By Micayla Tatum I Director of Early Childhood Policy
So far, it has been a relatively quiet legislative session for early education-related bills. Leading up to the first committee deadline, House and Senate Education as well as other related committees, have primarily taken up non-controversial legislation. Below is a list of how relevant legislation fared after the deadline for bills to pass their originating committee.
Teacher-Related Early Childhood Education (ECE) Legislation—ALIVE
Several ECE bills surviving the first committee deadline are teacher focused.
- House Bill 1142 – HB 1142 removes licensure exemptions for pre-K teachers in public charter school classrooms that receive state grants from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE). The bill allows Mississippi to continue to be one of only five states to meet all ten of the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) benchmarks. Continue to track the bill here.
- House Bill 1100 – HB 1100 creates the Mississippi Childcare Teachers Shortage Study Committee to study methods of reducing the childcare teacher shortage and increasing the supply of affordable childcare seats. Continue to track the bill here.
Other Child-Focused Legislation—ALIVE
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 1063 – HB 1063 provides eight weeks of paid parental leave to state employees who are primary caregivers, presumably mothers. Additionally, the bill offers 2 weeks of paid parental leave for secondary caregivers, presumably fathers. The House showed strong support for HB 1063, passing the bill with 114 yeas. It awaits action in the Senate.
- House Bill 662 – HB 662 revises the criteria for presumptive eligibility for pregnant women using Medicaid. The revisions align Mississippi law with federal law. Presumptive eligibility allows pregnant women temporary eligibility for services and benefits while the Division of Medicaid makes an eligibility determination.
- Senate Bill 2074 – SB 2074 exempts baby formula, diapers, and feminine hygiene products from sales tax.
Bills with a Later Deadline
Revenue bills have a different schedule for advancing through the legislative process. Several ECE-related revenue bills have been introduced. These bills must pass their originating chamber by February 26 to remain alive.
NEW ECE Tax Credits—ALIVE
Mississippi First has a long tradition of tracking tax credits related to early childhood education. This dates to the legislation we authored that became the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013, which created a unique 1:1 tax credit to help state-funded pre-K programs. Revenue and appropriation bills have a later deadline than general bills. We are continuing to track several bills, including HB 907, SB 2148, and SB 2813. These bills create tax incentives for families and early childhood providers. Read more about those bills in our legislative tracker.
Final Thoughts
We’ll continue to keep the public updated as the legislative process unfolds. We expect more activity on the ECE front when budget deadlines are closer.