Category: Bill Tracker

By Toren Ballard I Director of K-12 Policy With a wild 2022 legislative session finally coming to a close, we thought it would be helpful to summarize the ideas that survived the legislative process. Teacher pay and the controversial “critical race theory” bill have dominated headlines in recent months, but the 2022 legislative session also…

Committee Education Author Dennis DeBar, Jr. Session 2022 Session Conferees failed to produce a conference report amenable to a majority of conferees by the March 28 deadline. SB 2423 is now dead. However, the supplemental endorsement provision of SB 2423 has been added to the final version of HB 1388, which was signed into law…

Committee Workforce Development; Education Author Philip Gunn Session 2022 Session House Bill 1388, also known as the Comprehensive Career and Technical Education Reform Act, would enact a number of measures intended to promote the career and technical education (CTE) pathway as a viable option for students in Mississippi public schools. These measures include implementing a…

Committee Education; Appropriations Author Dennis DeBar Session 2022 Session Senate Bill 2430 would create the Educational Facilities Revolving Loan Fund Program to provide interest-free loans to K-12 public schools as well as public community and junior colleges across Mississippi for the purpose of improving educational facilities. The bill would deposit $200 million in the newly-created…

Committee Education; Appropriations Author Dennis DeBar Session 2022 Session Senate Bill 2443 would delete caps on the number of nurses and speech pathologists that can receive salary supplements for being National Board-certified, as well as qualify athletic trainers for National Board salary supplements. SB 2443 has also been amended to provide for the same pay…

Committee Education Author Kent McCarty Session 2022 Session House Bill 1340 would create the Family Engagement Kindergarten Readiness Pilot Program, which would provide “home-based instruction and services” to at least 1,000 preschool-age children throughout the state. Families would participate in the program on a voluntary basis, and all instruction and services would be delivered in…

Committee Education Author Rob Robertson Session 2022 Session House Bill 795 would create two pilot programs to expand virtual learning opportunities in Mississippi: the Digital Learning in the Classroom Pilot Program and the Virtual Public School Pilot Program. Both pilot programs are explicitly intended to promote “equal access to education” and prevent children from being…