HB 171 requires all Mississippi 11th graders to take the GED or High School Equivalency Test before the end of their 11th-grade year. Students scoring below grade level on this test would lose eligibility for senior early release privileges (leaving school early during regular hours after finishing classes). The bill, which died in committee in 2026, aims to ensure academic readiness before granting senior benefits. It directly affects 11th-grade students in Mississippi public schools who seek early release privileges.
HB 177 would have increased annual pay for Mississippi state employees based on their current salary brackets, effective July 1, 2026. Employees earning under $25,000 would receive a $2,500 raise, those between $25,000-$35,000 would get $1,500, those between $35,000-$50,000 would get $1,000, and those over $50,000 would get $500. The bill included two key limits: no employee could exceed their agency head’s pay, and the State Personnel Board would adjust job classifications if raises would push salaries beyond standard pay scales. It required legislative funding and died in committee in February 2026, so it never took effect.
HB 157 would have required all Mississippi public school students in Grade 9 to take a comprehensive Mississippi History course covering the state's history from colonization to the present. The bill mandated specific curriculum content, including emphasis on 19th- and 20th-century political, social, economic, and cultural issues affecting Mississippi's diverse populations. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and has not become law. It directly affected all public high school 9th graders in Mississippi.
HB 79, the "Mississippi Midwifery License Law," establishes a state licensing system for professional midwives practicing in community settings. It requires midwives to obtain a license from the newly created Mississippi State Board of Licensed Midwifery, defines their scope of practice (including antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum care), and mandates that health insurance plans covering maternity benefits must also cover services provided by licensed midwives. The bill directly affects midwives seeking to practice legally, insurance companies, and patients seeking midwifery care, while exempting certified nurse midwives already regulated under separate medical licensing. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and was never enacted.
HB 40 would allow certified nurse practitioners (CNPs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), and clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) in Mississippi to practice independently after completing 3,600 hours of experience, removing the requirement to maintain a collaborative relationship with a physician or dentist. It also permits these nurses to count hours worked before July 1, 2026, toward the 3,600-hour requirement. The bill amends multiple sections of Mississippi’s nursing law to update definitions, exempt these roles from physician collaboration rules, and align disciplinary procedures. This directly affects advanced practice nurses seeking greater autonomy in patient care. (Note: The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026.)
HB 192 requires Mississippi public schools to provide 20 hours annually of "healthy living" instruction for grades 9-12, focusing on nutrition, exercise, and behavior choices. This includes mandatory CPR/AED training using approved programs (like American Heart Association materials) starting with the 2015-16 ninth-grade class. Schools must adopt wellness plans promoting physical activity, healthy eating, and tobacco/drug avoidance, with local health councils advising on curriculum. The bill also establishes a state physical activity coordinator role with specific qualifications to support implementation.
HB 60 allows Mississippi first responders (firefighters, law enforcement officers, and public EMS personnel with 10+ years of service) to request a hair follicle drug test if a urine test shows a positive result. It requires employers to place them on paid administrative leave while they contest the result, giving them 2 business days to request the follow-up test and an additional 5 days to complete it. If the hair test is negative, the employer reimburses the first responder’s test costs and cannot require further testing; if positive, the responder pays for the test. The bill creates this process to address potential false positives in initial urine tests before disciplinary action is taken.
HB 194 would require Mississippi's State Department of Education, in partnership with higher education and human services agencies, to create the "African-American Male Success Academy" for public school students in kindergarten through grade 8. The program would be a one-semester course using culturally responsive teaching to help educators recognize and support the social and academic needs of young African-American male students. Key provisions include mandatory components like social studies lessons affirming African-American history, literature, interactions with community authority figures (including law enforcement), mental health resources, and activities to build racial pride and academic identity. Students would complete tasks designed to overcome barriers to achievement and develop a "scholar identity," with the program set to begin in the 2026-2027 school year.
HB 84 requires public school districts rated "C" under Mississippi's accountability system to provide online remedial courses for all enrolled students. The bill mandates courses covering vocabulary, math, geography, science, and other grade-appropriate subjects, with separate grading on report cards. It directs the state to issue a request for proposals (RFP) to hire a virtual instruction provider to manage the courses, track student progress, and report individual academic weaknesses to counselors and parents. The bill, which died in committee on February 3, 2026, would have taken effect July 1, 2026, if enacted.
HB 37 amends Mississippi election law to require county or municipal executive committees (not resolution boards) to review and process damaged, defective, blank, or overvoted absentee ballots in primary elections. The bill specifies that these committees must verify voter intent for ambiguous ballots, create duplicates for counting, and follow detailed procedures for handling rejected ballots. It directly affects local election officials managing primary elections by changing the entity responsible for ballot review. The bill focuses on procedural improvements to ensure consistent handling of absentee ballots that cannot be processed by voting machines.
HB 32 requires Mississippi state agencies to publish detailed specifications for reverse auctions on their websites for 30 days before the auction and in a local newspaper for three consecutive weeks. This applies to state purchases over $75,000, making reverse auctions the primary method for obtaining bids on such contracts. Agencies must seek approval from the Public Procurement Review Board if they choose not to use reverse auctions, and they cannot use them for public construction or school purchases of educational materials. The bill directly affects state agencies conducting procurements above $75,000 and vendors bidding on these contracts.
HB 190 establishes a four-year pilot program in three Mississippi school districts with high teen pregnancy and school violence rates, requiring each school to employ at least one professional school counselor. The program, starting in 2026-2027, mandates annual evaluations by state education, health, and human services departments to assess impacts on teen pregnancy and violence rates, with a final report due in 2031. The bill prohibits counselors from discussing abortion as a pregnancy prevention method and amends existing law to define required counseling services. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and is not currently active.
