Jason White named Speaker of the House

Photo: New Mississippi Speaker of the House Jason White (right) and his family in the House chambers. (Courtesy photo)

The Mississippi House of Representatives, on Tuesday, Jan. 2 elected Jason White as the state’s 62nd Speaker of the House. In a unanimous vote, 122 members showed their support for the incoming Speaker. 

White has served as the Representative for District 48 which covers Attala, Carroll, Holmes, and Leake counties since 2012. In 2019, he was elected Speaker Pro Tempore alongside Speaker Philip Gunn. On  Dec. 5, 2023, the Republican Caucus, with a two-thirds majority in the chamber, selected White as their nominee for Speaker of the House. 

Upon acceptance, White addressed the Chamber sharing his policy initiatives for the upcoming Legislative term, specifically addressing education, healthcare, and the State’s retirement program. 

White acknowledged the tremendous strides Mississippi has made in education over the last 12 years but says  there is more work to be done. White will ask the House to consider legislation to reform both the  funding formula and accountability model for K-12 education. 

Also in regards to education, he will be asking the members to consider School Choice – legislation that would give parents the ability to choose a school that will best fit their child’s needs, especially in underperforming districts. 

Working Mississippians lacking healthcare coverage is another priority for White. He shared the need to find more ways to insure our state’s workforce without a government handout but with provider-led solutions. Lastly, the Speaker spoke to the viability and sustainability of the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS) as well as the state’s spending and future tax cuts.  

Recognizing White will be encouraging challenging conversations and an ambitious session, he shares, “Our most rewarding days here for our State and her people are when we are involved in those tough votes, the ones that really make you examine your core political philosophies as you weigh what’s best for Mississippi. Let’s lean into an even newer, better Mississippi than we might ever hope for or imagine.”