JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Several laws passed in the 2024 Mississippi Legislative Session are set to go into effect on July 1.
These laws include measures to change election rules, create a new formula for funding the state’s public schools and criminalize sexual extortion. Still, one of the session’s largest legislative priorities –Medicaid expansion– did not materialize. However, state leaders have indicated that the push to expand Medicaid is far from over.
Below is a summary of the 10 biggest pieces of legislation this past session set to go into effect this weekend.
House Bill 349
The now law effectively outlaws the controversial Carolina Squat in the Magnolia State. The law primarily targets lifted trucks and SUVs with front fenders at least four inches higher than their rear fenders. Driving vehicles with this suspension setup greatly reduces the visibility of the vehicle. Fines collected due to violations of HB 349 will fund secondary school driver education programs within the state.
House Bill 539
The legislation provides pregnant women with presumptive eligibility for Medicaid. It allows them to access and receive ambulatory prenatal care during their presumptive eligibility period. In 2023, Mississippi extended postpartum Medicaid coverage for the birth mother from two months to a full year. July 1 marks the first anniversary of Senate Bill 2212 going into effect, which extended postpartum coverage under Medicaid to 12 months.
House Bill 526
The legislation allows hunters to wear solid unbroken fluorescent pink instead of fluorescent orange when hunting deer or wild hogs during any gun season for deer.
House Bill 873
Mississippi state law allows Silver and Amber Alerts to inform the public of certain missing vulnerable adults. The new law establishes an additional means to aid the search for missing persons with cognitive disabilities; the Purple Alert. Similar legislation was passed in Florida and Maryland.
House Bill 1196
Sextortion is extortion based on the threat of revealing sexually compromising information, texts, photographs, etc. The death of Starkville teen Walker Montgomery through a social media sextortion scheme inspired the creation of “Walker’s Law.” The law establishes the crime of sexual extortion and aggravated sexual extortion in Mississippi. If the crime is committed by a minor, it is a misdemeanor. It carries a maximum penalty of 15 years behind bars.
House Bill 1323
The law removes the statute of limitations for sexual battery of vulnerable Mississippians, certain persons under Mississippi statute, or when the identity of the accused is later discovered due to results of DNA testing of biological evidence.
House Bill 1487
The legislation expands the boundaries of the Capitol Complex Improvement District. The district will now include Kroger off of Interstate 55, Jackson Academy, Spann Elementary and McLeod Elementary. Capitol Police will have primary jurisdiction within these boundaries, which will go into effect on Saturday, July 1.
House Bill 4130
The “Mississippi Student Funding Formula” replaces the previous system which has only been fully funded twice since it was first implemented in 1997. The new formula is estimated to deliver an extra $250 million to Mississippi’s public schools.
Senate Bill 2142
The American Quarter horse is well-suited for the intricate and quick maneuvers required for rodeo events. The Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, the most endangered sea turtle in the world, is native to Mississippi. These animals will soon be the Official State Horse and Sea Turtle of Mississippi, respectively.
Senate Bill 2144
SB 2144 makes two notable changes to state and local elections in Mississippi. Firstly, primary runoff elections will be held four weeks after the first primary election. The timeframe was previously three weeks. Secondly, ranked-choice voting, also known as instant runoff voting, is prohibited in statewide, county, local, municipal and school district elections in the Magnolia State. The first change goes into effect on January 1, 2025 and the second change will be enforced starting July 1, 2024.
Senate Bill 2339
Many Mississippians have or had a foreign language requirement as part of their high school curriculum. That requirement may soon be fulfilled with another language: American Sign Language (ASL). The law directs the State Board of Education to develop a curriculum for studying ASL. This curriculum would be able to satisfy a Mississippi high schooler’s foreign language requirement.