Rep. Daryl Porter

Maddy summaryThis Mississippi bill restores the right to vote to Kynoa Trotter of Pike County, who had lost his voting rights due to prior felony convictions for burglary and firearm possession. The legislation formally removes the legal barriers preventing Trotter from participating in elections, acknowledging his completed sentences and post-release conduct as a law-abiding citizen. Once enacted, Trotter will regain full eligibility to register and vote in Mississippi elections without further legislative action.

Maddy summaryThis bill restores the right to vote to Charity Payne-Williams of Coahoma County, Mississippi, who was previously disenfranchised in 2003 due to a conviction for embezzlement. The legislation states that she completed her five-year sentence in 2008 and has since lived as a law-abiding citizen, making her eligible for voting rights restoration. If passed, the act takes effect immediately upon passage and applies specifically to Payne-Williams without affecting other individuals' voting eligibility.

Maddy summaryThis bill restores the right to vote to April Pace-Brooks of Coahoma County, Mississippi, who had previously been disqualified from voting due to a 2003 embezzlement conviction. The legislation states that Pace-Brooks completed her probation in 2008 and has since lived as a law-abiding citizen, and it takes effect immediately upon passage. The law does not change general voting rules but specifically reinstates her individual voting rights.

Maddy summaryThis bill restores the right to vote to Tramaine Wagner of Walthall County, Mississippi, who had previously lost his voting rights due to a conviction for robbery and related charges. The legislation formally recognizes that Wagner has completed his sentence and has since lived as a law-abiding citizen, removing the legal barrier that prevented him from participating in elections. By passing this act, the Mississippi Legislature officially reinstates his status as an eligible elector without requiring any additional conditions or procedures.

Maddy summaryHB 1444 requires the Mississippi Department of Corrections (DOC) to provide protective gear - including face masks, gloves, and eye protection - to state inmates assigned to work involving strong cleaning chemicals, such as acids or alkalies. This applies specifically to inmates serving sentences longer than one year who use raw cleaning chemicals in their work assignments. The bill mandates this safety measure by amending existing correctional codes to ensure DOC complies when inmates handle such chemicals. It does not change inmate pay or program eligibility but directly affects inmate safety during specific cleaning tasks.

Maddy summaryHB 1402 designates a one-mile segment of Mississippi Highway 537 in Yazoo County as the "Colonel Donnell Berry Memorial Highway" to honor Colonel Donnell Berry. The Mississippi Department of Transportation will install and maintain signage along this highway segment. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026. This is a commemorative designation with no policy or funding changes.

Maddy summaryHB 788 modifies Mississippi's election rules to allow voters who are not registered in the jurisdiction they are voting in (but are otherwise eligible) to cast an affidavit ballot. This ballot will be used as their official voter registration, adding them to the statewide voter rolls as if they had completed a standard registration form. The bill also allows the affidavit ballot to serve as a written request to transfer voting precincts or wards, and automatically reactivates voters who were placed on inactive status (due to a confirmation notice) after they cast such a ballot. These changes aim to streamline voter registration and address common issues at polling places.

Maddy summaryHB 1126 increases base teacher salaries by $5,000 annually starting with the 2026-2027 school year, with an additional $3,000 annual supplement for licensed special education teachers and $6,000 for certified occupational therapists and school psychologists. It also raises assistant teachers' pay by $5,000 and caps superintendent salaries at 250% of equivalent teacher pay, including district supplements. The bill includes related provisions for retirement benefits for first responders and revised roles for student success coaches, but its core focus is direct compensation increases for educators.

Maddy summaryHB 1204 removes a restriction that previously limited Mississippi school districts' use of career and technical education (CTE) grant funds to only specific programs leading to industry certifications. The bill now allows districts to use these funds for equipment purchases in *any* CTE program that leads to a qualifying industry certification - defined as credentials linked to high-demand occupations with wages meeting 70% of median state income. It explicitly prohibits using these grants to replace basic program funding but maintains the $600 per student incentive for students earning such certifications. The change expands flexibility for districts to support CTE programs aligned with workforce needs, without altering the certification criteria or reporting requirements.

Maddy summaryHB 1813 imposes a $7 tax per active Mississippi user on social media platforms with 1,000+ Mississippi users annually. It directly affects major platforms like Meta or TikTok that meet the user threshold, not individual users. Platforms must report active users quarterly, pay the tax, and the revenue funds a special "Social Media Platform Infrastructure Fund." This fund allocates 50% to counties and 50% to municipalities based on population, exclusively for road maintenance, broadband, water systems, public safety, and recreation infrastructure.