2025 Legislative Webinar

2025

LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES

Mission

OVERVIEW Our vision is clear: We envision a Mississippi where we all thrive. In this future, every resident has access to the tools and resources needed to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances. As such, One Voice’s 2025 Legislative Priorities pave the way for a just future by advocating for policies that promote social and economic justice, while maintaining a steadfast commitment to empowering communities to engage in the issues most impacting their lives. Together, we can break down barriers and build a state that reflects our shared values of equity, opportunity, and inclusivity, ensuring that no one is left behind and that our goal of creating a better future for Mississippi is realized.

Guided by principles of self-determination, One Voice ensures historically silenced communities have representation and influence in spaces of power.

Vision We envision a Mississippi where we all THRIVE.

Tagline ONE VILLAGE. ONE VISION. ONE VOICE.

Values Community Centered Empowerment Excellence Leading Through Love

EDUCATION

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

VOTING RIGHTS

ENERGY DEMOCRACY

ECONOMIC JUSTICE

We envision a Mississippi where every child, no matter their ZIP code, race, or income level, attends a fully funded school that is equipped with the resources and support needed to provide a high-quality, well-rounded education.

We envision a Mississippi where criminal justice promotes safety and dignity.

We envision a Mississippi where the political process is accessible to all, allowing every individual to have their voice heard and counted.

We envision a Mississippi where every resident has access to clean, renewable energy sources, ensuring an equitable distribution of resources that leads to a sustainable future for all.

We envision a Mississippi where equitable systems reduce poverty and encourage economic mobility, enabling families to support one another and build stronger, more resilient communities.

Expand quality state-funded pre-K education programs Fully fund the Mississippi School Funding Formula Keep public dollars in public schools Expand community schools End corporal punishment in K-12 schools Increase access and affordability in our higher education system

Reduce mass incarceration Improve prison conditions Reform the state’s bail practices Reduce collateral consequences, decrease recidivism, and increase access to reentry

End felony disenfranchisement and enact an effective suffrage procedure Expand voting rights Restore the state’s ballot initiative process Eliminate unnecessary voter purges

Expand access to reliable, high-speed internet access Invest in renewable energy to stimulate economic growth and provide sustainable communities Increase funding for utility access in Mississippi Strengthen democratic infrastructure that promotes environmental equity

Improve the state’s budget-making process to include open, inclusive budgeting Strengthen the state’s income tax system Enact Earned Income Tax Credit Enact a Child Tax Credit Tackle the state’s high grocery tax Expand Medicaid Reform Mississippi’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program Reform Mississippi's Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Adopt Paid Family and Medical Leave Implement a state liveable wage Reduce child hunger

VOTING Restore the state’s ballot initiative process Historically, the ballot initiative process allowed citizens to propose legislation directly, ensuring their voices were heard in government decision-making when the Legislature refused to address issues that mattered to them.

By reinstating a fair and accessible ballot initiative process, Mississippi can enhance civic engagement, reduce barriers to political participation, and ensure that citizens have a direct avenue to influence legislation that affects their lives.

VOTING End felony disenfranchisement Lawmakers must end felony disenfranchisement and establish a clear and effective suffrage process for citizens seeking to regain their voting rights.

By implementing policies that not only abolish felony disenfranchisement but also create a straightforward procedure for requesting suffrage until that goal is realized, Mississippi can restore voting rights to those disenfranchised, thereby reducing disparities created by restrictive voting practices and promoting equitable participation in the state’s electoral process.

FELONY DISENFRANCHISEMENT Felony disenfranchisement: the practice of taking away a person's right to vote because they have been convicted of a felony.

Number of Mississippians disenfranchised: 68,731

Number of Black Mississippians disenfranchised: 43,744

Policy recommendations: Pass laws to automatically restore voting rights once individuals complete their sentences, including parole and probation.

If automatic restoration is not enacted, lawmakers can simplify the process for regaining voting rights by eliminating unnecessary delays and burdensome requirements of the state’s suffrage procedure.

