The Mississippi Senate on Tuesday voted to deny a motion to reconsider HB 1793, rejecting an effort to add a sales-tax exemption for diapers during the state’s annual Second Amendment Sales Tax Weekend and sending the bill to the governor’s desk.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Josh Harkins, R., urged colleagues to deny the motion, saying the bill reflected what had been agreed to in the conference process. Lawmakers in both chambers had adopted the conference report on the measure on Sunday, and the motion to reconsider had been offered by Sen. Angela Turner-Ford, D., who asked the Senate to hold the bill.
Turner-Ford said language to exempt diapers had been added to the bill during a March committee hearing but was removed during the conference. “This type of exemption crossed multiple demographics, working families. And not only children, but those who have to provide care for people who have urinary incontinence,” she said, adding that people with some illnesses would benefit from diapers being tax-free.
Harkins acknowledged Turner-Ford’s concerns but said many groups had sought exemptions and that the measure reflected the conference agreement. “This was agreed to by our colleagues down the hall. I understand her concerns, but this is the bill available to be passed in the conference process,” he said.
The Mississippi Department of Revenue says the Second Amendment Sales Tax Weekend makes items such as firearms and accessories, archery equipment and ammunition tax-free for two days in July. With the Senate’s action, HB 1793 now goes to the governor.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
