An Act To Amend Section 37-73-7, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That The Single List Of Nationally Recognized Industry Certifications Shall Only Be Used For Reimbursement Under Section 37-153-15 And Not In The Mississippi Statewide Accountability System Or In Diploma Endorsement Requirements; To Provide That The State Workforce Investment Board Shall Create A Separate List Of Nationally Recognized High Value Industry Certifications For Participants Enrolled In Community And Junior Colleges; To Require, Subject To Available Funding, The Mississippi Community College Board To Pay A Career And Technical Education Incentive Grant To Certain Community Colleges; To Amend Section 37-153-15, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That The Career And Technical Education Grants May Be Used To Purchase Needed Equipment; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Sections 67-1-71, 87-1-5, 97-33-1, 97-33-7, 97-33-17, 97-33-25 And 97-33-27, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Authorize Gaming To Be Conducted On Vessels As Defined In Section 27-109-1 Whenever Such Vessel Is On The Pearl River Or An Adjoining Body Of Water Within The Corporate Limits Of A Municipality With A Population Of 145,000 Or More According To The Most Recent Federal Decennial Census; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 51-9-107, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That The Governor Shall Appoint Two Members From The City Of Jackson To Serve On The Board Of Directors Of The Pearl River Valley Water Supply District; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 21-37-29, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Prohibit Certain Municipalities From Charging Persons To Park On Public Streets Adjacent To The County, City, State Or Federal Building During Such Time As Such Person Is Required To Appear At The Courthouse Or As Is Reasonably Necessary For The Person To Utilize The Public Services Provided At Such Building; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Authorize The Issuance Of Distinctive Motor Vehicle License Tags To Supporters Of Promoting Peace, Accomplished Through The Cooperation Between Promote Peace Foundation And Mississippi Rotary Clubs; To Prescribe An Additional Fee For The Issuance Of Such License Tags; To Provide For The Distribution Of The Additional Fee Collected From The Issuance Of Such License Tags; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Require The Discontinuation Of End-of-course Subject Area Testing In Public High Schools For 11th And 12th Grades; To Require The Department To Secure Approval From The United States Department Of Education To Allow Nationally Recognized College-readiness And Career-readiness Exams, Such As, But Not Limited To, The Act And Act Workkeys Assessment, To Serve As Compliance With Any Federal Testing Requirements; To Require All High School Students To Take A Nationally Recognized College-readiness And Career-readiness Tests, Such As The Act And Act Workkeys Assessments; To Amend Section 37-17-6, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Revise Certain Provisions Related To The State's Permanent Performance-based Accreditation System For Schools; To Amend Sections 37-16-3, 37-16-7, 37-16-17, 37-3-49, 37-15-38 And 37-35-3, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform To The Provision Of This Act; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 37-106-41, To Authorize The Board Of Trustees Of State Institutions Of Higher Learning To Establish A Scholarship Program Funded By Legislative Appropriation Under Which Certain Veterans Shall Receive Free Tuition At State-supported Universities And Community Colleges Based On One Month Free Tuition For Each Month Served During A Qualifying Period; To Establish The Combat Veteran Scholarship Fund In The State Treasury; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Sections 23-15-611 And 21-9-19, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Any Candidate Who Receives A Majority Vote In A Municipal Election Shall Be Elected; To Provide That If No Candidate Receives A Majority, Then A Run Off Election Shall Be Held Three Weeks Later; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 37-3-5, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Permit The State Department Of Education To Receive Contributions, Donations, Gifts, Bequests Of Money, Other Forms Of Financial Assistance And Property, Equipment, Materials Or Manpower From Public Or Private Donors; To Require The Expenditure And/or Use Of Such Contributions Received To Be Used As Conditioned By The Donor, Provided That Such Condition Is Not Illegal; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Be Known As The Mississippi State Employees Paid Parental Leave Act; To Provide For Six Weeks Of Paid Parental Leave For Eligible State Employees Who Are The Primary Caregivers Of A Child, To Be Used To Care For The Child After The Birth Or Adoption Of The Child; To Define "eligible Employee," "paid Parental Leave" And "primary Caregiver" For The Purposes Of This Act; To Provide That The Employee Shall Be Compensated At 100% Of The Employee's Regular Salary While Taking The Paid Parental Leave; To Provide That The Paid Parental Leave Must Be Taken Within 12 Weeks Of The Birth Or Adoption Of The Child; To Provide That Paid Parental Leave May Be Taken Only Once In A Period Of Twelve Months; To Provide That The Paid Parental Leave Provided Under This Act Shall Be In Addition To Other Leave Benefits Available To State Employees By State Or Federal Law And Shall Not Be Counted Against Accrued Personal Leave Or Major Medical Leave; To Provide That The Paid Parental Leave Shall Run Concurrently With Any Leave Provided To An Eligible Employee Under The Federal Family And Medical Leave Act (fmla) Where Applicable; To Provide That The Paid Parental Leave Shall Not Be Accrued Or Carried Over Or Used For Retirement Purposes And Is Not Payable Upon Separation From State Service; To Require An Eligible Employee Requesting The Paid Parental Leave To Give Notice At Least 30 Calendar Days Before The Anticipated Leave Start Date Where Foreseeable; To Provide That If Advance Notice Of 30 Days Is Not Possible Due To Exigent Circumstances, The Employee Shall Provide Notice At The Earliest Available Opportunity; To Require The Board Of Trustees Of Any Public School District And The Board Of Trustees Of Any Community Or Junior College District To Adopt A Policy, In Addition To Any Other Leave Policies Of The District, To Provide For Paid Parental Leave For Employees Of The District That Includes The Same Or Substantially The Same Provisions As Those Of This Act; To Amend Section 25-3-93, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform To The Preceding Provisions; To Amend Section 25-3-95, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform To The Preceding Provisions; To Provide That After Using The Paid Parental Leave Authorized Under This Act, An Employee May Use Up To Six Weeks Of Earned Major Medical Leave For The Birth Of The Employee's Child; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create A New Tier In The Mississippi Public Employees' Retirement System Of Mississippi For Employees Becoming Members Of The System On Or After March 1, 2026, Which Shall Consist Of A Defined Benefit Component And A Defined Contribution Component; To Specify That The Defined Contribution Component Shall Be A Plan Under Section 401(a) Of The Internal Revenue Code; To Provide That A Portion Of The Employee's Contributions Shall Be Deposited Into The Employee's Defined Contribution Account, And In Addition, The Employer May Elect To Contribute An Amount Up To The Maximum Pretax Amount Allowable Under Federal Law; To Provide That Members Shall Be Vested Immediately In The Defined Contribution Plan; To Amend Section 25-11-103, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Revise The Definition Of "average Compensation" For Members In The New Tier To Mean The Average Of The Eight Highest Consecutive Years Of Earned Compensation, Or Of The Last 96 Consecutive Months Of Earned Compensation, Whichever Is Greater; To Amend The Definition Of "member" To Provide That, If A Person Withdraws From State Service And Receives A Refund Before March 1, 2026, And Reenters State Service On Or After March 1, 2026, The Member Shall Be Considered To Have Become A Member Of The System On Or After March 1, 2026, And No Prior Service Shall Be Credited; To Amend Section 25-11-109, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Limit The Circumstances For Which Creditable Service May Be Awarded For Employees Becoming Members Of The System On Or After March 1, 2026; To Amend Section 25-11-111, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Members In The New Tier Who Have Completed At Least Eight Years Of Membership Service Shall Be Entitled To Receive A Retirement Allowance Upon Withdrawal From Service At The Age Of 62, And Members Who Have Completed At Least 35 Years Of Creditable Service Shall Be Entitled To Receive A Retirement Allowance Upon Withdrawal From Service Regardless Of Age; To Provide That Members In The New Tier Who Withdraw From Service Before Age 62 And Have Completed At Least Eight Years Of Membership Service And Have Not Received A Refund Of Their Contributions Shall Be Entitled To Receive A Retirement Allowance Upon Attaining The Age Of 62; To Provide That The Member's Annual Retirement Allowance From The Defined Benefit Plan Shall Consist Of A Member's Annuity, Which Shall Be Equal To 1% Of The Average Compensation For Each Year Of Creditable Service; To Provide That The Annual Retirement Allowance Of A Member Who Has Attained The Age Of 62 But Has Not Completed At Least 30 Years Of Creditable Service Shall Be Reduced By An Actuarial Equivalent Factor For Each Year Of Creditable Service Below 30 Years Or The Number Of Years In Age That The Member Is Below Age 65, Whichever Is Less; To Amend Section 25-11-112, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That There Shall Be No Annual Cost-of-living Adjustment For The Retirement Allowance Applicable To The New Tier, Although The Legislature May Provide An Additional Benefit For A Specific Year; To Amend Section 25-11-114, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform To The Provisions Of This Act With Respect To Retirement Allowances For Death Before Retirement Or Death Or Disability In The Line Of Duty; To Amend Section 25-11-115, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That A Member In The New Tier Shall Not Be Eligible For A Partial Lump-sum Distribution; To Amend Section 25-11-117, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform; To Amend Section 25-11-123, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That, For Members In The New Tier, The Employee's Contribution Shall Be 9% Of Earned Compensation, 4% Of Which Shall Be Deposited Into The Annuity Savings Account Applicable To The Defined Benefit Portion Of The Retirement Allowance, With The Remaining 5% To Be Deposited Into The Employee's Defined Contribution Account; To Provide That, For Members In The New Tier, The Employer's Contribution Shall Be Applied To The System's Accrued Liability Contribution Fund; To Amend Section 25-11-305, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Membership In The Supplemental Legislative Retirement Plan Shall Apply Only To Those State Legislators And Presidents Of The Senate Who Were Elected Before March 1, 2026; To Provide That, If A Member Of The Supplemental Legislative Retirement Plan Withdraws From State Service And Receives A Refund Before March 1, 2026, And Reenters State Service On Or After March 1, 2026, The Member Shall Be Considered To Have Become A Member Of The Public Employees' Retirement System On Or After March 1, 2026, And No Prior Service Shall Be Credited; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 37-9-57, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Authorize The State Board Of Education To Impose A Fine As An Alternative To Suspending The License Of An Appointed School District Superintendent, Principal Or Licensed Employee Who Abandons Employment Without Being Released From The Person's Contract; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 99-19-71, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Allow Victims Of Human Trafficking And Other Crimes One Additional Expungement For The Crime Of Prostitution; To Clarify The Expungement Of Pardons; To Prohibit Expungement Of The Felony Crimes Of Promoting Or Procuring Prostitution; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 97-3-71, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Remove Force As An Element Of Rape; To Bring Forward Sections 97-3-101, 97-3-103, 97-3-97 And 97-3-65, Mississippi Code Of 1972, Which Provide For Crimes Of Sexual Assault, For Purposes Of Amendment; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 71-1-1, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Empower The State Board Of Health To Establish An Office Of Workplace Safety And Health; To Regulate Occupational Health And Safety Standards In The State Of Mississippi; To Prescribe Its Powers And Responsibilities; To Amend Sections 71-1-25 And 71-1-27, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Empower The Office Of Workplace Safety And Health To Enforce Child Labor Laws In The State Of Mississippi; To Prescribe Its Powers And Responsibilities; To Amend Section 41-3-15, In Conformity; And For Related Purposes.