Mississippi State Capitol

Lincoln County lawmakers will join other Legislators in Jackson today, May 28, for a special session set by the governor to finalize a $7 billion budget.

State lawmakers earlier this year failed to pass a new budget before ending the 2025 regular session early. Rep. Becky Currie (R) said she expects to be at the Capitol through Friday.

“That’s just enough time to do a budget if all goes well,” she said. “All the bills are written and done. Three days is enough to get it if everything is perfect.”

In a statement released Friday, Gov. Tate Reeves said he informed Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and Speaker of the House Jason White that since Legislators had reached an agreement on the budget, they would meet for a special session this week to pass it, which must be done before the fiscal year begins on July 1.

“The proposed budget does not materially increase state spending, is fiscally conservative, and will help us to continue Mississippi’s historic economic momentum,” he said. 

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done to reach this agreement. I’d like to thank Mississippi’s legislative appropriators for working diligently throughout the budget negotiation process. I’m excited to get the special session completed and look forward to quickly passing the budget.”

Currie, a nurse from Brookhaven who is in her fifth term in the House of Representatives, said she’s pleased with the collaborative budget for Fiscal Year 2026.

“We have plenty of money. Mississippi is on the right track. We have a full rainy day fund. We are in great shape,” she said. “I feel good about the fact that we’ve made a budget that everyone can live with. Everything’s on the right track for a successful year.”

However, Sen. Jason Barrett (R), an attorney from Brookhaven serving in his second term, said he has not seen the final proposed budget to be able to comment on it. This will be his first special called session since his election in 2019.

“They’re going to have to give me time to read it and ask questions,” he said. “If I approve of it, I’ll vote to pass it. Hopefully the budget is great and something I can support. My goals are: is it best for District 39, is it best for the State of Mississippi, is it fiscally responsible and are we using taxpayer dollars wisely?”

District 39 covers Lincoln, Lawrence, Pike, Franklin and Amite counties.

Barrett is concerned that the budget wasn’t completed before Legislators ended their session April 3. 

“Ultimately, this should have been done in the regular session, but wasn’t because of egos and power plays,” he said. “It’s unfortunate that it’s going to cost the State of Mississippi hundreds of thousands of dollars for something that should have been done in the regular session. It would have made sense to take care of it while we were being paid to take care of it.”

He expects the bill to be 300 to 500 pages in length and plans to read it before voting.

“It would not be fair for me to just go up there and say ‘yes,’” he said.

Barrett also anticipates the $7 billion proposed budget will likely increase to $7.5 billion or even $8 billion before it’s passed.

In a special session, the governor has the power to set the agenda and require lawmakers to work on whatever legislation he wants in addition to the budget. 

“Because it’s a special session, the governor can put anything he wants to into this special session. He’s in control of it,” she said.