2022 Priority Bills

Each year, The Parents’ Campaign closely monitors and takes a position on several education bills. Below are the priority bills for the 2022 legislative session.

Law

House Bill 530 – Strategically Accelerating the Recruitment and Retention of Teachers (START) Act of 2022, adjusts salary schedule for teachers as follows: increases starting salary for certified teachers to $43,000, beginning in 2022-2023 school year; increases salary for all certified teachers an average of $4,500, beginning in 2022-2023 school year; provides annual step increases, which range from $135 to $794 based on years of experience and certification level;  increases base salary for assistant teachers by $2,000 from current $15,000 to $17,000, beginning in 2022-2023 school year.

  • Referred to House Appropriations Committee, 1/11/2022
  • Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 1/11/2022
  • Passed by House; 114 yeas, 6 nays, 2 absent, 1/12/2022  See vote
  • Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/20/2022
  • Amended by Senate Education Committee to insert teacher pay raise language of SB 2444 with the addition of a pay increase of $2,000 (over two years) for assistant teachers, 3/1/2022
  • Passed by Senate Education Committee as amended, 3/1/2022
  • Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/1/2022
  • Passed by Senate; 52 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent, 3/2/2022  See vote
  • Returned to House for concurrence, 3/2/2022
  • House declined to concur, invited conference, 3/3/2022
  • House conferees named: Bennett, McCarty, Felsher, 3/4/2022
  • Senate conferees named: DeBar, Bryan, Hopson, 3/7/2022
  • Conference report filed; provides for an average pay increase of $5,140 in a new salary schedule for certified teachers and a $2,000 increase for assistant teachers, 3/16/2022
  • Conference report adopted by Senate; 51 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent, 3/17/2022  See vote
  • Conference report adopted by House; 117 yeas, 5 nays, 0 absent, 3/22/2022  See vote
  • Sent to Governor (due from Governor 3/30), 3/24/2022
  • Approved by Governor, 3/30/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.

House Bill 531 – Mississippi Tax Freedom Act of 2022, makes sweeping changes to the state’s revenue system, including the elimination of income tax; revenue loss estimated to be $1.5-billion (a quarter of current General Fund revenue) annually on full implementation; could trigger massive budget cuts to public education and other essential state services.

  • Referred to House Ways and Means Committee, 1/11/2022
  • Passed by House Ways and Means Committee, 1/11/2022
  • Passed by House; 97 yeas, 12 nays, 11 present/not voting, 2 absent, 1/12/2022  See vote
  • Referred to Senate Finance Committee, 1/28/22
  • Amended by Senate Finance Committee with a strikeall to eliminate 4% bracket of state income tax and additional changes; revenue loss estimated to be $439-million annually on full implementation, 3/14/2022
  • Passed by Senate Finance Committee as amended, 3/14/2022
  • Passed by Senate; 34 yeas, 16 nays, 2 absent, 3/15/2022  See vote
  • Held by Senate on motion to reconsider, 3/16/2022
  • Motion to reconsider tabled, 3/17/2022
  • Returned to House for concurrence, 3/17/2022
  • House declined to concur, invited conference, 3/18/2022
  • House conferees named: Lamar, Steverson, Massengill, 3/22/2022
  • Senate conferees named: Harkins, Hopson, Johnson, 3/24/2022
  • Conference report filed; eliminates 4% bracket of state income tax; phases in a reduction of 5% bracket to 4%; revenue loss estimated to be $524-million annually on full implementation, 3/26/2022
  • Conference report adopted by House; 92 yeas, 24 nays, present/not voting 6, 3/27/2022  See vote
  • Conference report adopted by Senate; 40 yeas, 10 nays, 2 present/not voting, 3/27/2022  See vote
  • Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/5), 3/30/2022
  • Approved by Governor, 4/5/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.

