During the fifth and sixth weeks 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 Jan. 24.
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 5 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 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 2027-28 school year. The act is named after former Mississippi Sen. 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 2632 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 Jan. 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 for up to five years to assist with eligible expenditure recovery efforts.
Senate Bill 2031, changes the age of majority from 21 years of age to 18.
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 2027-28 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 fine.
Senate Bill 2272 would exempt certain agricultural and logging items from state sales tax for commercial farmers and professional loggers.
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.
The Senate met a Thursday, Feb. 12, deadline for original floor action on general bills and constitutional amendments originating in the Senate, and a Friday, Feb. 13, deadline for reconsideration and passage of general bills and constitutional amendments originating in the Senate.
