- Hunter Estes says Magnolia State lawmakers should not shy away from passing a strong conservative agenda, from education freedom to cracking down on fraud.
Let’s be honest, Mississippi had a fantastic 2025. Our state is on the rise, and the nation is taking notice. We brought in billions of new economic development dollars, continued to climb education rankings, and even ranked third in the country for job reshoring.
We achieved all of this while remaining the second-best state in the nation for our cost of living and third for housing affordability. The American Dream is alive and well in Mississippi, and it’s in no small part because of a willingness to be bold by our legislative leaders.
So, as we embark on this legislative session, representatives and senators should not shy away from passing a strong conservative agenda.
1. Education Freedom
This issue is top of mind for many. Over 70% of Mississippians support education freedom, and it’s clear why. Taxpayers want their dollars to support the best possible education for their children, not to prop up failing bureaucracies for the sake of any one brick-and-mortar establishment.
Mississippi has become a national leader in education, but we can’t start slacking off now. It’s important to remember that the Mississippi Miracle was not an accident. It was the direct result of conservative reforms that utterly rocked the existing education status quo. Legislators dared to buck national trends and teachers’ unions and instead recommit to common sense teaching methods.
You know what else is common sense? The idea that parents know what’s best for their families, not government bureaucrats. Every Mississippi family should get to decide what style of education is best for their children. The House has passed legislation to help accomplish exactly that. House Bill 2 would establish Magnolia Student Accounts, which would empower families to access more school options, alternative instruction, therapies, and other critical services. Governor Reeves has stated that he would sign the bill. Now the Senate should take it up and pass it.
2. Healthcare Affordability
For the average Mississippian, healthcare costs are out of control. Now, much of this is thanks to federal policy that has driven costs up at an unrelenting pace, especially since Obamacare was passed. However, there are a number of things Mississippi can do to increase supply and reduce costs.
The state can repeal certificate of need (CON) laws. CON laws were already outdated a decade ago. These laws mandate state approval on even small facility changes and only serve to protect incumbent providers rather than patients in need. States around the country have been getting rid of these laws and have seen more outpatient centers and reduced prices as a result. Mississippi should do the same.
Legislators should expand scope of practice and entrust pharmacists, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners to practice more fully within the realm of their capabilities and training. This would reduce the need to see a doctor for every issue, when other experts are perfectly capable of providing care.
Legislators should also enact policies that encourage direct primary care, allowing Mississippians to cut out the insurance middlemen and deal directly with their primary care doctors to establish flat rates to cover immediate health needs.
3. Patriotic Education
It’s America’s 250th birthday. Our nation was established on a set of founding principles that necessitate a citizenry that is both knowledgeable of these principles and fervently committed to their preservation in order to succeed. But what citizen can accomplish this if his schooling doesn’t provide him with the basic tools necessary?
The fact is that we’re graduating too many students today who can’t speak to the basics of the American idea or its history. This must be corrected quickly, lest we continue to churn out young Mississippians wholly incapable of fully understanding the traditions of this nation and the duties and responsibilities placed upon them.
Previously, Governor Reeves proposed the establishment of a Patriotic Education Fund. The program would help to fund new courses, after-school programs, and other initiatives aimed at more fully preparing Mississippi’s youths to be effective citizens of our great nation.
There is no better time to follow through on this proposal than on our nation’s 250th birthday year! This would be a fantastic initiative for legislators to champion this year.
4. Fraud Crackdown
I think most people have heard about the absolutely absurd levels of fraud that are being exposed in Minnesota. This, along with the start of the trials related to the recent theft of welfare dollars in Mississippi are an ugly reminder that there are criminals out there who will gladly profit off of the abuse of taxpayer funds, if given the chance.
Mississippi should take every step possible to further expand fraud investigations and follow through on making an example of those who steal public dollars. This includes empowering the State Auditor’s office to continue and even expand its much-needed investigative work, increasing penalties for the theft of public dollars, and cracking down on ways criminals can exploit the system like in Minnesota.
5. Term Limits
Perhaps the boldest conservative reform that Mississippi legislators could accomplish would be the voluntary reduction of their own power by establishing term limits.
As a policy, term limits are a nearly universally supported concept by seemingly every Mississippian outside the halls of the capitol building and those who seek to influence them. Term limits serve as a natural check on the power of any one public official and help to ensure that power is periodically returned to the people. Legislators should pass this important check on our system and limit their own time in office willingly.
All signs point to the fact that Mississippi’s stock is rising. Our economic and educational success is drawing attention from across the nation. We’re finding ourselves topping the list of more good rankings and escaping the attention of bad ones. In order to continue building on this success, legislators must look to the last decade of conservative reforms and dare to achieve even more this session.
Hunter Estes
