Read the full stored bill text
H. B. No. 35 *HR43/R1394* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/HR43/R1394
PAGE 1 (RF\KP)
To: Public Health and Human
Services; Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representatives Scott, Anthony
HOUSE BILL NO. 35
AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI RX KIDS PROGRAM AS A PILOT 1
PROGRAM TO PROVIDE TARGETED TIME-LIMITED ECONOMIC ASSISTANCE TO 2
ALL PREGNANT WOMEN IN THOSE COUNTIES WHO ARE EXPERIENCING AN ACUTE 3
ECONOMIC HARDSHIP DURING THEIR PREGNANCY AND FOR TWELVE MONTHS 4
AFTER GIVING BIRTH; TO SPECIFY THE ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR THE 5
PROGRAM AND AMOUNTS OF CASH PRESCRIPTIONS THAT THE WOMAN IS 6
ELIGIBLE TO RECEIVE; TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROGRAM IS A 7
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP THAT COMBINES PUBLIC FUNDING FROM STATE 8
AND FEDERAL SOURCES WITH PRIVATE FUNDING; TO PROVIDE THAT THE 9
PROGRAM SHALL BE BASED AT AND ADMINISTERED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF 10
MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL CENTER; TO PROVIDE UMMC SHALL CONTRACT WITH A 11
NONPROFIT ENTITY TO PROVIDE FOR THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE PROGRAM; 12
TO PROVIDE THAT THE CASH PRESCRIPTIONS ARE CONSIDERED TO BE 13
NONTAXABLE PRIVATE GIFTS MADE BY THE NONPROFIT ENTITY; TO PROVIDE 14
THAT THE NONPROFIT ENTITY SHALL DISTRIBUTE THE PRESCRIPTIONS AS 15
DIRECT DEPOSITS FOR FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS OR THROUGH RELOADABLE 16
DEBIT CARDS; TO PROVIDE THAT ALL CASH PRESCRIPTIONS SHALL BE 17
FUNDED USING A MIXTURE OF PRIVATE AND PUBLIC FUNDS; TO PROVIDE 18
THAT THE PROGRAM SHALL USE TANF FUNDS THROUGH "NON-RECURRENT 19
SHORT-TERM BENEFITS" (NRST) FOR THE PRENATAL TRANSFERS AND THE 20
FIRST THREE MONTHS OF INFANT TRANSFERS FOR ALL MEDICAID-COVERED 21
PRENATAL CARE AND BIRTHS; TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROGRAM MUST USE 22
OTHER PUBLIC NON-TANF FUNDS OR PRIVATE FUNDS FOR THE OTHER NINE 23
MONTHS OF INFANT TRANSFERS AND FOR ALL PRENATAL CARE AND BIRTHS 24
THAT ARE NOT COVERED BY MEDICAID; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF 25
HUMAN SERVICES AMEND THE STATE PLANS OF CERTAIN PUBLIC BENEFITS 26
PROGRAMS TO EXCLUDE ALL CASH PRESCRIPTIONS UNDER THE PROGRAM FROM 27
THE INCOME CALCULATORS FOR THOSE PROGRAMS AND TO APPLY FOR ANY 28
NECESSARY FEDERAL WAIVERS, IN ORDER TO PROTECT THOSE PUBLIC 29
BENEFITS FOR WHICH ELIGIBILITY IS INCOME BASED FOR PROGRAM 30
PARTICIPANTS TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE; TO PROVIDE THAT THE 31
PILOT PROGRAM SHALL BE OPERATED FOR A PERIOD OF THREE YEARS; TO 32
PROVIDE THAT DURING THE PERIOD OF OPERATION AND AT THE END OF THE 33
PROGRAM, UMMC SHALL MEASURE AND EVALUATE THE OUTCOMES OF BIRTHS IN 34
H. B. No. 35 *HR43/R1394* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR43/R1394
PAGE 2 (RF\KP)
THE COUNTIES IN THE PROGRAM AND PROVIDE SUCH INFORMATION TO THE 35
LEGISLATURE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 36
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 37
SECTION 1. (1) There is created the Mississippi Rx Kids 38
Program as a pilot program in Sunflower County and Jones County to 39
provide targeted time-limited economic assistance to all pregnant 40
women in those counties who are experiencing an acute economic 41
hardship during their pregnancy and for twelve (12) months after 42
giving birth. For the purpose of the program, a "period of acute 43
economic hardship" for families is defined as the end of pregnancy 44
and childbirth. 45
(2) Under the program, a woman who is a resident of a county 46
in the program who is more than sixteen (16) weeks pregnant as 47
documented by a licensed health care provider is eligible to 48
receive one (1) prenatal cash prescription of One Thousand Five 49
Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) during her pregnancy, made in three 50
(3) transfers of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) each at twenty 51
(20) weeks, thirty (30) weeks and at the time of birth, and a 52
monthly cash prescription of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) during 53
the child's first twelve (12) months of life. 54
