Mississippi

An Act To Expand Guaranteed Issue Rights For Mississippians To Apply For Medicare Supplement Policies Upon Loss Or Voluntary Termination Of Creditable Health Insurance Coverage; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 97-3-104, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Amend The Crime Of Sexual Activity Between Certain Individuals And Offenders Incarcerated In Correctional Facilities Or On Correctional Supervision; To Delete The Term "offender" And Include The Term "person"; To Clarify That The Crime Applies To Persons Otherwise In Custody; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Rename The Ross Barnett Reservoir, Which Extends Through Portions Of Hinds, Rankin, Madison, Scott And Leake Counties, The "b.b. King Reservoir"; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Sections 25-53-29 And 25-53-263, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Fees Collected By The Mississippi Department Of Information Technology Services For Certain Services Shall Be Deposited Into The Technology Innovation Fund; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Direct The Department Of Archives And History To Cause The Depiction Of The Confederate Flag To Be Removed From The State Capitol Rotunda; To Establish A Commission To Recommend A Suitable Image To Replace The Depiction Of The Confederate Flag In The Capitol Rotunda; To Prescribe The Membership Of The Commission And To Provide For Its Organization And Meetings; To List The Commission's Prerogatives And Duties; To Require The Commission To Submit Its Written Recommendation To The Governor And The Legislature No Later Than September 30, 2026; To Provide For The Dissolution Of The Commission Upon The Submission Of Its Written Recommendation; To Amend Section 55-15-81, Mississippi Code Of 1972, Which Prohibits The Relocation, Removal, Disturbing, Alteration, Renaming Or Rededication Of Certain Historical Items, Structures Or Areas, To Conform; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 41-137-39, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Remove Potency Limits For Cannabis Flower And Trim And For Cannabis Tinctures, Oils And Concentrates; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create The Mississippi Artificial Intelligence And Stem Education Innovation Act; To Authorize The Use Of Artificial Intelligence To Support Stem Instruction In Public Schools; To Create Pilot Programs For Ai-assisted Learning, Teacher Support, And Career Pathways; To Provide Safeguards For Student Data Privacy; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Reenact Sections 37-153-1 Through 37-153-15, Mississippi Code Of 1972, Which Are The Mississippi Comprehensive Workforce Training And Education Consolidation Act Of 2004; To Amend Section 37-153-17, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Extend The Date Of The Repealer On The Mississippi Comprehensive Workforce Training And Education Consolidation Act Of 2004; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Authorize The Issuance Of A Hardship Driver's License To A Person Whose License Has Been Suspended As A Result Of Being Out Of Compliance With An Order For Support; To Require A Person To Establish Proof Of Hardship; To Amend Section 63-1-43, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Establish A Fee For A Hardship License And Provide That A Person Holding A Hardship License May Only Drive To Work And Religious Services; To Amend Section 63-1-47, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That The Term Of A Hardship License Shall Be Four Years; To Amend Sections 63-1-5, 93-11-157 And 93-11-163, Mississippi Code Of 1972, In Conformity With The Provisions Of This Act; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create The "create A Respectful And Open Workplace For Natural (crown) Hair Act"; To Prohibit Creation Of Workplace And School Policies That Discriminate On The Basis Of Natural Hairstyles; To Prohibit Discrimination By An Employer, School, School District Or Administrator Engaged In Commerce On The Basis Of Hair Texture; To Prohibit Termination, Reduction Of Work Hours, Or Paying A Reduced Salary Or Wage Or Expulsion Or Dismissal Based On Hair Texture; To Provide The Remedies For Any Person Who Is Aggrieved By Violation Of This Act; To Amend Section 25-9-149, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform The State Discrimination Policy To The Provisions Of This Act; To Amend Section 89-9-19, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Clarify That Condominium Restrictions Shall Not Include Discriminatory Provisions In Conformity With This Act; To Amend Section 73-35-21, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Clarify That Discriminatory Practices Are Grounds For Revocation Of Real Estate Sales And Broker Licenses; To Authorize Counties And Municipalities To Create Policies That Prohibit Discriminatory Practices In Conformity With This Act; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Sections 23-15-563 And 23-15-573, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Reduce The Length Of Time After The Election Within Which A Voter Who Is Unable To Present Acceptable Photographic Identification Must Return To The Circuit Or Municipal Clerk's Office To Present Photographic Identification Or Execute A Religious Exemption Affidavit; To Provide That Such Voters Must Return To The Circuit Or Municipal Clerk's Office Within Three Rather Than Five Days To Ensure That His Or Her Ballot Is Counted; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Establish The Mississippi Sick And Safe Leave Act To Be Administered By The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security; To Provide Applicable Definitions; To Provide Guidelines For Accrual Of Earned Paid Sick Leave; To Establish Proper Uses Of Earned Paid Sick Leave; To Prohibit Employers From Violating Employee Rights Established In This Act; To Require Employers To Notify Employees Of Certain Aspects Of Paid Sick And Safe Leave Upon The Commencement Of