2021 Priority Bills
Each year, The Parents’ Campaign closely monitors and takes a position on several education bills. Below are the priority bills for the 2021 legislative session.
Law
Senate Bill 2149 – holds school districts harmless regarding average daily attendance for the purposes of calculating Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) funding for the 2021-2022 school year; provides for the Mississippi Department of Education to use 2019-2020 average daily attendance in lieu of current year attendance.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/8/2021
- Committee substitute bill presented, amends to specify that previous year’s attendance will be used for calculation except in cases in which school district attendance has increased (line 68), 1/13/21
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/13/2021
- Passed by Senate; yeas: 52, nays: 0, absent: 0, present/not voting: 0, 2/11/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/24/2021
- Passed by House Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Passed by House; yeas: 113, nays: 6, absent: 2, present/not voting: 1, 3/9/2021 See vote
- Sent to Governor (due from Governor 3/18), 3/12/2021
- Signed by Governor, 3/18/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2267 – provides for the Mississippi Department of Education to grant a standard five-year license to any teacher who holds a valid standard license from another state, subject to background check.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/12/2021
- Amended in committee to require MDE to grant the license within 30 days of completed application (lines 383-384) and to make the legislation effective upon passage (lines 628-629), 1/13/2021
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/13/2021
- Amended by Senate to require MDE to grant the license within 14 days of completed application (lines 383-384) and to delete the background check provision because background checks are managed by school districts rather than MDE (lines 387-391), 2/4/2021
- Passed by Senate as amended; yeas: 49, nays: 0, absent: 3, 2/4/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/24/2021
- Strike-all version, adding reverse repealer to language amended by Senate, passed by House Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by House; yeas: 120, nays: 0, absent: 0, present/not voting: 2, 3/9/2021 See vote
- Returned to Senate for concurrence, 3/10/2021
- Senate declined to concur, invited conference, 3/12/2021
- Senate conferees named: DeBar, Hill, Norwood, 3/16/2021
- House conferees named: Bennett, Ladner, McCarty, 3/23/2021
- Conference report filed: provides for the Mississippi Department of Education to grant a standard five-year license to any teacher who holds a valid standard license from another state, subject to background check, within 21 days of completed application; grants a one-year extension to all teachers holding valid licenses with an expiration date of June 1, 2021, to June 1, 2022, 3/26/2021
- Conference report adopted by Senate, 3/27/2021
- Conference report adopted by House, 3/28/2021
- Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/19), 4/1/2021
- Signed by Governor, 4/16/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2798 – seeks to expand broadband availability across the state and encourage the deployment of adequate internet services to unserved areas; allows utility companies to lease existing, unused fiber to internet service providers.
- Referred to Senate Energy Committee, 1/18/2021
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Energy Committee, 1/28/2021
- Committee substitute passed by Senate; yeas: 49, nays: 0, absent: 3, 2/3/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Public Utilities Committee, 2/24/2021
- Strike-all version, adding provision related to mapping of broadband availability, passed by House Public Utilities Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all amended by House, adding title – Mississippi Broadband Accessibility Act – and language from HB 505, 3/10/2021
- Strike-all passed by House as amended; yeas: 112, nays: 6, absent: 0, present/not voting: 4, 3/10/2021 See vote
- Returned to Senate for concurrence, 3/10/2021
- Senate declined to concur, invited conference, 3/12/2021
- Senate conferees named: Carter, Parks, Polk, 3/16/2021
- House conferees named: J. Anderson, Bounds, K. Gibbs, 3/22/2021
- Conference report filed: allows utility companies to lease existing, unused fiber to internet service providers, 3/29/2021
- Conference report adopted by House, 3/30/2021
- Conference report adopted by Senate, 3/30/2021
- Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/22), 4/5/2021
- Signed by Governor, 4/22/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2971 – colleges and universities bond bill; amended by House to add revenue reduction language of HB 1439 which could eliminate one-third of General Fund and trigger budget cuts.
