"2026 Mississippi Youthbuild Pilot Program Act"; create with programs at Coahoma and Jones County Community Colleges.

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To: Universities and
Colleges; Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Scott

HOUSE BILL NO. 218

AN ACT TO CREATE THE "2026 MISSISSIPPI YOUTHBUILD PILOT 1
PROGRAM ACT"; TO ESTABLISH A YOUTHBUILD PROGRAM AT COAHOMA 2
COMMUNITY COLLEGE AND AT JONES COUNTY JUNIOR COLLEGE TO DETERMINE 3
THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF YOUTHBUILD ON HELPING LOW INCOME YOUTH 4
REBUILD THEIR LIVES AND THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH THEY LIVE; TO 5
PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN DISADVANTAGED YOUTH WILL BE PROVIDED WITH 6
OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THE YOUTHBUILD PROGRAM FOR EMPLOYMENT, 7
EDUCATION, LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT, ENTREPRENEURIAL SKILLS 8
DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING IN THE CONSTRUCTION OR REHABILITATION OF 9
HOUSING FOR SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATIONS AND LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLDS; 10
TO DEFINE CERTAIN TERMS; TO REQUIRE EACH COLLEGE TO APPLY FOR 11
GRANT FUNDING FROM THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF LABOR; TO 12
REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO PROVIDE THE COLLEGE'S 13
REQUIRED MATCHING FUNDS FOR A YOUTHBUILD GRANT; TO SPECIFY CERTAIN 14
SERVICES THAT MUST BE PROVIDED THROUGH THE YOUTHBUILD PROGRAM; TO 15
ESTABLISH ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM; 16
TO REQUIRE THE DIVISION OF FAMILY AND CHILDREN'S SERVICES TO 17
SUBMIT A REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE ON THE YOUTHBUILD PROGRAM 18
BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2029; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 43-26-1, 19
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH CREATES THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT 20
OF CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES, FOR PURPOSES OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; 21
AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 22
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 23
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 24
"2026 Mississippi YouthBuild Pilot Program Act." 25
SECTION 2. (1) There is created the Mississippi YouthBuild 26
Pilot Program, the purpose of which is to establish a YouthBuild 27
program in conjunction with a community or junior college in 28
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different regions of the state in order to assess the potential 29
impact the program may have on helping low income young adults 30
rebuild their lives and the communities in which they live. The 31
pilot program initially will consist of two (2) YouthBuild 32
programs, one to be sponsored and managed by Coahoma Community 33
College and one to be sponsored and managed by Jones County Junior 34
College. 35
(2) The specific purposes of the YouthBuild Pilot Program 36
are as follows: 37
(a) To enable economically disadvantaged youth, 38
especially youth who have not finished high school, to obtain the 39
education, job skills training, personal counseling, leadership 40
development skills training, job placement assistance and 41
long-term follow-up services necessary for them to achieve 42
permanent economic self-sufficiency, while at the same time 43
providing valuable community service that addresses urgent 44
community needs, including the demand for affordable housing and 45
the need for young role models and mentors for younger teenagers 46
and children; 47
(b) To provide communities the opportunity to establish 48
or rebuild neighborhood stability in economically depressed and 49
low income areas, as well as historic areas requiring restoration 50
or preservation, while providing economically disadvantaged youth 51
and youth who have not finished high school an opportunity for 52
meaningful participation in society; 53
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(c) To allow communities to expand the supply of 54
affordable housing for homeless and other low income individuals 55
by utilizing the energies and talents of economically 56
disadvantaged youth and young people who have not finished high 57
school; 58
(d) To foster the development of leadership skills and 59
a commitment to community development among youth; and 60
(e) To determine the effectiveness of the YouthBuild 61
programs established under this act in achieving the purposes set 62
forth in this subsection and to assess the desirability and 63
feasibility of establishing additional YouthBuild programs in 64
conjunction with community and junior colleges throughout the 65
state. 66
SECTION 3. As used in this act, the following words and 67
phrases have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the 68
context clearly indicates otherwise: 69
(a) "College" means Coahoma Community College and Jones 70
County Junior College. 71
(b) "Department" means the Mississippi Department of 72
Human Services. 73
(c) "Department of Labor" means the United States 74
Department of Labor. 75
(d) "YouthBuild" means the community-based 76
pre-apprenticeship program that provides job training and 77
