This article provided by the Mississippi Business Alliance - https://www.msba.com/advocacy/legislative-updates

The Mississippi State Legislature cleared its first major deadline of the 2026 session. Yesterday (February 3) was the deadline for general bills and constitutional amendments to pass out of committee in their chamber of origin. With nearly 3,000 general bills introduced, committees in both chambers had their work cut out for them to decide which bills were worthy to take to the floor.

The first committee deadline week is always busy and chaotic, and this year it was further complicated by the winter storm that ravaged parts of North Mississippi last week. Many legislators representing northern districts were unable to travel south to Jackson until well into the week, hindering the ability of committees to meet. While many in Mississippi remain without power and water, most legislators have been able to travel to Jackson and resume their work.

One of the top priorities for the Mississippi Business Alliance (MSBA) revolves around Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) legislation. For years, the business community has negotiated with independent pharmacists to enact legislation that increases transparency into how PBMs operate. However, over the past several sessions, independent pharmacists have killed compromise legislation because it didn’t include language mandating a dispensing fee or dictating plan design. With healthcare costs already rising at an alarming rate, the MSBA is committed to opposing any legislation that would increase costs for employers and employees.

On Tuesday, Representative Hank Zuber (R-Ocean Springs), the House State Affairs Committee Chairman, raised House Bill 1665, which was introduced as a bill solely containing code sections relating to PBMs. In committee, Chairman Zuber made several conceptual amendments to the bill, and it passed out of committee as a committee substitute. Since the language for HB 1665 has just been released, we are analyzing its impact on employers. The MSBA will continue to work with Chairman Zuber and House and Senate leadership to ensure healthcare costs remain manageable.

Committee week ended in dramatic fashion with the Senate Education Committee killing House Bill 2. Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar (R-Leakesville) moved to bring the bill to a vote, but it was unanimously defeated. HB 2 was the House’s omnibus school choice bill and Speaker Jason White’s (R-West) priority issue. While HB 2 was not subject to Tuesday’s deadline, voting it down in committee this early sent a clear message to House leadership. Speaker White and Governor Tate Reeves have both responded with tweets expressing their displeasure with the actions of Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann and Chairman DeBar. With tension between the House and Senate already growing over the past several sessions, the ramifications of this action will likely affect the rest of the session.

 Below is the MSBA’s list of tracked bills and their status in the legislative process. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to John McKay (john@msba.com) or Kelly Wright (kwright@cgagroup.com).