HB 1279 requires every Mississippi school district to establish a vocational education program or partner with other districts to jointly operate one, subject to approval by the State Board of Education. It mandates that school boards (or groups of boards) create agreements covering financing, facility management, staffing, and student admission for these programs. The bill specifically targets non-degree vocational training (like trades, health, or business skills) for students, excluding bachelor’s-level programs. This policy change shifts the requirement from voluntary to mandatory for all districts, aiming to expand access to career-focused education.
HB 1285, the MS ROSS Act, creates a state-funded program to help cover costs for school resource officers (SROs) in Mississippi schools. The Mississippi Department of Public Safety will pay an increasing percentage of SRO salaries (starting at 30% for 2026-2027, rising to 70% by 2030-2031), up to $55,000 per officer per school, with local law enforcement and school boards covering the remainder. The program applies to all public schools and eligible accredited private schools, requiring joint applications from local law enforcement and school governing bodies to access funds. It mandates a formal agreement between schools and law enforcement to ensure SROs focus on safety and community policing efforts.
HB 1313 exempts Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs) who have completed at least 8,000 practice hours from needing a collaborative agreement with a physician or dentist. This directly affects CRNAs in Mississippi who meet the hour requirement, allowing them to practice independently without physician oversight. The bill also permits CRNAs to count hours worked before the law's effective date toward the 8,000-hour requirement. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and did not become law.
HB 1281 requires Mississippi's State Auditor to conduct a 50-year review (1976-2026) comparing all legislative funding to Alcorn State University and Mississippi State University. The bill mandates the auditor to break down every year's appropriations - both general support and specific program funding - by institution. The auditor must submit a detailed report to legislative committees by December 1, 2026, showing total annual funding for each university. This report will provide a historical comparison of state financial support to these two land-grant institutions.
HB 1274 would prevent Mississippi car insurers from raising premiums, canceling policies, or refusing to renew coverage based on nonfault car accidents (where the insured driver wasn't at fault, even if unreported). It directly affects drivers who have been in accidents they didn't cause, ensuring insurers cannot use these incidents to increase costs or deny coverage. The law requires insurers to refund overcharges plus triple the amount or $1,000 (whichever is greater) plus attorney fees if they violate these rules. This bill amends existing insurance laws (Sections 83-11-3 and 83-11-7) to enforce these protections.
HB 1287 requires most health insurance policies covering Mississippi residents to include annual pap smear coverage starting July 1, 2026, without imposing higher deductibles or coinsurance than for similar services. The bill mandates reimbursement rates for pap smears to match Medicare levels and ensures no extra costs for patients if referrals to non-participating providers are needed. It specifically amends the state employees' health insurance plan (Section 25-15-9) to include this coverage. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and never became law. This policy directly affects insurers, healthcare providers, and patients seeking preventive cervical cancer screening.
HB 1346 would create a state-funded program providing $500 annually to Mississippi law enforcement officers who have completed five years of full-time service in the state. The program, administered by the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, would apply to sworn, certified officers working for municipalities or counties employing at least one full-time officer. This supplemental payment would be in addition to existing local government pay and could not reduce other compensation. The bill requires that the five years of service must have been completed within Mississippi.
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to allow Mississippi counties to tax nuclear power plants without legislative restrictions. It establishes a special tax valuation method for these facilities, treating them as public utilities at 30% of their assessed value (currently under Class IV property). The amendment directly affects counties seeking revenue from nuclear plants and the plants themselves by ensuring counties retain authority to levy taxes without state approval. It modifies existing tax classification rules to explicitly include nuclear facilities under the public utility tax framework.
HB 1325 removes a restriction preventing a specific psychiatric residential treatment facility in DeSoto County from participating in Mississippi's Medicaid program. The bill amends state law to delete a prohibition that blocked the facility - established under a hospital's Certificate of Need approval - from receiving Medicaid payments for its services. This change would directly allow the facility to bill Medicaid for care provided to eligible patients, without altering Medicaid eligibility or funding levels. The bill died in committee and did not become law.
HB 1280 reduces penalties for marijuana possession in Mississippi by establishing new, lower sentencing tiers based on the amount possessed. It directly affects individuals convicted of possessing marijuana, replacing previous penalties with maximum punishments of up to 18 months in jail or $1,500 in fines for under 30 grams, and up to 10 years or $10,000 for amounts over 500 grams. The bill amends existing law to create a four-tier system (under 30g, 30-250g, 250g-500g, and 500g-1kg) with progressively higher penalties for larger quantities. These changes apply specifically to simple possession offenses, not sales or other marijuana-related violations. The bill was referred to committee but died there in February 2026.
SB 2493 requires every Mississippi public school to employ a licensed mental health counselor starting in the 2026-2027 school year, and mandates that all students meet with this counselor at least once annually. The bill directly affects all K-12 public school students and districts across Mississippi by adding this new mental health support requirement to existing school counseling services. If enacted, the law would create a new position for licensed mental health counselors in every school building, distinct from current school counselors, with the annual student meeting requirement taking effect in 2026. The bill died in committee in February 2026 and did not become law.
HB 1269 would have prohibited overnight visitation between a child and a noncustodial parent when a court has determined not to grant that parent custody and has no plan for re-unification. The bill amended Mississippi’s custody law (Section 93-5-24) to add this specific restriction, directly affecting children in custody disputes where a parent is deemed unfit or unsuitable for reunification. Key provisions would require courts to block overnight visits in these scenarios, prioritizing child safety over visitation access. The bill died in committee in 2026 and never became law.