educational opportunities for at-risk youth who have dropped out 78
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of high school which is administered by the Division of Youth 79
Services within the Employment and Training Administration's 80
Office Of Workforce Investment at the Department of Labor. 81
SECTION 4. (1) Coahoma Community College and Jones County 82
Junior College shall each apply to the Department of Labor for 83
grant funding for the support of a YouthBuild program. In order 84
for each site to secure the maximum available grant of One Million 85
One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,100,000.00) from the Department 86
of Labor, the Division of Family and Children's Services of the 87
Department of Human Services shall provide to each college, from 88
any funds available to the department which are not allocated 89
otherwise, the minimally required twenty-five percent (25%) 90
matching nonfederal funds. 91
(2) As a condition of receiving matching funds from the 92
department, funding for the support of each YouthBuild program 93
established under this act must be used in a manner consistent 94
with the terms of the grant from the Department of Labor and at a 95
minimum, must cover the costs of the following services: 96
(a) Acquisition or rehabilitation, or both, or 97
construction of housing and related facilities to be used for the 98
purpose of providing home ownership for disadvantaged persons, 99
residential housing for homeless individuals and low income 100
families or transitional housing for persons who are homeless, 101
disabled, ill or deinstitutionalized or who have special needs, 102
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and rehabilitation or construction of community facilities by 103
nonprofit or public agencies. 104
(b) Integrated education and job skills training 105
services and activities, with fifty percent (50%) of students' 106
time in the program devoted to classroom-based instruction, 107
counseling and leadership development instruction and the 108
remaining fifty percent (50%) of students' time spent in 109
experimental training on the construction site. The programs must 110
include, at a minimum, the following elements: 111
(i) An education component that includes basic 112
skills instruction, secondary education services and other 113
activities designed to lead to the attainment of a high school 114
diploma or its equivalent. The curriculum for this component must 115
include math, language arts, vocational education, life skills 116
training, social studies related to the cultural and community 117
history of the students, leadership skills and other topics at the 118
discretion of the program. Bilingual services must be available 119
for individuals with limited English proficiency. The desired 120
minimum teacher to student ratio is one (1) teacher for every 121
twelve (12) students. 122
(ii) A work experience and skills training 123
apprenticeship program component that includes the construction 124
and rehabilitation activities described in paragraph (a) of this 125
subsection. The process of construction must be coupled with 126
skills training and with close onsite supervision by experienced 127
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trainers. The curriculum for this component must contain a set of 128
locally agreed upon skills and competencies that are 129
systematically taught, with a student's mastery assessed 130
individually on a regular, ongoing basis. Safety skills must be 131
taught at the outset. The desired trainer to student ratio is one 132
(1) trainer for every seven (7) students. The work experience and 133
skills training component must be coordinated to the maximum 134
extent feasible with pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship 135
programs. 136
(iii) Assistance in attaining postsecondary 137
education and required financial aid, which must be made available 138
to participants before graduation. 139
(c) Counseling services designed to assist participants 140
in positively participating in society, which should include all 141
of the following, if necessary: outreach, assessment and 142
orientation; individual and peer counseling; life skills training; 143
drug and alcohol abuse education and prevention; and referral to 144
appropriate drug rehabilitation, medical, mental health, legal, 145
housing and other services and resources in the community. The 146
desired counselor to participant ratio is one (1) counselor for 147
every twenty-four (24) students. 148
(d) Leadership development training that provides 149
participants with meaningful opportunities to develop leadership 150
skills such as decision making, problem solving and negotiating. 151
The program also must encourage participants to develop strong 152
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peer group ties that support their mutual pursuit of skills and 153
values. Each program must establish a youth council in which 154
participants are afforded opportunities to develop public speaking 155
and negotiating skills and to participate in management and policy 156
making in specific aspects of the program. 157
(e) A training subsidy, living allowance or stipend 158
that is no less than the minimum wage, which must be provided to 159
program participants for the time spent at the work site in 160
