Speaker White appoints members to Select Committees on Tax Reform, CON Reform

• Members of the Mississippi House will be studying possible reforms to the state’s tax structure, health care delivery and certificate of need laws, and more.

On Friday, Mississippi Speaker of the House Jason White (R) announced member appointments to a variety of committees, including a new Select Committee on Tax Reform.

Speaker White first mentioned his intent to appoint such a committee in a Magnolia Tribune article where he expressed his desire to eliminate the “tax on work” by providing a recommendation next session to “move away from personal income tax and moving more toward a consumption model.”

READ MORE: Speaker White forming committee to tackle income tax elimination

White has said that he recognizes that to gain consensus around eliminating the income tax, cutting the sales tax on groceries while ensuring municipalities are not negatively impacted is key.

In the release of the committees on Friday, White again noted the intent to thoroughly study the state’s tax structures, among other priorities.

“With the appointments made to these Committees, I feel confident that the Mississippi House of Representatives will thoroughly study current state laws and tax structures to make informed recommendations for the 2025 Legislative Session,” Speaker White said. “The House will continue its pursuit of bold initiatives and policies to improve our great state, focusing on the betterment of Mississippi and all of her citizens.” 

Other committee announcements included appointments to the PEER Committee, a Select Committee on Healthcare Reform: Certificate of Need, a Select Committee on Prescription Drugs, and the Joint Legislative Committee on Compilation, Revision, and Publication.

Appointed to the Select Committee on Tax Reform are:

Trey Lamar (R), co-chair
Scott Bounds (R), co-chair
Jansen Owen (R)
Karl Oliver (R)
Shane Aguirre (R)
Clay Deweese (R)
Angela Cockerham (I) 
Billy Adam Calvert (R)
Kevin Felsher (R)
Randy Rushing (R)
Lee Yancey (R)
Hester McCray (D) 
Dana McLean (R)
Ronnie Crudup, Jr. (D)
Otis Anthony (D)
Lawrence Blackmon (D)
Justin Keen (R)
Tracey Rosebud (D)

Another policy initiative that has long been debated is the possibility of rolling back the state’s certificate of need laws, potentially allowing for increased competition in the health care delivery market in Mississippi. Attempts to reform or amend the current laws have repeatedly been met with challenges from industry leaders, as recently as last session.

Speaker White’s appointment of a Select Committee on Healthcare Reform: Certificate of Need looks to directly tackle this issue, with possible recommendations for reforms to come as early as the 2025 session.

Those House members appointed to this CON Select Committee are:

Sam Creekmore (R), co-chair
Hank Zuber (R), co-chair
Clay Mansell (R)
Missy McGee (R)
Kevin Felsher (R)
Doc Harris (R)
Joey Hood (R)
Jon Lancaster (R)
Tamarra Grace Butler-Washington (D)
Timaka James-Jones (D)
Fabian Nelson (D)
Robert Sanders (D)
Omeria Scott (D)
Ricky Thompson (D)
Donnie Scoggin (R)
Jim Estrada (R)
Brent Anderson (R)

Speaker White also appointed a Select Committee on Prescription Drugs. Those members include:

Jerry Turner (R), co-chair
Beth Luther Waldo (R), co-chair
Andy Stepp (R)
Stacey Wilkes (R)
Chris Bell (D)
Andy Boyd (R)
Justis Gibbs (D)
Greg Holloway (D)
Jimmy Fondren (R)
Rodney Hall (R)
Stephanie Foster (D)
Tracy Arnold (R)
Gene Newman (R)
Jeffrey Harness (D)
Steve Lott (R)
Brad Mattox (R)
Zakiya Summers (D)
Elliott Burch (R)

Serving on the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review, or PEER, will be:

Donnie Bell (R)
Kevin Ford (R)
Becky Currie (R)
Kevin Felsher (R)
Cedric Burnett (D)
Casey Eure (R)
Stacey Wilkes (R)

Serving on the Joint Legislative Committee on Compilation, Revision, and Publication will be:

Jason White (R), Speaker
Manly Barton (R), Speaker Pro Tempore
Fred Shanks (R)
Jansen Owen (R)
Shanda Yates (I)
Justis Gibbs (D)
Noah Sanford (R)