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.	HB 521This legislation would have changed the policy set many years ago by the Workers Compensation Commission of sharing injured workers’ contact information with lawyers looking to recruit clients. The legislation passed the House and failed in the Senate. 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 733This legislation would have driven up prices for employers who use a pharmacy benefit manager for their employees’ health insurance program. The bill guaranteed that pharmacists would be paid the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) plus an additional dispensing fee and any contract that does not is void. The requirements for NADAC pricing would have also applied to the state’s Medicaid program and state employee health plan. The business vote was against 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.	HB 976This legislation would have required any package retailer and retailer that sells alternative nicotine products to use a third-party age verification service that obtains the purchaser’s full name, date of birth, and residential address. The language that made it problematic is the third-party verification system used shall have at least a ninety-five percent (95%) accuracy rating according to national standards. This would be extremely costly for small convenience store owners to purchase that kind of software. 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.	HB 521This legislation would have changed the policy set many years ago by the Workers Compensation Commission of sharing injured workers’ contact information with lawyers looking to recruit clients. The legislation passed the House and failed in the Senate. 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 733This legislation would have driven up prices for employers who use a pharmacy benefit manager for their employees’ health insurance program. The bill guaranteed that pharmacists would be paid the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) plus an additional dispensing fee and any contract that does not is void. The requirements for NADAC pricing would have also applied to the state’s Medicaid program and state employee health plan. The business vote was against 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.	HB 976This legislation would have required any package retailer and retailer that sells alternative nicotine products to use a third-party age verification service that obtains the purchaser’s full name, date of birth, and residential address. The language that made it problematic is the third-party verification system used shall have at least a ninety-five percent (95%) accuracy rating according to national standards. This would be extremely costly for small convenience store owners to purchase that kind of software. The business vote was against the legislation.
A	Brent Anderson	Rep	122
A	Nick Bain	Rep	2								P
A	Shane Barnett	Rep	86
A	Manly Barton	Rep	109
A	Charles Jim Beckett	Rep	23
A	Donnie Bell	Rep	21
A	Richard Bennett	Rep	120
A	C. Scott Bounds	Rep	44
A	Charles Busby	Rep	111
A	Lester Carpenter	Rep	1
A	Clay Deweese	Rep	12
A	Casey Eure	Rep	116
A	Kevin Felsher	Rep	117
A	Jill Ford	Rep	73
A	Philip Gunn	Rep	56
A	Joey Hood	Rep	35		EA							EA			EA
A	Kevin Horan	Rep	34
A	Bill Kinkade	Rep	52
A	Trey Lamar	Rep	8
A	Vince Mangold	Rep	53
A	Steve Massengill	Rep	13
A	Kent McCarty	Rep	101
A	Missy McGee	Rep	102
A	Sam C. Mims	Rep	97
A	Ken Morgan	Rep	100
A	Gene Newman	Rep	61
A	Karl Oliver	Rep	46
A	Bill Pigott	Rep	99
A	Brent Powell	Rep	59
A	John Read	Rep	112								P
A	Rob Roberson	Rep	43
A	Robin Robinson	Rep	88
A	Fred Shanks	Rep	60
A	Jody Steverson	Rep	4
A	Joseph Tubb	Rep	87
A	Jerry R. Turner	Rep	18
A	Price Wallace	Rep	77
A	Tom Weathersby	Rep	62
A	Jason White	Rep	48
A	Lee Yancey	Rep	74
A	Henry Zuber	Rep	113													NV
B	Shane Aguirre	Rep	17					NV
B	Randy P. Boyd	Rep	19								P
B	Cedric Burnett	Dem	9
B	Larry Byrd	Rep	104				NV
B	Billy Adam Calvert	Rep	83
B	Alyce G. Clarke	Dem	69
B	Angela Cockerham	Ind	96
B	Carolyn Crawford	Rep	121					NV								NV
B	Samuel Creekmore	Rep	14
B	Ronnie C. Crudup	Dem	71		P
B	Becky Currie	Rep	92													NV
B	Jerry Darnell	Rep	28
B	Dan Eubanks	Rep	25
B	Michael T. Evans	Ind	45
B	Kevin Ford	Rep	54					NV			EA					NV
B	Stephanie Foster	Dem	63
B	Karl Gibbs	Dem	36
B	Dale Goodin	Rep	105
B	Jeffrey S. Guice	Rep	114
B	Jeff Hale	Rep	24
B	Mac Huddleston	Rep	15							NV	EA
B	Timmy Ladner	Rep	93													P
B	Johnathan Ray Lancaster	Rep	22
B	Jay McKnight	Rep	95
B	Dana McLean	Rep	39
B	Doug McLeod	Rep	107
B	Carl Mickens	Dem	42
B	Tom Miles	Dem	75		P
B	Jansen T. Owen	Rep	106
B	Randall Patterson	Rep	115
B	Daryl Porter	Dem	98									P
B	Thomas U. Reynolds	Dem	33
B	Randy Rushing	Rep	78											NV
B	Robert Sanders	Dem	29
B	Noah Sanford	Rep	90
B	Donnie Scoggin	Rep	89					NV
B	Troy Smith	Rep	84
B	De'Keither A. Stamps	Dem	66
B	Zakiya Summers	Dem	68
B	Mark Tullos	Rep	79
B	Joseph L. Wright	Rep	37
B	Shanda Yates	Ind	64		P
B	Charles Young	Dem	82	P											NV
C	Jeramey D. Anderson	Dem	110												NV
C	Otis Anthony	Dem	31
C	William Tracy Arnold	Rep	3
C	Willie Bailey	Dem	49
C	Earle S. Banks	Dem	67
C	Christopher Bell	Dem	65	P
C	Edward Blackmon	Dem	57
C	Joel Bomgar	Rep	58
C	Bo Brown	Dem	70
C	Chris Brown	Rep	20
C	Dana Criswell	Rep	6
C	Bob Evans	Dem	91		P	P	P				P	P		P
C	Debra Gibbs	Dem	72	NV	P							P
C	Greg Haney	Rep	118		NV
C	Jeffery Harness	Dem	85									P
C	Gregory Holloway	Dem	76	P	NV
C	Steve Hopkins	Rep	7
C	Robert L. Johnson III	Dem	94									P
C	Lataisha Jackson	Dem	11					NV
C	Hester Jackson McCray	Dem	40					NV
C	Solomon C. Osborne	Dem	32
C	Orlando Paden	Dem	26												NV
C	Tracey T. Rosebud	Dem	30
C	Omeria Scott	Dem	80
C	Rufus Straughter	Dem	51	NV								NV
C	Cheikh Taylor	Dem	38
C	Rickey Thompson	Dem	16
C	Kenneth Walker	Dem	27												NV
C	Stacey Wilkes	Rep	108													P
C	Sonya Williams-Barnes	Dem	119
C	Brady Williamson	Rep	10
D	Bryant W. Clark	Dem	47									NV
D	Oscar Denton	Dem	55	NV
D	John G. Faulkner	Dem	5
D	John W. Hines	Dem	50
D	Stephen A. Horne	Rep	81		P	P	NV							NV		NV
D	Kabir Karriem	Dem	41					NV
D	Percy W. Watson	Dem	103									NV

Results: 122