construction training. For those participants who receive public 161
assistance, this training subsidy, living allowance or stipend 162
will not affect their housing benefits, medical benefits, child 163
care benefits or food stamp benefits. Stipends and wages may be 164
distributed in a manner that offers incentives for good 165
performance. 166
(3) Full time participation in a YouthBuild program 167
established under this act must be offered for a period of not 168
less than six (6) months and not more than twenty-four (24) 169
months. 170
(4) A concentrated effort must be made to find construction, 171
construction-related and nonconstruction jobs for all graduates of 172
the program who have performed well. The skills training 173
curriculum must provide participants with basic preparation for 174
seeking and maintaining a job. Follow-up counseling and 175
assistance in job seeking must be provided to participants for 176
twelve (12) months following graduation from the program. 177
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(5) If a program created under this act serves twenty-four 178
(24) trainees, the community or junior college shall employ a 179
fulltime director to be responsible for the coordination of all 180
aspects of the YouthBuild program. 181
SECTION 5. Subject to any restrictions or requirements 182
established by the Department of Labor, funding for the YouthBuild 183
program may be used to cover the costs of other eligible 184
activities, including the following: 185
(a) Legal fees for housing acquisition. 186
(b) Administrative costs of the community or junior 187
college, which may not exceed fifteen percent (15%) of the amount 188
of funding provided. 189
(c) Defraying costs of the ongoing training and 190
technical assistance needs of the recipients which are related to 191
developing and carrying out the YouthBuild program. The community 192
or junior college may enter into a contract with YouthBuild USA 193
for assistance in providing training and technical assistance to, 194
or in the management, supervision and coordination of, the 195
YouthBuild program. 196
SECTION 6. To be eligible to participate in a YouthBuild 197
program, an individual must be at least sixteen (16) but no more 198
than twenty-four (24) years of age and must be economically 199
disadvantaged, as defined in 29 USCS Section 1508, and except as 200
otherwise provided in this section, must be a member of one (1) of 201
the following groups: 202
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(a) Persons who are not attending any school and have 203
not received a high school diploma or its equivalent. 204
(b) Persons enrolled in a traditional or alternative 205
school setting or a GED program who are in danger of dropping out 206
of school. 207
(c) Very low income persons. 208
Up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the participants in the 209
program may be individuals who do not meet the requirements of 210
paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this section but who have educational 211
needs despite the attainment of a high school diploma. 212
SECTION 7. Before January 1, 2029, the Division of Family 213
and Children's Services within the Department of Human Services 214
shall submit a report to the House of Representatives and the 215
Senate on the YouthBuild Pilot Program. The report must include, 216
but need not be limited to, the following: 217
(a) A description of the experience of Coahoma 218
Community College and Jones County Junior College in operating a 219
YouthBuild program, with specific information relating to the 220
nature and number of housing rehabilitation or construction 221
projects undertaken and the experience of youth who participated 222
in the program; 223
(b) A description of the opportunities for youth 224
leadership development and employment training afforded by the 225
YouthBuild program and data reflecting the number of participants 226
who enrolled in the program, along with the rate of completion; 227
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(c) A description of the educational and job training 228
activities, work opportunities and other services provided to 229
program participants, along with specific data on the educational 230
attainments achieved by participants; 231
(d) A description of the manner in which eligible 232
youths were recruited and selected, including a description of the 233
arrangements that were made with community-based organizations, 234
local education agencies, public assistance agencies, the courts 235
of jurisdiction for status and youth offenders, shelters for 236
homeless individuals and other agencies that serve homeless youth, 237
foster care agencies, and other appropriate public and private 238
agencies; 239
(e) A description of any special efforts that were 240
undertaken to recruit eligible young women (including young women 241
with dependent children) with appropriate supports, especially 242
child care; 243
(f) A description of how each YouthBuild program 244
coordinated, when appropriate, with other federal, state or local 245
activities and activities conducted by public schools, crime 246
prevention programs, vocational, adult and bilingual education 247
programs and job training; 248
(g) Data reflecting the sufficiency of the number of 249
adequately trained supervisory personnel in the YouthBuild 250
