Mississippi’s new laws go into effect July 1. These laws include tax cuts, medical marijuana, teacher salary increases and changes to death penalty methods. Here’s a closer look at some of the more notable laws that will come into effect: Teacher salary increases The increase outlined in Bill 530 will be the largest ever for teachers in Mississippi, with the minimum teacher salary increasing an average of $5,100. Tax CutsHouse Bill 531 provides the largest tax cut in Mississippi history. Under this new law, state income tax will be gradually reduced to a 4% flat tax on income over $5,000. As of July 1, the taxes on this amount will increase from 5% to 4.7%. In 2025 it will fall again to 4.4%, then in 2026 it will reach 4%. The bill fell short of Governor Tate Reeves’ proposal to eliminate state income tax altogether. Medical MarijuanaThe Department of Revenue will begin reviewing applications from businesses to operate as dispensaries on July 1. More than two dozen conditions and symptoms will qualify Mississippians for a medical marijuana card. These conditions include cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, autism and seizures. The state Department of Health began accepting applications for medical marijuana cards on June 1. Ministry officials believe it will likely be months before companies are allowed to sell marijuana. These companies still need time to develop and test their products. Buddy’s LawSenate Bill 2245, also known as “Buddy’s Law”, is an animal cruelty law named after a dog that survived the fire. The law requires mandatory counseling sessions for adults and minors who intentionally inflict harm on pets. Law is named after Buddy, who was badly burned in April 2021 by a 12-year-old boy. Parker LawHouse’s Bill 607 will explicitly list “delivery of fentanyl causing death” as a felony punishable by 20 years to life in prison. The law is named after Parker Rodenbaugh, a former student at Madison Central High School and Mississippi State University, who died in 2014 after taking a synthetic drug containing fentanyl. The man who supplied Rodenbaugh with the drugs that killed him was initially convicted of drug trafficking and second-degree murder, but the murder conviction was later thrown out on appeals. The banHouse Bill 1509 COVID-19 vaccine mandate prohibits any government entity, including public colleges and universities, from requiring vaccination against COVID-19. Health care facilities are exempt from the law if a vaccination mandate is recommended or required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid funding. Changes to Death Penalty MethodsBill 1479 changes the methods by which convicts can be executed. The previous law, approved in 2017, set out specific requirements for lethal injection, then offered alternatives to lethal injection in sequential order of preference. The new changes remove these requirements for injection and the order of preference for alternatives. Lethal injection remains the state’s preferred method, but in the event that this method is not possible, the Department of Corrections will decide on the alternate method of execution. These methods include electrocution and firing squad. The new official state song “Go Mississippi” will be replaced with “One Mississippi” after 60 years as the official state song. “Go Mississippi” had been criticized for its ties to former Governor Ross Barnett, an ardent segregationist. The song had different words but borrowed the tune from the former governor’s campaign song. The new song, “One Mississippi”, was written by Greenville native Steve Azar as the state’s bicentennial song. It will be officially designated as the “contemporary” state song, while the newly created State Song Study Committee reviews additional state songs from various eras and genres.
Mississippi’s new laws go into effect July 1. These laws include tax cuts, medical marijuana, teacher salary increases and changes to death penalty methods.
Here’s a look at some of the more notable laws coming into effect:
Teacher salary increases
The increase outlined in House Bill 530 will be the largest increase ever for teachers in Mississippi, with the minimum teacher salary increasing by an average of $5,100.
tax cuts
House Bill 531 brings the largest tax cut in Mississippi history. Under this new law, state income tax will be gradually reduced to a 4% flat tax on income over $5,000. As of July 1, the taxes on this amount will increase from 5% to 4.7%. In 2025, it will drop to 4.4% then in 2026, it will reach 4%.
The bill fell short of Governor Tate Reeves’ proposal to eliminate state income tax altogether.
Medical Marijuana
The Department of Revenue will begin reviewing applications from businesses to operate as dispensaries on July 1. More than two dozen conditions and symptoms will qualify Mississippians for a medical marijuana card. These conditions include cancer, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, autism and seizures. The state Department of Health began accepting applications for medical marijuana cards on June 1. Ministry officials believe it will likely be months before companies are allowed to sell marijuana. These companies still need time to develop and test their products.
buddy act
Senate Bill 2245, otherwise known as the “buddy law,” is an animal cruelty law named after a dog that survived the fire. The law requires mandatory counseling sessions for adults and minors who intentionally inflict harm on pets. Law is named after Buddy, who was badly burned in April 2021 by a 12-year-old boy.
Parker’s Law
House Bill 607 will explicitly list “delivery of fentanyl causing death” as a felony punishable by 20 years to life in prison. The law is named after Parker Rodenbaugh, a former student at Madison Central High School and Mississippi State University, who died in 2014 after taking a synthetic drug containing fentanyl. The man who supplied Rodenbaugh with the drugs that killed him was initially convicted of drug trafficking and second-degree murder, but the murder conviction was later thrown out on appeals.
Mandatory ban on the COVID-19 vaccine
House Bill 1509 prohibits any government entity, including public colleges and universities, from requiring vaccination against COVID-19. Health care facilities are exempt from the law if a vaccination mandate is recommended or required by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or in order to receive Medicare and Medicaid funding.
Switch to death penalty methods
House Bill 1479 changes the methods by which convicts can be executed. The previous law, approved in 2017, set out specific requirements for lethal injection, then offered alternatives to lethal injection in sequential order of preference. The new changes remove these requirements for injection and the order of preference for alternatives. Lethal injection remains the state’s preferred method, but in the event that this method is not possible, the Department of Corrections will decide on the alternate method of execution. These methods include electrocution and firing squad.
New Official State Song
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“Go Mississippi” will be replaced by “One Mississippi” after 60 years as the official state song. “Go Mississippi” had been criticized for its ties to former Governor Ross Barnett, an ardent segregationist. The song had different words but borrowed the tune from the former governor’s campaign song.
The new song, “One Mississippi”, was written by Greenville native Steve Azar as the state’s bicentennial song. It will be officially designated as the “contemporary” state song, while the newly created State Song Study Committee reviews additional state songs from various eras and genres.
