JACKSON — Mississippi Legislators were busy the first day of the 2023 regular legislative session on Tuesday. In total, 42 house bills, 2 house concurrent resolutions, three house resolutions, six senate concurrent resolutions and six senate resolutions were introduced. 

Some of the most noteworthy legislation introduced would move two substances into the schedule I drug category. The house bills were referred to the drug policy commission. 

House Bill 4 would move the drug Tianeptine into the schedule I list. The bill states  “Tianeptine and any salt, sulfate, free acid, or other preparation of Tianeptine, and any salt, sulfate, free acid, compound, derivative, precursor, or preparation thereof which is substantially chemically equivalent or identical with Tianeptine,” would be considered a schedule I drug. 

House Bill 5 would move the drug Kratom into the schedule I list. Kratom is a drug derived from a tree in Southeast Asia. This bill places Mitragynine; and 7-hydroxymitragynine in schedule I and was referred to the Drug Policy committee. 

House Bill 7 would make testing strips no longer drug paraphernalia if they are used to test for the presence of fentanyl or a fentanyl analog in a substance. 

Public Health and Human Services

Food banks could see new grants thanks to House Bill 15. The bill would provide $1 million in annual funding to food banks through grants to be used for the purchase, storage, transportation and distribution of food in Mississippi. 

Money would be allocated to regional food banks based on population, food insecurity rates and county service areas. House Bill 15 was referred to the Public Health and Human Services committee. 

Another bill introduced to the house yesterday would change the terminology used in the Mississippi Code. House Bill 12 would “modernize terminology by replacing ‘mentally retarded’ with ‘intellectual disability,’” in state statutes which refer to the intellectually disabled. 

Transportation

House Bill 42 would allow sheriff offices to use radar on public, county roads outside of incorporated municipalities to enforce speed limits. The bill was referred to the Transportation and Judiciary B committee Tuesday. 

Mississippi Department of Transportation would receive an appropriation of $5 million for their statewide litter prevention program in the fiscal year 2024 in House Bill 14. Fiscal year 2024 would begin on July 1, 2023. 

According to the bill, the funds may only be spent on financial assistance approved and disbursed by the Keep Mississippi Beautiful Inc.