program; 251
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(h) A description of any relationship the YouthBuild 252
program established with local apprenticeship programs; 253
(i) A description of the activities that were 254
undertaken to develop the leadership skills of participants, 255
including their role in decision making; 256
(j) A detailed financial report and a description of 257
the systems of fiscal controls and auditing and accountability 258
procedures that were used to ensure fiscal soundness; 259
(k) A description of any contracts or other 260
arrangements entered into between the college and other agencies 261
and entities, including all in-kind donations and grants from both 262
public and private entities which were received to augment 263
YouthBuild grant funding; and 264
(l) A review of the overall effectiveness of the 265
YouthBuild programs and recommendations on the desirability and 266
feasibility of establishing additional YouthBuild programs at 267
community and junior colleges throughout the state. 268
SECTION 8. Section 43-26-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 269
brought forward as follows: 270
43-26-1. (1) There is created a Mississippi Department of 271
Child Protection Services. 272
(2) The Chief Administrative Officer of the Department of 273
Child Protection Services shall be the Commissioner of Child 274
Protection Services who shall be appointed by the Governor with 275
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the advice and consent of the Senate. The commissioner shall 276
possess the following qualifications: 277
(a) A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution 278
of higher learning and ten (10) years' experience in management, 279
public administration, finance or accounting; or 280
(b) A master's or doctoral degree from an accredited 281
institution of higher learning and five (5) years' experience in 282
management, public administration, finance, law or accounting. 283
(3) The Department of Child Protection Services shall 284
provide the services authorized by law to every individual 285
determined to be eligible therefor, and in carrying out the 286
purposes of the department, the commissioner is authorized: 287
(a) To formulate the policy of the department regarding 288
child welfare services within the jurisdiction of the department; 289
(b) To adopt, modify, repeal and promulgate, after due 290
notice and hearing, and where not otherwise prohibited by federal 291
or state law, to make exceptions to and grant exemptions and 292
variances from, and to enforce rules and regulations implementing 293
or effectuating the powers and duties of the department under any 294
and all statutes within the department's jurisdiction; 295
(c) To apply for, receive and expend any federal or 296
state funds or contributions, gifts, devises, bequests or funds 297
from any other source; 298
(d) To enter into and execute contracts, grants and 299
cooperative agreements with any federal or state agency or 300
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subdivision thereof, or any public or private institution located 301
inside or outside the State of Mississippi, or any person, 302
corporation or association in connection with carrying out the 303
programs of the department; and 304
(e) To discharge such other duties, responsibilities, 305
and powers as are necessary to implement the programs of the 306
department. 307
(4) The commissioner shall establish the organizational 308
structure of the Department of Child Protection Services, which 309
shall include the creation of any units necessary to implement the 310
duties assigned to the department and consistent with specific 311
requirements of law. 312
(5) The commissioner shall appoint heads of offices, 313
bureaus, and divisions, as defined in Section 7-17-11, who shall 314
serve at the pleasure of the commissioner. The salary and 315
compensation of such office, bureau and division heads shall be 316
subject to the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by 317
the State Personnel Board. The commissioner shall have the 318
authority to organize offices as deemed appropriate to carry out 319
the responsibilities of the department. 320
(6) The Department of Child Protection Services shall be 321
responsible for the development, execution, and provision of 322
services in the following areas: 323
(a) Protective services for children; 324
(b) Foster care; 325
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(c) Adoption services; 326
(d) Special services; 327
(e) Interstate compact; 328
(f) Licensure; 329
(g) Prevention services; and 330
(h) Such other services as may be designated. Services 331
enumerated under Section 43-15-13 et seq., for the foster care 332
program shall be provided by qualified staff with appropriate case 333
loads. 334
(7) The Department of Child Protection Services shall have 335
the following powers and duties: 336
(a) To provide basic services and assistance statewide 337
to needy and disadvantaged individuals and families; 338
(b) To promote integration of the many services and 339
programs within its jurisdiction at the client level thus 340
improving the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery and 341
providing easier access to clients; 342
(c) To employ personnel and expend funds appropriated 343
