It's been a busy week at Families as Allies, so we are just sharing our legislative update with you. We'll be back with a full edition of the Ally next week.

Many bills died on April 3 because it was the deadline for Mississippi state legislators to vote bills out of committee in the opposite chamber from where the bills began. The next deadline is April 10. The full Senate and full House must vote on bills from the opposite chamber by April 10, or the bills will die.

Families as Allies is tracking these bills related to children and families. The list sorts bills according to their content areas: mental health, juvenile/criminal justice, child welfare, education, special health care needs, Medicaid, disability rights and transparency and accountability. Inclusion on the list indicates the bill is related to the issue listed. It does not imply that we agree with or endorse it. We want you to have as much information as possible to advocate for what you think is best for your children and family. 

"Title Suff Do Pass" means the committee passed the bill as written. "Title Suff Do Pass As Amended" means the committee changed the bill somehow. They might have added a word or two to clarify something, or they may have done more. Some of the bills on our list have "strike-all amendments." Strike-all amendments strike out some or all of the bill's original text and replace it with new text. Sometimes, the new text substantially changes the intention or direction of the bill. If legislators amend a bill you are following, we encourage you to read the amended version carefully to see if the purpose or goals of the bill have changed.

Legislators amended several bills by adding reverse repealers at the end of them. Reverse repealers typically repeal bills one day before the date they would go into effect. Legislators often do this when they think a bill is a good idea but needs more work. That way, legislators still have time to get the bill into better shape, but they also know the bill will die if they cannot get it into a workable form by the end of the session.

Some bills may go to a conference committee because the House and Senate cannot agree on what should be in them. If so, Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann will appoint three senators, and Speaker Jason White will appoint three representatives to craft an acceptable bill for both sides. Rule 23A in the Joint Rules of the Senate and House states that conference committee meetings are open to the public. Bills with reverse repealers in them are more likely to go to conference than other bills.

Suppose you support a bill that is now in the opposite chamber. In that case, one of the quickest and most effective ways to give feedback is to call the Capitol switchboard at (601) 359-3770 and ask them to tell your State Senator (if it's a House bill) or State Representative (if it's a Senate bill) that you would like them to vote yes on the bill. You can also ask them to vote no if you do not support the bill.

Go to Pluralpolicy.com and enter your address to find your state legislator. It will also list your federal representatives, but you want to contact your state senator and representative. Contact your state representative about senate bills (the ones that start with SB) and your state senator about house bills (the ones that begin with HB).

The Mississippi House and Senate are both live-streamed. Senate committee meetings are live-streamed as well. The link to join is at the top of the Senate committee agenda schedule.

We look forward to being back in touch next week!