- Referred to Senate Finance Committee, 2/22/2021
- Passed by Senate Finance Committee, 2/23/2021
- Committee substitute presented to and passed by Senate, 2/24/2021
- Referred to House Ways and Means Committee, 2/25/2021
- Passed by House Ways and Means Committee, 3/11/2021
- Amended by House to add revenue reduction language of HB 1439 which could eliminate one-third of General Fund and trigger budget cuts, 3/16/2021
- Passed by House as amended, 3/16/2021
- Senate declined to concur, invited conference, 3/19/2021
- Senate conferees named: Harkins, Johnson, Kirby, 3/22/2021
- House conferees named: Lamar, Massengill, Steverson, 3/23/2021
- Conference report filed, 3/27/2021
- Conference report recommitted by House and Senate for further work, 3/28/2021
- Conference report #2 filed: bonds for projects statewide including colleges and universities; revenue reduction language of HB 1439 not included; tax credit provision added for private school vouchers, 3/28/2021
- Conference report #2 adopted by House, unanimous consent requested and granted to remove private school voucher provision for Midsouth Association of Independent Schools, 3/29/2021
- Conference report #2 adopted by Senate, unanimous consent requested and granted to remove private school voucher provision for Midsouth Association of Independent Schools, 3/29/2021
- Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/22), 4/5/2021
- Signed by Governor, 4/22/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on the amended version of this bill, as passed by House on 3/16/2021, and favors a nay vote on Conference Report #2 unless private school voucher provision is removed.
House Bill 754 – aligns state statute with federal law regarding dyslexia diagnosis and services; clarifies that if a student’s diagnosis of dyslexia does not result in an IDEA eligibility determination the district must determine if the student is eligible for a 504 plan; requires that school districts provide two hours of in-service training on dyslexia and related disorders every three years for licensed teachers and paraprofessionals.
- Referred to House Education Committee, 1/18/2021
- Passed by House Education Committee, 1/28/2021
- Passed by House; yeas: 116, nays: 0, absent: 1, present/not voting: 5, 2/10/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 2/16/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing HB 754 with language of SB 2307, passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate; yeas: 51, nays: 1, absent: 0, present/not voting: 0, 3/9/2021 See vote
- Returned to House for concurrence, 3/10/2021
- House declined to concur, invited conference, 3/18/2021
- House conferees named: Bennett, Deweese, McCarty, 3/23/2021
- Senate conferees named: Boyd, DeBar, Johnson, 3/23/2021
- Conference report filed: aligns state statute with federal law regarding dyslexia diagnosis and services, clarifies that if a student’s diagnosis of dyslexia does not result in an IDEA eligibility determination the district must determine if the student is eligible for a 504 plan, and requires that school districts provide four hours of in-service training on dyslexia and related disorders every three years for licensed teachers and paraprofessionals, 3/25/2021
- Conference report adopted by Senate, 3/27/2021
- Conference report adopted by House, 3/28/2021
- Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/17), 3/31/2021
- Signed by Governor, 4/9/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 852 – adjusts salary schedule for certified teachers as follows: increases starting salary for certified teachers by $1,110 to $37,000 and increases salary for all other certified teachers by $1,000, beginning in 2021-2022 school year; increases base salary for assistant teachers by $1,200 from current $14,000 to $15,200, beginning in 2021-2022 school year.
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/18/2021
- Committee substitute bill presented, amends to increase base salary for assistant teachers by $1,100 from current $14,000 to $15,100, beginning in 2021-2022 school year, 1/28/2021
- Committee substitute passed by House Education Committee, 1/28/2021
- Committee substitute passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/2/2021
- Committee substitute passed by House; yeas: 118, nays: 3, absent: 1, present/not voting: 0, 2/10/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/16/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing HB 852 with language of SB 2001, passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate; yeas: 52, nays: 0, absent: 0, present/not voting: 0, 3/4/2021 See vote
- Returned to House for concurrence, 3/8/2021
- House concurred with Senate; yeas: 119, nays: 2, absent: 1, present/not voting: 0, 3/18/2021 See vote
- Sent to Governor (due from Governor 3/29), 3/23/2021
- Signed by Governor, 3/29/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 1123 – amends ELC statute; increases per student funding for Early Learning Collaboratives to no less than $2,500 for full-day and $1,250 for half-day programs; changes curriculum and reporting requirements; sets goal to serve 25 percent of four-year-olds by beginning of 2023-2024 school year.
