HB 1585 requires all Mississippi public school districts and charter schools to evaluate long-term technology costs - including repair expenses, innovation flexibility, and resale value - before purchasing devices like computers, tablets, or interactive whiteboards. School boards must submit annual reports by August 15, detailing their "break/fix rate" (percentage of devices needing repair), total device inventory, repair costs, and replacement needs. The State Board of Education will then compile these reports into a summary for the legislature by November 15 each year, including recommendations to reduce repair rates. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, with the first reports due for the 2025-2026 school year.
SB 2625 creates a new executive-appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) position in Mississippi's governor's cabinet. The Governor must appoint the CIO with Senate consent, who will advise on statewide IT and cybersecurity policy, protect state data, and oversee modernization of digital services. The CIO must submit annual reports detailing IT spending, security plans, and agency-level strategies. The position is temporary, taking effect July 1, 2026, and expiring June 30, 2026.
HB 1528 revises Mississippi's teacher licensure requirements by removing minimum academic barriers for entering educator preparation programs. It eliminates the need for a 21 ACT score, SAT equivalent, Praxis passing score, or 3.0 GPA to begin training, making entry more accessible for prospective teachers. The bill also requires participants in the Teach Mississippi Institute to complete two 6-hour internships and allows up to 15 credit hours toward a provisional teaching license. These changes directly affect individuals pursuing teaching careers in Mississippi, particularly those in traditional and non-traditional educator preparation programs. The policy shifts aim to streamline entry into teaching while adding structured internship components.
HB 1320 allows Mississippi local school boards to provide bus transportation to students living within one mile of their assigned school if documented safety risks exist, such as lack of sidewalks, dangerous road crossings, or high-crime areas. It does not change the standard rule requiring transportation for students living more than one mile away. School boards must determine these safety risks themselves, and no state funds can be used for this transportation. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies only to students living within one mile who face specific, documented safety hazards.
HB 1253, the SHIELD Act, requires Mississippi voter registrars to verify citizenship using the federal SAVE system when processing new voter registrations. If the system flags an applicant as potentially non-citizen, the registrar must send a notice requesting proof of citizenship (like a birth certificate or passport) within 30 days; applicants may cast an affidavit ballot while pending verification. The bill mandates annual reports to the Secretary of State on flagged applicants and requires the Secretary to annually compare statewide voter records with the SAVE database, excluding verification data from public records. This directly affects voters whose citizenship is initially flagged during registration, with removal from voter rolls only possible after verification failure or ineligibility confirmation, not during the 90 days before federal elections.
SB 2386 prohibits Mississippi circuit court judges from allowing any political candidate to address the public during court sessions. It directly affects circuit court judges (who may no longer facilitate such speeches) and all political candidates (who are barred from speaking in court settings during terms). The key provision, stated in Section 1, bans judges from providing "any opportunity for any political candidate to address the public during court terms." This bill updates existing law (Section 23-15-973) to extend this prohibition broadly to all candidates, not just judicial office seekers. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.
HB 1588 extends an existing exemption for Mississippi's Office of Workforce Development from state procurement rules related to rental agreements and property leases, which was set to expire. It also adds a new exemption allowing the Office to purchase personal or professional services without following those procurement rules for conducting agency business. The bill further updates the Office's authority to implement workforce training programs by correcting outdated references in its legal code. These changes primarily affect the Office of Workforce Development and state agencies using its services, maintaining current operational flexibility without creating new programs or funding.
HB 513 redirects 12.5% of annual fees and tax revenues collected under Mississippi's Medical Cannabis Act into the Mississippi Public Health Trust Fund for four years, ending July 1, 2030. The bill specifies that this amount equals the previous year's total cannabis revenue minus funds allocated for program administration. The remainder of these revenues continues to go to the State General Fund. This policy change directly affects how cannabis program funding is distributed, prioritizing public health initiatives during the four-year period.
HB 713 clarifies that Mississippi's Public Utilities Staff is not included in the list of state agencies funded from the General Fund under the 2016 Budget Transparency and Simplification Act. The bill amends Section 27-104-205 of Mississippi Code to explicitly remove the Public Utilities Staff from the budgeting category affected by that law. This change does not alter existing tax funding mechanisms for the agency (which continue to use utility taxes deposited into the Public Utilities Staff Regulation Fund). The bill focuses solely on budget classification, not on changing funding levels or policy.
HB 712 removes the requirement that the Mississippi Public Service Commission (PSC) be funded through annual state appropriations from the General Fund. Instead, the bill directs that fees collected by the PSC for regulating utilities (such as electricity, gas, and water providers) must be deposited directly into the State General Fund. This shifts the PSC's funding model from relying on legislative budget allocations to being self-funded through its own fee collections. The bill directly affects the PSC, which oversees public utility regulation across Mississippi.
SB 2417 amends Mississippi's state telework policies to require state agencies to report remote worker details (names, titles, schedules) to the State Personnel Board annually. It mandates that state employees working remotely must be physically present at agency offices at least three days per week, unless exempt under the Americans with Disabilities Act or other applicable law. The bill prohibits the State Personnel Board from processing personnel actions (like hires or promotions) for non-compliant agencies and requires the Board to create enforceable rules for implementation. These changes directly affect all state agencies and employees under the Board’s oversight, effective July 1, 2026, with provisions set to expire July 1, 2029.
SB 2678 changes how long unemployed workers in Mississippi can receive benefits. It ties the maximum number of weekly benefit weeks directly to the state's average unemployment rate over the previous three months, using specific thresholds: 12 weeks at or below 5% unemployment, 16 weeks between 5-7%, 20 weeks between 7-10%, and 26 weeks above 10%. The Mississippi Department of Employment Security must publish monthly unemployment rates and corresponding benefit weeks on its website. This bill affects all individuals filing initial unemployment claims starting July 1, 2026, when it takes effect.
