Speaker White makes House committee changes

• House Drug Policy chair State Rep. Stacey Wilkes was replaced with State Rep. Beth Waldo. Wilkes claims the change was related to her position on PBM reform legislation.

A change in one committee leadership position within the Mississippi House of Representatives occurred during last week’s special session along with movement on other standing committees in the chamber.

State Rep. Stacey Wilkes (R) confirmed this week that she was informed that she would no longer be the chair of the House Drug Policy Committee. Replacing Wilkes is freshman legislator State Rep. Beth Waldo (R).

Wilkes has served in the House since 2017 while Waldo took her seat in the chamber in 2024.

Wilkes, in a statement to Magnolia Tribune, said the change was due to her efforts to support independent pharmacists.

“It was deeply hurtful to be removed from this position, knowing it had nothing to do with my performance but rather with standing firm in my beliefs,” Wilkes said. “I fought to lower drug costs for Mississippians and to support our independent pharmacists against the powerful PBMs [pharmacy benefit managers] working to drive them out of business.”

When reached for comment, staff with Speaker Jason White (R) indicated that he did “not have a comment on that specific change” in committee leadership. 

The move comes after HB 1123, which was originally authored by Speaker White, died this session. The bill, which aimed to reform how PBMs operate in Mississippi, was amended in the Senate, with both chambers then working on a compromise during the conference process. Its aim was to require PBMs to provide information on the rebates they negotiate and receive while also tasking the Board of Pharmacy to create a public website to report that information, among other things.

READ MORE: Democrat lawmaker kills PBM reform on point of order

However, prior to a vote on the conference report, State Rep. John Hines (D) raised a point of order, questioning additional code sections that had been added to the bill since its first introduction to the House. Speaker White (R) reluctantly ruled Hines’ point of order was well taken, effectively killing the measure.

Rep. Wilkes indicated in her statement that she will continue to work for the state and assist the new chair in the transition.

“I didn’t run for office to build my ego or pad my pocketbook. I ran because I love Pearl River County, and I love Mississippi. I will continue to work hard and serve with the same integrity and commitment I’ve shown from the beginning,” Wilkes said. “I’ve reached out to Representative Waldo to congratulate her. She will do a great job in this role, and I will support her however I can.” 

White’s office also noted that the House Clerk could provide the “most up-to-date committee assignments” but a list of changes has not been released. 

Assignments shown online point to about 20 changes in House committee membership, with some seemingly aimed at accommodating two newcomers to the chamber following recently held special elections.

Changes noted in the new assignments include:

• Removing Wilkes from Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency
• Adding new State Rep. Perry Bailey to Agriculture along with Banking, Financial Services and Conservation and Water Resources
• Removing Donnie Bell and Hank Zuber III from Business and Commerce while adding Wilkes to the committee
• Removing Samuel Creekmore IV from Conservation and Water Resources
• Adding new State Rep. Gregory Elliott and removing Tracy Arnold from Energy
• Adding Elliott to Gaming while removing Daryl Porter
• Adding Fred Shanks to Insurance while removing Wilkes
• Adding Brent Anderson to Judiciary B while removing Trey Lamar
• Adding Willie Bailey and Elliott to Ports, Harbors and Airports while removing Robert Johnson
• Adding Bailey to Wildlife Fisheries and Parks while removing Jill Ford