Mississippi Senior Cadets Program; require State Department of Education to establish.

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To: Education;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Scott

HOUSE BILL NO. 187

AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO 1
ESTABLISH THE "MISSISSIPPI SENIOR CADETS PROGRAM"; TO REQUIRE THE 2
PROGRAM TO BE AIMED AT REDUCING POOR ACADEMIC SCORES AND HIGH 3
DROP-OUT RATES THROUGHOUT THE STATE; TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPARTMENT 4
TO CREATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM; TO 5
ESTABLISH MINIMUM GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS WHO PARTICIPATE IN THE 6
PROGRAM; TO AMEND SECTION 37-106-29, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 7
CONFORM TO THE PRECEDING PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED 8
PURPOSES. 9
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 10
SECTION 1. (1) The State Department of Education shall 11
establish the "Mississippi Senior Cadets Program" aimed at 12
reducing the disproportionately poor academic scores and high 13
drop-out rates throughout the state by encouraging high school 14
seniors to mentor kindergarten through eighth grade students in 15
their respective school districts. 16
(2) The department shall create rules and regulations 17
necessary for the proper administration of the program and 18
guidelines for school districts and mentors. 19
(3) A student participating in this program shall: 20
(a) Mentor at least five (5) hours a week; 21
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(b) Work with the school principal and teachers for at 22
least two (2) hours a month with planning and implementing the 23
mentor program; and 24
(c) Maintain at least a "C" average or higher in his or 25
her senior school coursework. 26
(4) Senior high school students who successfully fulfill the 27
requirements of the program as designed by the department shall be 28
given: 29
(a) Preference for scholarship grants provided to 30
Mississippi residents by the Postsecondary Education Financial 31
Assistance Board and the state institutions of higher learning; 32
(b) Three (3) hours of elective credit to satisfy high 33
school graduation requirements; and 34
(c) Three (3) hours of college credit to a public 35
Mississippi college or university. 36
SECTION 2. Section 37-106-29, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 37
amended as follows: 38
37-106-29. (1) There is established the Mississippi 39
Resident Tuition Assistance Grant Program for college or 40
university freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors to be 41
administered by the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial 42
Assistance Board established under Section 37-106-9, Mississippi 43
Code of 1972, which shall set the dates and deadlines for applying 44
for an award under this section. The board shall establish such 45
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rules and regulations as it deems necessary and proper to carry 46
out the purposes and intent of this section. 47
(2) The board shall approve grants to full-time freshmen, 48
sophomore, junior and senior Mississippi residents who meet the 49
general requirements for student eligibility as provided in 50
subsection (4) of this section and Section 1 of this act. 51
(3) Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grants shall be 52
for Mississippi resident students from any Mississippi family 53
whose prior year adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds the maximum 54
allowed to qualify for full Pell Grant eligibility and 55
campus-based federal aid. Those Mississippi students qualifying 56
for less than the full Pell Grant award shall receive a 57
Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant in an amount not to 58
exceed the maximum Pell Grant allowable for that individual 59
student. The award shall be applied to tuition, rooms and meals, 60
books, materials and fees not to exceed One Thousand Dollars 61
($1,000.00) for junior and senior students attending state 62
institutions of higher learning in Mississippi or four-year 63
regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit colleges and 64
universities in Mississippi, and Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) 65
for freshmen and sophomores attending state institutions of higher 66
learning or public community or junior colleges in Mississippi, or 67
regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit two-year or 68
four-year colleges in Mississippi, which will be prorated per 69
term, semester or quarter of the academic year for costs of 70
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attendance, calculated according to the formula specified in 71
subsection (8) of this section. 72
(4) The general requirements for initial eligibility of 73
students for Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grants 74
consist of the following: 75
(a) Member of a Mississippi family whose prior year 76
adjusted gross income (AGI) exceeds the maximum allowed to qualify 77
for Pell Grant eligibility and campus-based federal aid. 78
(b) Acceptance for enrollment at any state institution 79
of higher learning or public community or junior college located 80
in Mississippi, or any regionally accredited, state-approved, 81
nonprofit two-year or four-year college or university located in 82
Mississippi and approved by the board. 83
(c) Completion of a secondary education as follows: 84
(i) Graduation from high school verified by the 85
institution before disbursement of award with a minimum grade 86
point average of 2.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale after seven (7) 87
semesters as certified by the high school counselor or other 88
authorized school official on the application; or 89
(ii) Attendance at a home education program during 90
grade levels 9 through 12; or 91
(iii) Satisfactory completion of the High School 92
Equivalency Diploma; or 93
(iv) Successful completion of the International 94
Baccalaureate Program. 95
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(d) A minimum score of fifteen (15) on the ACT test 96
except that any student entering a vocational or technical program 97
of study, or who has satisfactorily completed the High School 98
Equivalency Diploma Test and attends a community or junior college 99
will not be required to have a test score under the ACT unless a 100
student enrolls in courses of academic study. 101
(e) Any student currently enrolled in any qualified 102
