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 2243, SB 2286, SB 2292, SB 2293 (committee substitute), SB 2306, SB 2483, SB 2484 (committee substitute), SB 2486 (committee substitute), and SB 2487 (committee substitute). Of note, these bills deal with literacy intervention in grades 4-8, an 8th grade “gate” exam, expanded math coaches and assessments in grades K-5, additional funding for gifted education students, financial literacy instruction, a mandate to teach civics, and more. Be sure to follow our tracker below for more information.
In addition, the Senate Government Structure committee passed SB 2371, which would move the Childcare Facilities Licensure Branch from the Mississippi State Department of Health to the Mississippi Department of Human Services. If passed into law, this bill would streamline childcare administration in the state and lift bureaucratic burdens from childcare providers.
All of the above bills await a vote on the Senate floor.
House Actions
On Tuesday, the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) and Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board (MCSAB) presented their budget requests to the House Appropriations Committee. You can read more about the contents of the budgets in last week’s update on Senate activity.
On Wednesday, the House Education Committee passed the following bills HB 632, HB 633, HB 634, HB 1035, HB 656, HB 752, HB 927, HB 1203, HB 1204, HB 1205, HB 1206, HB 1207, HB 1210, HB 1211 (committee substitute), HB 1212, and HB 389.
Many of the bills were double referred, which means they must pass another House committee before the entire chamber votes on them: HB 632, HB 633, HB 634, HB 656, HB 752, HB 1210, HB 1211, and HB 1212 await a vote in the House Appropriations Committee; HB 1204 awaits a vote in the House Workforce Development Committee; and HB 1203 awaits a vote in the House Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency Committee
HB 1035, HB 927, HB 1205, HB 1206, and HB 1207 await a vote on the House floor.
Legislative Tracker
As education legislation continues to advance and budget negotiations begin to take shape, we encourage readers to follow along using our legislative tracker, which is updated daily to reflect real-time developments. We will continue to provide updates and deeper analysis as the session progresses.
Upcoming Legislative Deadlines
- Tuesday, February 3: Deadline for committees to report general bills and constitutional amendments originating in their own chamber
- Thursday, February 12: Deadline for original floor action on general bills and constitutional amendments originating in own chamber.
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