Employment; To Require Employers To Retain Records Of Compliance With This Act; To Enable The Department Of Employment Security To Regulate And Enforce This Act; To Require Employers To Comply With Certain Confidentiality And Nondisclosure Standards; To Encourage And Allow More Generous Earned Paid Sick Leave Policies; To Provide A Legal Baseline For Paid Sick Leave; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create New Section 25-43-3.100, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require A State Agency Proposing To Adopt A New Rule To Identify At Least Two Existing Rules That Will Be Repealed Simultaneously With The New Rule Becoming Effective; To Amend Section 25-43-3.102, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require An Agency's Rule-making Docket To Include Those Rules To Be Repealed With The Adoption Of A Proposed Rule; To Amend Section 25-43-3.103, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require An Agency To Include Those Rules To Be Repealed In Its Notice Of Proposed Rule Adoption Filed With The Secretary Of State For Publication In The Administrative Bulletin; To Amend Section 25-43-3.105, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require An Agency's Economic Impact Statement Relating To A Proposed Rule Adoption To Include An Estimate Of Any Offset In Costs Associated With Implementing The New Rule That Will Be Achieved By The Elimination Of Those Rules Identified For Repeal; To Amend Section 25-43-3.110, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require An Agency To Include In Its Rule-making Record Those Rules To Be Repealed With The Adoption Of A Proposed Rule; To Amend Sections 25-43-3.111, 25-43-3.113 And 25-43-4.104, Mississippi Code Of 1972, In Conformity To The Provisions Of This Act; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Sections 63-11-21, 63-11-23 And 63-11-25, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide For The Tolling Of The Suspension Period During Appeal For Refusal To Submit To A Chemical Test; To Bring Forward Section 63-11-26, Mississippi Code Of 1972, For Purposes Of Amendment; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Establish The Mississippi Emergency Drinking Water Network Act To Be Administered By The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency; To State Legislative Findings And Intent; To Establish The Mississippi Emergency Drinking Water Network Grant Program To Increase Drinking Water Security And Water System Resiliency By Equipping Water Systems And First Responders With Equipment And Training To Maintain Water Service To Vital Facilities And The Public During Periods Of Infrastructure Failure; To Provide Definitions For The Terms Used In The Act; To Specify The Purposes For Grant Awards To Mississippi County Emergency Management Agencies; To Authorize The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (mema) To Make Eligible Equipment Purchases Supporting The Mississippi Emergency Drinking Water Network; To Allow Mema To Use A Maximum Of Two Percent Of Funds Appropriated For The Administrative Expenses Of Carrying Out The Provisions Of This Act, To The Extent Permissible Under Federal Law; To Direct Mema To Seek To Minimize Its Administrative Expenses By Establishing Policies And Procedures Mirroring Past Programs Using Federal Covid-19 Relief Funds; To Require Mema To Certify To The Department Of Finance And Administration That Each Expenditure Appropriated To Mema Is In Compliance With United States Department Of The Treasury Criteria Regarding The Use Of Monies From The Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund; To Provide Reporting Requirements To The Governor And The Legislature By October 1 Of Each Year; To Provide That Funds Appropriated To Mema For The Purposes Of This Act Shall Be Available Through December 31, 2026, Or On The Date Of The Arpa Funds Expenditure Deadline Provided By The Federal Government, Whichever Occurs Later; To Provide That Each Grant Recipient Shall Certify, For Any Project For Which A Grant Is Awarded, That If The Project Is Not Completed By December 31, 2026, And The United States Congress Does Not Enact An Extension Of The Deadline On The Availability Of Arpa Funds, Then The Grant Recipient Will Complete The Project Through Other Funds; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create The Mississippi High School Student-athlete Nil Protection Act; To Define Certain Terms; To Authorize Any Student-athlete To Earn Compensation For Use Of His Or Her Name, Image And Likeness (nil) Under Certain Conditions; To Provide That Any Nil Contract Executed Without Parental Or Guardian Consent Shall Be Void And Unenforceable, If Such Contract Was Executed By The Student-athlete When He Or She Was Under The Age Of 18; To Provide That If Nil Compensation That Is Paid To A Student-athlete Is $10,000 Or Less During A Calendar Year, Then Such Compensation May Be Paid Directly To The Student-athlete Or His Or Her Parent Or Legal Guardian; To Provide That If Nil Compensation That Is Paid To A Student-athlete Exceeds $10,000 During A Calendar Year, Then Such Compensation Over The $10,000 Amount Shall Be Deposited Into A Restricted Trust Account, Which Is Established For The Benefit Of The Highschool Student-athletes; To Provide The Conditions When The Funds Of Such Trust Account Shall Be Released To Such Student-athletes; To Bring Forward Section 93-19-17, Mississippi Code Of 1972, Which Pertains To Student-athletes Eighteen Years Of Age Or Older Having The Capacity To Enter Into Certain Legally Binding Contracts, For Purposes Of Possible Amendment; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Enact The Mississippi Equal Pay For Equal Work Reform Act; To Amend Section 71-17-3, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Define New Terms; To Authorize The Executive Director Of The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security To Determine Protected Characteristics; To Amend Section 71-17-5, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That