HB 1600 – appropriation for pre-k through grade 12 public schools

  • Referred to House Appropriations Committee, 2/14/2022
  • Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/15/2022
  • Passed by House, 2/17/2022
  • Referred to Senate Appropriations Committee, 2/23/2022
  • Amended and passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/14/2022
  • Passed by Senate, 3/15/2022
  • Returned to House for concurrence, 3/16/2022
  • House declined to concur, invited conference, 3/17/2022
  • House conferees named: Read, Bennett, Eure, 3/22/2022
  • Senate conferees named: Hopson, DeBar, McCaughn 3/22/2022
  • Placeholder conference report filed, 3/26/2022
  • Conference report recommitted by House for further work, 3/27/2022
  • Conference report recommitted by Senate for further work, 3/27/2022
  • Conference report #2 filed, 4/4/2022
  • Conference report adopted by House, 4/4/2022
  • Conference report adopted by Senate, 4/4/2022
  • Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/25), 4/7/2022
  • Approved by Governor, 4/19/2022

HB 1685 – Pregnancy Resource Act; includes separate statute providing millions in tax credits for donations to private schools

  • Referred to House Ways and Means Committee, 2/21/2022
  • Passed by House Ways and Means Committee, 2/22/2022
  • Passed by House, 2/22/2022
  • Referred to Senate Finance Committee, 2/24/2022
  • Passed by Senate Finance Committee, 3/14/2022
  • Passed by Senate, 3/15/2022
  • Returned to House for concurrence, 3/16/2022
  • House declined to concur, invited conference, 3/17/2022
  • House conferees named: Lamar, Massengill, Yancey, 3/22/2022
  • Senate conferees named: Harkins, Fillingane, Boyd, 3/24/2022
  • Conference report filed, 3/26/2022
  • Conference report recommitted by House, 3/27/2022
  • Conference report recommitted by Senate, 3/27/2022
  • Conference report #2 filed, 3/27/2022
  • Conference report #2 recommitted by House, 3/28/2022
  • Conference report #2 recommitted by Senate, 3/28/2022
  • Conference report #3 filed; increases funding for private school vouchers by $1-million for a total of $9-million, allows private schools to receive up to $405,000 in taxpayer funds per school annually beginning in 2023, with no restrictions on expenditure of funds and no reporting requirements, 3/29/2022
  • Conference report #3 adopted by Senate, 3/30/2022  See vote
  • Conference report #3 adopted by House, 3/30/2022  See vote
  • Held by Senate on motion to reconsider, 3/30/2022
  • Motion to reconsider tabled, 4/1/2022
  • Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/23), 4/6/2022
  • Signed by Governor, 4/21/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.

SB 2430 – brings forward Public School Building Fund statute for possible amendments.

  • Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/17/2022
  • Committee substitute with reverse repealer passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/26/2022
  • Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 2/1/2022
  • Passed by Senate, 2/10/2022
  • Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/15/2022
  • Amended by House Education Committee to create Educational Facilities Revolving Loan Fund to assist public schools and community and junior colleges with capital improvements; says Legislature shall appropriate $200-million to the revolving loan fund for FY2023, 2/24/2022
  • Passed by House Education Committee as amended, 2/24/2022
  • Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 3/1/2022
  • Passed by House, 3/9/2022
  • Returned to Senate for concurrence, 3/10/2022
  • Senate declined to concur, invited conference, 3/16/2022
  • Senate conferees named: DeBar, Blount, Johnson, 3/17/2022
  • House conferees named: Bennett, Read, McCarty, 3/22/2022
  • Conference report filed; creates Educational Facilities Revolving Loan Fund to assist public school districts with capital improvements through interest-free loans up to $1-million per project/fiscal year, 3/28/2022
  • Conference report recommitted by House, 3/30/2022
  • Conference report recommitted by Senate, 3/30/2022
  • Conference report #2 filed; creates Educational Facilities Revolving Loan Fund to assist public school districts with maintenance and improvements through interest-free loans up to $1-mllion per project/fiscal year, funded at approximately $40-million through Education Enhancement Funds and remaining amount in Public School Building Fund, 3/31/2022
  • Conference report adopted by House; 121 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent, 4/1/2022  See vote
  • Conference report adopted by Senate; 52 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent, 4/1/2022  See vote
  • Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/25), 4/7/2022
  • Approved by Governor, 4/18/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.

