Original Airdate: 4-4-2025

Analysts Austin Barbour and Brandon Jones join host Wilson Stribling to discuss the surprising ending of the 2025 Mississippi legislative session. The House and Senate have gone home without passing budget bills for state agencies and services. Governor Tate Reeves will surely call a special session, but what else could be on the table when the legislators return to Jackson? The team also looks at the successes and failures of the 2025 regular session, as well as the sweeping changes the tax reform bill may bring.

@ISSUE • Legislature ends session with unfinished business • Special session ahead

Original Air Date: 3-28-2025

Governor Tate Reeves signs House Bill 1, effectively eliminating the personal income tax in Mississippi. We recount the surprising events of the past week leading up to this historic moment. Host Wilson Stribling interviews Jared Walczak, a state tax policy expert from The Tax Foundation, a Washington-based think tank. Analysts Austin Barbour and Brandon Jones joined Wilson to discuss the tax cut and predict its impact on Mississippi.

@ISSUE • Mississippi eliminates the personal income tax

Original Air Date: 3-21-2025

What a week. The Mississippi House surprises many by passing the Senate’s more cautious income tax cut bill. But a typo in that bill could bring income tax elimination even faster than the House called for. Host Wilson Stribling interviews Senate Finance Committee Chair Josh Harkins (R-Flowood), then debates tax cuts and state spending with analysts Brandon Jones and Austin Barbour.

@ISSUE • Income tax cut via typo? • Sen. Josh Harkins interview • Public Employee Retirement System changes

Original Air Date: 3-14-2025

Will the House and Senate find a compromise for their competing tax cut plans? What would the total elimination of the state income tax mean for Mississippi? How can the multiple agencies serving public health better cooperate and collaborate? Host Wilson Stribling covers these topics and more with this week’s guest, Senator Hob Bryan (D-Amory), and analysts Austin Barbour and Greta Kemp Martin.

@ISSUE • Tax cuts & the State budget • Medicaid rally at Capitol • Sen. Bryan interview • Public health issues

Original Air Date: 3-7-2025

This week the House and Senate took up each other’s bills, and the sparks did fly. School choice and PERS reform appear dead, while presumptive eligibility and mobile sports betting are still alive. And the House and Senate tax reform bills are still on a collision course. Our @ISSUE team looks at these topics and more. We also pay tribute to the late Robert Clark, who served in the House from 1968 to 2004 and was the first Black Mississippi legislator elected since Reconstruction.

@ISSUE • Remembering Robert Clark • School choice • Tax reform • Presumptive eligibility • Mobile sports betting

Original Air Date: 2-28-2025

Join host Wilson Stribling and analysts Austin Barbour and Brandon Jones for another lively episode of MPB’s @ISSUE. This week, Senate Republicans pass their tax cut bill and now defend it from both the right and left. Ten Senate districts are redrawn after a successful NAACP lawsuit. Casinos may see a tax increase, and a Jackson casino bill dies. Legislators push for hemp product regulation. A Mississippi-Israel caucus is announced. And House Democrats demand to have their voices heard.

@ISSUE • Legislative redistricting • Roads & bridges •Tax cut bills • Casino tax • Israel caucus

Original Air Date: 2-21-2025

This week we look at a wide range of bills, dealing with everything from tax cuts and parental leave to hemp product regulation and wine and liquor sales. Wilson Stribling interviews Speaker of the House Jason White about his chamber’s most important legislation. And our roundtable team, Austin Barbour and Brandon Jones have a spirited debate on House Bill 859, legislation that would allow advanced practice nurses, nurse practitioners, and nurse anesthetists to provide services without the supervision of a collaborating physician.

@ISSUE • Senate tax cut bill • Advanced practice nurses bill • Parental leave • PERS changes • Wine & liquor sales • Hemp product regulation

Original Air Date: 2-14-2025

This week we talk about the Senate’s newly unveiled tax cut proposal, the apparent failure of the House’s school choice bill, passage of the Domestic Violence Fatality Review bill, controversy over the Senate’s Early Voting bill, the death of the ballot initiative measure, and much more.

@ISSUE • Senate tax cut plan • School choice bill dead? • Criminalizing grooming • Early voting controversy • Domestic Violence Fatality Review bill

Original Air Date: 2-7-2025

This week we look at the House’s school choice legislation; two anti-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion bills; a constitutional amendment restoring certain felons’ voting rights; a bill creating a domestic violence review board, and more.&nbsp;Host Wilson Stribling and analysts Austin Barbour and Brandon Jones discuss the new ballot initiative proposal and a bill that would protect agricultural pesticide manufacturers from lawsuits.&nbsp;Our featured interview is with Senator Jeremy England of Vancleave, the chairman of the Senate Elections Committee. Wilson talks with Senator England about his early voting bill, campaign finance transparency, and legislation that would allow Mississippians to order wine by mail.

@ISSUE • School choice • Anti-DEI measures • Early voting • Ballot initiative • Felon voting rights • Domestic violence study • Agricultural torts • Online wine sales

Legislative issues in Mississippi

@ISSUE brings you information and insight while offering context and perspective about the legislative issues that affect Mississippi.

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