1/22/26 Legislative Update

It has been a busy week in the capitol. Here is a summary of this week’s significant developments:

• Governor Reeves announced Monday that he has opted our state into the federal tax credit voucher program that the President signed into law last summer as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill. The program awards federal tax credits to individuals who donate to scholarship granting organizations (SGOs) that provide vouchers for private and religious schools.
• The House of Representatives tabled the motion to reconsider HB 2, that chamber’s ominous school choice bill, Tuesday and the bill was sent to the Senate that same day. HB 2 was referred to the Senate Education Committee Wednesday. Please contact members of the committee with your thoughts on the bill. Educators’ voices had a significant impact on the House vote and it is critical that senators hear those same concerns. The Mayor and Board of Aldermen of Madison passed a resolution Monday night opposing HB 2, as well as any other legislation containing the same or similar provisions as HB 2.
• Robo texts paid for by the Mississippi Conservatives Fund went out Wednesday to constituents of the 17 Republican House members who voted against HB 2. The texts condemned these legislators for voting against President Trump and voting with House Democrats. The 59 House members who voted against HB 2, particularly the 17 Republicans who voted against the bill, are to be commended as their votes reflected the wishes of their constituents, rather than the federal administration and/or the House leadership. If your representative voted against HB 2 and you have not already done so, please reach out to him/her with your thanks and support. Your appreciation will not only recognize them but will also send an important message to senators that their constituents and educators appreciate their opposition to vouchers.
• The Senate Finance Committee met Tuesday and received an update from PERS. Committee members’ questions centered around the system’s unfunded liability as well as Tier 5, with members questioning its impact on the future financial standing of the system and the recruitment of state employees.
• House Education met Wednesday afternoon and passed 16 noncontroversial bills, including HB 1206 which provides that early childhood education employees in charter schools will be held to the same standards as those in public schools and HB 1211 which revises the duties and salary of school attendance officers (SAOs). HB 1206 is headed to the full House while HB 1211 must now be considered by the House Appropriations Committee.

Senate Education met for 2 ½ hours today and passed 15 bills including:

• SB 2072 requires EEF procurement cards to be issued by July 15. The bill now heads to the full Senate.
• SB 2286 is the Senate’s compulsory school attendance and SAO bill that defines an excused absence, provides that a student shall be considered in full-day attendance if they are present for at least 66% of the instructional day, and requires intervention strategies for students once they have five unexcused absences. The bill also provides a pay raise for SAOs. The bill now heads to the full Senate.
• SB 2293 increases the weight and multiplier in the Mississippi Student Funding Formula for gifted education to 14.5% applied to 10% of a school district. If passed into law, it is estimated that this will provide an additional $19 million to districts for gifted education. The bill now heads to the full Senate.
• SB 2486 requires MDE’s Standing Commission on School District Efficiency to study the need for consolidating school districts throughout the state. The Commission is to submit a plan to the legislature by November 30, 2026, and on November 30 of every year thereafter. The bill expresses the legislative intent to pass legislation in the 2027 Legislative Session and subsequent sessions that would require consolidation with the first consolidation to occur in July 2028. The bill now heads to the full Senate.
• SB 2489 was on the agenda, but the committee did not take it up. SB 2489 revokes a charter school’s charter if the school remains a D or F for longer than two years. Senate Education may consider the bill at a future meeting prior to the committee deadline.
  

Both chambers adjourned for the week today to allow legislators to travel home before this weekend’s winter storm. The House and Senate are scheduled to convene Monday afternoon subject to travel conditions.

Tuesday, February 3, is the deadline for committees to pass general bills originating in their chamber. Any bill not passed out of committee in its chamber of origin by that deadline will die on the calendar. House and Senate Education will most likely meet several more times before the deadline. We will issue our first bill tracking spreadsheet of the 2026 Legislative Session after the February 3 deadline.