Associated Press
JACKSON (GG) — Mississippi lawmakers have passed a large state budget to fund government agencies. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves called them back to Jackson last week to pass a budget before the new fiscal year begins July 1.
The House and Senate reconvened in Jackson on Wednesday and wrapped up the special session on Thursday evening, May 29, rounding out the budget for Fiscal Year 2026 at $7.135 billion. Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann told his chamber that the process “should have been much easier,” but he is proud of lawmakers’ work to approve a “prudent, conservative budget.”
Mississippi State Senators complained about their House counterparts, House members fought bitterly among themselves about budget details and lawmakers knowingly passed a bill that conflicts with federal Medicaid regulations.
The incoming fiscal year begins on July 1 and all state agencies are on pace to be funded at around the same rate as a year ago. K-12 education received $3.34 billion, Medicaid $969.9 million, public universities $838.4 million, department of corrections $438.2 million, and community colleges $299.4 million, to name a few.
After debating in the Senate whether it should approve the state Department of Health’s budget, after lawmakers realized it contained a provision that could jeopardize $1.2 billion in federal Medicaid money for Mississippi. The 52-member chamber approved the budget and said they had a guarantee that Reeves would veto the provision out of the agency’s budget.
Speaker Jason White, the leader of the House, took a shot at the Senate for refusing to pass any special projects outside the scope of core government functions. The intraparty dispute over what politicos often refer to as a “Christmas tree” bill – legislation that includes hundreds of millions of dollars for projects for specific districts or interests – was one of the hold-ups that resulted in budget talks floundering earlier in the year.
House leaders struck a more conciliatory tone with Democratic members late Wednesday, after the two factions, earlier in the day, butted heads over the budget process and House Speaker Jason White threatening to remove a member from the chamber. Irate at the filibuster tactic, White, a Republican from West, and his leadership team refused to answer any questions from Democrats if they continued to request that bills be read.
The most substantive debate on the House floor occurred over the Mississippi Development Authority’s budget, the agency responsible for economic development.
Many agencies will see a drop-off starting July of millions of dollars in “one-time” money, either federal pandemic funds that are drying up or state cash for projects that lawmakers are withholding this year.
Under the budget agreement, lawmakers are planning to leave about $1 billion alone. Some legislative leaders say this is good, given federal cuts and uncertainty among federal funds. Others question whether state agencies will suffer, and contractors go unpaid on already started projects, from not having capital expense money allocated in the coming year.
(Contributed to by J.T. Mitchell, News Director of SuperTalk Mississippi News. Both photos by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette)
