By Micayla Tatum I Director of Early Childhood Policy
The legislative session came to a close on Wednesday, April 3, 2025, when the House voted to end the session without passing a budget for the state government, including an appropriations bill for the Mississippi Department of Education or the Mississippi Department of Human Services. As a result, the Governor must call a special session before July 1.
The 2025 legislative session was not fruitful for early childhood education (ECE). All ECE bills failed to progress through the legislative process by required deadlines. However, there were some wins for children and families and some tentative action pending on early childhood funding. See the list below.
Child-Focused Legislation – ENACTED
Though we focus exclusively on education at Mississippi First, here are a few bills that relate to children and families that may also be of interest:
- House Bill 662 – HB 662 became law on March 25. HB 662 revises the criteria for presumptive eligibility for pregnant women. Presumptive eligibility was originally passed in 2024. The legislature passed a bill to allow pregnant women to access Medicaid services and benefits while the Division of Medicaid makes an eligibility determination. HB 662 revises the criteria for presumptive eligibility for pregnant women. The revisions align Mississippi law with federal law and help implement the 2024 changes to Medicaid eligibility.
- House Bill 1063 – HB 1063 was signed into law by the Governor on March 25. HB 1063 provides six weeks of paid parental leave to state employees who are primary caregivers, most often mothers.
Early Childhood Funding – TENTATIVE
During the special session, we can expect to hear about appropriations for early childhood. In particular, Mississippi First is monitoring how the early learning collaboratives (ELCs) will fare. Due to federal funding uncertainty based on actions in Washington, DC, we are in unfamiliar waters for appropriations and unsure how those decisions will affect Mississippi as the state legislature moves forward.
Teacher-Related Early Childhood Education Legislation – DEAD
Neither of the two remaining ECE bills survived the March 4th deadline for general bills to pass out of committee in the other house.
- House Bill 1142 – HB 1142 died in the Senate Education Committee. The bill removed licensure exemptions for pre-K teachers in public charter school classrooms that receive state grants from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE). HB 1142 allowed Mississippi to continue to be one of only five states to meet all ten of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) quality benchmarks.
- House Bill 1100 – HB 1100 died in the Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee. The bill created the Mississippi Childcare Teachers Shortage Study Committee to study methods of reducing the childcare teacher shortage and increasing the supply of affordable childcare seats.
Early Childhood-Focused Revenue and Appropriations Legislation – DEAD
None of the early childhood-focused revenue and appropriations bills survived the February 26th deadline.
- House Bill 907 – HB 907 died in the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill increased the employer dependent care tax credit.
- Senate Bill 2074 – SB 2074 died in the Senate Finance Committee. The bill exempted baby formula, diapers, and feminine hygiene products from sales tax.
- Senate Bill 2148 – SB 2148 died in the Senate Education and Senate Finance Committees. The bill expanded the ELC tax credit to include “preschool” programs that serve three-year-old children.
- Senate Bill 2813 – SB 2813 died in the Senate Finance Committee. The bill created a tax credit for parents whose children attend a childcare provider within an ELC. Additionally, the bill created a tax credit for all ELC pre-K providers.
In closing, the early childhood community should continue to monitor the appropriations process once the special session is called. We should also take this opportunity to reflect on this year’s lack of progress for ECE in advance of the 2026 legislative session.