The 2026 Mississippi legislative session came to an end Friday – at least for the time being – with lawmakers potentially being called back to the capitol on April 15 to work out any ancillary issues that may not have been resolved over the past three months.
While many believe the latest convening of lawmakers was busy yet underwhelming, some new laws are set to go into effect. According to Mississippi Statewatch, a legislative tracking service, 189 of 4,006 filed bills were enacted – or roughly 5%. That’s a 2% drop when compared to the 2025 regular session, when 259 of 3,707 filed bills were enacted – or roughly 7%.
Here’s a recap of some of the bigger measures passed by both chambers and others that failed to make the finish line in 2026.
Pay raises – Passed
After several numbers were tossed around throughout the session, lawmakers landed on a $2,000 annual pay raise for K-12 educators. Community-college and university professors are also in store for a $2,000 raise.
Another measure will give circuit, chancery, and appellate court judges a $13,000 raise on average.
Winter Storm Fern relief – Passed
After Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed an initial relief plan for cities and counties impacted by Winter Storm Fern in January, lawmakers reworked the plan and landed on a short-term loan program with no interest upfront but a 3% annual interest rate after reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Over half the state was struck by the storm, with pockets of north Mississippi and the Delta bearing the brunt of it.
Biomarker testing for cancer – Passed
Mississippi will become the 23rd state to require state-regulated insurance companies to cover biomarker testing for cancer. The proven technology analyzes biological indicators, often through blood or tissue samples, to help doctors identify which treatments are most likely to be effective for a specific type of cancer. In some cases, the testing can help determine whether a patient is more likely to benefit from treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation, or targeted therapies.
SHIELD Act – Passed
The SHIELD Act, signed by Reeves, is a Republican-backed measure designed to ensure only U.S. citizens vote in Mississippi by adding new layers of verification to the voter registration process. The law requires election officials to confirm a person’s citizenship – primarily using state records and a federal immigration database – and mandates ongoing checks of voter rolls, including annual audits to identify and potentially remove non-citizens.
With no evidence of noncitizens voting in large numbers, opponents of the bill argue it could create additional hurdles for eligible voters, particularly those lacking easy access to required documentation. Supporters, however, say it strengthens election integrity and prevents a problem.
Intercepting casino winnings for child support – Passed
After failed attempts in recent years, lawmakers pushed and passed legislation allowing the interception of casino winnings from parents who owe child support. Deadbeat parents who win $2,000 or more at slot machines or sportsbooks will see that money taken. Card and table games do not apply.
Restoring the ballot initiative – Died
Sen. Jeremy England, R-Vancleave, fulfilled his promise of trying to restore the state’s ballot initiative process, but to no avail. Even though most lawmakers publicly say they want to give a way to propose and vote on new laws back to the people, England’s bill died before going to a floor vote in the Senate. The House did not vote on any similar measures, either.
The ballot initiative process was stripped by the Mississippi Supreme Court in 2021 over a technical flaw in the state constitution that required signatures from five congressional districts, even though the state had since been reduced to four congressional districts. The ruling came after citizens rallied to legalize medical marijuana through a grassroots campaign.
PERS changes – Both
After recent changes to the state Public Employees’ Retirement System were criticized by first responders, lawmakers passed a bill aimed at remedying those changes. The legislation rolls back a requirement that new state hires work 35 years before qualifying for full retirement benefits, restoring it to 30 years, and also allows retirees to return to work sooner by shortening the required break in service from 90 days to 30 days. The latter is intended to help with recruitment and staffing shortages, specifically in K-12 classrooms and public safety settings.
As PERS faces a multi-billion-dollar unfunded liability, a funding mechanism pushed by Sen. Daniel Sparks, R-Belmont, was killed several times. Sparks was aiming to plug the system with an immediate, $500 million payment before incremental payments equaling up to $1 billion over the next decade.
School choice – Died
A top priority for House Speaker Jason White, R-West, expanding school choice narrowly made it through his chamber before being killed in committee down the hall. The House’s omnibus education package centered on the matter would have streamlined the K-12 public-to-public transfer process, allowed public money to be used on private-school tuition, and opened the way for homeschooled students to play public-school sports.
The Senate passed a measure only streamlining the public-to-public transfer process, but since it killed the House package, the House returned the favor by killing that bill.
Last month, Gov. Reeves publicly mulled calling a special session on school choice, but no word since has signaled he will do that.
Mobile sports betting – Died
While the House rolled the dice and passed a bill to legalize mobile sports betting for the third time in as many years, the Senate turned it into a failed wager. The House bill would have allowed mobile sports betting if platforms like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM, among others, partnered with a Mississippi casino before opening their apps to residents. The requirement was intended to ease concerns within the casino industry that mobile sports betting would negatively impact existing brick-and-mortar sportsbooks. There was also a measure within the bill to reimburse casinos for any lost revenue.
Senate Gaming Committee Chair David Blount, D-Jackson, contended mobile sports betting does not generate tourism or economic development, and with the rise of prediction markets, it’s not a smart play by his chamber to take it up.
Agriculture tax cuts – Both
Lawmakers failed to finalize a widely supported bill that would have allowed tractors and other farm equipment to be exempt from the state’s 1.5% sales tax on agricultural equipment. Still, lawmakers did pass a separate measure reducing taxes on certain agricultural items such as lime and fencing materials used to contain livestock. Those will now be subject to the 1.5% ag tax, rather than the standard 7% sales tax.
Exempting NIL from income taxes – Died
With the rise of student-athletes getting compensated, the House passed a bill aimed at making Mississippi colleges and universities more competitive by exempting name, image, and likeness compensation from the state income tax. The Senate promptly killed the bill.
Another bill that would have opened the door for high schoolers to ink NIL deals died before making it to its originating chamber’s floor for a full vote.
PBM reform – Died
A topic that picked up steam late in the session is the reform and regulation of how pharmacy benefit managers operate in Mississippi. Essentially, the middlemen between drug manufacturers, insurers, and pharmacies, PBMs became a focal point for lawmakers looking to address rising prescription costs and the ongoing struggles of independent drugstores.
The House advanced a proposal aimed at increasing transparency and limiting practices like spread pricing and reimbursement clawbacks, while the Senate took a more scaled-back approach that included more regulation but a roughly $11 dispensing fee. No final agreement was reached, but Speaker White publicly asked Gov. Reeves to call a special session to revisit the issue.
SNAP error rate changes – Died
Sen. Sparks tried over and over to get his colleagues to move forward with a bill he says would help Mississippi avoid an estimated $120 million annual cost tied to administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, a federal food assistance program for low-income residents.
Under President Donald Trump’s self-proclaimed One Big Beautiful Bill, Mississippi and every other state would be responsible for a larger share of SNAP administrative costs based on their payment error rates. The rate reflects how accurately a state determines eligibility and benefit amounts for participants. States with higher error rates face higher financial penalties.
Mississippi’s error rate is currently above 10%, which could significantly increase the state’s share of program costs. Sparks argued his proposal would streamline SNAP paperwork and processes, which he said would help reduce errors and, in turn, lower the state’s financial burden. It is unclear whether Mississippi has another direct pathway to avoid the penalty, such as through relief or waivers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which administers SNAP.