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/18/2021
- Passed by House Education Committee, 1/28/2021
- Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/2/2021
- Passed by House; yeas: 113, nays: 7, absent: 1, present/not voting: 1, 2/10/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/16/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing HB 1123 with language of SB 2664, passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate; yeas: 50, nays: 1, absent: 1, present/not voting: 0, 3/10/2021 See vote
- Returned to House for concurrence, 3/11/2021
- House concurred with Senate; yeas: 113, nays: 7, absent: 1, present/not voting: 1, 3/18/2021 See vote
- Sent to Governor (due from Governor 3/29), 3/23/2021
- Signed by Governor, 3/29/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 1179 – establishes the William F. Winter and Jack Reed, Sr., Teacher Loan Repayment Program for first-time teachers in public school districts of Mississippi, with priority given to teachers in geographical critical teacher shortage areas.
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/18/2021
- Passed by House Education Committee, 1/28/2021
- Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/2/2021
- Passed by House; yeas: 114, nays: 7, absent: 1, present/not voting: 0, 2/10/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/16/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing HB 1179 with language of SB 2305, passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate; yeas: 50, nays: 2, absent: 0, present/not voting: 0, 3/9/2021 See vote
- Returned to House for concurrence, 3/10/2021
- House declined to concur, invited conference, 3/18/2021
- House conferees named: Bennett, Felsher, McCarty, 3/23/2021
- Senate conferees named: Blount, DeBar, McMahan, 3/23/2021
- Conference report filed: establishes the William F. Winter and Jack Reed, Sr., Teacher Loan Repayment Program for first-time teachers in public school districts of Mississippi, with priority given to teachers in geographical critical teacher shortage areas; provides for a maximum $15,000 pay-down of student loans over three years for new teachers in critical shortage areas and a maximum $7,500 pay-down of students loans over three years for new teachers in non-critical shortage areas; limited to 150 new participants each year, 3/27/2021
- Conference report adopted by House, 3/28/2021
- Conference report adopted by Senate, 3/28/2021
- Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/17), 3/31/2021
- Signed by Governor, 4/16/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 1387 – funds pre-k through grade 12 education; placeholder language includes Legislative Budget Committee-recommended levels and will be updated following revenue estimate revision later in session.
- Referred House Appropriations Committee, 2/17/2021
- Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/22/2021
- Passed by House, 2/23/2021
- Referred to Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/4/2021
- Strike-all version, adding $51-million for teacher pay raise, passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/15/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate, 3/16/2021
- Returned to House for concurrence, 3/17/2021
- House declined to concur, invited conference, 3/18/2021
- House conferees named: Barton, Bennett, Read, 3/22/2021
- Senate conferees named: DeBar, Hopson, Norwood, 3/22/2021
- Conference report filed: dummy conference report with $0 appropriated; final report expected after state budget completed, 3/27/2021
- Conference report recommitted by House and Senate for further work, 3/28/2021
- Conference report #2 filed: provides for pre-k-12 education in 2021-2022 as follows – MAEP, $12.9-million increase to cover increased health insurance premiums for educators and staff; teacher pay raise, $51.4-million; pre-k collaboratives, $8.2-million increase for total funding of $16-million, increased per-student rate; early learning coaches, new funding of $1.5-million; math coaches, new funding of $5-million; teacher supplies, $8-million increase for total funding of $20-million; Schools for the Blind and the Deaf, $1.3-million increase; vocational education, $3.8-million increase; National Board Certification Program, full funding; Chickasaw Cession, full funding; literacy initiatives, level funding; ESA vouchers, level funding, 3/29/2021
- Conference report #2 adopted by House, 3/29/2021
- Conference report #2 adopted by Senate, 3/29/2021
- Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/19), 4/1/2021
- Signed by Governor, 4/19/2021
Dead
Senate Bill 2001 – DEAD – adjusts salary schedule for certified teachers as follows: increases starting salary for certified teachers by $1,110 to $37,000 and increases salary for all other certified teachers by $1,000, beginning in 2021-2022 school year; increases salary for assistant teachers by $1,000 from current $14,000 to $15,000, beginning in 2021-2022 school year.
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/5/2021
- Passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/13/2021
- Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 1/19/2021
- Passed by Senate; yeas: 49, nays: 0, absent: 3, 1/21/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/24/2021
- Died in committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2064 – DEAD – allows income tax credits for costs related to private school tuition or fees and home school expenses.
- Referred to Senate Finance Committee, 1/5/2021
- Died in committee, 2/24/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2305 – DEAD – establishes the William F. Winter and Jack Reed, Sr., Teacher Loan Repayment Program for first-time teachers in public school districts of Mississippi, with priority given to teachers in geographical critical teacher shortage areas.
