2024 Priority Bills
Each year, The Parents’ Campaign closely monitors and takes a position on several education bills. Priority bills for the 2024 Legislative Session are shown below.
LAW
House Bill 765 – extends repeal date on Mississippi Critical Teacher Shortage Act from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2027.
- Referred to House Education Committee, 1/29/2024
- Passed by House Education Committee, 2/28/2024
- Amended by House to include Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program expansion, 3/12/2024
- Passed by House as amended: 121 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent, 0 present/not voting; 3/12/2024 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 3/20/2024
- Amended in Senate Education Committee to strike all and replace with language of SB 2682 and add reverse repealer, 4/1/2024
- Passed by Senate Education Committee as amended, 4/1/2024
- Amended in Senate to add code sections for Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant Program and to add an adjusted salary schedule for licensed teachers that provides for an across-the board increase of $1,000 annually beginning in 2024-2025, 4/9/2024
- Passed by Senate as amended: 52 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent, 0 present/not voting; 4/9/2024
- Returned to House for concurrence, 4/12/2024
- House declined to concur, invited conference, 4/15/2024
- House conferees named: Roberson, McCarty, Owen, 4/16/2024
- Senate conferees named: DeBar, Blount, Parker, 4/17/2024
- Conference report filed: extends repeal date on Mississippi Critical Teacher Shortage Act; expands Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program by including graduate level loans and opening program eligibility to alternate route and other than first-year teachers; allows retired teachers to teacher in critical shortage areas while drawing PERS benefits, 4/29/2024
- Conference report adopted by Senate, 4/30/2024
- Conference report adopted by House, 4/30/2024
- Due from Governor by 5/10/2024
- Approved by Governor, 5/10/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 1229 – brings forward statute for ESA voucher program with reverse repealer.
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/15/2024
- Committee substitute passed by House Education Committee; extends program’s repeal date to July 1, 2027, 2/29/2024
- Passed by House, 3/12/2024
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 3/20/2024
- Amended in Senate Education Committee to strike all language and replace it with new requirements; mandates that students be accepted to a qualified voucher school prior to applying for a voucher; requires voucher schools to report participating students’ data regarding Advanced Placement and college entrance exams, high school graduation and college acceptance rates; extends program’s repeal date to July 1, 2028; and other provisions, 4/2/2024
- Passed by Senate Education Committee as amended, 4/2/2024
- Amended in Senate to add reverse repealer to send bill to conference, 4/10/2024
- Passed by Senate as amended: 48 yeas, 3 nays, 1 present/not voting; 4/10/2024
- Returned to House for concurrence, 4/15/2024
- House declined to concur, invited conference, 4/15/2024
- House conferees named: Roberson, McCarty, Holloway (Gregory), 4/16/2024
- Senate conferees named: DeBar, Parker, Robinson, 4/17/2024
- Conference report filed: requires that students be accepted to a qualified voucher school prior to applying for a voucher; requires voucher schools to certify, before ESA reimbursement is issued, to MDE that they will provide appropriate special education services to student and stipulates that failure to do so will deem the voucher school ineligible to participate the following year; requires voucher schools to report participating students’ data regarding Advanced Placement and college entrance exams, high school graduation and college acceptance rates; extends program’s repeal date to July 1, 2028, 4/29/2024
- Conference report recommitted by Senate for further conference, 4/30/2024
- Conference report recommitted by House for further conference, 4/30/2024
- Conference report #2 filed: makes corrections to conference report #1 to conform bill language to new funding law; allows voucher schools to choose their own assessments to demonstrate academic progress; requires that students be accepted to a qualified voucher school prior to applying for a voucher; requires voucher schools to certify, before ESA reimbursement is issued, to MDE that they will provide appropriate special education services to student and stipulates that failure to do so will deem the voucher school ineligible to participate the following year; requires voucher schools to report participating students’ data regarding Advanced Placement and college entrance exams, high school graduation and college acceptance rates; extends program’s repeal date to July 1, 2028, 4/30/2024
- Conference report #2 adopted by House, 5/1/2024
- Conference report #2 adopted by Senate, 5/1/2024
- Due from Governor by 5/13/2024
- Approved by Governor, 5/14/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on the bill as amended by the Senate and a yea vote on the conference report.
House Bill 1823 – appropriation for pre-K through grade 12 education; original House version of bill includes a total increase in school funding of $229-million through the proposed INSPIRE plan.