SB 3064 – funds a new Mississippi Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (MAICU) Grant Program with $10.2-million in ARPA funding 

  • Referred to Senate Appropriations Committees, 2/15/2022
  • Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 2/16/2022
  • Passed by Senate, 2/17/2022
  • Referred to House Appropriations Committee, 2/24/2022
  • Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 3/10/2022
  • Amended by House to add reverse repealer, 3/15/2022
  • Passed by House as amended, 3/15/2022
  • Returned to Senate for concurrence, 3/16/2022
  • Senate declined to concur, invited conference, 3/17/2022
  • Conferees named by Senate: Hopson, Polk, Parks, 3/21/2022
  • Conferees named by House: Read, Oliver, White, 3/22/2022
  • Placeholder conference report filed, 3/26/2022
  • Conference report recommitted by Senate, 3/27/2022
  • Conference report recommitted by House, 3/27/2022
  • Conference report #2 filed – adds language to fund a new Independent Schools Infrastructure Grant Program (created in Section 12 of SB 2780) for private preK-12 schools with $10-million in ARPA funding, allows grants of up to $100,000 per private school, 4/4/2022
  • Conference report #2 adopted by House, 4/4/2022  See vote
  • Conference report #2 recommitted by Senate, 4/5/2022
  • Conference report #2 recommitted by House, 4/5/2022
  • Conference report #3 filed – same as conference report #2 with addition of eligibility for auditing of funds, 4/5/2022
  • Conference report #3 failed in Senate, 4/5/2022  See vote
  • Conference report #3 held on motion to reconsider in Senate, 4/5/2022
  • Conference report #3 reconsidered and adopted by Senate – two hours after the Senate defeated conference report #3, it was brought back before the chamber on a motion to reconsider made by leadership and another vote was taken, this time passing the measure, 4/5/2022  See vote
  • Conference report #3 adopted by House, 4/5/2022  See vote
  • Sent to Governor (due from Governor 4/26), 4/8/2022
  • Approved by Governor, 4/19/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on Conference Reports #2 and #3 of this bill.

Dead

House Bill 31 – allows the Charter School Authorizer Board to develop its own formula for determining the amount of local funds sent to charter schools from the public school district

  • Referred to House Education Committee, 1/4/2022
  • Passed by House Education Committee, 1/31/2022
  • Died on calendar, 2/10/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.

House Bill 795 – voucher program using state funds for non-public school students to attend a virtual school with no accountability

  • Referred to House Education Committee, 1/17/2022
  • Passed by House Education Committee, 1/31/2022
  • Died on calendar, 2/10/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.

House Bill 1246 – 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 2024-2025 school year. 

  • Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/17/2022
  • Passed by House Education Committee, 1/26/2022
  • Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/1/2022
  • Amended by House to add language codifying coordination with HeadStart, 2/9/2022
  • Passed by House as amended, 2/9/2022  See vote
  • Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/11/22
  • Amended and passed by Senate Education Committee, 2/23/2022
  • Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/1/2022
  • Died on calendar, 3/9/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.

House Bill 1340 – diminishes the Early Learning Collaborative program by adding a home-based virtual component for preschoolers, to be administered by an unnamed vendor

  • Referred to House Education Committee, 1/17/2022
  • Passed by House Education Committee, 1/31/2022
  • Passed by House, 2/9/2022  See vote
  • Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/11/22
  • Died in committee, 3/1/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.

