Mississippi lawmakers vow to carry on Brown’s and Wallace’s legislative priorities

Mississippi lawmakers pledged Wednesday to carry forward the legislative priorities of Reps. William “Bo” Brown and Price Wallace after the two men died last month, saying they will reintroduce the measures when the Legislature reconvenes in 2027. Lawmakers noted that every bill must be refiled each session, so proposals survive only if other members choose to sponsor them, colleagues said.

Rep. Earle Banks, D-Jackson, said he plans to reintroduce criminal justice legislation Brown helped champion, including measures to expand parole eligibility for some incarcerated people. Banks said he and Brown co-sponsored House Bill 361 during the 2020 session, a proposal to broaden parole eligibility for people convicted of certain capital offenses that died in committee.

Banks said Brown viewed such proposals as steps toward addressing disparities in Mississippi’s criminal justice system. “There are too many people — Bo felt, and I feel, also — who are incarcerated, who are of no threat to society,” Banks said. Banks also said Brown worked to expand economic opportunities for Black Mississippians and to attract development west of Interstate 55 and in Hinds County.

On the Gulf Coast, Sen. Jeremy England, R-Vancleave, said he plans to revive Wallace’s effort to restore Mississippi’s ballot initiative process. The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled the process unconstitutional in 2021 after finding a conflict in the state Constitution, which still referenced five congressional districts though the state has had four since 2001. Wallace, a poultry farmer from Mendenhall, sponsored legislation in 2025 to restore the process with additional restrictions; that bill passed the House but died before reaching the Senate floor.

England said he expects to introduce similar legislation in 2027 but acknowledged it faces political hurdles. “Until we see someone else take that issue up and move it forward, I don’t know what that’s going to look like coming out of the House,” England said. He described Wallace as a practical lawmaker and a leading voice on agriculture who often worked collaboratively on policy. Whether either proposal becomes law remains uncertain, England and Banks said, but both lawmakers said they will push the ideas forward with colleagues.

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