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House Speaker, Jason White, addressed a packed lunch time meeting hosted by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy in Jackson.

Speaker White talked about what had been accomplished during his first session as House Speaker, and shared his priorities for the future.

Notably, under Speaker White’s leadership the House:

The Senate might have subsequently blocked the restoration of the ballot initiative and Certificate of Need reform, but both school funding reform and the SAFER Act have since passed into law.

“There was enormous interest in what Speaker White had to say” said Douglas Carswell, MCPP CEO.  “Rather than skating over subjects, the Speaker went into tremendous detail.”

“While praising public schools, Speaker White talked about the need to allow money to follow the student within the public school system.”

“He also talked about Certificate of Need laws and the need to review the impact of such laws of restricting access to health care in certain areas.”

“MCPP loves hosting conservatives, and there was real warmth towards Speaker White and what he had to say.”

When running for President in 2020, then-candidate Joe Biden promised to “defeat the NRA” by banning assault weapons and enacting other radical gun control measures. After recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, President Biden signed gun control legislation into law, but did he deliver on his campaign promises? 

The latest ‘red flag’ law being debated in Washington increases mental health funding, closes the so-called “boyfriend loophole,” which aims to prevent unmarried domestic abusers from acquiring guns, and most controversially, incentivizes states to adopt “red flag laws.”

Red flag laws allow citizens to go to court to seek an order permitting law enforcement to seize the weapons of a person who has exhibited behavior indicating they might be a threat to themselves or others. Conservatives, wary of big government abuse and overreach, say red flag laws could be used to target people over political beliefs. For example, someone’s leftist ex-girlfriend could pursue a court order against them for posting a picture with guns or sharing a “dangerous” opinion on social media, and if one judge deems it appropriate, those guns could be taken away for some period of time. 

Yes, this new law is another step in the left’s march toward stronger gun control laws, but it does not ban assault weapons or deliver any other major progressive “wins” that President Biden promised. Biden admitted this himself, saying that “this bill doesn’t do everything I want.” Other members of the President’s parties have made even more extreme gun control promises than Biden. Texas Governor Candidate Beto O’Rourke, who has lost two elections within the last four years, famously said “hell, yes” in response to whether certain guns should be taken away by law-abiding gun owners. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said that she is prepared to enact gun control so extreme that her state will “go back to muskets.” 

Democrats control both chambers of Congress and the presidency, but they still cannot deliver on their anti-second amendment crusade. As their political capital diminishes, their promises become increasingly vague, from an assault weapon ban to “common sense gun reform” to simply “doing something.” This catch-all phrase is designed to create the façade that something truly special has happened thanks to the President’s leadership when, in reality, that is nowhere near the truth. 

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has struck down a New York law that required citizens to show “proper cause” to get a concealed carry gun license. According to the left, the right to bear arms is dependent on if the anti-gun government thinks the specific reasoning for doing so is good enough. Thankfully, the Supreme Court can recognize an unconstitutional infringement when it sees one.  For the past thirty years or more, the anti-gun lobby has promised a lot. But they don’t have an awful lot to show for it.

Today the Mississippi Senate and House appear to have reached a compromise deal on income tax cuts.

Commenting on the news, President & CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, Douglas Carswell said:

“This tax cut is great news for Mississippi.  With the cost of living rising, exempting every Mississippi worker from paying income tax on the first $18,000 earned is welcome.”

“It is good that some of our state’s $1.2 billion surplus is being used to give taxpayers back some of their own money.  However, this package is more modest than we would like to have seen.

“This is a good first step but it is not full income tax elimination.  Under this proposal, in 2026 the legislature will still need to agree further reductions.” 

“There is a danger that the Mississippi government will not tax to get the money it needs, but finds a need for the money it gets”.

“While this a step forward towards eventual income tax elimination, Mississippi still needs bold, game-changing policy changes if our state is not to continue to rank 50th out of 50 states by many metrics”.

In just a few days, a new legislative session will begin. Our state representatives and senators will be considering a range of bills that could have a major impact on our lives.

