2022 Legislator Business & Jobs Report Card

voted for business/jobs position
voted against business/jobs position
NV = Not Voting
EA = Excused Absence
P = Present

* Points were not deducted for those voting Present (P) or for those with a Excused Absence (EA). Points were deducted for those Not Voting.

Senators / Representatives

Grade	Office Holder	Party	District	HB 531This legislation reduces the personal income tax for Mississippi taxpayers. This is a 4-year plan that eliminates the 4% personal income tax bracket completely and reduces the 5% bracket to 4%. The legislation also includes intent language that states that by 2026 the Legislature shall revisit the personal income tax and assess if further reduction is possible. The legislation does not increase any taxes. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2159The Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive Act will put the most commonly used business tax credits into one easy-to-use incentive. Offering a more flexible incentive structure would provide real value to current Mississippi companies and help attract new industries. Streamlining incentives will maximize the value of potential credits while giving Mississippi a unique competitive advantage. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2773This legislation allows for certain income tax credits to any company that transfers or relocates its national or regional headquarters to the state of Mississippi. The business vote was for the legislation.	HB 1388This legislation takes a sweeping approach to improving career pathways in the K-12 education system through four main components: – Expanding a successful career coach model in communities across the state. – Alignment of career and technical education courses across different levels of education. – Development of a single prioritized list of industry certifications to be utilized by the state – Allows Accelerate MS to lead a comprehensive return on investment analysis of all CTE programs. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2273This legislation allows employers to monitor and report probation and parole requirements for individuals employed full-time. An employer can opt to submit timesheets, proof of employment, and required drug tests to the probation or parole supervisors in place of in-person or electronic meetings that can disrupt an employee’s work schedule. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2723This legislation will provide Accelerate MS with the necessary tools to carry out its mission. The most impactful aspect of this legislation is providing much more flexibility for utilizing MS Works Funds. It gives Accelerate the flexibility to access those funds for a wider variety of projects for both new and existing industries. It also requires coordination between other agencies that receive federal workforce funds and Accelerate to ensure those programs align with our statewide framework. Also included is a technical correction in the calculation of Unemployment Insurance premiums that will prevent everyone’s general experience rating from increasing due to the impacts on the Fund due to COVID-19. This was a critical fix that will prevent businesses from paying higher UI premiums. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2097This legislation establishes an option for real estate licensees to use an administrative hearing officer in disciplinary hearings. It also allows licensees to continue to practice while they appeal a judgment from the Mississippi Real Estate Commission. This precedent could have a considerable impact on all boards and commissions, allowing licensees to continue to practice their profession while they appeal a decision by their profession’s governing body. The business vote was for the legislation.	HB 1691This legislation authorizes certain pass-through entities to pay an entity-level income tax in lieu of the partners/owners paying income tax on those amounts at the individual level, thereby freeing up other state and local taxes for the limited federal itemized deduction (the SALT Cap). An “electing pass-through entity” is defined as a partnership, S Corporation, or similar pass-through entity having made an election pursuant to the new code section (not yet codified or designated). The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2831In September 2021, the Mississippi Department of Revenue filed a proposed amendment to its sales tax regulations on Computer Equipment, Software, and Services. The amendment would have made any software located on an out-of-state server a taxable event when assessed via the internet. The amendment would have also expanded the definition of computer software to include cloud computing, software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service. The proposed amendment was rescinded. This legislation requires a study committee to report to the Legislature no later than October 1, 2022, the committee’s findings and recommendations for which products and services should be taxable and how they should be taxed. The business vote was for the legislation.	HB 1360This legislation prohibits the growing national trend of credit unions acquiring commercial banks. Under federal law, many credit unions are limited or restricted from offering business services and are required to focus on consumer products and services. Across the country, areas that have experienced credit union acquisitions of banks have seen closures of bank branches and a reduction in commercial business lending activity. HB 1360 ensures that Mississippi businesses would not see a reduction in commercial and financial services. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2474This legislation would have given electric companies owned by municipalities the same authority as electric power associations. Municipally owned electric companies would be allowed to create government-owned broadband companies and offer internet service to customers. The municipally-owned internet companies would be in direct competition with the private internet service providers that they have some regulatory control over. When a private industry competes against the government, the private sector and consumers lose. The business vote was against the legislation.
