During the fifth & sixth week of the 2026 Legislative Session, the Senate passed Senate Bill 2898 and Senate Bill 2924, companion measures that authorize the State Treasurer and the State Fiscal Officer, to transfer $20 million from the Capital Expense Fund to the Disaster Assistance Trust Fund and appropriate those funds to Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA). The funding will be used to help defray expenses related to disaster response and recovery efforts associated with the severe weather events that began on January 24, 2026.
Other legislation passed by the Senate includes:
Senate Bill 2847 requires amounts owed to the state or political subdivisions to be rounded to the nearest five cents, in anticipation of the penny no longer being manufactured.
Senate Bill 2191 amends current law to allow certain special fund monies distributed to municipalities to be spent for repair, maintenance or construction of sidewalks, and construction or rehabilitation of municipal buildings.
Senate Bill 2885 creates the Mississippi Work and Save Program - a retirement savings program sponsored by the state for certain private sector employers who do not have a retirement plan for employees. The program aims to encourage employers to adopt retirement savings and other retirement plans for employees.
Senate Bill 2613 directs the Board of Trustees of the Public Employees' Retirement System of Mississippi (PERS) to open, maintain and manage an account that shall be designated the PERS Tier 5 COLA Account, with $5 million deposited annually beginning July 1, 2026, and ending July 1, 2035.
Senate Bill 2912 directs the Mississippi Deferred Compensation Plan and Trust to allow participating employees to invest in Roth accounts and other after-tax investment accounts.
Senate Bill 2895, the state’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) closeout and accountability bill, sets September 30, 2026, as Mississippi’s ARPA closeout date. The bill strengthens monthly reporting and reimbursement requirements to prevent inactive projects from retaining funds, maintains the Department of Finance and Administration’s (DFA) authority to transfer available subgrantee funds under certain conditions. Any swept funds would be redirected to eligible expenses to meet the December 31, 2026, federal deadline, including allocations of up to $100 million to the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) for eligible surface transportation projects and up to $62.9 million to the State Employees’ Health Insurance Plan, with remaining funds subject to further classification or transfer by DFA at the direction of the Governor. The bill also requires DFA to report to the Legislature on the use of these funds and aligns multiple ARPA programs to clarify fund availability through September 30, 2026.
Senate Bill 2483 creates the J.P. Wilemon, Jr., Financial Literacy Act and directs the State Board of Education to incorporate financial literacy components within the existing curriculum offered in grades 6-8, beginning in the 2027-2028 school year. The act is named after former Mississippi Senator J.P. Wilemon, Jr., a retired banker from Belmont who served 15 years in the Senate.
Senate Bill 2126 creates a new code section prohibiting persons convicted of a violent crime or sex offense from changing their names. A conviction for violation of the statute would constitute a felony punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and a prison sentence of up to five years.
Senate Bill 2386 prohibits circuit court judges from allowing political candidates to address the public during court terms.
Senate Bill 2038 establishes the Our House Residential Multi-Service Center Program as a pilot program within the Mississippi Department of Corrections at the Pike County Community Work Center. The program is designed to provide transitional assistance to homeless individuals released from incarceration, helping them re-enter society and reduce recidivism through employment assistance, temporary housing, monitored behavior, and structured financial responsibilities.
Senate Bill 2476 authorizes the Mississippi Board of Pharmacy to establish an alternative-to-discipline program for certain impaired licensees to allow them to seek voluntary treatment in the confidential program for their substance abuse or mental health conditions.
Senate Bill 2632, which establishes the "Local Governments Disaster Recovery Emergency Loan Program Act," which creates a special fund that shall be utilized as an emergency loan program for counties and municipalities that were impacted by the severe winter storm that occurred on January 23-27, 2026. The loans will be administered by the Department of Finance and Administration, and local governments that are within the federally declared disaster area will be eligible to take out a loan or loans to assist with eligible expenditure recovery efforts. Loan disbursements shall not exceed any one county's pro rata share of the overall disaster assessments as determined by the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) at the time of the effective date of this act or at the time of the first assessment by MEMA for any counties added to the federally declared disaster area. No loans shall be issued under this act after July 1, 2027, and the term of the loans shall not exceed a five-year period.
Senate Bill 2911, provides alternative return to work provisions for the Public Employees Retirement System, (PERS), including shortening the sit out time for retired state employees, who are returning to work for the state from 90 to 30 days. It also gives employers more salary options for rehiring needed personnel.
Senate Bill 2909, shortens from 35 years to 30 years, the time required for state employees hired after March 1, 2026, to retire under Tier 5 of the Public Employees Retirement System, (PERS).
Senate Bill 2208, creates Mississippi Public University System Governance Study Committee.
Senate Bill 2344, requires students at state colleges, universities and junior and community colleges to complete a financial literacy course before graduation.
Senate Bill 2031, changes the age of majority from 21 years of age to 18.
Senate Bill 2817, allows the Department of Public Safety to consolidate 11 agencies/offices into seven, and allows the department to revise certain fees for services.
Senate Bill 2263, requires law enforcement officers of the
Department of Marine Resources to have probable cause to stop or board a vessel.
Senate Bill 2664, offers lifetime resident sportsman hunting and fishing license for a one-time $500 fee for those under 18 years old and $1,000 for those 18 years old and older.
Senate Bill 2436, requires the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to create and issue harvest tags for a black bear hunting season beginning with the 2027-2028 hunting season.
Senate Bill 2801, seeks to improve driver safety by increasing the fine for those charged with the secondary offense of reading, writing or sending text messages with a mobile telephone while driving a vehicle. Violations in a school zone or work zone would be punishable by a $250.00 fine.
Senate Bill 2272, would exempt certain agricultural and logging items from state sales tax for commercial farmers and professional loggers.
Senate Bill 2589, modifies the political campaign finance reporting process and makes reports publicly accessible via a website maintained by the Secretary of State.
Senate Bill 2050, requires disclosure when artificial intelligence is used in political advertisements.
Senate Bill 2610, seeks to rename the Alcorn State University biotechnology building the "Willie L. Simmons Biotechnology Building," in honor of former Mississippi District 13 Senator and current Mississippi Central District Transportation Commissioner,
Willie L. Simmons, an Alcorn alumnus.
Senate Bill 2444, directs the Mississippi State Department of Health to conduct a study on the prevention and reduction of amputations resulting from diabetes and related complications to lower the numbers and develop “strategies to expand access to limb-saving services, including multidisciplinary care teams, wound care, podiatry and patient education.”
Senate Bill 2369, directs casinos to withhold outstanding child support arrearages from winnings of $2,000 or more from noncustodial parents who are delinquent in child support payments, through a partnership with the Mississippi Department of Human Services.
The Senate met a Thursday, February 12, 2026, deadline for original floor action on general bills and constitutional amendments originating in the Senate, and a Friday, February 13, 2026, deadline for reconsideration and passage of general bills and constitutional amendments originating in the Senate.
The Senate faced a Monday, February 16, 2026, deadline to dispose of motions to reconsider general bills and constitutional amendments originating in the Senate.