While some entrenched interests fight to protect their own industries and pocketbooks, our aim is quite the opposite. We seek to defend and expand freedom and ensure that the rights and liberties of each Mississippian are defended under the dome of our capitol building.

Recognizing this, we are launching a coordinated strategic press to advance a range of policies that we believe will empower free markets and free people in our state.

Here’s a look into what we’ll be fighting for this session:

Bills to Combat Critical Race Theory:

1. Combat Critical Race Theory

Having published a paper highlighting how Critical Race Theory is being advanced in our state, we are supporting legislative efforts to ensure that no public money be spent to promote this divisive ideology.

2. Promote Academic Transparency

A key way to combat the presence of toxic ideologies in the classroom is to require schools to publish details of what is actually being taught to our young Mississippians. We support legislative efforts to do exactly that.

Bills to Extend Economic Liberty:

3. State Income Tax Abolition

A number of Southern states like Texas, Florida, and Tennessee have already eliminated or are working to eliminate the state income tax. This policy proposal may be the best way to bolster the Mississippi economy and make us more competitive in the region.

4. Red Tape Reduction

Mississippi is burdened by far too many boards, commissions, and states agencies that are constantly pushing new regulations onto the people. Big businesses can navigate this minefield of market obstacles, but small businesses and entrepreneurs are often stifled. We want to mandate a significant scaling back of the existing regulatory landscape.

Bills to Improve Education:

5. Open Enrollment in Education

To improve public schools in Mississippi, we need to give moms and dads more control. We seek to allow parents who are dissatisfied with their current school systems, the ability to send their child, and their tax dollars, to a different school of their choice.

6. Cap School Board Administrative Costs

Too much of our education budget is spent on administrative costs and bureaucratic salaries. We support efforts to ensure that more money goes into the classroom instead.

7. Establish Multiple Charter School Authorizers

Charter schools are meant to offer families a better future for their kids. But a decade since they were allowed to be authorized in Mississippi, there are still far too few of them. We want to streamline the authorization process and encourage the expansion of education freedom.

8. Free Speech on Campus

We need to protect freedom of speech for college students on our state campuses. We want to ensure that peaceful assembly, protests, lectures, petitions, and literature distribution will be allowed.

Bills to Improve Healthcare Provision:

9. Repeal Certificate of Need

Mississippi has some of the worst health outcomes in America. One reason for this is that we have some of the most severe restrictions on the expansion and creation of healthcare facilities. Certificate of Need (CON) laws mean that no new health care provider can come along and offer services without the express permission of competitors. This makes as much sense as allowing a Pizza Hut to block the building of a Papa John’s because of the potential for competition. We aim to get rid of this incredibly outdated policy.

10. Repeal of Moratorium on Home Health Agencies

With more folks than ever seeking to get medical care from the comfort of their own homes, we support legislation that would make it easier to offer medical access directly. Our system currently makes this almost impossible.

Bills to Encourage Technology & Innovation:

11. Agricultural Incubator

A major portion of Mississippi’s economy is comprised of agriculture. We would like to empower innovators and small businesses to bring new technology to market with reduced regulatory burdens that could allow for Mississippi to become the nation’s leader in the field.

12. Reduce Barriers to Telemedicine/Telepharmacy

In an age of unprecedented integration between digital technology and daily life, we believe that Mississippians should be allowed to access their healthcare systems and doctors using modern devices.

President Trump has established a baseline 10 percent tariff on nearly all imports.  Additionally, the White House announced plans for reciprocal tariffs on 57 countries. A week later, on April 9, the administration then paused these reciprocal tariffs for 90 days.

We don’t know if the reciprocal tariffs will take effect after July 9.  What is certain is that in addition to the 10% baseline tariff, there is a 25% tariff targets car imports and most goods from Canada and Mexico, and a staggering 125% tariff is in place on most Chinese imports.
 