- Referred to House Appropriations Committee, 3/12/2024
- Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 3/13/2024
- Passed by House: 119 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent, 3 present/not voting; 3/14/2024
- Referred to Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/21/2024
- Amended in Senate Appropriations Committee to strike all language and replace with a $206-million increase in school funding through the MAEP plus $50-million allocated to an across-the-board salary increase of $1,000 for licensed teachers, 4/9/2024
- Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee as amended, 4/9/2024
- Passed by Senate: 52 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent, 0 present/not voting; 4/11/2024
- Returned to House for concurrence, 4/12/2024
- House declined to concur, invited conference, 4/15/2024
- House conferees named: Oliver, Read, Roberson, 4/15/2024
- Senate conferees named: Hopson, DeBar, Blackwell, 4/15/2024
- Missed deadline for filing conference report, 4/27/2024
- Suspended from deadlines by HCR 64, 4/29/2024
- Conference report filed: increases P-12 appropriation for 2024-2025 by $239-million over current year; includes coverage of PERS and health insurance increases for eligible employees; appropriates district funds through the new Mississippi Student Funding Formula, 4/29/2024
- Conference report adopted by House, 5/1/2024
- Conference report adopted by Senate, 5/1/2024
- Due from Governor by 5/13/2024
- Approved by Governor, 5/13/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on the bill as amended by the Senate.
House Bill 4130 – repeals the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) and replaces it with a new law providing for public education funding that: establishes a formula for determining base student cost effective FY2026 and thereafter; includes an inflation factor that is applicable beginning in the first year; provides additional needs-based funding for circumstances that increase the cost of education, including poverty, English language learner support, special education or gifted services, career and technical programs, and sparsely populated school districts; requires that state funding per district for FY2025 through FY2027 may not be less than the district received in FY2024; provides for a recalculation of the formula every four years; and other provisions; represents a projected $220-million increase over current year funding.
- Suspended from deadlines by SCR 548, 4/25/2024
- Referred to House Education Committee, 4/26/2024
- Amended by House Education Committee to name the program the Mississippi Student Funding Formula, 4/26/2024
- Committee substitute passed by House Education Committee, 4/26/2024
- Passed by House: 117 yeas, 0 nays, 1 absent, 4 present/not voting; 4/26/2024
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 4/26/2024
- Passed by Senate Education Committee, 4/27/2024
- Passed by Senate: 48 yeas, 3 nays, 1 absent, 0 present/not voting; 4/27/2024
- Due from Governor by 5/8/2024
- Approved by Governor, 5/8/2024
Senate Concurrent Resolution 548 – suspends legislative deadlines to allow the drafting, introduction, consideration, and passage of new legislation to
1) make certain changes to PERS, including: rescind 2% increase in employer’s contribution rate that is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2024; provide for a 1/2% increase in employer’s contribution rate effective July 1 of each year from 2024 through 2028; modify specific provisions related to board and legislative authority; and express legislative intent regarding future changes.
2) repeal the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) and replace it with a new law providing for public education funding that: establishes a formula for determining base student cost effective FY2026 and thereafter; provides additional needs-based funding for circumstances that increase the cost of education, including poverty, English language learner support, special education or gifted services, career and technical programs, and sparsely populated school districts; requires that state funding per district for FY2025 through FY2027 may not be less than the district received in FY2024; and other provisions.
- Referred to Senate Rules Committee, 4/25/2024
- Adopted by Senate Rules Committee, 4/25/2024
- Adopted by Senate, 4/25/2024
- Referred to House Rules Committee, 4/26/2024
- Adopted by House Rules Committee, 4/26/2024
- Adopted by House, 4/26/2024
DEAD
House Bill 867 – allows students to attend schools in districts where they do not reside; imposes an extensive administrative burden on school districts, requiring that they report publicly the capacity in each grade of each school that is available for out-of-district transfer students; creates a perverse incentive for current residents of school districts with a strong local tax base to relocate to a lower-taxed district but leave their children in the schools that benefit from the higher local taxes.
