NESHOBA COUNTY, Miss.— Mississippi taxpayers should get some extra cash in their pockets and the Legislature should make it happen, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said at the Neshoba County Fair on Wednesday, as he shared some of his proposals for 2026.
Since the Magnolia State has an extra $1.4 billion in the bank this year, Hosemann said the State should dole out $316 million in tax rebates among Mississippians who paid taxes for the year 2023. Under his proposal, Mississippians could get back 15% of the state income tax money from their 2023 income tax returns. If a person paid $1,000 in state income taxes that year, they would receive a $150 check.
Hosemann said Mississippi has paid off over $1 billion in state debt since 2020. Over the past five years, an influx of COVID-19 related federal funding has helped Mississippi grow its coffers, though much of that money has dried up.
“Mississippi is in the best financial situation it’s ever been in,” Hosemann said to the crowd of fairgoers under the pavilion in Founders’ Square on Wednesday.
The lieutenant governor said he was watching Fox News on Tuesday night and saw that Congress proposed federal tax rebates. He speculated that Mississippians might benefit from both a state and federal tax rebate next year.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley introduced federal legislation on Monday to give U.S. citizens rebate checks funded by the revenue generated from President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Trump, who recently signed a bill that will add $3.4 trillion to the national debt, had told reporters he wanted to give people “a little rebate” from tariff revenue while paying down the national debt.
“I can’t guarantee to everybody that we’ll have an annual rebate, but we’re going to continue to cut taxes every year,” Hosemann said. “But if we’ve got additional funds, we ought to give it back to taxpayers. It’s their money, first of all, and we’ve got enough money to run the state.”
Hosemann: Mississippi’s Educational Gains Need Further Legislative Support
Mississippi ranks 16th in the nation in education in 2025, the state’s highest ranking ever, shooting up from 39th place in 2022 and 48th place in 2014, a Kids Count national report found. Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said teachers should be rewarded for their contribution to those impressive statistics.
“When people work hard and succeed like that, you know what they need to do? We need another teacher pay raise,” he said.
Mississippi is in need of 2,000 more teachers to fill a shortage gap, and Hosemann said he wants to incentivize retired educators to come back to the classroom by passing legislation that allows retirees to keep their retirement benefits if they go back to work.
Hosemann expressed concern for the 24% of Mississippi children who are chronically absent from school. He said one way to get more kids in the classroom is to hire more truancy officers.
“We need truancy officers in every school in Mississippi knocking on the door, (and asking parents) ‘Where is your child?’” Hosemann said. “And if it’s inconvenient for you, maybe you need to sit in front of a judge somewhere and tell ‘em why your child’s not there.”
Students would have been banned from using their cellphones in classrooms during instructional time under legislation the Senate passed in the 2025 legislative session. But the bill ultimately died in the House Education Committee on March 4. The House had three similar bills, but they died in the House Education Committee on Feb. 4. Hosemann said he hoped the Legislature would revive the legislation and pass it in the 2026 session.
Starter Homes, Job Opportunities
Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said he traveled the state asking Mississippians what they need the Legislature to work on in 2026. He said many people told him the state needs more starter homes, and he wants the Mississippi Senate to work on legislation to make them “available, affordable and attainable.”
The lieutenant governor said Mississippi needs more skilled workers.
“One of the problems in Mississippi (is that) we’re running out of workers. We’ve got all this business coming in here and we don’t have anybody to work it,” he said.
His solution is to offer free community college tuition and education to workers who want promotions to higher-paying roles.
Mississippi Today Reporter Michael Goldberg asked Hosemann if he was running for governor in 2027. The lieutenant governor said he was focused on performing his current job, but that “absolutely, we’re considering running for governor.”
“I’m not quitting the thing that people hired me to do to do some other announcement. I think it’s really important to do what I’m doing and work real hard,” Hosemann told Goldberg.