Some of my conservative friends like to imply that tariffs are part of a cunning plan to eliminate the federal income tax.  They point out that until 1913 America did not have a federal income tax, and the federal government was largely funded by tariffs. 
 
Now I’m all in favor of eliminating income taxes, and I spent much of the last legislative session in Mississippi advocating for the repeal of our state income tax.  But the numbers don’t add up for replacing the federal income tax with tariffs. To generate the $2.6 trillion annually that the income tax provides, tariffs would need to average 127% on all imports (even accounting for an estimated 20% drop in import volume).  Do that and only rich folk will be able to shop at Walmart. 
 
Others have told me that we need these tariffs to protect American industry against offshoring and the loss of American jobs overseas.  Really? 
 
US output today is close to three times higher than it was when LBJ was President.  US factories make almost twice as much stuff as they did when Ronald Reagan left the White House. The growth in US industrial output happened while tariffs declined from 6-8 percent in 1969 to about 2 percent by 2010 (with a slight increase by 2020 due to higher tariffs on China).
 
It is true that the number of manufacturing jobs in America has fallen, as manufacturing output has risen.  But that is because fewer workers in industry are able to make more.  The same thing happened in farming a century before. The loss of farming or manufacturing jobs has not made Americans poorer.  It means Americans went and found work in better paying jobs. 
 
That’s why the total number of jobs in America has risen despite the fact that the proportion of Americans working in manufacturing has fallen.  There were 70 million jobs in 1969 and there are 160 million jobs today.  So much for free trade taking away our jobs. 

“But what about China?” some say

America should be worried about China. It’s alarming that China’s Jiangnan Shipyard builds more ships in a single year than all U.S. shipyards combined. It’s concerning that China produces more drones in a day than the U.S. does in a year.

But if China is our primary concern, why hit countries like Vietnam, South Korea, and India—potential competitors to China—with crippling tariffs?

Tariffs won’t eliminate the federal income tax, reverse a supposed industrial decline, or solve the question of how to deal with an aggressive China.  What they will do is make you poorer and America less competitive.

Consider your cell phone.  Apple has already stated that tariffs will increase its costs by nearly $1 billion this quarter alone.  That extra cost?  It’s coming out of your pocket when you buy your next iPhone. To dodge new tariffs on Chinese goods, Apple is shifting much of its manufacturing from China to India. Don’t expect new iPhone factories in Mississippi or Michigan—think Madras instead.

Ironically, the high-value work on smart phone production—the design, software, and chips—is already done in the U.S.  Tariffs will simply move low-value assembly from one Asian nation to another, leaving you to foot the bill.

My big fear this that tariffs won’t just be seen as having triggered an economic downturn.  By doing so they will overshadow all those other conservative wins. 

During my recent trip to Washington, several administration insiders suggested that the current tariff strategy is part of a broader plan.  They claim tariffs are being used as leverage to dismantle restrictions on U.S. exports to other countries.

Whether or not this was the original intent, I hope it becomes the retrospective rationale.  For instance, if a close ally like the UK, which runs a trade deficit with the U.S., agreed to eliminate all its tariffs and allow any product sold in America to be sold in the UK, the U.S. could respond in kind. Such a trade agreement with the UK could set a precedent, encouraging other allies—Japan, India, Australia—to follow suit.  The result might be the complete removal of trade barriers between the U.S. and its allies.  That’s the optimistic scenario.  The alternative is higher costs for everyone, leaving us all poorer.

Mississippi is on the move.  Over the past five years, economic output rose more than it did over the previous fifteen.

According to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Mississippi’s economic output has soared by $41.4 billion, climbing from $116.1 billion in 2019 to $157.5 billion in 2024.  That’s more growth in half a decade than we saw in the previous fifteen years combined.  

This growth did not happen by chance.  It came about thanks to deliberate, pro-growth policies that are transforming our state.

In 2021, we saw labor market deregulation with a bill to reform occupational licensing.  Then in 2022 came a substantive tax reform bill, which paved the way toward the income tax elimination bill passing in 2025.  At the same time, Mississippi has kept energy costs low and rolled out the red carpet for inward investors.

