As the 2025 legislative session in Mississippi approaches its January 7 start date, members representing Warren County convened Wednesday at the Vicksburg Convention Center for a panel discussion held during the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce’s November luncheon.

Chiming in on the issues were state Rep. Kevin Ford (District 54), Rep. Jeffery Harness (District 85), Rep. Oscar Denton (District 55) and Sen. Briggs Hopson (District 23).

Vicksburg-Warren Partnership President and CEO Pablo Diaz, acting as a moderator for the event, asked the panel to name key issues facing their districts as 2025 approaches, with all four panel members expounding on statewide concerns over redistricting, tax reform and Medicaid expansion, among other top priorities for the upcoming session. 

“I think this year is going to be an interesting year,” Ford said. “Redistricting this year is going to be kind of complex, because there is a rule that says if you move one seat in anybody’s district, then that person has to run for re-election. So, just as soon as you move one person from the box, it just changes everything.”

Ford also pointed to tax reform and Medicaid expansion as topics that will require attention in 2025.

“We’re going to have to talk about tax reform at some level,” he said. “We’re ready for that conversion. Just, how do we do that? Do we do it fast or do it slow? Do we do a lot of different things, or do we just focus on the income tax? That’s the conversation that’s been brought forward.”

Ford also said Mississippi could finally see movement on the issue of Medicaid expansion for the state’s working poor.

“Some kind of conversation about health care with Medicaid expansion. The hiccup last year turned out to be, you have to be able to say that you’re out there working to be able to get it. With the Biden Administration, they would not pass it, so if we did get it, it’s dead on arrival. Now that President Trump has won, he did allow Georgia to put in a requirement saying, you can do it, but you do have to participate in the workforce. So, I do believe the conversation will go forward.”

Harness also spoke about the challenges Mississippi faces from redistricting and health care concerns for lower-income workers.

“We have to think about redistricting and judicial redistricting, so I look for that to be a battle that we are going to have to face,” Harness said. “We want to make sure that our judicial system is fair for everyone in our state. Another hot-button issue I really think we’ll have is passing Medicaid expansion. Personally, I really think that it’s going to go smoothly because of the new administration that we’re going to have in January at the federal level. There are too many people that lack health insurance, and a healthy Mississippi equals a successful Mississippi.”

Harness also focused on progress in education as a continued goal.

“I’m a former educator,” he said. “I believe in taking care of our teachers and I’m going to continue to fight for pay raises and any type of improvements, whether it’s K through 12 or a four-year college.”

Denton said, while Medicaid expansion and other key issues will see plenty of discussion in 2025, he would also like to see the Legislature once again allow for ballot initiatives in Mississippi.

“Health care is a big issue,” he said. “We almost got it across the finish line last year. Tax reform is, of course, a big issue. The question is: How do we do that? We need to talk about cutting the grocery tax. The grocery tax affects everyone in this room. We need to talk about ballot initiatives. We need to bring that back. You don’t have a way right now for you, the citizens, to put together a referendum to get something put on the ballot. We need that so you can have a voice in government.”

Hopson added infrastructure sustainability to the list of topics requiring attention as the new session prepares to convene.

“You saw the governor’s announcement recently with over $10 million for our local port,” Hopson said. “And I do think education and health care, all of these are critical issues. The other thing I feel like is important is an infrastructure sustainability program. We’ve done really well in the infrastructure over the last 20 years. We’ve done projects all around the state, but we’re going to have to come up with something more sustainable and more predictable for our roads and bridges. We’re going to have to come up with something that is consistent.”

Hopson also said, as always, wise use of tax dollars will be key for progress.

“All of these topics are really important for the legislative session,” Hopson said. “As you know, I chair appropriations, so what we always do is make sure we’re being good stewards of your tax dollars, taking care of the critical needs of the state, but also keeping as much in your wallets as possible. Last year, we put over $230 million more in education. And it’s going to keep going up. All the while, we’ve been able to reduce taxes in Mississippi.”