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/2/2024
- Committee substitute passed by House Education Committee, 2/29/2024
- Amended by House to remove requirement that districts report publicly their capacity in each grade of each school to receive transfer students; to require receiving districts to report demographic data on transfer students; to require that MDE act expeditiously in sending state funding for transfer students to receiving district upon transfer; and to provide that students who transfer at the beginning of the school year are eligible to play sports (do not have to sit out a year) but those who transfer mid-year are not eligible until following school year, 3/12/2024
- Passed by House as amended: 68 yeas, 43 nays, 1 absent, 10 present/not voting; 3/12/2024
- Held on a motion reconsider, 3/12/2024
- Reconsidered for purposes of amendment; strike-all amendment includes all amendments previously passed and clarifies language regarding state funding but not local funding following the student to receiving district, 3/13/2024
- Passed by House as amended: 85 yeas, 27 nays, 1 absent, 9 present/not voting; 3/13/2024
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 3/20/2024
- Died in committee, 4/2/2024
The Parents’ Campaign has no position on the amended version of this bill.
House Bill 1192 – allows districts to establish virtual school programs; supported by lobbyists for a national for-profit corporation that runs online schools with very poor academic track records.
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/14/2024
- Committee substitute passed by House Education Committee, 2/28/2024
- Amended by House to add a reverse repealer, 3/12/2024
- Passed by House as amended: 79 yeas, 39 nays, 1 absent, 3 present/not voting; 3/12/2024 See vote
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 3/19/2024
- Amended in Senate Education Committee to strike all language including provision allowing for-profit virtual schools to be established and replace it with requirement for MDE to review its virtual school offerings and report to Legislature with recommendations for improvement, 4/1/2024
- Passed by Senate Education Committee as amended, 4/1/2024
- Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee as amended, 4/2/2024
- Amended in Senate to add language establishing a modified school calendar grant program, 4/9/2024
- Passed by Senate as amended, 4/9/2024
- Held by Senate on a motion to reconsider, 4/9/2024
- Motion to reconsider tabled, 4/11/2024
- Returned to House for concurrence, 4/12/2024
- House declined to concur, invited conference, 4/15/2024
- House conferees named: Roberson, Owen, Harness, 4/16/2024
- Senate conferees named: DeBar, Parker, Hopson, 4/17/2024
- Died in conference, 4/29/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on the original House version of this bill and has no position on the bill as amended by the Senate.
House Bill 1449 – original bill establishes vouchers to pay private school tuition for all K-12 students in Mississippi; a substitute bill passed in committee sets up a study committee to evaluate the feasibility of universal vouchers for private school tuition, a measure that would provide publicly subsidized tuition for all current and new private school students statewide.
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/19/2024
- Committee substitute passed by House Education Committee, 2/29/2024
- Committee substitute passed by House Appropriations Committee, 3/5/2024
- Died on calendar, 3/14/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.
House Bill 1453 – strikes from state law the Mississippi Adequate Education Program and replaces it with Investing in the Needs of Students to Prioritize, Impact and Reform Education (INSPIRE); has no objective formula for base student cost and no adjustment for inflation; it removes all objective measures of the amount of funding schools need to be successful, instead allowing the Legislature to decide what schools need each year with no standard by which to measure; uses a percentage of what the Legislature chooses as the base cost to determine additional funding for concentrated poverty, special education, English language learners, gifted learners, career and technical education, and sparsity for transportation; decreases Education Enhancement Funds going to public schools; provides a process to consider closure or consolidation of districts rated F; removes current requirement for charter schools to reimburse local districts for special education services provided by district; and other provisions.
- Referred to House Education Committee, 2/19/2024
- Committee substitute introduced, strikes from state law the Mississippi Adequate Education Program and replaces it with Investing in the Needs of Students to Prioritize, Impact and Reform Education (INSPIRE); has no objective formula for determining base student cost; keeps funding stagnant for three years after which an inflation adjustment is added; includes additional needs-based funding for poverty, special education, and others; current MAEP formula sets base student cost for FY 2025 at $7,465, HB 1453 reduces it to $6,650, 3/5/2024
- Committee substitute passed by House Education Committee, 3/5/2024
- Passed by House: 94 yeas, 13 nays, 0 absent, 15 present/not voting; 3/6/2024 See vote
- Held in House on a motion to reconsider, 3/6/2024
- Motion to reconsider tabled: 82 yeas, 36 nays; 3/7/2024
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 3/20/2024
- Died in committee, 4/2/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.
