We passed Senate Bill 2257 that will allow the state auditor to review state tax returns to decide if Medicaid recipients are eligible to continue receiving benefits.
It would also empower the auditor to check the eligibility of persons receiving the U.S. Department of Agriculture benefits - Temporary Assistance for Needy Families – TANF and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP - through the state.
Recipients of benefits from either of the programs must have an income that falls within acceptable guidelines. S.B. 2257, which passed on a split vote, would allow the auditor to see if recipients are earning incomes in excess of what is allowed to qualify for program benefits.
The bill will allow the Department of Revenue to forward to the state’s Child Support Unit and the Fraud Investigation Unit of DHS, any information on a person delinquent with child support payments. State and federal government can also use the information for collecting its debts from an individual without the need for producing a subpoena or court order.
We also passed Senate 2301 that removes the repealer on current law requiring the names of a lienholder or repair shop listed alongside that of a vehicle owner who receives an insurance payment for a damaged car.
Other bills passed included:
* Approving a four-year term for Major General Janson Durr Boyles, Adjutant General of Mississippi.
* Senate Bill 2230: Uninsured Motorist Act would provide coverage for claims involving vehicles owned or operated by persons protected by the Mississippi Tort Claims Acr.
The deadline to request a bill to be drafted for the 2020 session was February 12.
Pictured above is The Adjutant General of Mississippi, Major General Jansen "Durr" Boyles.