Ellington

The Mississippi State Legislature passed full funding for the Mississippi Adequate Education Program this year, reformed the embattled State Board of Health, but shot down an attempt to raise cigarette taxes and lower grocery taxes.

House Democrats tried to bluff through a pile of progressive bills in the first week of the session, but House Republicans stomped all seven, quashing a House rule change that would have allowed the bills to come up for an early vote. House Democrats passed at least two of those bills later in the session. One of those was the funding of MAEP—the first time the program has been fully funded in years. The other was a bill to boost state employee pay at least $1,500 annually.