SB 2142 would have prohibited drivers without the minimum required liability insurance from recovering damages after a car accident. It directly affects drivers who were uninsured at the time of the crash, blocking their ability to seek compensation for accident-related injuries or property damage. The bill’s key provision states that operating a vehicle without the mandated insurance coverage (per Mississippi Code §63-15-1 et seq.) automatically disqualifies the driver from seeking damages. However, the bill died in committee in February 2026 and never became law.
HB 560 (Mississippi) would require the Department of Mental Health (DMH) to develop performance standards for community mental health centers by June 2027 and conduct audits of all centers at least once every two years starting in fiscal year 2028. Centers failing to meet standards would enter a six-month probation period; repeated failures would trigger replacement of leadership with contractors until standards are met. The bill also exempts certain DMH contracts from public procurement review. This proposed law, which died in committee in February 2026, would directly affect community mental health centers and their leadership through new accountability measures.
HB 576 transfers the responsibility for employing and managing school attendance officers from Mississippi's State Department of Education (MDE) to local school districts. It requires districts to fund one officer for every 3,000 students in compulsory-age enrollment, maintains current salaries for transferred staff (with a 25% increase), and abolishes three regional officer positions. The bill also mandates that transferred officers continue serving at charter schools within their district and ensures no interruption to retirement or health benefits. This change directly affects local school districts, current MDE-employed officers, and students whose attendance is monitored under Mississippi's compulsory school attendance law.
SB 2132 amends Mississippi's wrongful death law to allow survivors to recover expenses the deceased incurred before death, such as medical bills or property damage costs, in addition to standard damages. It directly affects family members (spouses, children, parents, or siblings) who file wrongful death claims. Key provisions require that pre-death costs be paid directly to the family without being used to settle the deceased's debts, and clarify that damages must be distributed to surviving relatives in a specific order (e.g., equally to spouse and children, or to parents if no spouse/children exist). The bill does not change who can file a claim but ensures pre-death costs are recoverable and distributed as specified.
SB 2131 would require Mississippi courts to provide defendants or their attorneys with access to grand jury records upon request, when a grand jury has already returned an indictment. The court would decide whether to allow copies (at the defendant's expense) and must keep all copies confidential. This bill directly affects criminal defendants in Mississippi by granting them limited access to previously sealed grand jury proceedings. The bill died in committee in February 2026 and was never enacted.
SB 2134 prohibits health insurance plans, Medicaid, and pharmacy benefit managers from denying coverage or imposing extra approval steps (like prior authorization) for FDA-approved HIV/AIDS treatment drugs. It directly affects people living with HIV/AIDS who rely on these medications, ensuring they can access prescribed treatments without coverage barriers. The bill requires plans to cover at least one therapeutically equivalent version of each HIV treatment drug without prior authorization, while allowing limited restrictions for other equivalent options. If enacted, the law would take effect July 1, 2026, but it died in committee on February 3, 2026.
SB 2119 updates Mississippi's Uniform Commercial Code to adopt 2018 and 2022 national amendments recommended by the Uniform Law Commission. It clarifies definitions for digital transactions (like "electronic money" and "hybrid transactions") and revises rules for commercial contracts, electronic records, and financial instruments. The bill directly affects businesses, banks, and financial institutions in Mississippi that handle digital payments, electronic contracts, or commercial records. These changes modernize Mississippi's commercial law to better align with current digital commerce practices without creating new financial obligations.
HB 554 would have allowed Mississippi's Department of Human Services (DHS) to combine different federal reporting systems used for the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) under USDA regulations. It required DHS to set its own combination of systems and submit an annual report by September 1 to specific legislative committees. The report would have needed to explain how the combined system worked, its effectiveness, and specifically track its impact on SNAP enrollment and DHS's error rate (as measured by the USDA). This bill directly affected DHS operations and how SNAP program data was reported, but it never became law after dying in committee.
HB 555, the "Mississippi Forest and Agricultural Landowners' Fairness Act," requires nonresident aliens and federally tax-exempt entities owning forest or agricultural land in Mississippi to pay the same property taxes and income/franchise taxes as regular businesses, ending their previous tax exemptions. It mandates these owners to publicly disclose full ownership details (including tract descriptions and ownership percentages) to the Secretary of State within six months, with future transfers requiring 90-day filings. The bill also changes tax assessments to use fair market value (not reduced value) for land owned by these entities, excluding timber/crop values. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and was never enacted.
SB 2137, the Mississippi Equal Pay for Equal Work Reform Act, would prohibit wage discrimination based on protected characteristics (like sex or race) for employees performing substantially equal work requiring similar skill, effort, responsibility, and working conditions. It directly affects all Mississippi employers with five or more employees, requiring them to pay equally for equal work unless pay differences fall under specific exceptions (e.g., seniority, merit, or productivity systems). Key mechanisms include authorizing the Department of Employment Security to enforce the law, investigate claims, mediate disputes, and allow employees to recover back pay, punitive damages, and attorney fees in civil suits. The bill also bans retaliation against employees who discuss wages to identify disparities. (Note: The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and did not become law.)
HB 578 would have allowed Mississippi state agencies to negotiate liability limits with prospective contractors in future contracts, directly affecting both state agencies and contractors. The bill’s key provision permits agency heads, purchasing agents, or designated staff to include such limits during contract negotiations, as long as the state retains "reasonable protection" against damages. It did not create new requirements but expanded existing negotiation authority for contracts. The bill died in committee in February 2026 and never became law.
HB 559 removes a legal cap on the number of passenger automobiles the Mississippi Division of State Aid Road Construction can own and operate for its road maintenance and inspection work. This bill amends Section 65-9-7 of Mississippi law to authorize the division to use "the necessary number" of vehicles without a specified limit, as long as it follows existing vehicle management rules. The bill was referred to the Transportation and Appropriations committees but died in committee on February 3, 2026, and is no longer active. It does not change funding, road construction standards, or affect the public directly - it only modifies fleet authorization for a state highway department division.
