HB 4065 Mississippi House · 2026 Regular Session

Mississippi School Resource Officers School Safety (MS ROSS) Act; create to provide funding to local law enforcement agencies.

HB 4065 establishes the MS ROSS program to fund school resource officers (SROs) at Mississippi schools. The state (via the Department of Public Safety) covers 75% of the costs for one SRO per school campus (up to $55,000 annually for salary, benefits, training, and equipment), while local law enforcement agencies and school governing bodies cover the remaining 25%. The program applies to all public and eligible private K-12 schools within a law enforcement agency's jurisdiction, requiring joint applications and a formal agreement between schools and law enforcement. It creates a dedicated state fund and authorizes bonds to support these SRO placements, aiming to enhance school safety through community policing partnerships.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 27, 2026 Last action Mar 17, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute → Current version · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill title was updated to reflect its current status as passed by the House rather than its earlier Committee Substitute version. This change indicates the bill has moved forward in the legislative process and represents the most recent version approved by the House chamber.

TECHNICAL

Updated the bill designation from 'Committee Substitute' to 'As Passed the House', indicating the bill has advanced through the House committee stage and reflects the final version approved by the House chamber.

As Introduced → Committee Substitute · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill was revised from its original introduction to a committee substitute version, primarily to clarify definitions, adjust funding percentages, and establish a more structured implementation timeline. The changes ensure clearer eligibility criteria for independent schools, set a fixed 75% funding contribution from the state starting in fiscal year 2027, and add detailed requirements for joint applications and memorandums of understanding between law enforcement and school districts.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to explicitly include accredited independent schools as eligible recipients of funding, whereas the original version only mentioned public and private elementary and secondary schools without specifying accreditation requirements.

FISCAL

The state's funding contribution was changed from a graduated percentage schedule (30% to 70% over five years) to a fixed 75% contribution starting in fiscal year 2027, with a maximum salary cost cap of $55,000 per officer.

A special fund was created in the State Treasury to manage program monies, with provisions for investment earnings and a 1% administrative fee cap of $150,000 for the Department of Public Safety.

ELIGIBILITY

Independent schools are now explicitly eligible for funding if they are members of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools, accredited by a recognized organization, and not subject to State Board of Education authority unless accredited.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements mandate that local law enforcement agencies and school governing bodies must submit joint applications containing specific details about personnel, school information, and proposed salaries, along with a signed Memorandum of Understanding or interlocal agreement.

DEFINITION

Definitions for 'Applicable percentage', 'Independent school', and 'School governing body' were revised to provide clearer legal standards and operational clarity for the program administration.

TIMELINE

Specific appropriation timelines were added, requiring at least $5 million for the 2026-2027 scholastic year and up to $2 million annually thereafter, contingent on demonstrated need and participation levels.

ENFORCEMENT

New provisions require school resource officers to complete specific training at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy and participate in the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Program.

Floor votes · House Feb 25, 2026

How they voted

113–4

Passed · 5 other

Total votes 122

Feb 25, 2026

D Democratic40

33 Yea 4 Nay 3

82% Yea

I Independent2

2 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican80

78 Yea 2

97% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Mar 4, 2026

Committee

Referred To Education;Finance

upper

Feb 27, 2026

Introduced

Transmitted To Senate

lower

Feb 25, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Committee

Referred To Ways and Means

lower

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor