Counties and municipalities; authorize establishment of summer youth work programs.

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To: County Affairs;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Scott

HOUSE BILL NO. 175

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES TO ESTABLISH 1
SUMMER YOUTH WORK PROGRAMS TO FACILITATE THE EMPLOYMENT OF HIGH 2
SCHOOL YOUTH IN COMMUNITY JOBS; TO PRESCRIBE ELIGIBILITY 3
REQUIREMENTS FOR SUMMER EMPLOYMENT THROUGH A SUMMER YOUTH WORK 4
PROGRAM; TO AUTHORIZE COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES TO ACCEPT ANY 5
AVAILABLE PUBLIC OR PRIVATE FUNDING TO COVER THE PROGRAM'S 6
ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS AND STUDENT EMPLOYEE WAGES; AND FOR RELATED 7
PURPOSES. 8
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 9
WHEREAS, each year, thousands of high school students across 10
the State of Mississippi complete the school year without summer 11
employment or meaningful and productive ways to spend their time, 12
which often creates boredom that may lead to mischief or even 13
criminal activity by youth; and 14
WHEREAS, at the same time, the communities in which our young 15
adults live have countless opportunities to engage the youth in 16
meaningful work through which they can learn to be responsible, 17
develop good character and a sense of self-worth, and gain 18
valuable workforce experience while having a safe, productive way 19
to spend their summer months and earn income; and 20
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WHEREAS, just a few of the many job possibilities often 21
available through municipal and county agencies and nonprofit 22
entities are: assisting with children's activities offered by 23
little league sports programs or day camps; seasonal work in local 24
parks and recreation facilities; and temporary positions available 25
in local hospitals, schools with summer programs and other 26
nonprofit entities serving the public; and 27
WHEREAS, it is the intent of the Legislature, in passing this 28
act, to encourage communities across the state to develop programs 29
that can bridge unemployed high school students with opportunities 30
for meaningful summer employment, thereby positively impacting the 31
individual lives of those young persons who participate in the 32
program as well as the quality of life of the entire communities 33
themselves; NOW, THEREFORE, 34
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 35
SECTION 1. (1) The board of supervisors of any county, in 36
its discretion, and the governing authority of any municipality, 37
in its discretion, may establish a summer youth work program for 38
the purpose of facilitating the employment of eligible high school 39
students in temporary seasonal jobs that have a positive impact on 40
the local community. 41
(2) A board of supervisors of a county or the governing 42
authority of a municipality that establishes a summer youth work 43
program under this section shall prepare a list of all jobs 44
available to students through the program with the county or 45
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municipality. In compiling the list, the board of supervisors of 46
a county or the governing authority of a municipality, as the case 47
may be, shall solicit information relating to any jobs that may be 48
available through local nonprofit organizations in order to also 49
include those employment opportunities on the list. The list of 50
summer youth work program jobs must be provided to each public and 51
private high school in the community before March 1 of each year. 52
In addition, the board of supervisors of a county or the governing 53
authority of a municipality, as the case may be, shall publish the 54
list of available jobs on its website, which must be kept 55
up-to-date with new job postings and the status of jobs no longer 56
available when those positions are filled. The list of jobs must 57
include detailed job descriptions that provide no less than the 58
following information for each position: the start and end dates; 59
a description of the nature of the work and duties and 60
expectations of summer employees; the required hours; the salary, 61
which must be no less than the minimum wage rate; any special 62
physical requirements or restrictions; and any other information 63
pertinent to a particular job. 64
(3) In order to be eligible for a job through a summer youth 65
work program, a student must be no less than sixteen (16) years of 66
age nor more than nineteen (19) years of age. The student may not 67
have graduated from high school yet and may not have any criminal 68
convictions or criminal charges pending other than minor traffic 69
violations. Upon receiving an application to participate in the 70
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work program from a student, the board of supervisors of the 71
county or the governing authority of the municipality shall assess 72
the student's age, interests and work-readiness to determine the 73
most appropriate job available for that student. If, in any year, 74
there are more applicants than available positions, the board of 75
supervisors of the county or the governing authority of the 76
municipality, as the case may be, shall prioritize placing 77
students who are members of households demonstrating the greatest 78
financial need. 79
(4) Each youth selected to participate in the summer youth 80
work program must present a letter from the student's parent or 81
legal guardian granting consent for the child to work. The 82
student and parent or legal guardian also must sign a waiver of 83
liability releasing the board of supervisors of the county or the 84
governing authority of the municipality, as the case may be, or 85
any nonprofit agency employing a student from any liability that 86
may arise from the student's work. 87
(5) A board of supervisors of a county or a governing 88
authority of a municipality establishing a summer youth work 89
program may accept any funding, public or private, that may be 90
made available for the administration of the program and costs of 91
the student employees' wages. Subject to the availability of 92
funding for such purpose, the governmental entity may award grants 93
to nonprofit entities providing jobs through the work program to 94
cover the wages of students hired for those positions. Counties 95
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ST: Counties and municipalities; authorize
establishment of summer youth work programs.
and municipalities establishing summer youth work programs are 96
encouraged to apply for available funding from state and federal 97
grant programs as well as private sources. 98
(6) A board of supervisors of a county or a governing 99
authority of a municipality establishing a summer youth work 100
program may enter into an agreement with another organization for 101
the administration of the program. 102
SECTION 2. Section 1 of this act shall be codified in 103
Chapter 25, Title 17, Mississippi Code of 1972. 104
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 105
and after July 1, 2026. 106