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/14/2021
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/20/2021
- Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 1/26/21
- Amended by Senate to add reverse repealer, 2/4/2021
- Passed by Senate as amended; yeas: 47, nays: 2, absent: 3, 2/4/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/24/2021
- Died in committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2307 – DEAD – aligns state statute with federal law regarding dyslexia diagnosis and services; clarifies that if a student’s diagnosis of dyslexia does not result in an IDEA eligibility determination the district must determine if the student is eligible for a 504 plan; requires that school districts provide two hours of in-service training on dyslexia and related disorders every three years for licensed teachers and paraprofessionals.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/14/2021
- Committee substitute bill presented, removes in-service training provision, 1/20/2021
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/20/2021
- Passed by Senate; yeas: 49, nays: 0, absent: 3, present/not voting: 0, 2/4/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/24/2021
- Died in committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2664 – DEAD – amends curriculum and reporting criteria in ELC statute.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/18/2021
- Passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/27/2021
- Passed by Senate; yeas: 48, nays: 0, present: 1, absent: 3, 2/4/2021 See vote
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/25/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing SB 2664 with the language of HB 1123, passed by House Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by House; yeas: 115, nays: 7, absent: 0, present/not voting: 0, 3/9/2021 See vote
- Returned to Senate for concurrence, 3/10/2021
- Senate declined to concur, invited conference, 3/12/2021
- Senate conferees named: DeBar, Johnson, Wiggins, 3/16/2021
- Died on calendar, 3/29/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2665 – DEAD – increases per student funding for Early Learning Collaboratives to no less than $2,500 for full-day and $1,250 for half-day programs; sets goal to serve 25 percent of four-year-olds by beginning of 2023-2024 school year.
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/18/2021
- Passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/27/2021
- Died in committee, 2/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 505 – DEAD – encourages new investment in broadband infrastructure.
- Referred to House Public Utilities Committee, 1/18/2021
- Passed by House Public Utilities Committee, 1/27/2021
- Passed by House; yeas: 114, nays: 5, present/not voting: 2, absent: 1, 2/9/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Energy and Appropriations Committees, 2/18/2021
- Amended by Senate Energy Committee to add a reverse repealer, 3/1/2021
- Passed by Senate Energy Committee as amended, 3/1/2021
- Died in committee, 3/2/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 1301 – DEAD – creates the Comprehensive Career and Technical Education Reform Act; requires school districts to inform incoming middle school students of available career technical education pathways and courses; provides for student performance on WorkKeys to be included in the college- and career-readiness portion of the Mississippi Statewide Accountability System and to be weighted equitably with the standard ACT assessment.
- Referred to House Workforce Development Committee, 1/18/2021
- Committee substitute passed by House Workforce Development Committee, 1/28/2021
- Committee substitute passed by House, 2/3/2021
- Held by House on a motion to reconsider, 2/4/2021
- Reconsidered by House; strike-all version presented; amends to require districts to offer the ACT WorkKeys assessment to any students electing to take it in grades 9, 10, or 11, 2/11/2021
- Passed by House as amended; yeas: 118, nays: 0, absent: 1, present/not voting: 3, 2/11/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education and Economic and Workforce Development Committees, 2/24/2021
- Strike-all version, replacing all provisions with limited language specifying the option of a career-readiness assessment in public schools, passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate Economic and Workforce Development Committee, 3/2/2021
- Strike-all amended by Senate, adding reverse repealer, 3/10/2021
- Strike-all passed by Senate as amended, 3/10/2021
- Returned to House for concurrence, 3/12/2021
- House declined to concur, invited conference, 3/16/2021
- House conferees named: Barton, D. Bell, White, 3/22/2021
- Senate conferees named: DeBar, Johnson, Polk, 3/23/2021
- Died in conference, 3/29/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on the amended version of this bill, as passed by House on 2/11/2021.
House Bill 1439 – DEAD – makes sweeping changes to the state’s revenue system through the Mississippi Tax Freedom Act; could eliminate one-third of General Fund and trigger massive budget cuts to public education and other essential state services.
- Referred to House Ways and Means Committee, 2/22/2021
- Passed by House Ways and Means Committee, 2/22/2021
- Amended by House to make technical changes and add tax provisions, 2/23/2021
- Passed by House as amended; yeas: 85, nays: 34, absent: 0, present/not voting: 3, 2/23/2021 See vote
- Referred to Senate Finance Committee, 3/5/2021
- Died in committee, 3/16/2021
The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.
