By Micayla Tatum I Director of Early Childhood Policy
The legislative session has continued to winnow down the remaining early education-related bills. After two recent deadlines on February 26, for revenue and appropriations bills, and March 4, for general bills, there are no early childhood education (ECE) bills alive. See the list of legislation below.
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 remaining 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 early learning collaborative (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.
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 662 – HB 662 passed the Senate Medicaid Committee. In 2024, the legislature passed a bill creating presumptive eligibility for pregnant women to allow them 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 passed the Senate Judiciary, Division A Committee. HB 1063 provides eight weeks of paid parental leave to state employees who are primary caregivers, most often mothers. Additionally, the bill offers 2 weeks of paid parental leave for secondary caregivers, most often fathers. Senate Bill 2438, a similar bill, would also provide paid parental leave to teachers. SB 2438 is also alive. Continue to track the bills here.