Title 37, Education

(a) For purposes of this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “State board” or “board” means the Mississippi State Workforce Investment Board.(b) “District council…

(1) There is created the Mississippi Office of Workforce Development and the Mississippi State Workforce Investment Board, which shall serve as the advisory board for the office. The Mississippi State Workforce Investment Board shall be composed of thirty-one (31) voting members,…

(1) In accordance with the federal Workforce Investment Act of 1998, there shall be established, for each of the four (4) state workforce areas prescribed in Section 37-153-3(2)(c), a local workforce investment board to set policy for the portion of the state workforce investment…

(1) There is created in the State Treasury a special fund, separate and apart from any other fund, to be designated the "Work Force Carryover Fund," into which shall be deposited any funds which were appropriated by the Legislature to the work force program of the State Board for…

The provisions of this article shall be known and may be cited as the “American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Workforce Development and Retention Act.” Under this article, the Legislature creates the Accelerate Mississippi Workforce Development Program and the Mississippi Health Science…

(1) The Mississippi Legislature finds the following:(a) The public health crisis related to COVID-19 resulted in a general disruption in the Mississippi economy and workforce, particularly in the healthcare industry;(b) Workforce shortages exist in a number of high-wage, high-dem…

(a) As used in this article, the following words have the meanings ascribed unless the context requires otherwise:(a) “ARPA” means the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law No. 117-2).(b) “COVID-19” means the Coronavirus Disease 2019.(c) “Federal COVID-19 Relief Fu…

(1) There is established the Accelerate Mississippi Workforce Development Program, which shall be directed by the office for the purpose of providing education and training to citizens seeking employment in high-wage, high-demand industries in the state, including, but not limite…

(1) There is established the Mississippi Health Sciences Training Infrastructure Grant Program, the purpose of which is to provide a reimbursable grant for primary care health sciences training infrastructure at any osteopathic medical school in Mississippi that is accredited by …

The office shall provide a comprehensive report on the use and effectiveness of funds distributed under the grant programs created in this article, to include, if applicable, wage data and employment outcomes for trainees, to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the Hous…

Grant funds shall be available under this article through September 30, 2026. Each grant recipient shall certify, for any project for which a grant is awarded, that if the project is not completed by September 30, 2026, and the United States Congress does not enact an extension o…

(1) This article shall be known and may be cited as the “American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Nurse/Allied Health Workforce Development and Retention Act.” Under this article, the Legislature creates the “Accelerate Mississippi Nursing/Allied Health Grant Program,” the “Accelerate Mis…

(1) The Mississippi Legislature finds that:(a) The public health crisis related to COVID-19 resulted in a general disruption in the Mississippi economy and workforce, particularly in hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and other health care facilities across the state;(…

(1) There is established the Accelerate Mississippi Nursing/Allied Health Grant Program, which shall be directed by the office for the purpose of increasing capacity in nursing and allied health training programs, including accredited paramedic programs, job sectors which were se…

(1) There is established the Accelerate Mississippi Physician Residency and Fellowship Start-Up Grant Program, which shall be directed by the office for the purpose of creating new or increasing capacity in existing physician residency and fellowship programs in hospitals, which …

(1) There is established the Mississippi Allied Health College and Career Navigator Grant Program, which shall be directed by the office for the purpose of hiring professionals, or navigators, to provide individual assistance and guidance to students to assist them in many areas,…

The office may use a maximum of two percent (2%) of funds appropriated for the administrative expenses of the grant programs authorized in Sections 3, 4 and 5 of this act, to the extent permissible under federal law. The office shall try to minimize any expense of administrative …

The office shall certify to the Department of Finance and Administration that each expenditure of the funds appropriated to the office under this article is in compliance with the guidelines, guidance, rules, regulations and/or other criteria, as may be amended from time to time,…

The office shall provide a comprehensive report on the use and effectiveness of funds distributed under the grant programs created in this article, to include wage data and employment outcomes for residents, to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of the House, Chairs of th…

Grant funds shall be available under this article through September 30, 2026. Each grant recipient shall certify, for any project for which a grant is awarded, that if the project is not completed by September 30, 2026, and the United States Congress does not enact an extension o…

(1) The Office of Workforce Development shall establish and administer the Mississippi K-12 Workforce Development Grant Program for the purpose of constructing, remodeling, purchasing or upgrading equipment or otherwise providing support to career technical centers at the K-12 ed…

(1) There is established the Individual Training Account Workforce Reinforcement Assistance (ITA-WRAP) Program, which shall be directed by the Office of Workforce Development for the purpose of providing education and training to citizens seeking employment in high-wage, high-dem…

This article shall be known and cited as the “Paramedics Recruitment and Retention Scholarship Program Act.”