HB 1687 – provides millions in tax credits for donations to private schools

  • Referred to House Ways and Means Committee, 2/21/2022
  • Passed by House Ways and Means Committee, 2/22/2022
  • Passed by House, 2/22/2022
  • Referred to Senate Finance Committee, 2/24/2022
  • Passed by Senate Finance Committee, 3/14/2022
  • Passed by Senate; 33 yeas, 11 nays, 1 absent, 7 present/not voting, 3/15/2022  See vote
  • Returned to House for concurrence, 3/16/2022
  • House declined to concur, invited conference, 3/17/2022
  • House conferees named: Lamar, Steverson, Massengill, 3/22/2022
  • Senate conferees named: Harkins, Boyd, England, 3/24/2022
  • Conference report filed, 3/26/2022
  • Conference report recommitted by House, 3/28/2022
  • Conference report recommitted by Senate, 3/28/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.

Senate Bill 2443 amended to include language of SB 2444; adjusts salary schedule for teachers as follows: increases starting salary for certified teachers to $39,000 in 2022-2023 and $40,000 in 2023-2024 and thereafter; increases salary for all certified teachers an average of $4,785; provides annual step increases of $500 with larger increases at years 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25; five-year increase varies based on years of experience and certification level

The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.

Senate Bill 2444 – adjusts salary schedule for teachers as follows: increases starting salary for certified teachers to $39,000 in 2022-2023 and $40,000 in 2023-2024 and thereafter; increases salary for all certified teachers an average of $4,785; provides annual step increases of $500 with larger increases at years 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25; five-year increase varies based on years of experience and certification level.

  • Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/17/2022
  • Passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/20/2022
  • Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 1/20/2022
  • Passed by Senate; unanimous vote, 1/21/2022
  • Transmitted to House, 1/21/2022
  • Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 1/21/2022
  • Held by Senate on a motion to reconsider, 1/24/2022
  • Recalled from House, 1/24/2022
  • Vote reconsidered by Senate, 2/2/2022
  • Passed by Senate; 51 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent, 2/2/2022  See vote
  • Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/3/2022
  • Died in committee, 3/1/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.

Senate Bill 2706  – COVID Impact Literacy-based Promotion Modification Act, applies only to 2021-2022 school year; 3rd grade students scoring between levels 2 and 3 on the state literacy assessment can be promoted to 4th grade with remediation provided as outlined in statute for students normally retained; committee substitute includes reverse repealer

  • Referred to Senate Education Committee, 1/17/2022
  • Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 1/31/2022
  • Passed by Senate, 2/10/2022  See vote
  • Referred to House Education Committee, 2/24/2022
  • Died in committee, 3/1/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.

SB 3164 – eliminates 4% bracket of state income tax; revenue loss estimated to be $317-million annually on full implementation; could trigger budget cuts to public education and other essential state services

  • Referred to Senate Finance Committee, 2/21/2022
  • Passed Senate Finance Committee, 2/22/2022
  • Passed by Senate; 40 yeas, 11 nays, 1 absent, 2/23/2022  See vote
  • Held on a motion to reconsider, 2/23/2022 
  • Motion to reconsider tabled, 2/24/2022
  • Referred to House Ways and Means Committee, 2/24/2022
  • Amended by House Ways and Means Committee with a strikeall to completely eliminate state income taxes over a period of years and additional changes; revenue loss estimated to be $700-million in first year alone, 3/14/2022
  • Passed by House Ways and Means Committee as amended, 3/14/2022
  • Passed by House; 83 yeas, 34 nays, 3 absent, 2 present/not voting, 3/14/2022  See vote
  • Returned to Senate for concurrence, 3/15/2022
  • Senate declined to concur, invited conference, 3/16/2022
  • Senate conferees named: Harkins, Johnson, Parker, 3/18/2022
  • House conferees named: Lamar, Steverson, Massengill, 3/22/2022
  • Died in conference, 3/26/2022

The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.

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