How did the Mississippi Typo Tax Swap Act of 2025 happen? Legislative recap

The week of March 17 in the Mississippi Legislature dawned with a continuing tax standoff between the state House and Senate as they entered the final weeks of a three-month legislative session.

The two chambers remained so far apart with their tax plans that lawmakers and politicos expected the governor would have to force them into special session for more negotiations or else they would leave with no tax plan — heck, maybe even with no state budget.

Speaker Jason White and his GOP House leadership were steadfast in their yearslong desire to relatively quickly eliminate the state income tax and increase the state’s sales and gasoline taxes. This shift to more regressive taxation would stand to strip more than $2 billion from the $7 billion general fund of America’s poorest state, hitting lower-income people hardest and generally helping the more affluent.

Mississippi would, under this House proposal, become the first state to eliminate an existing income tax in American history. But House leaders promise the experiment will lead Mississippi to beulah land and generate more than enough economic growth to cover the billions cut from income tax revenue.

But on the other side of the Capitol, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and his GOP Senate leadership were standing firm that this House proposal is foolhardy, particularly with massive federal spending cuts and economic uncertainty looming. Mississippi is perennially dependent on money from Washington, and no one can confidently say they know what the coming months from the new Trump administration will mean for the state.

Senate leaders had instead offered only another cut to the state’s income tax, which is already among the lowest in the nation, rather than a total elimination the House was proposing. It was also pretty clear they’d be OK with ending this 2025 legislative session with no major tax changes at all if the House didn’t rein it in.

The stakes on this disagreement between the House and Senate are high for Mississippians for generations to come.

... In the end, it wasn’t earnest negotiation or any agreement between the two sides that led to the passage of total income tax elimination in Mississippi — it was a few typos.

The Senate had accidentally put in some decimal points that essentially eliminated the growth triggers that would have staved off full elimination of the income tax for years …

READ THE FULL ANALYSIS: The Typo Tax Swap Act of 2025 may be the most Mississippi thing ever

Quote of the Week

“I know the snake oil salesman who showed up in Mississippi selling this bill of goods must be laughing uncontrollably that they’ve put this one over on the rubes in Mississippi.” — Sen. Hob Bryan, speaking in committee against a measure to eliminate the state’s individual income tax and raise the gasoline tax

In Brief

Legislators introduce over 60 suffrage restoration bills

Lawmakers introduced around 66 measures to restore suffrage to people who have had their voting rights taken away from them because they were convicted of a disenfranchising felony offense. 

Mississippi strips voting rights away from people for life if they have committed one of around 23 disenfranchising offenses. The only way for a person to regain their suffrage is to get two-thirds of lawmakers in both chambers to agree to restore it. 

Governors can restore suffrage to people through pardons, but no governor has issued such a pardon since the end of Gov. Haley Barbour’s administration.   – Taylor Vance

Governor signs turkey stamp bill into law

Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill requiring hunters to obtain a turkey stamp before harvesting the wild birds into law. 

Senate Bill 2280 requires in-state hunters to purchase a $10 turkey stamp and out-of-state hunters to pay a $100 fee for the stamp. In addition to the new stamp, the law still requires hunters to obtain a normal hunting license. 

Proponents of the measure said the stamp fees would be used to maintain and improve turkey-hunting lands around the state.   – Taylor Vance

Lawmakers haggle on absentee voting measure

A bill that could either establish early voting or expand absentee voting in the state is headed to a conference committee for final negotiations. 

House Speaker Jason White named Republican Rep. Noah Sanford of Collins, Republican Rep. Mark Tullos of Raleigh and Republican Rep. Jansen Owen of Poplarville as the House conferees. 

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann named Republican Sen. Jeremy England of Vancleave, Republican Sen. Kevin Blackwell of Southaven and Republican Sen. Lydia Chassaniol of Winona as the Senate conferees. 

The Senate passed a bill earlier in the session to establish two weeks of no-excuse early voting, but the House rejected that idea and proposed expanding absentee voting options.   – Taylor Vance

Ed board recommends moving MSMS to MSU

The state Board of Education last week voted to recommend to lawmakers that the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science be moved from the Mississippi University for Women to Mississippi State University.

The board had sought proposals from the universities to run the school for gifted high schoolers, which was created in 1987. The board said MSU’s proposal scored far higher than MUW’s. The Legislature would have to approve the move, and provide funding for it, which is not likely to happen as lawmakers enter the final days of the 2025 legislative session.   – Geoff Pender

Bill requiring panhandler permits heads to governor

The Legislature has passed a bill to require panhandlers to get a permit costing up to $25 from their city or county government.

Proponents of the measure said it is a safety measure, to prevent people soliciting donations on busy streets. Opponents said it unjustly punishes and taxes homeless people. Failure to get a permit before soliciting donations would carry a fine up to $500 and jail time up to six weeks.  – Geoff Pender

By the Numbers

.85% instead of 85%

Errant decimal points prompted an end to debate and passage of a monumental change in taxation for Mississippians. The Senate, urging caution in the move to eliminate the state’s personal income tax, in its proposal had an economic growth “trigger” that was supposed to ensure the tax would be phased out only with booming economic growth — for instance, when revenue surplus equals 85% or more of the cost of a 1% cut in the tax rate. But the bill accidentally put decimal points in front of the percentage, basically eliminating the trigger. The House, which wanted faster elimination, seized on the typos and passed the bill, and Gov. Tate Reeves says he will sign it into law.

Full Legislative Coverage

Legislature stumbles into final weeks of session in a tax-fight funk

As the Mississippi Legislature stumbles into what is supposed to be the final few weeks of its 2025 session, it’s in a funk, caused primarily by the continuing standoff between Republican House and Senate leaders over cutting/eliminating/increasing taxes. Read the story.

Podcast: Bill to ensure rape kits are available pending in final days of legislative session

Rep. Dana McLean, R-Columbus, joins Mississippi Today’s Bobby Harrison and Sophia Paffenroth to explain the importance of passing her legislation during the 2025 session to ensure local emergency rooms use rape kits in a timely manner. Listen to the podcast.

Lt. Gov. Hosemann feigns ignorance on typo that led to tax overhaul passing by mistake, claims victory

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann’s House counterparts took advantage of typos in a bill his Senate approved — bringing forth the most sweeping tax overhaul in modern Mississippi history. Read the story.

Sweeping Mississippi tax overhaul passed … by mistake. Gov. Reeves eager to sign typo tax swap into law

The House on Friday took advantage of Senate typos — a few errant decimal points — in a bill and sent to Gov. Tate Reeves the most sweeping overhaul in taxation in modern Mississippi history. Read the story.

OOPS! Senate sent House an income tax bill with typos. House ran with it. What’s next?

Mississippi Senate leaders have said a House plan to eliminate the state income tax over about a decade was foolhardy, and instead proposed a much longer, more cautious approach. Read the story.

Doctors, advocates rally at Capitol: ‘Defend and expand Medicaid’

Dozens of advocates, doctors and spiritual leaders gathered outside the Capitol Tuesday to call for the “defense and expansion of Medicaid.” Read the story.

Following reports of victims unable to access rape kits in ERs, lawmaker pushes fix

Rape victims aren’t guaranteed a rape kit when they show up at a hospital emergency room – though it’s not clear how often they are turned away. Read the story.