institution shall have to only meet the same requirements as 103
students who are applying for a renewal award. 104
(5) By accepting a Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance 105
Grant, the student is attesting to the accuracy, completeness and 106
correctness of information provided to demonstrate the student's 107
eligibility. Falsification of such information shall result in 108
the denial of any pending grant and revocation of any award 109
currently held to the extent that no further payments shall be 110
made. Any student knowingly making false statements in order to 111
receive a grant shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable, upon 112
conviction thereof, by a fine of up to Ten Thousand Dollars 113
($10,000.00), a prison sentence of up to one (1) year in the 114
county jail, or both, and shall be required to return all 115
Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grants wrongfully 116
obtained. 117
(6) Eligibility for renewal of Mississippi Resident Tuition 118
Assistance Grants shall be evaluated at the end of each semester, 119
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or term, of each academic year. As a condition for renewal, a 120
student shall: 121
(a) Make steady academic progress toward a certificate 122
or degree, as outlined in the school Satisfactory Academic 123
Progress Standards and certified by the institution's registrar. 124
(b) Maintain continuous enrollment for not less than 125
two (2) semesters or three (3) quarters in each successive 126
academic year, unless granted an exception for cause by the 127
administering board; examples of cause may include student 128
participation in a cooperative program, internship program or 129
foreign study program. If a student fails to maintain continuous 130
enrollment, and is not granted an exception for cause by the 131
administering board, the student is ineligible to receive the 132
Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant during the following 133
semester or trimester or term of the regular academic year. 134
(c) Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 135
2.50 calculated on a 4.0 scale at the end of each semester or 136
trimester or term. 137
(7) Each student, each year, must complete a Free 138
Application for Federal Student Aid form or a Statement of 139
Certification as designed by the administering board to determine 140
his/her eligibility for a Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance 141
Grant. 142
(8) (a) The amount of the Mississippi Resident Tuition 143
Assistance Grant awarded to any one (1) student, up to the maximum 144
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amount provided in subsection (3) of this section, shall be the 145
difference of the student's cost of attendance at his accredited 146
college of choice and the amount of federal aid such student may 147
receive, not to supplant but to supplement the amount of any 148
federal aid awarded to the student. Cost of attendance is the 149
tuition and fees of the applicable institution plus an allowance 150
for room and meals and books and materials. 151
(b) Payment of the Mississippi Resident Tuition 152
Assistance Grant shall be made payable to the recipient and the 153
educational institution and mailed directly to the institution, to 154
be applied first to tuition. 155
(9) In order for an institution to remain eligible for its 156
students to participate in the Mississippi Resident Tuition 157
Assistance Grant Program, the institution shall comply with the 158
following requirements: 159
(a) A complete and accurate roster of the eligibility 160
status of each awarded student shall be made to the board for each 161
term, semester or quarter of the academic year the student 162
receives a Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant. 163
(b) The institution is required to make refunds to the 164
Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant Fund for any funds 165
which have not been disbursed to the recipient, in the case of 166
students who have received a grant but who terminate enrollment 167
during the academic term, semester or quarter of the academic year 168
if an institution's refund policies permit a student to receive a 169
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refund in such instance. The recipient shall be responsible for 170
the refund of any funds which have been disbursed by the 171
institution in such instance. 172
(c) If a student drops below full-time status but does 173
not terminate all enrollment during the term, semester or quarter 174
of the academic year no refund will be required for that term. 175
However, that student is ineligible to receive the Mississippi 176
Resident Tuition Assistance Grant during the following term, 177
semester or quarter of the regular academic year. 178
(d) The board may conduct its own annual audits of any 179
institution participating in the Mississippi Resident Tuition 180
Assistance Grant Program. The board may suspend or revoke an 181
institution's eligibility to receive future monies under the 182
program if it finds that the institution has not complied with the 183
provisions of this section. In determining a student's initial 184
eligibility, the number of prior semesters enrolled will not be 185
counted against the student. 186
(10) No student may receive a Mississippi Resident Tuition 187
Assistance Grant for more than the equivalent semesters or 188
quarters required to complete one (1) baccalaureate degree or one 189
(1) certificate or associate degree program per institution. 190
(11) No student receiving a Mississippi Eminent Scholars 191
Grant as provided in Section 37-106-31 shall be eligible to 192
receive the Mississippi Resident Tuition Assistance Grant pursuant 193
to this section unless he is eligible for such award after the 194
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ST: Mississippi Senior Cadets Program; require
State Department of Education to establish.
Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant has been considered by the 195
board when conducting an assessment of the financial resources 196
available to the student. In no case shall any student receive 197
any combination of student financial aid that would exceed the 198
cost of attendance, as defined in subsection (8)(a). 199
For purposes of this section, certificated shall mean, but 200
not be limited to, all postsecondary vocational programs in 201
eligible institutions approved by the board. 202
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 203
and after July 1, 2026. 204