The audio version of this story is AI generated and is not human reviewed. It may contain errors or inaccuracies. We saw another busy week as the 2026 Mississippi legislative session crossed its (hopefully) midway point. Some highlights: Budget work starts early. Can House, Senate agree? Lawma kers have begun to focus on setting a more than $7-billion state budget. This is a couple of weeks earlier than usual, with the House passing most of its 50 or so bills that make up half the budget, and the Senate doing likewise with its half. Now they have to reach agreements on the numbers. Most folks at the Capitol are anxiously watching this process, and wondering if it will crash and burn like it did last year. Fighting between House and Senate Republican leaders on most major issues over the last few years has created a dysfunction junction. Last year fighting over tax cuts and increases produced an epic standoff, with lawmakers ending their regular session without setting a budget. Gov. Tate Reeves called them back into a special session to set a budget, but many other initiatives, including a local projects, or “Christmas tree” bill to distribute hundreds of millions of dollars to local governments, died. Many lawmakers, local government leaders and lobbyists fear a repeat. Lawmakers ponder ice storm aid Lawmakers from areas hardest hit by the deadly Winter Storm Fern gathered last week for a briefing and to discuss federal and state aid. Mississippi Emergency Management officials advised they are still working on damage assessments, which will be required to apply for more federal assistance. Lawmakers said many residents are calling for federal individual assistance to help repair their homes, but officials said a decision on such a federal declaration could still be weeks away. Lawmakers are considering financial aid to help local governments pay their share of cleanup and recover, and even the potential for state aid to homeowners. One lawmaker called for an “after-action review” of the state’s response to the storm, which has received some criticism. ABC problems create alcohol crisis The House State Affairs Committee held a hearing last week on what has become a wine and liquor crisis in Mississippi. Problems at the state Alcoholic Beverage Control warehouse have resulted in empty shelves at package stores, restaurants and bars across the state, and officials told lawmakers resolving the issue will take weeks at the least. Some business owners say they are worried about staying afloat as orders are not delivered or only partially delivered. Some say ABC is still billing for orders it’s not fulfilling, creating even more problems for business owners. The problem has revived the long-running discussion of privatizing wine and liquor sales and distribution in Mississippi. Quote of the Week “Welcome to your Capitol, we’re burning through a few billion dollars real quick.” – House Speaker Jason White, addressing spectators in the House gallery on Thursday as his chamber passed over 50 bills to fund state agencies, part of a more than $7 billion state budget. In Brief Lawmakers want SOS to give prompt election results The House recently passed a measure that would require Secretary of State Michael Watson’s office to create a website to track election results after polls close on Election Day. No House member voted against the measure, and it heads to the Senate for consideration. Watson’s office has said it supports the measure. Other than the media, no government entity provides real-time updates for statewide election results after polls close. If the measure passes, election results would still only be certified after they are approved by local election officials. – Taylor Vance Speaker believes Senate supports online gambling House Speaker Jason White believes that a House proposal to legalize mobile sports betting and pump $600 million into the state’s pension system would have the votes to pass if it came up for a vote. But White told Mississippi Today he wasn’t sure Senate leaders would allow a vote on the measure. “We think it makes common sense and business to do it because (mobile sports betting) is already happening illegally, it’s better to regulate it and capture that tax revenue while looking for a dedicated stream of revenue to address the PERS (public pension) deficit,” White said. “I hope they will finally see it that way.” Senate Gaming Chairman David Blount, a Democrat from Jackson, did not bring up a bill to legalize mobile sports betting in his committee and argued it didn’t make financial sense given the rise of prediction markets. The Senate has also sent a bill to the House to put $500 million of the state’s current surplus into PERS, in addition to putting in $50 million a year over the next decade. – Michael Goldberg Bills would aid career-tech training in schools The House and Senate are considering two similar bills that would allow school districts to purchase equipment for industry certification programs using career and technical education grants from the Department of Education. Certified programs have included construction, business, welding and early childhood education. House Bill 1204 has been referred to the Senate Education and Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committees. Senate Bill 2288 has been referred to the House Workforce Development Committee. The bills are part of a broader push this legislative session to fund career and technical education at all levels of education. – Katherine Lin By the Numbers 90.8% Mississippi’s graduation rate for the 2024-2025 school year, up from 89.2% the year before. The state’s dropout rate has fallen to 7% from 8.5%. Both metrics have been trending in positive directions in recent years, which state Superintendent Lance Evans said reflects “the hard work of teachers, administrators, parents, and, of course, students” and continued support of the Legislature with funding. More Legislative Coverage House tax credit bill would send more public dollars to private schools House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Trey Lamar, a Republican from Senatobia, has introduced a bill that would increase the tax credits available to the state’s private schools through the “Children’s Promise Act.” Read the story. Legislators working to keep local opioid settlement money from being misspent House Public Health and Human Services Chairman Sam Creekmore, a Republican from New Albany, and Sen. Nicole Boyd, a Republican from Oxford, have both sponsored bills that would change the state’s opioid settlement laws. Read the story. Secretary of State Michael Watson says Mississippi needs campaign finance reform Secretary of State Michael Watson discusses his push for lawmakers to enact campaign finance reform, including transparency and searchability of reports for the public. Watson says he knows such legislation is a tough sell with lawmakers. Listen to the podcast. ...read more read less