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Rep. Noah Sanford
The 2024 legislative session was gaveled in at noon on Tuesday, January 2, 2024. Rep. Jason White, Republican from Kosciusko, was elected Speaker without opposition.
Speaker White announced committee appointments on January 12, and appointed me chairman of the Apportionment and Elections committee. I will also serve as a member of the Ways and Means, Judiciary A, Business and Commerce, Energy, and Public Health committees. I am appreciative of the Speaker’s confidence in appointing me to these positions.
The deadline for bills to be considered in committee is not until late February. However, there has been quite a bit of action already.
Governor Reeves has called two special sessions already for economic development projects. Even though we are already in a regular session, special sessions are usually called for economic development projects so that the House and Senate can operate on faster deadlines and so that the focus remains on the single issue at hand.
The first economic development project is a commercial battery manufacturing plant which will be constructed in Marshall County, along the quickly-developing corridor of Interstate 22, which connects Tupelo to DeSoto County. The state provides certain tax incentives as well as infrastructure needs (water, sewer, roads) to the 500-acre site and, in return, the company has promised a capital investment of $1.9 billion and to create a minimum of 2,000 jobs, with the average annual salary being $66,000.
The second economic development project dwarfs all others in the state’s history. Amazon has chosen Central Mississippi—two separate locations, one near Ridgeland and the other near Canton—to construct its new data center, where a massive amount of information will be stored. Amazon has agreed to invest a minimum of $10 billion constructing this facility, which will have a minimum of 1,000 employees. These jobs will include those in computer science and technology as well as electricians and security. This could be a game changer for the state, as Amazon making such a tremendous investment will cause other technology companies to give Mississippi serious consideration for their facilities.
As part of the agreement with Amazon, the state has agreed to provide certain tax incentives and infrastructure improvements in the area, as well as to invest in the state’s colleges’ technology and computer science programs to develop the workforce Amazon will need.
Over the next few weeks, hundreds of bills will be considered in House committees; those that do not get voted out—always a majority—will die in committee.
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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