As we kick off 2026, the Mississippi Center for Public Policy is more energized than ever. We are excited about the successes our state has seen – and we have a plan to build on that momentum with further free market reform!
For decades, our state lagged behind. Growth was slow and too many young people left our state to seek opportunities elsewhere. That is starting to change. Over the past five years, Mississippi has seen more economic growth than in the previous 15 combined. Mississippi’s progress is real, but it did not happen by chance. It is happening thanks to free market reform - including major tax cuts, flexible labor laws, affordable energy, and fiscal discipline. MCPP aims to help build on this in the 2026 legislative session. We have a clear, targeted plan for further free market reforms. Here is our focus for the 2026 legislative session which starts this coming week: 1. School Choice Mississippi has already taken a strong step by assigning every public-school student a personalized education budget. Now is the time to let families truly control it. We are working to see a universal Education Savings Account (ESA) program, modeled on successful reforms like Arkansas’s LEARNS Act.
Other education reforms, such as making it easier for families to move from one public
school to another are important, but the key goal must be an ESA system, just like they
now have in Arkansas, Tennessee and Alabama.
1. Repeal of Certificate-of-Need (CON) Laws
Mississippi’s outdated health regulation regime stifles competition, blocks investment in
healthcare and drives up costs - especially in rural areas. We are pushing for a partial
repeal of these restrictions across regulated services.
It is also essential that we grant Advanced Practice Registered Nurses full practice
authority. These changes could lower healthcare costs significantly, expand rural
access, and save millions annually - freeing the market to deliver better, more affordable
care.
1. Conservative Spending
To enable future tax cuts, and to prevent the public sector crowding out local
businesses, we need to see fiscal discipline in this state. The fiscal climate is changing,
and the days of large federal subsidies is coming to an end. It is essential that our
lawmakers live within our means. That means keeping spending under control and not
squandering any surpluses.
These are MCPP’s big three priorities for the coming session – and we will be working
closely with key lawmakers and our coalition allies to advance them.
MCPP is also supportive of a number of other reforms up for discussion. For example,
we would love to see a restoration of the ballot initiative. With labor-force participation
in Mississippi still too low, we would love to see reform in welfare administration to
ensure more stringent requirements on able-bodied welfare recipients, and more
meaningful sanctions for non-compliance. We would support such changes, but they
are not our primary focus for this session.
We are super excited at the start of the 2026 legislative session. Our team will be
working hard to ensure real reform – and I will be sure to keep you personally updated
on the progress we make as the session advances!
Douglas Carswell is the President and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
This post is sponsored by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.
8 comments:
“… successful reforms like Arkansas’s LEARNS Act.”
Pass me what some of this guy is smoking.
Maybe 10 people in Mississippi were interested in "School Choice" until our leaders told us it was the most important issue of our lifetimes.
Just because other states do it doesn't mean we should. I don't think it's wise to give vouchers to families for private schools or homeschooling. Their decision to make but I don't believe it should be incentivized.
@11:24am - Right, they already have the choice to send their kids to private school or home school them. The taxpayers shouldn’t have to subsidize those choices when they have a public option their taxes already fund.
If you live in a shitty district, move. Or get on the school board and do something about it. If you want to send your kid to private school, do it, but not with a taxpayer handout. If you want to homeschool your kid, knock yourself out.
Largely, your life choices have landed you where you are. What this is asking the taxpayer to do is subsidize your bad choices because you landed somewhere that has a shitty school district. It should be on the lawmakers and elected officials to fund and fix the “bad” districts, not on the taxpayers to subsidize fixing your bad life choices with a voucher to move your spawn wherever.
Northwest Rankin High School has become an absolute dump as the aunties from Fannin have brought far too many of they nephews from Jackson Public Schools. So count me in the “we don’t want school choice” crowd.
Way to stop allowing comments on this one Kingfish. He pay you to do that too?
I imagine you’ll allow this one so you can say you’re allowing them. I’ve tried posting other comments but none of them have gone through.
Oh, it's you. I'll spell it out so you and the people in Bude can understand it .
MCPP is a sponsor . Look at the right side of the page where they have a cute little ad . Most sponsors don't allow comments on their posts. Understandable as crotches such as you love to trash them and make up stuff.
MCPP allows comments as does Empower and Bigger Pie Forum because they believe in the free exchange of ideas . No comments that disagreed with the subject of the post have been rejected.
However, they are a sponsor and in no world, at no media company, are you allowed to go on and trash a sponsored story or post . Some of you, probably you actually, have tried to trash his family and kids. Some go all jingoist and tell him to go back to Britain. I bet those of you who do are real comfortable saying Go back to Africa. Some just personally insult him.
Not being allowed. Disagree with his posts all day long . But the personal attacks and trashing, not allowing it. Don't like it? Not my problem.
A lot of words for you to say you’re just a bitch.
Hey asshole, what do you have against folks in Bude? Try running for office again and losing, loser.
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