Yesterday, the House voted to table the motion to reconsider on SB 2594, the ESA voucher bill, so it is on its way to the governor with no amendments that expand the program or weaken accountability – a victory for children and for taxpayers!
And there is more good news…the Joint Legislative Budget Committee learned from state economic and budget officials at its Monday meeting that the budget situation is better than once feared. It appears that we can get through the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, without cuts to state agencies, and the budget reductions anticipated for FY21 are likely to be smaller than initially expected. The education appropriations bill for 2020-2021 is going to conference and should be finalized in the coming days.
SB 3013 and HB 1751, which allocate CARES Act funding to public schools, universities, and colleges, have been taken up by both chambers with the intention of sending them to conference where final language will be determined. Those, too, should be decided in a matter of days.
The pre-k bill, SB 2286, still awaits action on the House calendar with a deadline of tomorrow.
Check out these and other education bills on our web site’s bill tracker.
Things are moving quickly in the Legislature, so we’ll be sure to keep you in the loop. Thanks so much for standing with us as we work to ensure strong public schools for all Mississippi children. Together, we’ve got this!
