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HB1704 • 2026

Special purpose schools; require scholarship amounts to equal ESA amounts.

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-173-13 AND 37-175-13, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF MISSISSIPPI DYSLEXIA THERAPY SCHOLARSHIPS AND MISSISSIPPI SPEECH-LANGUAGE THERAPY SCHOLARSHIPS TO EQUAL THE AMOUNT AWARDED TO STUDENTS UNDER THE EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP ACCOUNT (ESA) PROGRAM; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 37-181-7, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH ESTABLISHES THE AMOUNT OF ESA ACCOUNTS, FOR PURPOSES OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Education
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Roberson
Last action
2026-02-03
Official status
Dead
Effective date
July 1, 20

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass and was not signed into law, so its provisions are not currently enforceable.

Special Purpose Schools; Equal Scholarship Amounts

This bill requires the annual scholarship amounts for dyslexia therapy and speech-language therapy to be equal to those awarded under the Educational Scholarship Account (ESA) program.

What This Bill Does

  • Makes the amount of scholarships for students with dyslexia match the ESA scholarship amount.
  • Makes the amount of scholarships for students with speech-language impairments match the ESA scholarship amount.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Students with dyslexia or speech-language impairments who receive scholarships from special purpose schools.
  • Nonpublic schools providing therapy for students with dyslexia or speech-language impairments.
  • The State Department of Education, which manages scholarship payments and enrollment reporting.

Terms To Know

Educational Scholarship Account (ESA) program
A program that provides scholarships to eligible students for education expenses at nonpublic schools or other approved educational settings.
Nonpublic school
A private, religious, or charter school that is not operated by a public school district.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass and was not signed into law.
  • Details about the ESA program's funding and enrollment limits are included but may change in future amendments.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-03 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/03 (H) Died In Committee

  2. 2026-01-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/19 (H) Referred To Education;Appropriations A

Official Summary Text

Special purpose schools; require scholarship amounts to equal ESA amounts.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
H. B. No. 1704 *HR26/R2083* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/HR26/R2083
PAGE 1 (RKM\KW)

To: Education;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Roberson

HOUSE BILL NO. 1704

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-173-13 AND 37-175-13, MISSISSIPPI 1
CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE ANNUAL AMOUNT OF MISSISSIPPI DYSLEXIA 2
THERAPY SCHOLARSHIPS AND MISSISSIPPI SPEECH-LANGUAGE THERAPY 3
SCHOLARSHIPS TO EQUAL THE AMOUNT AWARDED TO STUDENTS UNDER THE 4
EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP ACCOUNT (ESA) PROGRAM; TO BRING FORWARD 5
SECTION 37-181-7, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH ESTABLISHES THE 6
AMOUNT OF ESA ACCOUNTS, FOR PURPOSES OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; AND 7
FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 8
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 9
SECTION 1. Section 37-173-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 10
amended as follows: 11
37-173-13. (1) The * * * scholarship granted per eligible 12
student with dyslexia each school year shall be an amount 13
equivalent to the * * * amount awarded to students under the 14
Educational Scholarship Account (ESA) program pursuant to Section 15
37-181-7 for the same school year. 16
(2) (a) The nonpublic school under this program shall 17
report to the State Department of Education the number of students 18
with dyslexia who are enrolled in nonpublic schools on the 19
Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarships as of September 30 of 20
each year in order to determine funding for the subsequent year. 21
H. B. No. 1704 *HR26/R2083* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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Funds may not be transferred from any funding provided to the 22
Mississippi School for the Deaf and the Blind for program 23
participants who are eligible under Section 37-173-5. 24
(b) The State Department of Education will disburse 25
payments to nonpublic schools under this program in twelve (12) 26
substantially equal installments. The initial payment shall be 27
made after department verification of admission acceptance, and 28
subsequent payments shall be made upon verification of continued 29
enrollment and attendance at the nonpublic school. 30
SECTION 2. Section 37-175-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 31
amended as follows: 32
37-175-13. (1) The * * * scholarship granted per eligible 33
student with speech-language impairment each school year shall be 34
an amount equivalent to the * * * amount awarded to students under 35
the Educational Scholarship Account (ESA) program pursuant to 36
Section 37-181-7 for the same school year. 37
(2) (a) Any nonpublic school under this program shall 38
report to the State Department of Education the number of students 39
with speech-language impairment who are enrolled in nonpublic 40
schools on the Mississippi Speech-Language Therapy Scholarships as 41
of September 30 of each year in order to determine funding for the 42
subsequent year. Funds may not be transferred from any funding 43
provided to the Mississippi School for the Deaf and the Blind for 44
program participants who are eligible under Section 37-175-5. 45
H. B. No. 1704 *HR26/R2083* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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(b) The State Department of Education shall make 46
payments to nonpublic schools for each student at the nonpublic 47
school equal to the state share of the total funding formula 48
payments for each student in net enrollment at the school district 49
from which the student transferred. In calculating the local 50
contribution for purposes of determining the state share of the 51
total funding formula payments, the department shall deduct the 52
pro rata local contribution of the school district in which the 53
student resides, to be determined as provided in Section 54
37-151-211(2). 55
(c) Payments made pursuant to this subsection by the 56
State Department of Education must be made at the same time and in 57
the same manner as the total funding formula payments are made to 58
school districts under Sections 37-151-101 and 37-151-103. 59
Amounts payable to a nonpublic school must be determined by the 60
State Department of Education. 61
(3) If the parent opts to remove a child from a public 62
school to a nonpublic special purpose school and to receive a 63
scholarship under this chapter, then transportation shall be 64
provided at the parent's or guardian's expense. 65
SECTION 3. Section 37-181-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 66
brought forward as follows: 67
37-181-7. (1) New enrollment in the ESA program created in 68
this chapter shall be limited to five hundred (500) additional 69
students each year. Subject to appropriation from the General 70
H. B. No. 1704 *HR26/R2083* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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Fund, each student's ESA shall be funded at Six Thousand Five 71
Hundred Dollars ($6,500.00) for school year 2015-2016. For each 72
subsequent year, this amount shall increase or decrease by the 73
same proportion as the student base amount under Section 74
37-151-203 is increased or decreased. 75
(2) Subject to appropriation, eligible students shall be 76
approved for participation in the ESA program as follows: 77
(a) Students shall be approved on a first-come, 78
first-served basis, with applications being reviewed on a rolling 79
basis; 80
(b) After participation reaches fifty percent (50%) of 81
the annual enrollment limits in subsection (1) of this section, 82
the department shall set annual application deadlines for the 83
remaining number of available ESAs and begin to maintain a waiting 84
list of eligible students. The waitlist shall only include 85
eligible students who have certified to the department that they 86
have been accepted into an eligible school qualified to provide 87
services for the participating student's disability or special 88
education needs, or provide services addressing a participating 89
student's IEP. The waitlist will be maintained in the 90
chronological order in which applications are received. The 91
department shall award ESA program applications in chronological 92
order according to the waitlist; and 93
(c) Participating students who remain eligible for the 94
ESA program are automatically approved for participation for the 95
H. B. No. 1704 *HR26/R2083* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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ST: Special purpose schools; require
scholarship amounts to equal ESA amounts.
following year and are not subject to the random selection 96
process. 97
(3) No funds for an ESA may be expended from the total 98
funding formula funds provided in this chapter, nor shall any 99
school district be required to provide funding for an ESA. 100
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 101
and after July 1, 2026. 102