Mississippi’s new legal guidelines cowl Medicaid for mothers, voting, pecan theft, on-line porn and extra

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) – Mississippi is enacting dozens of latest legal guidelines, together with these to extend help for moms of newborns, tighten restrictions on voting, designate a state fruit and set punishments for stealing pecans.

One of the Mississippi legal guidelines that’s set to take impact Saturday is being challenged in federal court docket. It would develop the position of the state-run Capitol Police division and creating a brand new court docket with appointed judges.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and people who supported House Bill 1020 stated they’re making an attempt to enhance public security. Opponents stated Reeves and the majority-white and Republican-controlled Legislature are attempting to take native management from Jackson, which is majority-Black and ruled by Democrats.

Most legal guidelines created this yr have gone into impact, or are kicking on this weekend.

ABSENTEE BALLOTS – Senate Bill 2358 prohibits dealing with giant numbers of absentee ballots. A lawsuit filed by Disability Rights Mississippi and different plaintiffs seeks to dam the regulation, arguing that it might disenfranchise voters who’ve disabilities by stopping them from receiving assist from folks they belief.

POSTPARTUM MEDICAID – Senate Bill 2212 ensures a whole yr of Medicaid protection for girls after they offer delivery. Mississippi normally allowed two months of postpartum Medicaid protection. The state allowed a full yr of protection after the COVID-19 public well being emergency began in 2020, though many sufferers stated the state did little to allow them to know protection continued after two months. The longer protection was authorized after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down federal protections for abortion in a ruling on a Mississippi case final yr. Conservative lawmakers throughout the nation have pivoted on Medicaid enlargement as a part of an anti-abortion agenda.

STATE FRUIT – House Bill 1027 designates the blueberry as Mississippi’s official state fruit. Fourth graders from Madison County lobbied for regulation.

SCHOOL GUARDIANS – Senate Bill 2079 authorizes faculty staff to hold hid weapons on campus if they’ve a concealed-carry license, full firearms coaching from a regulation enforcement company and are educated in CPR and first assist. Identities of so-called “school guardians” are exempt from public disclosure.

ONLINE PORN – Senate Bill 2346 requires folks to confirm they’re at the least 18 earlier than utilizing web sites or apps the place at the least one-third of the content material consists of pornography. An grownup leisure group is suing over the same regulation in Louisiana. House Bill 1315 says distributors offering on-line assets or databases to Okay-12 faculties should block entry to pornography.

FENTANYL TESTING – House Bill 722 specifies that fentanyl testing supplies are now not thought of unlawful drug paraphernalia.

ADOPTION – Senate Bill 2696 creates an revenue tax credit score of as much as $10,000 for adopting a toddler who lives in Mississippi and $5,000 for a adopting a toddler from exterior the state.

FOSTER FAMILIES – House Bill 510 is designed to extend transparency for foster mother and father and make staff from the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services extra available to them.

SEXUAL ASSAULT EVIDENCE – House Bill 485 is meant to set quicker timelines for regulation enforcement businesses to course of proof kits from sexual assault circumstances. One part of the invoice turns into regulation July 1, and different sections change into regulation Dec. 1.

REAL ESTATE – Senate Bill 2073 permits folks to enter contracts to buy actual property at age 18; the earlier minimal age was 21, except the minor was emancipated.

PET INSURANCE – Senate Bill 2228 authorizes the sale of pet insurance coverage.

PECAN THEFT – Senate Bill 2523 will increase the penalties for stealing pecans which are being grown as crops. Mississippi Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson says thieves have taken a great deal of pecans from some farmers.

GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE – House Bill 1125 bans gender-affirming well being take care of transgender folks youthful than 18. It grew to become regulation when Reeves signed it Feb. 28.

PREGNANCY CENTERS – House Bill 1671 expands a tax credit score from $3.5 million a yr to $10 million a yr statewide for folks or companies who donate to facilities that present diapers, clothes and different help for pregnant ladies. The regulation is retroactive to Jan. 1.

BABY DROP-OFF – House Bill 1318 permits cities and counties to ascertain protected drop-off packing containers for infants who’re as much as 45 days previous. The invoice grew to become regulation when Reeves signed it April 19.

STATE GEMSTONE – Senate Bill 2138 designates the Mississippi Opal because the state gemstone. It grew to become regulation when Reeves signed it March 3.

ELECTIONS – House Bill 1310 authorizes the secretary of state to conduct audits of election outcomes. It additionally accelerates the method for native election commissioners to take away the names of inactive voters from the voter rolls. Critics say the “use-it-or-lose-it” method endangers the rights of people that need to vote in some however not all elections.