This is the third week of the 2023 Legislative Session. The deadline for introducing general bills and constitutional amendments was on Monday night, and committees will now begin discussing these bills in meetings. Although most work is still happening in committees, several pieces of legislation reached the House floor this week.
House Bill 1125, or the Regulate Experimental Adolescent Procedures (REAP) Act, would regulate transgender procedures and surgeries on children under 18. The bill does not apply to individuals born intersex. Proponents of the bill said that this would prevent children from making permanent decisions they could regret later, while opponents argued that this was a step back for transgender rights. After lengthy debate, the bill passed by a vote of 78-28 and has been sent to the Senate for consideration.
Other bills discussed this week include a bill that would exclude fentanyl testing materials from definition of “paraphernalia” under controlled substances (HB 722); a bill that would decrease the minimum number of years of law enforcement experience required to be a conservation officer (HB 516); a bill that would authorize the Department of Finance and Administration to purchase the old First Christian Church building in the Capitol Complex Improvement District (HB 423); and a bill that would designate the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Central Office as the Sam G. Polles State Office Building (HB 366).
On Thursday, the House was visited by the Louisville High School Football Team. Coach Tyrone Shorter and the team were honored with House Resolution 16, which commends them upon winning the 2022 MHSAA Class 4A State Championship.
Next week, committees will meet even more frequently as the Legislature approaches the next deadline. After Tuesday, Jan. 31, no additional bills will be added to the House calendar for consideration, and members will meet in session for longer periods to discuss the bills that have made it out of committees.
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