(LifeSiteNews) — Pro-Life Mississippi is celebrating the passage by the state legislature of a “groundbreaking” act that sets aside $3.5 million in tax credits for those who donate to Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRC).
The Pregnancy Resource Act (HB 1685), passed by the Mississippi House and Senate, allows the state to “give back 50 percent of a Mississippian’s charitable contribution” to PRCs that hel[p] women in crisis pregnancy situations without supporting abortion, and help create “permanency for children through adoption,” as opposed to placement in the foster care system, according to the online companion to the Scott County Times.
Pro-Life Mississippi (PLM) president Laura Knight welcomed the act as helping PRCs to expand its services to “families all across Mississippi,” pointing out in a statement shared with LifeSiteNews that these centers are nonprofits that “receive no government funding” and “depend on donations from individuals and business owners.”
“This tax credit will encourage local businesses to invest in the work of Mississippi pregnancy centers,” she added.
PLM underscored the impact of the legislation by pointing to the National Council of Nonprofits’ assessment that “tax incentives for charitable giving generate as much as a 5 to 1 return.” According to PLM’s calculations, this means the Pregnancy Resource Act could generate as much as $17.5 million worth of total impact in service of families.
Jameson Taylor, who wrote the legislation and currently serves as President for the Center for Political Renewal (CPR), told LifeSiteNews that he anticipates Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves will sign the bill into law soon.
Taylor pointed out that the program, which was sponsored by Speaker of the House Philip Gunn, would be the first of its kind in the country creating a business tax credit for donors to PRCs.
Taylor described the strategy behind the bill to LifeSiteNews: “What this bill does is it creates an innovative way to fund pregnancy resource centers. Instead of a direct appropriation or a grant, which is dependent upon the politics of the legislature, the bill creates a business tax credit that encourages businesses in Mississippi to make game-changing donations to pregnancy resource centers.”
He further shared the inspiration behind the legislation, explaining, “As we’re looking forward to the Supreme Court Dobbs decision, we’re seeing pregnancy resource centers are essentially going to have to double their budgets. They serve about 12,000 families here in Mississippi right now, and they provide high quality medical care to these families, [and] material assistance like baby supplies, rental assistance and other things that new moms need to encourage them to keep their baby.”
“We hope that it becomes a model for the rest of the country,” he added.