House Bill 1618 – amended by Senate to insert the language of SB 2685, the bill that allows retired teachers to work full time in critical shortage areas while receiving PERS benefits; to provide that the PERS board remain intact; to require that increases be recommended to the Legislature, limiting unilateral board action; and to rescind the 2% increase in the employer contribution.
- Referred to House Appropriations Committee, 2/19/2024
- Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 2/27/2024
- Passed by House, 3/6/2024
- Referred to Senate Finance Committee, 3/22/2024
- Passed by Senate Finance Committee, 4/2/2024
- Amended in Senate to insert provision allowing retired teachers to return to classroom while drawing PERS benefits and other provisions, 4/9/2024
- Passed by Senate as amended, 4/9/2024
- Returned to House for concurrence, 4/11/2024
- House declined to concur, invited conference, 4/15/2024
- House conferees named: Deweese, Read, Creekmore, 4/16/2024
- Senate conferees named: Harkins, Johnson, Parker, 4/18/2024
- Conference report filed: removes language allowing retired teachers to return to classroom while drawing PERS benefits (that language is now in HB 765 CR), 4/29/2024
- Conference report recommitted for further conference by Senate, 4/30/2024
- Conference report recommitted for further conference by House, 5/1/2024
- Died in conference, 5/2/2024
The Parents’ Campaign generally does not take positions on PERS legislation but strongly supports measures addressing the teacher shortage, including the amended bill’s provision allowing retired teachers to return to the classroom while drawing PERS benefits.
House Bill 1672 – amends Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program, expands eligibility to alternate route teachers, adds graduate level loans to program, program entry no longer limited to first-year teachers.
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/19/2024
- Passed by House Education Committee, 2/28/2024
- Died in committee, 3/5/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 1674 – provides additional $4,000 salary supplement to National Board Certified Teachers working in geographically critical teacher shortage areas; deletes list of counties designated as critical shortage areas in statute to allow MDE to make those designations in the future.
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/19/2024
- Died in committee, 3/5/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
House Bill 1988 – provides increased funding for private schools of $6-million in 2024 and $15-million in 2025 via Children’s Promise Act tax credits, with no restrictions on expenditure of funds and no reporting requirements.
- Referred to House Ways & Means Committee, 3/26/2024
- Passed by House Ways & Means Committee, 3/26/2024
- Amendments proposed in House to direct more of the bill’s tax credits to foster care organizations and require enrollment of participating private schools to be at least 50% children who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch; amendments failed to pass on voice votes; 3/26/2024
- Amendment 4 would direct 60% of the tax credits to foster care organizations; failed to pass: 34 yeas, 80 nays, 1 absent, 7 present/not voting; 3/26/2024 See vote
- Passed by House: 101 yeas, 1 nay, 2 absent, 18 present/not voting; 3/26/2024
- Held by House on motion to reconsider, 3/26/2024
- Motion to reconsider tabled, 3/27/2024
- Referred to Senate Finance Committee, 4/10/2024
- Amended in Senate Finance Committee to remove increases in private school funding and add reverse repealer to send bill to conference, 4/15/2024
- Passed by Senate Finance Committee as amended, 4/15/2024
- Passed by Senate: 30 yeas, 15 nays, 2 absent, 5 present; 4/16/2024
- Returned to House for concurrence, 4/17/2024
- House declined to concur, invited conference, 4/19/2024
- House conferees named: Lamar, Steverson, Barnett, 4/22/2024
- Senate conferees named: Harkins, Sparks, Rhodes, 4/24/2024
- Senate conferees changed to: Harkins, Sparks, Berry, 4/25/2024
- Placeholder conference report filed, 4/27/2024
- Conference report recommitted by Senate for further conference, 4/28/2024
- Conference report recommitted by House for further conference, 4/29/2024
- Suspended from deadlines by HCR 64, 4/29/2024
- Conference report #2 filed: adds $3-million for private schools via tax credits, 5/3/2024
- Conference report #2 failed to pass Senate (3/5 vote required): 21 yeas, 16 nays, 4 present, 2 pair, 9 absent or not voting; 5/3/2024 See vote
The Parents’ Campaign favors amending the bill to remove all private school funding, thereby increasing funding for foster care organizations, or to require that to receive funding private schools must have enrollment of at least 50% of children eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. If amended to increase tax credits for private schools, The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote.
