Education

SB 2029 appropriates $1.2 million for the Dixie National Livestock Show in Jackson and allocates additional funds totaling $196,540 for other livestock events in Mississippi. It directly supports livestock exhibitors, county associations, and schools by funding prizes, premiums, and operational costs for county shows, district livestock shows, state dairy shows, and high school rodeos. Key provisions require 75% of district and dairy show funds to go to 4-H and Smith-Hughes students, limit county show funding to $2,000 per county, and mandate adequate facilities for funded events. The bill specifies exact amounts for each event type (e.g., $65,000 for district shows, $14,150 for high school rodeo promotion) for fiscal year 2026. It has been signed into law by the governor.

HB 43 appropriates $4,713,545 from general funds and $9,921,012 from special funds (including $2,118,966 from the Education Enhancement Fund) to cover the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television's (MAET) expenses for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026). The bill specifically restricts $6,550,368 of these funds for "Personal Services" (salaries, wages, benefits, and vacancy funding), limiting MAET to 87 total authorized positions (80 permanent, 7 time-limited) and prohibiting use for public relations or replacing federal funds. It requires MAET to maintain detailed financial records matching its 2025 reporting standards and mandates that any 2027 budget request follow the same format. This is a routine budget appropriation bill, now law after passing the legislature and being signed by the governor on June 2, 2025.