(3) The program is a public-private partnership that 55
combines public funding from state and federal sources with 56
private funding from philanthropy, foundations, businesses, health 57
care systems and other private contributions. 58
(4) The program shall be based at and administered by the 59
University of Mississippi Medical Center. UMMC shall contract 60
H. B. No. 35 *HR43/R1394* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR43/R1394
PAGE 3 (RF\KP)
with a nonprofit entity to provide for the administration of the 61
program, which includes outreach, enrollment and cash delivery 62
systems. The cash prescriptions are considered to be nontaxable 63
private gifts made by the nonprofit entity, and the nonprofit 64
entity shall distribute the prescriptions as direct deposits for 65
financial institutions or through reloadable debit cards. All 66
cash prescriptions shall be funded using a mixture of private and 67
public funds. 68
(5) (a) The program shall use TANF funds through 69
"non-recurrent short-term benefits" (NRST) for the prenatal 70
transfers and the first three (3) months of infant transfers for 71
all Medicaid-covered prenatal care and births. The program must 72
use other public non-TANF funds or private funds for the other 73
nine (9) months of infant transfers and for all prenatal care and 74
births that are not covered by Medicaid. 75
(b) The Department of Human Services shall amend the 76
TANF state plan to allow TANF funds received by the state to be 77
used for funding the prenatal transfers and the first three (3) 78
months of infant transfers in the program for Medicaid-covered 79
prenatal care and births through a NRST mechanism. 80
(c) Under federal law and regulations, NRST benefits 81
are designed to deal with a specific crisis situation or episode 82
of need, so for the purpose of the program, childbirth is defined 83
to be "the specific crisis situation and episode of need" to be 84
addressed by the NRST benefits. 85
H. B. No. 35 *HR43/R1394* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR43/R1394
PAGE 4 (RF\KP)
(6) To protect other public benefits for which eligibility 86
is income based for program participants to the greatest extent 87
possible, the Department of Human Services shall take the 88
following actions: 89
(a) Amend the TANF state plan to exclude from TANF 90
income calculators all cash prescriptions under the program; 91
(b) Amend the SNAP state plan to exclude from SNAP 92
income calculators all cash prescriptions under the program in the 93
same amounts as excluded for TANF benefits; 94
(c) Amend the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) state 95
plan to exclude from Child Care Payment Program (CCPP) income 96
calculators all cash prescriptions under the program; and 97
(d) Apply for any federal waivers determined to be 98
necessary to ensure that cash prescriptions received by 99
participants in the program are not considered as income of the 100
participants in determining eligibility for any benefit program 101
administered by the department. 102
(7) The pilot program shall be operated for a period of 103
three (3) years. During the period of operation and at the end of 104
the program, UMMC shall measure and evaluate the outcomes of 105
births in the counties in the program, including, but not limited 106
to, the following, and provide such information to the 107
Legislature: 108
(a) The annual percentage change in the initiation of 109
first-trimester prenatal care; 110
H. B. No. 35 *HR43/R1394* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR43/R1394
PAGE 5 (RF\KP)
ST: Rx Kids Program; create to provide time-
limited assistance to pregnant women during
pregnancy and for 12 months after birth.
(b) The annual percentage change in receipt of 111
adequate prenatal care; 112
(c) The annual percentage change in the number of 113
births with no prenatal care; 114
(d) The annual percentage change in the number of 115
preterm births; 116
(e) The annual percentage change in the number of low 117
birthweight births; 118
(f) The annual percentage change in neonatal intensive 119
care unit (NICU) admissions; and 120
(g) The annual percentage change in incidences of 121
postpartum depression. 122
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 123
and after July 1, 2026. 124