those issues, bringing the players to the table, and building support to allow a bill to become
law for the betterment of her people. As Mississippi has seen with HB 1, the Build Up Mississippi Act, which
eliminates the state income tax, and the Mississippi Student Funding Formula, an overhaul of how our public
schools are funded and a historic investment in public education, the House will continue to pursue
commonsense, conservative legislation vigorously. We are already at work and focused on the 2026 Legislative session.”