By Harya Tarekegn, MCJ’s Director of Advocacy and Policy
Every year we find ourselves at a critical juncture in the fight for economic and racial justice. The year starts with us needing to defend what we have while we push for what we want. It requires us to advance policy solutions that envision and build toward the Mississippi that all its residents deserve to live in.
Our 2026 legislative agenda reflects that vision: rooted in the voices and lived experiences of our communities, shaped by years of direct legal work and collaboration, these priorities chart a path forward that centers dignity, equity, and opportunity for every Mississippian.
- Protecting Public Schools from Voucher Schemes: So-called “school choice” proposals threaten to drain critical resources from Mississippi’s public schools by diverting taxpayer dollars to private institutions. Right now, Mississippi invests approximately $12,175 per student in public education. A universal voucher program would cost nearly $600 million annually, yet research shows that almost 74% of those funds would go to families already using private schools. The impact would be devastating in rural communities, where public schools serve as economic anchors and major employers.
MCJ is actively educating legislators and communities about these harmful impacts, working to prevent the Mississippi Mistake. We’ve presented detailed analysis to lawmakers showing how voucher schemes would leave Mississippi students with fewer opportunities, not more.
- Stopping Black Land Loss Through Fair Tax Sale Protections: Black families across Mississippi are losing homes and generational land due to unclear titles, heirs’ property disputes, and tax sales. New legislative proposals would make it nearly impossible for someone who has lost their home through a tax sale to redeem it—eliminating current protections that give families two years to reclaim their property.
MCJ is fighting attempts to weaken redemption protections while simultaneously working to strengthen laws that help individuals preserve and protect their homes and family land for future generations.
- Empowering Renters with Real Repair Rights: Mississippi’s current rental repair laws are inadequate. While they offer some protections, repairs cannot exceed one month’s rent—even though necessary fixes often cost far more. Tenants can only report two incidents per year, leaving them stuck in unsafe or unhealthy conditions if landlords refuse to act.
MCJ has proposed legislation to increase the amount renters can deduct from their rent for necessary repairs, even when costs exceed one month’s rent. This change would address poor housing conditions and give renters real power to ensure their homes are safe and livable.
- Regulating Predatory Rent-to-Own Schemes: The unregulated rent-to-own homeownership model has created conditions ripe for fraud, particularly targeting our most vulnerable community members. People enter contracts with entities that aren’t recorded anywhere, leaving them positioned to lose both their resources and their homes with no legal recourse.
MCJ is seeking to introduce the Rental-Purchase for Real Property Act to mandate contract recording for all rent-to-own agreements. This simple change would dramatically increase protection for individuals pursuing this path to homeownership.
- Ending HIV Criminalization: Mississippi’s HIV laws are outdated, scientifically inaccurate, and actively harmful to public health. By criminalizing HIV status, these laws prolong stigma and discourage people from seeking testing and treatment, creating a public health challenge that affects everyone.
MCJ is working to eliminate these harmful HIV laws and bring Mississippi’s approach in line with current medical science. Our proposed legislation would reduce stigma and encourage the testing and treatment that actually protect public health without criminalizing an illness.
- Defending the Voting Rights of all Mississippians: Mississippians face numerous barriers when trying to exercise their right to vote, and federal protections have been steadily eroded by court decisions that have weakened the federal Voting Rights Act. This is going to be further exacerbated by the pending Supreme Court ruling on mail-in voting.
MCJ has proposed legislation to create The Robert G. Clark Jr, Voting Rights Act of Mississippi that would fill the gaps left by weakened federal protections. This would give Mississippi communities a stronger, more immediate way to protect their right to vote within our own state.
- Expanding Access to Maternal Health: An outdated Mississippi law requires certified nurse midwives to secure a physician collaborator before they can practice, an arrangement that is often unavailable or prohibitively expensive. This unnecessary restriction is making Mississippi’s maternal health crisis worse by limiting access to qualified prenatal and delivery care.
MCJ has filed a lawsuit challenging this restrictive law, and bills have been introduced in the legislature to eliminate the collaboration requirement. Our goal is to remove barriers so qualified professionals can serve Mississippi families and help address our ongoing maternal and infant health crisis.
Moving Forward Together
This legislative agenda isn’t just a list of policy proposals; it’s a blueprint for the Mississippi we’re building together. Each priority emerged from years of direct legal work, community listening, and collaboration with those most affected by unjust and outdated systems.
This is our moment to be transformative. The status quo has never served all Mississippians equally, and defending it isn’t enough. We must advocate boldly for the policies that create real opportunity, protect family wealth and stability, ensure healthy communities, and safeguard everyone’s fundamental rights.
Together, we can build the state that all Mississippians deserve to live in.
To learn more about MCJ’s legislative priorities, access detailed resources, or get involved in advocacy efforts, visit: https://mscenterforjustice.org/our-work/2026-legislative-agenda/