SB 2010, a proposed Mississippi bill, requires health insurance plans to establish a clear, transparent process for patients or doctors to request exceptions to step therapy protocols for CRF-COPD (chronic respiratory failure due to COPD). It mandates that insurers respond to standard exception requests within 72 hours and urgent life-threatening cases within one business day, covering treatments when criteria like treatment ineffectiveness, harm, or risk of irreversible consequences are met. The bill also requires insurers to publish this process online and limit documentation requests to only necessary medical information. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and never became law.
This bill proposes amending the Mississippi Constitution to require all elected officials to be natural-born citizens of the United States. It would add this requirement to existing qualifications for positions including the governor, legislators, state auditors, judges (all levels), secretary of state, attorney general, and justice court judges. The bill specifically amends constitutional sections governing eligibility for these offices, replacing or adding "natural born citizen" where currently unspecified. If passed, this would change the citizenship requirement for all these elected roles, though it does not apply to appointed positions. The proposal was referred to committee but died there in 2026.
SB 2008 would have prohibited Mississippi health insurers and managed-care companies from discriminating against accredited durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers, such as those providing wheelchairs or oxygen equipment. It required these insurers to reimburse DME suppliers at least at the state Medicaid rate for the full duration of a patient's valid prescription, paid monthly without interruption. The bill directly affected DME suppliers, patients needing ongoing equipment, and insurers by setting a minimum reimbursement standard. However, the bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and never became law.
SB 2009 would require an elected official to resign their current position if they qualify as a candidate for another public office whose term begins during their existing term. This applies directly to state or local elected officials seeking a new office with overlapping terms. The bill's key mechanism is automatically treating candidacy as a resignation, creating a vacancy that would be filled per existing laws. The bill died in committee in February 2026 and would have taken effect July 1, 2026, if enacted.
SB 2006 increases the annual office operating allowance for Mississippi circuit and chancery judges to $15,000, covering expenses like office rent, equipment, and travel for legal education. It also creates a new $260,000 annual fund per judge (managed by the Administrative Office of Courts) to hire approved support staff (e.g., law clerks, secretaries), requiring prior approval before hiring. The bill preserves an additional $7,000 annual allowance for judges without a county-provided office and is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2026. This directly affects all circuit judges and chancellors in Mississippi by changing their office funding structure.
SB 2015, the Mississippi Consumer Data Privacy Act, would grant Mississippi consumers new rights over personal data collected by businesses. It would allow consumers to request businesses to disclose what data they collect, delete that data, and opt out of data sales. Businesses meeting specific size thresholds (e.g., $10 million annual revenue or handling data of 50,000+ consumers) would be required to comply with these requests. Violations could lead to civil lawsuits by consumers or enforcement actions by the Attorney General. The bill died in committee in 2026 and did not become law.
HB 182 prohibits all Mississippi law enforcement officers from using, possessing, or deploying tasers or stun guns in their official duties, effective July 1, 2026. It requires law enforcement agencies to remove all such devices from active service by June 30, 2026, and transfer them to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety for destruction or redistribution. Violations could result in officer suspension/termination or agency fines up to $10,000 per incident. The bill, which amended Section 97-37-1 of Mississippi Code to explicitly ban officer use of these devices, died in committee on February 3, 2026.
HB 170 would require school attendance officers to file a youth court petition after a student's third unexcused absence from school. The youth court could then order the student to complete 16 hours of community service within 30 days of being adjudicated. This bill directly affects Mississippi students aged 6-17 who repeatedly miss school without valid reasons (such as illness, authorized activities, or health orders). The bill died in committee in February 2026 and did not advance.
HB 98 requires Mississippi's statewide student tests to be administered in the primary spoken language of English Language Learners (ELLs) instead of only English. It directly affects ELL students in public schools by mandating that the State Department of Education translate tests into appropriate languages for each grade level, and school districts must report ELL language data and request translation assistance in advance. Key provisions include requiring translated test materials, providing translation support through state-provided observers/proctors, and excluding English language arts tests and the ACT from these requirements. The bill aims to ensure ELL students are not disadvantaged during testing by accommodating their language needs.
HB 73 would allow mechanics who haven't been paid for vehicle repairs to seek title to the vehicle from a title loan company, but only if the vehicle owner obtained the title loan *after* repairs began. This directly affects mechanics with unpaid bills and vehicle owners who secured title loans during ongoing repairs. The bill adds a provision to Mississippi law requiring mechanics to notify the owner and title loan company after 30 days of nonpayment and a 5-day redemption period before seeking title from the lender. If the owner doesn't pay within that timeframe, the mechanic could claim the title directly from the title loan company instead of relying solely on the vehicle's sale.
HB 154 creates Mississippi's College and Career Readiness Planning Program, requiring public schools to administer pre-ACT assessments (EXPLORE for 8th graders and PLAN/PSAT for 10th graders) starting in the 2026-2027 school year. The bill mandates schools use these results to guide student course selection, college planning, and improve academic readiness, aiming to reduce college remediation needs. Data from the assessments will be collected by the State Department of Education to track progress on reducing remediation rates and inform school improvement. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, so these requirements have not taken effect.
HB 176 would have required Mississippi public school districts to implement drug testing for students in grades 6-12 who receive in-school or out-of-school suspensions for disciplinary reasons. The bill mandated that schools adopt policies requiring parents to pay for the tests (administered by county health departments within 72 hours), with positive results triggering mental health referrals while maintaining confidentiality. It included provisions for students to present evidence of prescription medication as a defense and required school districts to provide counseling resources. However, the bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and never became law.