(1) The Legislature finds the following:(a) The public health crisis related to COVID-19 resulted in a general disruption in the Mississippi economy and workforce, particularly in the healthcare industry.(b) COVID-19 and the closing of or reduction in services at rural hospitals …

(1) There is established the Paramedics Recruitment and Retention Scholarship Program (“the program”). The scholarship program shall be used by the Office of Workforce Development, with the Mississippi Department of Employment Security acting as the fiscal agent, for the purpose …

(a) The office shall enter into a grant contract agreement with each recipient of a grant under the program that incorporates the following obligations and conditions:(a) The recipient of a grant shall commit to serving as a paramedic for three (3) continuous years in the State o…

(1) The Office of Workforce Development shall submit an annual report on the grant program to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chair of the House Workforce Development Committee and the Chair of the Senate Economic and Workfo…

This article shall be known and may be cited as the “UPSKILL Mississippi Grant Program,” an initiative designed to support Upgrading Priority Skills for Key Industry Learning and Labor through tuition-free access to workforce-aligned community and junior college programs.

(1) The Legislature finds that establishing attainable workforce goals reflects Mississippi’s commitment to creating a source of skilled workers to address workforce shortages and build a sustainable economic future, which begins with investing in education programs that meet the…

(1) There is established the UPSKILL Mississippi Grant Program, which shall be administered by the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid, for the purpose of providing grants to eligible recipients to cover tuition and fees associated with attending a Mississippi public comm…

(1) The timeline for program implementation will be as follows:(a) Year One - At the commencement of the Spring Semester of 2027, administer a limited pilot program.(b) Year Two - Beginning with the 2027-2028 academic year, administer a full pilot program.(c) Year Three - Beginni…

This article is known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Office of Apprenticeship Act”.

(a) As used in this article, the following words and phrases have the meanings provided in this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:(a) “Apprentice” means a worker who:(i) Is at least sixteen (16) years of age; and(ii) Is employed to learn an apprenticeable occu…

(1) There is created the Mississippi Office of Apprenticeship under the Mississippi State Workforce Investment Board, which is Mississippi’s state apprenticeship agency in accordance with 29 USC Section 50 and 29 CFR Sections 29 and 30. (2) (a) The Mississippi Office of Apprentic…

The Mississippi Office of Apprenticeship shall promulgate rules, regulations and standards necessary to implement this article in compliance with federal laws and regulations as promulgated by the United States Department of Labor, as well as all legal safeguards for the welfare …

(1) The Mississippi Office of Apprenticeship shall develop a nationally recognized federal apprenticeship completion credentials, as described in 29 CFR Section 29.5. (2) The office may register apprenticeship programs that meet the requirements of federal laws and regulations es…

(1) There is established the Mississippi Apprenticeship Advisory Council, which is an advisory body composed of the following individuals:(a) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Office of Workforce Development, or his or her designee;(b) The Chairman of the Mississippi Stat…

(1) This article does not:(1) Affect the status of the State Department of Education as the eligible agency to receive and administer career and technical education funding under the federal Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 USC Section 2301 et seq.);…

This article shall stand repealed on July 1, 2030.

(1) To improve quality of life, education and employment opportunities for all citizens, the appropriate agencies of the State of Mississippi listed in subsection (2) of this section shall develop and maintain a State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS). The system will allow stakeho…

(1) The SLDS will be governed by a SLDS Governing Board (the board), which shall be composed of a representative from each agency or entity providing data to the system. Each agency or entity will appoint their representative to sit on the Governing Board. For the two (2) years f…

This article shall be known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Program.”

(a) Junior College Plan. — The board shall make prepaid tuition contracts available for the: (1) junior college plan; (2) senior college plan; and (3) junior-senior college plan.(a) Junior College Plan. — Through the junior college plan, a prepaid tuition contract shall provide t…

Through the dormitory residence plan, the advance payment contract shall provide prepaid housing fees for a maximum of eight (8) semesters of full-time undergraduate enrollment in an institution of higher education. Dormitory residence plans are optional and may be purchased only…

(1) There is hereby created a Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition Program Trust Fund (hereinafter referred to as the trust fund or the fund) to be administered by the State of Mississippi Treasury Department until and unless the Legislature shall determine otherwise. (…

Any interest, dividends or gains accruing on the payments made pursuant to a prepaid tuition contract under the terms of this article shall be excluded from the gross income of any such payor or beneficiary for purposes of the Mississippi Income Tax Law. The payor may deduct from…