Another year, new laws. Here are a some interesting laws that took effect in Mississippi in July 2021. (Some may have taken effect earlier).
Teacher Got A Raise! (Although it is small!)
The teacher pay raise bill provides a $1,000 raise to current teachers while also raising the starting salary for Mississippi teachers to $37,000. The bill will also raise the salary of teacher assistants to $15,000.
The pandemic really has shown how tough the job of teaching our youth can be. Personally, my children were home schooled for the complete 2020-2021 school year. My Wife and I became part time teachers for our children and were tasked with helping them with their zoom classwork in addition to their homework. After that experience, I believe whole heartedly that teachers in Mississippi are extremely underpaid.
Teacher License Reciprocity
Teachers who are licensed in another state can now become licensed in Mississippi easier. Per yallpolitics.com, “This bill will apply to any teacher coming from another state who already possess a teacher license and can pass a background check. Under the law, the Department of Education can grant a one-year extension to June 2022 to allow for that teacher to meet requirements in Mississippi.”
Mississippi Earned Parole Eligibility Act:
Per supertalk.fm, “this bill expands parole eligibility to non-violent offenders that have served 25% of their sentence and a small group of violent offenders at 50%.”
Per yallpolitics.com, “those not eligible include sex offenders, human traffickers, murderers, capitol, and habitual offenders. It is important to note that the bill does not grant any offenders parole. The bill only allows the possibility of parole in the event the individual has met the proper criteria for consideration.”
Home Alcohol Delivery:
Beer, wine and liquor can now be delivered to Mississippians over the age of 21. Customers will be required to verify their age and show ID when the product is delivered.
My guess is that this law is really aimed at supporting app food delivery services such are Uber Eats and Door Dash. Per supertalk.fm, deliveries will be prohibited before 10:00 a.m. and after 10:00 p.m. as well as on Sundays and Christmas Day. Deliveries must be within 30 miles of the retailer’s location and cannot be made within dry counties or cities.
Name, Image, Likeness (Aka NIL)
Following in the foot steps of the United States Supreme Court, this bill will allow Mississippi collegiate athletes to receive compensation if their image, name or likeness is used in advertising.
I truly believe that this law is long overdue for collage athletes. They should have been able to make money from their name, image, and likeness a long time ago.
Mississippi Fairness Act
The Fairness Act. The legislation, offered by Sen. Angela Hill, would prevent biologically male individuals from competing in female sports. This law will apply to K-12 schools as well as institutions of higher learning.
Per supertalk.fm, Sen. Angela Hill said the legislation was necessary in order to protect girls sports in the state under the current federal position toward transgendered persons competing among athletes that do not share their at-birth genetic makeup.
This law gained national attention in the news and from several transgender rights organizations. Per nbcnews.com, “Mississippi is the second state to enact such a ban, after Idaho did last year, and at least 20 other states are considering similar legislation.”
So what do you think about these new laws taking effect this year? There were other bills passed, however, these are the ones that I found most interesting.
Sources:
https://yallpolitics.com/2021/06/30/new-laws-hit-the-books-in-mississippi-on-thursday/
https://www.supertalk.fm/notable-new-laws-take-effect-as-calendar-turns-to-july/