Mississippi 2026 Legislative Session Recap

The Mississippi Legislature officially wrapped up its 2026 regular legislative session on Wednesday, April 15.

This session began with a strong focus on education reform. That focus prevented progress on some issues we worked hard on this year.

Legislation We Supported

Lawmakers introduced several bills to improve student health and safety. Unfortunately, they did not advance past key legislative deadlines.

• Cardiac Emergency Preparedness in Schools (HB 633 / SB 2491): These bills would have required public and charter schools to adopt Cardiac Emergency Response Plans (CERPs), ensure access to automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and provide funding to support implementation. HB 633 passed the House Education Committee but did not advance through the Appropriations Committee before the deadline. SB 2491 did not advance out of committee.
• Access to Healthy School Meals (HB 1367): This bill would have expanded Healthy School Meals for All by ensuring more Mississippi students could receive breakfast and lunch at no cost, regardless of income, to support learning and long-term health. HB 1367 was referred to House Education and Appropriations but did not advance out of committee before key deadlines.

Issues We Advocated For – Without Filed Legislation

We also advocated for several policies that ultimately did not receive legislation this session:

• Paid Family & Medical Leave: We advocated for extending paid parental and medical leave to eligible employees statewide, including public school employees and secondary caregivers. No legislation received the support of the Legislature.
• At-Home Blood Pressure Monitoring: We urged lawmakers to support Medicaid coverage for self-measured blood pressure monitoring (SMBP) devices so individuals can track and manage their blood pressure at home. Despite strong evidence and growing national momentum for SMBP coverage, this effort did not gain traction.
• Student Lunch Time: We encouraged lawmakers to consider requiring lunch periods of at least 30 minutes to ensure students have adequate time to eat. While school nutrition legislation was introduced this session, it did not include this requirement.

A Win for Public Health

The session included some positive outcomes. We successfully helped stop two tobacco-related bills, in an effort to protect kids and keep tobacco regulations fair and strong.

• House Bill 975, which would have allowed punitive measures against kids who use tobacco on school grounds – such as fines or school disciplinary actions – instead of prioritizing education or prevention.
• House Bill 1845, which would have taxed heated tobacco products at a lower rate than cigarettes. 

Thank you to everyone who advocated with us throughout the 2026 session. With the session behind us, we are laying the groundwork for future progress. Stay tuned for updates on our advocacy efforts. If you haven’t joined American Heart Association Heart Powered yet, we invite you to sign up at www.heartpowered.org/join.