Legislative Updates – Week of February 16, 2026
The seventh week of the 2026 legislative session was relatively subdued, with limited floor action and only modest committee movement on education policy. Senate Actions The Senate Education Committee did not meet this week, nor did the full Senate pass any significant education-related legislation on the floor. The Senate Finance Committee met and passed a […]
Legislative Updates – Week of February 9, 2026
The sixth week of the legislative session brought a pause in committee activity but a significant amount of floor action. Thursday, February 12, marked the deadline for original floor action on general bills in their original chamber. Any bills that were not taken up on the floor by that deadline are no longer moving forward. […]
Legislative Updates – Week of February 2, 2026
This week marked the first major legislative deadline of the session. After February 3, any bill that did not advance out of committee in its chamber of origin is considered dead. Senate Actions The Senate Education Committee met on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, it took up SB 2294, SB 2244, and SB 2235. It […]
Legislative Updates – Week of January 26, 2026
House and Senate Education Committees took up several notable bills this week, as lawmakers worked to advance priorities ahead of the February 3 deadline for bills to clear committee in their chamber of origin. Senate Actions The Senate Education Committee met on Thursday and passed the following bills: SB 2238, SB 2485, SB 2494 (committee […]
Legislative Updates – Week of January 19, 2026
In the third week of the legislative session, activity in the education policy space continued to progress as both chambers moved a substantial number of bills through committee. Senate Actions On Thursday, the Senate Education Committee passed the following bills: SB 2071, SB 2072, SB 2099, SB 2103, SB 2236, SB 2242 (committee substitute), SB […]
House Bill 2: What It Does, What It Means, and Where Mississippi First Stands
Last Thursday, the Mississippi House of Representatives amended and passed the committee substitute for House Bill 2 (HB 2), the Mississippi Educational Freedom Program Act of 2026. Mississippi First evaluates education policy through the lens of our core values: engagement, results, collaboration, transparency, non-partisanship, accountability, and equity. We support reforms that are grounded in evidence, […]
Legislative Updates – Week of January 12, 2026
Education policy remained at the forefront of legislative activity this week, with major action on the House’s education omnibus bill and early budget discussions in the Senate. Senate Actions On Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee heard budget presentations from the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board (MCSAB), marking the […]
A Closer Look at House Bill 2: The Mississippi Educational Freedom Program Act of 2026
Today, the Mississippi House of Representatives Education Committee voted to advance a committee substitute for House Bill 2 (the Mississippi Educational Freedom Program Act of 2026) by a vote of 14 to 11. This bill has generated significant discussion, much of it focused on the bill’s broad goals and big ideas related to school choice, […]
Legislative Updates – Week of January 6, 2026
The Mississippi Legislature kicked off its 2026 regular session on Tuesday, January 6, with education policy taking center stage this week. Senate Actions On Tuesday, the Senate Education Committee advanced the following education-related bills: All three measures passed the full Senate on Wednesday and will now be transmitted to the House for further action. House […]
Early Education: FY 2026 Appropriations
By Micayla Tatum, Director of Early Childhood Policy When the legislative session came to a close on Thursday, April 3, 2025, the legislature went home without passing a budget for the state government, including an appropriations bill for the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and the Mississippi Department of Human Services (DHS). On Wednesday, May […]