Grade	Office Holder	Party	District	HB 531This legislation reduces the personal income tax for Mississippi taxpayers. This is a 4-year plan that eliminates the 4% personal income tax bracket completely and reduces the 5% bracket to 4%. The legislation also includes intent language that states that by 2026 the Legislature shall revisit the personal income tax and assess if further reduction is possible. The legislation does not increase any taxes. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2159The Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive Act will put the most commonly used business tax credits into one easy-to-use incentive. Offering a more flexible incentive structure would provide real value to current Mississippi companies and help attract new industries. Streamlining incentives will maximize the value of potential credits while giving Mississippi a unique competitive advantage. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2773This legislation allows for certain income tax credits to any company that transfers or relocates its national or regional headquarters to the state of Mississippi. The business vote was for the legislation.	HB 1388This legislation takes a sweeping approach to improving career pathways in the K-12 education system through four main components: – Expanding a successful career coach model in communities across the state. – Alignment of career and technical education courses across different levels of education. – Development of a single prioritized list of industry certifications to be utilized by the state – Allows Accelerate MS to lead a comprehensive return on investment analysis of all CTE programs. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2273This legislation allows employers to monitor and report probation and parole requirements for individuals employed full-time. An employer can opt to submit timesheets, proof of employment, and required drug tests to the probation or parole supervisors in place of in-person or electronic meetings that can disrupt an employee’s work schedule. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2723This legislation will provide Accelerate MS with the necessary tools to carry out its mission. The most impactful aspect of this legislation is providing much more flexibility for utilizing MS Works Funds. It gives Accelerate the flexibility to access those funds for a wider variety of projects for both new and existing industries. It also requires coordination between other agencies that receive federal workforce funds and Accelerate to ensure those programs align with our statewide framework. Also included is a technical correction in the calculation of Unemployment Insurance premiums that will prevent everyone’s general experience rating from increasing due to the impacts on the Fund due to COVID-19. This was a critical fix that will prevent businesses from paying higher UI premiums. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2097This legislation establishes an option for real estate licensees to use an administrative hearing officer in disciplinary hearings. It also allows licensees to continue to practice while they appeal a judgment from the Mississippi Real Estate Commission. This precedent could have a considerable impact on all boards and commissions, allowing licensees to continue to practice their profession while they appeal a decision by their profession’s governing body. The business vote was for the legislation.	HB 1691This legislation authorizes certain pass-through entities to pay an entity-level income tax in lieu of the partners/owners paying income tax on those amounts at the individual level, thereby freeing up other state and local taxes for the limited federal itemized deduction (the SALT Cap). An “electing pass-through entity” is defined as a partnership, S Corporation, or similar pass-through entity having made an election pursuant to the new code section (not yet codified or designated). The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2831In September 2021, the Mississippi Department of Revenue filed a proposed amendment to its sales tax regulations on Computer Equipment, Software, and Services. The amendment would have made any software located on an out-of-state server a taxable event when assessed via the internet. The amendment would have also expanded the definition of computer software to include cloud computing, software as a service, platform as a service, and infrastructure as a service. The proposed amendment was rescinded. This legislation requires a study committee to report to the Legislature no later than October 1, 2022, the committee’s findings and recommendations for which products and services should be taxable and how they should be taxed. The business vote was for the legislation.	HB 1360This legislation prohibits the growing national trend of credit unions acquiring commercial banks. Under federal law, many credit unions are limited or restricted from offering business services and are required to focus on consumer products and services. Across the country, areas that have experienced credit union acquisitions of banks have seen closures of bank branches and a reduction in commercial business lending activity. HB 1360 ensures that Mississippi businesses would not see a reduction in commercial and financial services. The business vote was for the legislation.	SB 2474This legislation would have given electric companies owned by municipalities the same authority as electric power associations. Municipally owned electric companies would be allowed to create government-owned broadband companies and offer internet service to customers. The municipally-owned internet companies would be in direct competition with the private internet service providers that they have some regulatory control over. When a private industry competes against the government, the private sector and consumers lose. The business vote was against the legislation.
A	Juan Barnett	Dem	34
A	Jason Barrett	Rep	39
A	Kevin Blackwell	Rep	19
A	Nicole Boyd	Rep	9
A	Jenifer B. Branning	Rep	18
A	Chris Caughman	Rep	35
A	Lydia Graves Chassaniol	Rep	14
A	Dennis DeBar	Rep	43
A	Scott DeLano	Rep	50
A	Jeremy England	Rep	51
A	Joey Fillingane	Rep	41
A	Josh Harkins	Rep	20							EA
A	W. Briggs Hopson	Rep	23
A	Chris Johnson	Rep	45
A	Dean Kirby	Rep	30
A	Tyler McCaughn	Rep	31
A	Michael McLendon	Rep	1
A	J. Walter Michel	Rep	25
A	David Parker	Rep	2
A	Rita Potts Parks	Rep	4
A	Joseph M. Seymour	Rep	47											EA
A	Daniel H. Sparks	Rep	5
A	Benjamin Suber	Rep	8
A	Mike Thompson	Rep	48
A	Neil S. Whaley	Rep	10
A	Bart Williams	Rep	15
A	Charles Younger	Rep	17
B	Barbara Blackmon	Dem	21
B	Joel R. Carter	Rep	49			EA				P		EA
B	Kathy L. Chism	Rep	3
B	Angela Burks Hill	Rep	40					P
B	Robert L. Jackson	Dem	11
B	Chris McDaniel	Rep	42
B	Chad McMahan	Rep	6
B	Philip Moran	Rep	46
B	John A. Polk	Rep	44
B	Sarita Simmons	Dem	13
B	Jeff Tate	Rep	33
B	Angela Turner-Ford	Dem	16
B	Brice Wiggins	Rep	52
C	David Blount	Dem	29
C	Hob Bryan	Dem	7
C	Kelvin Butler	Dem	38
C	Albert Butler	Dem	36
C	Hillman Terome Frazier	Dem	27
C	Rod Hickman	Dem	32
C	John Horhn	Dem	26
C	David Jordan	Dem	24
C	Sollie B. Norwood	Dem	28
C	Derrick T. Simmons	Dem	12
C	Melanie Sojourner	Rep	37	NV
C	Joseph Thomas	Dem	22

Results: 52