List of 23 disenfranchising crimes: Voter Fraud Murder Rape Bribery Theft Carjacking Arson Obtaining money or goods under false pretense Perjury Forgery Embezzlement Bigamy Armed Robbery Extortion Larceny Felony Bad Check Felony Shoplifting Receiving Stolen Goods Robbery Timber Larceny Unlawful taking of motor vehicle Statutory Rape Larceny under lease or rental agreement

ECON. JUSTICE Strengthen the state’s income tax system Mississippi’s tax system is critical for funding essential public services like education, healthcare, and infrastructure. However, the state’s tax structure is inadequate for generating enough revenue to support these services. In addition, as a result of our tax system, income disparities are larger in Mississippi after state and local taxes are collected than before.

INCOME TAX ELIMINATION The state’s regressive tax system adversely affects its ability to raise revenue, contributes to the disinvestment of our local communities, and worsens existing inequalities amongst the state’s residents.

Who Pays, Mississippi?

Policy recommendations: Taxing wealth to ensure that the state’s wealthiest individuals pay what they owe Strengthening, not eliminating, the state income tax

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Reinstating the corporate tax and estate tax

Taxing wealth to ensure that the state’s wealthiest individuals pay what they owe - Strengthening, not Expanding sales taxtax base to include eliminating, thethe state income - Reinstating theinternet corporate businesses and- Expanding travel companies tax and estate tax the sales tax base to include internet businesses and travel companies

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10

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Other tax policy considerations:

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Grocery tax reform State Earned Income Tax Credit State Child Tax Credit

4

2

0

Less than $19,300

$19,300-$31,500

More than $362,300

ECON. JUSTICE Expand Medicaid Mississippi is one of ten states that have yet to expand Medicaid.

As a result, currently there are over 200,000 uninsured adults with incomes below the poverty line who are currently caught in the Medicaid coverage gap.

By expanding Medicaid, Mississippi could not only increase access to healthcare, it could also help reduce health-related disparities and improve the stability of health systems, including rural hospitals and community health centers.

MEDICAID EXPANSION

In Mississippi, around 200,000 uninsured adults with low incomes fall into the Medicaid coverage gap. They are too poor to qualify for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace assistance, as their incomes are below the poverty line, yet they remain ineligible for Medicaid.

Who’s in the gap?

EDUCATION Keep public dollars in public schools Public tax dollars are essential for funding public schools, ensuring that every child receives a quality education and that schools have the resources they need to thrive.

Lawmakers must protect public education funds by preventing their diversion to charter schools or voucher programs and restoring any funds already diverted. Clear policies should prohibit using public tax dollars for private or for-profit schools, ensuring resources stay focused on strengthening public education. Prioritizing these measures will help all Mississippi students, especially those in underfunded districts, receive the quality education they deserve.

VOUCHERS

Vouchers may be called “Scholarships,” “Education Freedom Accounts,” or “Parent Empowerment,” but they all function the same —a deceptive way to remove public dollars from public education.

Policy recommendations: Fully funding public education: This requires fully funding the state’s public school funding formula, keeping public dollars in public schools, increasing investments in public education in the state, protecting the state’s income tax system, and increasing state revenue.

Supporting teachers and staff: This includes raising teacher salaries to attract and retain qualified educators and providing additional resources for professional development and classroom support.

Supporting high-need students and schools: This can be done by upgrading and maintaining school facilities, ensuring a safe and conducive learning environment for all students, and fostering strong community and parental involvement in shaping education policy. In addition, directing funds and resources toward tutoring programs, special education services, gifted programs, mental health supports, and summer enrichment programs can reduce the need for alternative options such as vouchers.

ENGAGING IN ADVOCACY WITH LAWMAKERS: The Mississippi legislative session is a critical time when laws, policies, and budgets that impact every aspect of life in the state are decided.

It’s not just for politicians to make decisions—it’s an opportunity for communities to demand accountability, push for equity, and advocate for meaningful change.

RESOURCES WWW.ONEVOICEMS.ORG

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TWO QUESTION SURVEY WWW.ONEVOICEMS.ORG

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