SB 2474 Mississippi Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Rare Disease Task Force; establish within the Mississippi Rare Disease Advisory Council.

SB 2474 creates a pilot program allowing up to three rural hospitals in Mississippi to operate outpatient dialysis units, ambulatory surgical facilities, or geriatric psychiatric units without requiring standard certificate of need approvals. To qualify, hospitals must be located in counties without municipalities exceeding 15,000 residents (or in Washington County), and new units must be within five miles of the hospital’s main location as of January 1, 2026. The bill modifies existing licensing rules to permit these exceptions, with the state health officer’s approval decisions being final - only allowing limited reconsideration requests within seven days. This directly affects qualifying rural hospitals seeking to expand specific services without lengthy regulatory hurdles.
Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
Senate Passage
Feb 2026
House Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Feb 12, 2026 Signed Apr 8, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the upper Current version · 6 edits
MODERATE
The bill was completely rewritten to shift from a pilot program for rural hospitals to establish a Rare Disease Task Force within the Mississippi Rare Disease Advisory Council. The new version focuses on identifying care gaps, evaluating insurance coverage practices, and ensuring equitable access to rare disease therapies, while also amending a separate bill to replace the term 'license' with 'exemption' for administrative efficiency.
Scope change
The bill's scope changed from establishing a pilot program for specific rural hospital services (dialysis, surgery, psychiatric units) to creating a permanent advisory task force focused on rare diseases and amending existing certificate of need laws to use the term 'exemption' instead of 'license'.
SCOPE

Established a new Rare Disease Task Force within the Mississippi Rare Disease Advisory Council to address gaps in care, funding, and insurance coverage for rare diseases.

Removed the Rural Hospital Pilot Program which authorized the State Health Officer to issue licenses for outpatient dialysis units, ambulatory surgical facilities, and geriatric psychiatric units at rural hospitals.

DEFINITION

Added specific definitions for 'rare disease', 'council', 'task force', and 'alternative funding program' to clarify the bill's focus and terminology.

REQUIREMENT

Amended House Bill No. 1622 to replace the term 'license' with 'exemption' in the Small Community Hospital Pilot Program section to improve administrative consistency.

Established a seven-member task force with specific appointment procedures and defined powers to identify care gaps and advise policymakers on evidence-based solutions.

ENFORCEMENT

Added reporting requirements mandating an annual report to the Governor and Legislature regarding task force activities, rare disease therapy access trends, and alternative funding program impacts.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 11, 2026 · House Mar 10, 2026

How they voted

520
Passed
Total votes 52
Feb 11, 2026
D Democratic18
18 Yea
100% Yea
R Republican34
34 Yea
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
23
Key actions
9
Committee
9
Amendments
1
Apr 8, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor
executive
Apr 2, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Report Adopted
lower
Apr 1, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Report Filed
lower
Apr 1, 2026
Committee
Recommitted For Further Conf
upper
Mar 31, 2026
Committee
Recommitted For Further Conf
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Report Filed
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed As Amended
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
Feb 26, 2026
Lower · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass As Amended
lower
Feb 16, 2026
Committee
Referred To Public Health and Human Services;State Affairs
lower
Feb 12, 2026
Introduced
Transmitted To House
upper
Feb 11, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed
upper
Feb 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub
upper
Jan 19, 2026
Committee
Referred To Public Health and Welfare
upper
1 primary · 3 co-sponsors

Sponsors