Speaker Jason White speaks at the Neshoba County Fair, June 26, 2026 (Photo by Frank Corder | Magnolia Tribune)
- Speaker Jason White emphasized the House’s track record of transforming “conservative policies into conservative law.”
Speaker Jason White (R) took the stage at the Neshoba County Fair on Thursday with the goal of focusing on the good things happening in Mississippi as a result of conservative policymaking, many of which originated in the House of Representatives, he said.
“I wanted to focus today on some positivity,” White told Magnolia Tribune. “Yeah, some next steps about where we’re going on everything from property tax issues, redistricting, and education freedom. We’re going to continue to bang those drums.”
But White said he does not want the successes Mississippi is experiencing to be lost as voters turn their attention to next year’s statewide elections.
“A lot of politicians are going to tell everybody how the sky’s falling if you don’t elect them and man, I’m afraid they’re going to paint a bad picture,” the Speaker said. “I want to paint a positive picture because we’re enjoying so much success on some many fronts.”
While White said there is still work to do on healthcare and other areas, he believes Mississippi’s economic growth, corporate investments, education gains, the improvements in quality of life, and the state’s low cost of living is worth celebrating.
“So, I wanted to just stop for a minute that yes, voting is important, elections next year will be extremely important, but let’s keep the main thing the main thing, and that is these things that we’ve been able to advance these last few years, let’s keep that momentum,” White said. “Let’s not get so caught up in the next election that we don’t focus on what’s real and what’s going to last when all of this is over.”
Speaker White reminded fairgoers that the House of Representatives is not “scared” of having real conversations on issues that “have been held sacred or off the table.”
“We’re willing to have those conversations. We’re going to continue to do that,” White said. “I think it’s kind of a refreshing thing.”
Track Record
Speaker White emphasized that the House has a track record of transforming “conservative policies into conservative law” during his time holding the gavel since 2024.
“Some Senator told reporters last session that the Speaker needed to quit making us take bad votes,” he told the crowd under the pavilion. “I have a simple answer to that: let you yes be yes and your no be no. Let folks know where you are on issues and then let’s see it sorted out on election years.”
White touted the House’s work to replace the old “Democrat-backed” public school funding formula with “a more transparent and fairer formula for students all across the state.” That legislation was passed in 2024, his first session as Speaker.
“Your mean ole Republican-controlled Legislature, just as soon as we got that new funding formula, once again put more money into public education than ever before in our state’s history,” White said.
He went on to say that it was the House that led the charge in 2025 to eliminate the state’s individual income tax, what White called “the tax on your work.”
“We are leading the charge. Mississippi is making progress. Our economy is growing, our schools are improving, our workforce is expanding,” the Speaker said. “This is precisely the time to tackle the difficult issues that will shape the next generation of our state.”
This year, White and House Republicans sought to expand education freedom in Mississippi. Their legislation had the backing of Governor Tate Reeves (R), the U.S. Secretary of Education, and President Donald Trump (R). However, the bill died when it was sent across the Capitol.
“The Mississippi Senate, in this endeavor, came up short,” White said. “I want to thank the House members who were undeterred by groups like the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the ever-misnamed Parents Campaign, or more simply what we call the Coalition of the Status Quo.”
The Speaker said he would keep pushing to give parents and families the ability and resources to decide on what is best for their child, calling it “a fundamental right” parents have over where and how their child is to be educated.
“Whether that policy is enacted next session, in a special session, in this legislative term, or maybe when there’s a few new faces in the Legislature, Mississippi will indeed pass a transformational education freedom bill,” White declared to cheer and applause. “Change is coming. Parents are demanding it.”
Speaker White said the House has vision. That is why he continues to appoint select committees who work while out of session on big issues, such as redistricting, school consolidation, and how to ensure taxpayers keep more of their money.
One of those committees is focused on property taxes. White told the Neshoba crowd that as he travels the state, he hears a common theme from homeowners, retirees and young families: “How do we keep more of what we earn?”
“How can we further reduce the burden on people who own a home, own a farm, own their business, who simply want to retire with dignity,” White said of the property tax committee’s focus. “We’re going to ask the hard questions. We’re going to pursue policies that put the taxpayer and property owner first.”
Frank Corder
