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HB 1556 Mississippi House · 2025 Regular Session

Mississippi Career and Technical Education Employability (MissCATEE) Program; establish to provide tuition-free community college.

HB 1556 establishes the MissCATEE Program, providing tuition-free community college education in career and technical education (CTE) for eligible Mississippi residents. It directly affects recent high school graduates and adults seeking industry certifications or associate degrees in high-wage, high-demand fields like healthcare, manufacturing, and information technology, as identified by Accelerate MS. Key provisions require recipients to work in their field for a set period after graduation (with funds recouped if they don’t comply) and mandate enrollment in approved CTE programs aligned with state workforce needs. The Office of Workforce Development (Accelerate MS) administers the program, sets eligibility rules (including residency, high school diploma, and FAFSA completion), and tracks outcomes to measure effectiveness.
Issues: ✓ EducationSupports EducationEstablishes tuition-free community college program for career-focused education, expanding access and funding for workforce development in high-demand fields.95% confidence ✓ Labor & EmploymentSupports Labor & EmploymentBill funds tuition-free CTE for high-wage fields (healthcare, IT, manufacturing), directly enhancing workforce readiness and employment opportunities in high-demand sectors, aligning with labor & employment advancement.95% confidence
Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2025
Committee Review
Feb 2025
House Passage
Feb 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Feb 12, 2025 Last action Mar 4, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

As Introduced → Current version · 4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was amended from its original introduction to its final House version, primarily by reformatting the document structure and updating the legislative session header. The substantive policy content regarding program creation, eligibility, funding, and requirements remained largely unchanged, though some minor wording adjustments were made for clarity and consistency.
Scope change
No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the core policy provisions remain the same.
TECHNICAL

Header information was updated to reflect the bill passed the House in the 2025 Regular Session, replacing the original 'As Introduced' version.

Page numbering and formatting markers were removed and replaced with standard legislative formatting for the passed version.

Some minor wording adjustments were made in Section 2 findings to improve readability and consistency, such as changing 'These goals, include' to 'These goals, include the following' and adjusting punctuation.

Section 3 was renumbered and reorganized slightly in the passed version, with some reordering of subsections for better logical flow, though the substantive requirements remained the same.

Floor votes · House Feb 10, 2025

How they voted

112–2
Passed · 5 other
Total votes 119
Feb 10, 2025
D Democratic39
36 Yea 2 Nay 1
92% Yea
I Independent2
2 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican78
74 Yea 4
94% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
8
Key actions
3
Committee
3
Amendments
1
Feb 14, 2025
Committee
Referred To Universities and Colleges;Appropriations
upper
Feb 12, 2025
Introduced
Transmitted To Senate
lower
Feb 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed As Amended
lower
Feb 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
Jan 30, 2025
Lower · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass
lower
Jan 20, 2025
Committee
Referred To Workforce Development
lower
0 primary · 2 co-sponsors

Sponsors

No sponsor information available.