Senate Bill 2146 – amends Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program, expands eligibility to alternate route teachers, adds graduate level loans to program, program entry no longer limited to first-year teachers.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 2/2/2024
- Died in committee, 3/5/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2332 – amends the Mississippi Adequate Education Program to increase the maximum amount in local contribution that wealthier school districts must provide from 27% to 29.5% of the base cost; adjust the annual growth factor for non-recalculation years from 40% to 25% of the base cost and use a 20-year-average inflation rate; hold harmless for one year school districts that would lose funding due to a drop in average daily attendance; specify that 90% of MAEP funds must be spent on teacher salaries, classroom resources, and expenditures other than salaries for superintendents and principals; require that a pro-rated share of a charter student’s MAEP allocation be returned to the traditional public school if the student returns to the traditional school; and other provisions.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 2/8/2024
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 2/22/2024
- Passed by Senate: 50 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent, 2 present/not voting; 3/7/2024 See vote
- Referred to House Education Committee, 3/21/2024
- Amended in House Education Committee to strike all bill language and replace it with that of HB 1453 with additional clarifying amendments, 3/21/2024
- Passed by House Education Committee as amended, 3/21/2024
- Passed by House: 94 yeas, 18 nays, 1 absent, 9 present/not voting; 3/21/2024
- Returned to Senate for concurrence, 3/22/2024
- Senate declined to concur, did not invite conference, 4/9/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on the original Senate version of this bill and a nay vote on the bill as amended by the House.
Senate Bill 2673 – amends Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program, expands eligibility to alternate route teachers, adds graduate level loans to program, program entry no longer limited to first-year teachers.
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/19/2024
- Died in committee, 3/5/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2682 – extends repeal date on Mississippi Critical Teacher Shortage Act from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2027.
- Referred to Senate Education and Appropriations Committees, 2/19/2024
- Passed by Senate Education Committee, 2/29/2024
- Passed by Senate Appropriations Committee, 3/5/2024
- Amended by Senate to include Winter-Reed Teacher Loan Repayment Program expansion, 3/13/2024
- Passed by Senate as amended: 52 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent, 0 present/not voting; 3/13/2024 See vote
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 3/18/2024
- Passed by House Education Committee, 3/21/2024
- Passed by House Appropriations Committee, 4/2/2024
- Amended in House to add a reverse repealer to send bill to conference, 4/10/2024
- Passed by House as amended, 4/10/2024
- Returned to Senate for concurrence, 4/11/2024
- Senate declined to concur, invited conference, 4/12/2024
- Senate conferees named: DeBar, Blount, Parker, 4/12/2024
- House conferees named: Roberson, McCarty, Owen, 4/17/2024
- Died in conference, 4/29/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2685 – allows retired teachers to work full time in certain critical shortage areas while receiving full PERS benefits.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 2/19/2024
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 2/29/2024
- Passed by Senate: 49 yeas, 0 nays, 0 absent, 3 present/not voting; 3/7/2024 See vote
- Referred to House Education and Appropriations Committees, 3/11/2024
- Passed by House Education Committee, 3/21/2024
- Died in committee, 4/2/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2686 – amends ESA voucher program to clarify that participating private schools must follow the program’s statutory requirements in order to receive voucher funds; says a student must be accepted by a private school before being added to the program’s waiting list.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 2/19/2024
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/5/2024
- Died on calendar, 3/14/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a yea vote on this bill.
Senate Bill 2693 – amended by House to strike all and replace with the language of HB 1453, the bill that strikes from state law the Mississippi Adequate Education Program and replaces it with Investing in the Needs of Students to Prioritize, Impact and Reform Education (INSPIRE), which has no objective formula for determining base student cost; keeps funding stagnant for three years before an inflation adjustment is added; includes additional needs-based funding for poverty, special education, and other; current MAEP formula sets base student cost for FY 2025 at $7,465, HB 1453 reduces it to $6,650.
- Referred to Senate Education Committee, 2/19/2024
- Committee substitute passed by Senate Education Committee, 3/5/2024
- Passed by Senate, 3/13/2024
- Referred to House Education Committee, 3/18/2024
- Passed by House Education Committee, 4/2/2024
- Amended in House to strike all and replace with the language of HB 1453, 4/10/2024
- Passed by House as amended, 4/10/2024
- Returned to Senate for concurrence, 4/10/2024
- Died on calendar, 4/25/2024
The Parents’ Campaign favors a nay vote on this bill.