to the department to carry out the duties and responsibilities 344
assigned to the department by law; 345
(d) To fingerprint and conduct a background 346
investigation on every employee, contractor, subcontractor and 347
volunteer: 348
(i) Who has direct access to clients of the 349
department who are children or vulnerable adults; 350
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(ii) Who is in a position of fiduciary 351
responsibility; 352
(iii) Who is in a position with access to Federal 353
Tax Information (FTI); or 354
(iv) Who is otherwise required by federal law or 355
regulations to undergo a background investigation. 356
Every such employee, contractor, subcontractor and volunteer 357
shall provide a valid current social security number and/or 358
driver's license number, which shall be furnished to conduct the 359
background investigation for determination as to good moral 360
character and to ensure that no person placed in any position 361
referenced in this paragraph (d) has a felony conviction that 362
would prevent employment or access to Federal Tax Information 363
according to department policy. If no disqualifying record is 364
identified at the state level, the fingerprints shall be forwarded 365
to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a fingerprint-based 366
national criminal history record check. The department shall be 367
the recipient of the results of any background investigation 368
and/or criminal history record check performed in accordance with 369
this paragraph; 370
(e) To establish and maintain programs not inconsistent 371
with the terms of this chapter and the rules, regulations and 372
policies of the Department of Child Protection Services, and 373
publish the rules and regulations of the department pertaining to 374
such programs; 375
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(f) To provide all other child welfare programs and 376
services previously provided by the Department of Human Services 377
or a division thereof; and 378
(g) Make such reports in such form and containing such 379
information as the federal government may, from time to time, 380
require, and comply with such provisions as the federal government 381
may, from time to time, find necessary to assure the correctness 382
and verification of such reports. 383
(8) The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services 384
shall submit a copy of the federal Annual Progress and Services 385
Report (APSR) to the Chair of the Senate Public Health and Welfare 386
Committee, the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the 387
Chair of the House Public Health and Human Services Committee, the 388
Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the Lieutenant 389
Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the 390
Governor by December 1 of each year. 391
(9) (a) The Commissioner of Child Protection Services shall 392
hire a Coordinator of Services for Victims of Human Trafficking 393
and Commercial Sexual Exploitation within the Department of Child 394
Protection Services whose duties shall include, but not be limited 395
to, the following: 396
(i) To form specialized human trafficking and 397
commercial sexual exploitation assessment teams to respond on an 398
as-needed basis to act as an emergency, separate and specialized 399
response and assessment team to rapidly respond to the needs of 400
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children who are victims of human trafficking and commercial 401
sexual exploitation; 402
(ii) To identify victims of human trafficking and 403
commercial sexual exploitation; 404
(iii) To monitor, record and distribute federal 405
human trafficking funds received by the Department of Child 406
Protection Services; 407
(iv) To employ staff to investigate allegations of 408
human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation; and 409
(v) To develop and coordinate services within the 410
Department of Child Protection Services and with outside service 411
providers for victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual 412
exploitation. 413
(b) The Commissioner of Child Protection Services shall 414
develop standard operating procedures for the investigation, 415
custody and services provided to alleged victims of human 416
trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation. 417
(c) The Commissioner shall require two (2) hours of 418
training regarding the subject of identifying, assessing, and 419
providing comprehensive services to a child who has experienced or 420
is alleged to have experienced commercial sexual exploitation or 421
human trafficking. The training must be incorporated into the 422
pre-service training requirements of all Mississippi Department of 423
Child Protection Services family specialists, adoption 424
specialists, licensure specialists, direct supervisors of family 425
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ST: "2026 Mississippi Youthbuild Pilot Program
Act"; create with programs at Coahoma and Jones
County Community Colleges.
protection specialists, direct supervisors of adoption 426
specialists, and direct supervisors of licensure specialists. 427
(10) This section shall stand repealed on July 1, 2028. 428
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from 429
and after July 1, 2026. 430