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 substitute), and SB 2515 (committee substitute).
A notable bill is SB 2485, which would align charter school pre-K teacher qualifications with those in the state’s Early Learning Collaboratives (ELCs). Charter schools would no longer be exempt from teacher or assistant teacher qualification standards if they receive state funds to operate programs.This would help the state maintain its quality standing with the National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER).
All of the above bills await a vote on the Senate floor. The Senate Education Committee is slated to meet again on Monday, February 2. We anticipate that the Committee will take up House Bill 2, the House education omnibus bill, during that meeting. Read our analysis of HB 2 here.
House Actions
The House Education Committee met on Wednesday and Thursday.
On Wednesday, the Committee passed HB 570, HB 1215 (committee substitute), HB 1234 (committee substitute), HB 1260 (committee substitute), HB 1310, HB 1395, HB 1463, HB 1495, HB 1578, HB 1710, and HB 1549.
On Thursday, the Committee passed HB 422 (committee substitute), HB 517 (committee substitute), HB 1132, HB 1286 (amended), HB 1292 (committee substitute), HB 1367 (committee substitute), HB 1585 (committee substitute), HB 1318, HB 1320, HB 1589 (committee substitute), HB 1528 (committee substitute), and HB 1606 (committee substitute).
Notably, the House Education Committee passed the committee substitute for HB 1606, which would create a pilot program providing funding for select school districts across the state to redesign their school staffing structures and create lead teacher roles. This type of program was one of the primary recommendations in Mississippi First’s latest teacher pipeline report, The Weight They Carry: Life as a Teacher in Mississippi.
Other notable bills include:
- The committee substitute for HB 517, which opens code sections related to the state’s charter school law. Though the bill does not make changes to the law, its passage opens the possibility that the law could be amended as the session progresses.
- HB 570, which would require school boards to adopt prohibitions on student cell phone use in schools.
- The committee substitute for HB 1234, which would establish the School Accountability Dashboard Act, requiring school districts to share critical information on student performance and district finances. This provision is also included in the House education omnibus bill, HB 2.
- The committee substitute for HB 1292, which would require all local school boards across the state to be elected rather than appointed.
Many of the bills were double referred, which means they must pass another House committee before the entire chamber votes on them:
- HB 570 awaits a vote in the Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency Committee.
- HB 1215, HB 1260, HB 1463, HB 1495, HB 1710, HB 1549, HB 422, HB 1132, HB 1392, and HB 1367 await votes in the the House Appropriations Committee.
HB 1234, HB 1310, HB 1395, HB 1578, HB 517, HB 1286, HB 1292, HB 1585, HB 1318, HB 1320, HB 1589, HB 1528, and HB 1606 await votes on the House floor.
The House Education Committee is slated to meet next week on or before Tuesday. Committee leaders have stated that they will take up a teacher pay raise bill during that meeting.
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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