No Employer May Pay An Employee A Wage At A Rate Less Than The Rate At Which An Employee Who Does Not Have A Protected Characteristic In The Same Establishment Is Paid For Equal Work On A Job, The Performance Of Which Requires Equal Skill, Education, Effort And Responsibility, And Which Is Performed Under Similar Working Conditions Except Under Certain Circumstances; To Authorize The Recovery Of Punitive Damages In Civil Actions By Employees; To Authorize The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security To File Suit To Enforce This Chapter; To Prohibit Employers From Retaliating Against Any Employee For Discussing Or Disclosing His Or Her Wages For The Purpose Of Identifying Wage Disparities; To Require The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security To Enforce Chapter 17 Of Title 71; To Authorize The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security To Investigate Claims And Mediate Claims Between An Employer And An Employee To Direct Codification; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 63-3-519, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Authorize The Sheriff And His Deputies In Any County To Use Radar Speed Detection Equipment Upon The Public Streets, Roads And Highways Of The County Lying Outside Of The Limits Of Any Incorporated Municipality; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 25-11-112, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Any Member Of The Public Employees' Retirement System Of Mississippi Who Became A Member Of The System On Or After March 1, 2026, Shall Receive A 3% Cost-of-living Adjustment, Except That Such Amount Shall Not Exceed $15,000.00 In Any Year; To Provide That, Every Three Years, The Legislature May Evaluate Whether This Maximum Dollar Amount Shall Be Raised Due To The Rate Of Inflation; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Provide That Any County Board Of Supervisors May Be Employed By A Community College District While Holding The Position Of Supervisor; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create The Legislative Public Project Grant Program To Be Administered By The Community Services Division Of The Mississippi Development Authority; To Provide For The Development Of Criteria For Grants; To Provide An Application Process; To Provide That Grant Funds Will Be Distributed To The County In Which A Project Is Located; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Provide That Only Registered Voters Affiliated With A Political Party May Vote In The Party's Primary Election; To Provide That Registered Voters Not Affiliated With A Political Party May Vote In Any Nonpartisan Election Held In Conjunction With A Party Primary Election; To Require The State Executive Committee Of A Political Party To Designate Annually Any Qualifications For Electors To Be Eligible To Vote In The Party's Primary Election; To Authorize The Secretary Of State To Prescribe By Rule A Uniform Statewide Voter Registration Application That Shall Be Used To Designate An Elector's Party Affiliation; To Amend Sections 23-15-575 And 23-15-753, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Any Person Who Votes In A Political Party Primary Other Than That In Which The Person Is Registered Shall Be Guilty Of Vote Fraud; To Amend Sections 23-15-33, 23-15-35, 23-15-37, 23-15-39, 23-15-41 And 23-15-47, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Authorize Circuit And Municipal Clerks To Enter Into The Statewide Elections Management System An Elector's Party Affiliation As Designated On The Elector's Uniform Statewide Voter Registration Application; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 25-3-91, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Define Certain Terms For The Purpose Of The Leave Laws For State Employees; To Amend Section 25-3-95, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Expand The Authorized Purposes For The Use Of Major Medical Leave By State Employees; To Amend Sections 25-3-93 And 69-46-7, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform To The Preceding Provisions; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 43-13-117, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide For An Increased Rate Of Medicaid Reimbursement For Inpatient And Outpatient Hospital Services For Hospitals That Are Located In A County That Had An Average Monthly Unemployment Rate Of Eight Percent Or Higher For The Twelve Months Of The Previous State Fiscal Year And Has A Critical Shortage Of Physicians And Nurses; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Establish A Mississippi Department Of Labor; To Set Forth And Prescribe The Functions Of Administrative Offices In The Department; To Provide For The Election Of The Commissioner Of Labor; To Amend Section 71-5-101, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Abolish The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security And Transfer The Duties, Powers And Funds Of The Department To The Office Of Employment Security In The Mississippi Department Of Labor; To Repeal Section 71-5-107, Mississippi Code Of 1972, Which Provides For The Appointment Of The Executive Director Of The Mississippi Department Of Employment Security; To Empower The Department Of Labor To Administer And Coordinate Certain Federal And State-funded Job Training And Employment-related Education Programs; To Prescribe The Responsibilities Of The Office Of Industry Service And Industry Start-up Training, The Office Of Employee Relations And Job Discrimination And The Office Of Disabled Employee Assistance In The Department; To Amend Sections 7-1-351, 7-1-355, 7-1-357, 7-1-361, 7-1-363 And 7-1-365, Mississippi Code Of 1972, In Conformity Thereto; To Amend Section 25-3-31, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Set The Annual Salary Of The Commissioner Of Labor; To Amend Sections 23-15-193 And 23-15-297, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Add The Commissioner Of Labor To The List Of Elected Officials; And For Related Purposes.