Every one of these victories came about thanks to principled conservative leaders who fought for change against fierce opposition from leftist lawmakers wedded to the status quo.  At the time that these reforms were proposed, there was no kumbaya consensus in favor of any of it.  Change only happened because a handful of conservative leaders – and dare I say it conservative organizations - were willing to go out on a limb for it.

The Mississippi Center for Public Policy (MCPP) recently honored some of those in our legislature that truly are committed to this pro-growth agenda, and we should all celebrate their determination.

But the question remains: Is your local lawmaker part of Mississippi’s new pro-growth agenda, or are they standing in the way?

Did your own Representative and Senator help lead Mississippi’s growth, or are they one of the one’s that opposed everything but showed up for the cameras? 

Despite Mississippi’s strong conservative majority, we often fall short on basic conservative priorities like school choice.  Too many solid bills mysteriously “die in committee” with no explanation, no recorded votes, and no accountability.  Lawmakers who oppose pro-growth policies have gotten away with vague soundbites on Supertalk, dodging any real consequences.  That ends now.

The new Mississippi Freedom Index, which you can access by logging on to our website at mspolicy.org, empowers everyday Mississippians to hold their representatives accountable.  This tool shows how your lawmaker voted on key pro-growth policies, details their campaign finance contributions, and even lets you message them directly.

We’ve identified four flagship growth policies that define Mississippi’s economic surge—any lawmaker who opposed them doesn’t meet our definition of a conservative, plain and simple.

So, where does your representative stand?  Log on to mspolicy.org and click on the Freedom Index to find out. If any lawmaker disagrees with their rating, they’re welcome to reach out.  They can post their remarks, or if they’re willing to publicly commit to supporting the policies they didn’t vote for, we’ll reconsider their score.

Mississippi is on the rise.  Check the Freedom Index today—because our state’s future depends on leaders who deliver, not ones who hide.

Jackson, Miss. — The Mississippi Center for Public Policy (MCPP) proudly announces the recipients of the 2025 Mississippi Freedom Awards—an annual tradition that honors the lawmakers who boldly champion liberty, economic growth, and individual rights during the legislative session.

“This year, we set an ambitious agenda: eliminate the income tax, expand school choice, push back against divisive DEI initiatives, and reduce the red tape stifling healthcare,” said MCPP President Douglas Carswell. “Thanks to courageous leadership in the Legislature, we’ve secured historic victories for Mississippi families.”

Among the honorees are several standout lawmakers:

“These lawmakers didn’t just vote the right way—they led the fight,” MCPP noted in a statement. “When others hesitated, they stood firm for freedom.” While not every legislative priority crossed the finish line this year, the victories achieved mark serious momentum for pro-growth reform. With income tax elimination and anti-DEI legislation now enshrined into law, Mississippi continues to position itself as a beacon of freedom and innovation in the South.

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Last week I went to Washington, and had meetings at the White House, Congress (Senate & the House), as well as with various think tanks. 

I gave a presentation about Mississippi income tax elimination to Americans for Tax Reform, too. 
 
Mississippi is the 2nd fastest growing state in America, with the 5th fastest increase in personal income.  We have just passed legislation to abolish the income tax, and have received record levels of inward investment.
 
That means there is tremendous interest in our state, and what our pro-growth policies have started to achieve.
 
It was an honor to talk about the Mississippi success story, with so many positive policy wins.  I was really struck by the strong support for the Magnolia state and pro-growth policies.

Those I talked to in Washington are very aware of Mississippi’s successes.  (Even more so now).  I suspect this interest will only increase.

When I flew home from Washington, I felt so proud of our state.

Imagine what Mississippi could achieve if we used our conservative super majority to go even further with pro-growth policies? 

Mississippi was the second fastest growing state in the last quarter of 2024, according to new data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis.  Output per person in the Magnolia state increased faster than any state besides Arkansas.
 
One set of data might be a fluke, but then the previous quarterly data told a similar growth story.  We are starting to see a trend as Mississippi takes off economically.

Mississippi’s been stuck at 50th out of 50 for so long, some struggle to believe we could be anywhere else.  But here’s the kicker: our per capita GDP zipped past Britain’s in 2023 and is set to overtake Germany’s this year. If the explosive growth from late 2024 keeps up, we’ll leapfrog several U.S. states in the next decade. That “last place” label? It’s starting to peel off.

What’s behind this turnaround?  Free market reforms—plain and simple.  Mississippi was held back by high taxes, stifling regulations, and cartels—especially the one under the Capitol dome in Jackson—calling the shots.  
 
A generation ago, Mississippi’s economic development strategy was to send long serving politicians to Washington DC to hustle for handouts.  If federal subsidies made a state rich, ours would have been the wealthiest state in the Union.
 
But today, we’re growing because bold leaders—backed by your support—are pushing pro-growth policies:
 

  1. Tax Cuts: Since we started trimming the income tax to a flat 4% in 2022, the Mississippi Development Agency estimates there’s been a whopping $19 billion inward investment.  Businesses are flocking here, confident that their payroll taxes will tumble.
  2. Flexible Labor Market: Already an “at-will” employment state, Mississippi passed a little noticed law in 2021 to ease occupational licensing.  Local boards are increasingly under pressure to reduce onerous red tape.
  3. Business-Friendly Planning: While other states drown companies in approval processes, Mississippi rolls out the welcome mat.  
  4. Cheap Energy: Two new data centers are coming, and they’ll need oodles of electricity.  Good thing Mississippi’s natural gas and nuclear keep our electricity cheap—around 13.43 cents per kWh versus California’s wallet-busting 34.26 cents. Affordable energy is turbocharging our growth.

Mississippi has only adopted pro-growth policies because a handful of bold conservative leaders have been prepared to fight for them.  Just three weeks ago, our Senate’s current leadership was maneuvering against income tax elimination. 
 
Imagine what we could achieve if the Senate was on board with free market reform? We’re surrounded by states with school choice, but our Senate blocked even a modest public-to-public option. Healthcare’s tangled in “certificate of need” nonsense, and Senate leaders killed that fix too.
 
Mississippi is on the rise, but we need to double down on pro-growth reforms, especially school choice.  Thank you for standing with us—together, we’re making Mississippi boom!

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What a win!  This week, Mississippi made history as the first state in the U.S.—aside from oil-rich Alaska—to pass legislation eliminating the income tax. While nine other states have never had an income tax, Mississippi is blazing a trail by actively dismantling it.
 
“So what?”, you might say.  “Why does this matter if full elimination is still a decade away?” The answer is simple: it’s already transforming our state for the better. Eliminating the income tax makes Mississippi a magnet for growth.  Look at Texas, Florida, and Tennessee—three southern states without income taxes that are booming.  Even Arkansas recently lowered its rate to stay competitive with us!
 
Since we began reducing our rate to a flat 4% in 2022, the Mississippi Development Agency reports an extraordinary $25 billion in inward investment.  Businesses are flocking here, confident that the payroll tax burden is fading away. This victory isn’t just about economics—it’s a triumph for conservative reform.
 
Around the Governor’s desk on Thursday evening, we saw bold leadership from Speaker Jason White, Rep. Trey Lamar, and a few dedicated others who fought for this change.  We should not forget the role of former Speaker, Philip Gunn, either. Mississippi is, as you know, full of southern charm.  One consequence of this is that each time a significant reform passes in the state legislature, there is a tendency to pretend that the change came about because of some kind of kumbaya consensus. 
 
This win came from grit, not just goodwill. Days ago, some were still resisting real elimination.  Minds moved because of determined advocacy. This success proves that the roadblocks to reform can be overcome with bold, principled leadership. 
 
There might be a consensus about income tax elimination now, but it is a new consensus, won by bold conservative leaders fighting for it.  We salute those that put principle on the line and fought for change!

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