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HB403 • 2026

Youth Employment Grant Program; create.

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A YOUTH EMPLOYMENT GRANT PROGRAM TO BE ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSISTING MUNICIPALITIES WITH THE COSTS OF PROVIDING EMPLOYMENT FOR YOUTH; TO PROVIDE THAT IN ORDER FOR A MUNICIPALITY TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A GRANT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT, THE MUNICIPALITY MUST PRESENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY A PLAN FOR EMPLOYING YOUTH IN THE MUNICIPALITY AND MUST AGREE TO PROVIDE MATCHING FUNDS EQUAL TO TWENTY PERCENT OF THE AMOUNT OF THE GRANT; TO CREATE IN THE STATE TREASURY A SPECIAL FUND TO BE KNOWN AS THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT GRANT PROGRAM FUND; TO PROVIDE THAT THE FUND WILL CONSIST OF MONIES APPROPRIATED BY THE LEGISLATURE FOR FUNDING THE PROGRAM, AND ANY OTHER MONIES THAT THE LEGISLATURE MAY DESIGNATE FOR DEPOSIT INTO THE FUND; TO PROVIDE THAT MONIES IN THE FUND MAY BE EXPENDED UPON LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATION FOR MAKING GRANTS TO MUNICIPALITIES FOR THE PURPOSES SPECIFIED IN THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Education
Did Not Pass

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

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

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass, so it is uncertain if any of its provisions would be implemented.

Youth Employment Grant Program

This bill establishes a grant program to help municipalities cover costs for providing employment opportunities for youth aged 16-24 who are in school or plan to enroll.

What This Bill Does

  • Creates a Youth Employment Grant Program run by the Department of Employment Security.
  • Requires municipalities to present plans and provide matching funds to be eligible for grants.
  • Establishes a special fund within the state treasury for the program.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Youth aged 16-24 who are in school or plan to enroll.
  • Municipalities that want to create jobs for young people with grant money.

Terms To Know

municipality
A city, town, or village where the program will be run.
matching funds
Money that municipalities must provide to get grants from the Youth Employment Grant Program.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass and was not signed into law.
  • It is unclear how much money will be available for the program if it were to pass.
  • Details about specific jobs or training programs are not provided in the bill text.

Bill History

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

    02/03 (H) Died In Committee

  2. 2026-01-12 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/12 (H) Referred To Workforce Development;Appropriations A

Official Summary Text

Youth Employment Grant Program; create.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
H. B. No. 403 *HR43/R53* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
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PAGE 1 (OM\KP)

To: Workforce Development;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Karriem

HOUSE BILL NO. 403

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A YOUTH EMPLOYMENT GRANT PROGRAM TO BE 1
ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY FOR THE 2
PURPOSE OF ASSISTING MUNICIPALITIES WITH THE COSTS OF PROVIDING 3
EMPLOYMENT FOR YOUTH; TO PROVIDE THAT IN ORDER FOR A MUNICIPALITY 4
TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR A GRANT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT, THE 5
MUNICIPALITY MUST PRESENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT SECURITY 6
A PLAN FOR EMPLOYING YOUTH IN THE MUNICIPALITY AND MUST AGREE TO 7
PROVIDE MATCHING FUNDS EQUAL TO TWENTY PERCENT OF THE AMOUNT OF 8
THE GRANT; TO CREATE IN THE STATE TREASURY A SPECIAL FUND TO BE 9
KNOWN AS THE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT GRANT PROGRAM FUND; TO PROVIDE THAT 10
THE FUND WILL CONSIST OF MONIES APPROPRIATED BY THE LEGISLATURE 11
FOR FUNDING THE PROGRAM, AND ANY OTHER MONIES THAT THE LEGISLATURE 12
MAY DESIGNATE FOR DEPOSIT INTO THE FUND; TO PROVIDE THAT MONIES IN 13
THE FUND MAY BE EXPENDED UPON LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATION FOR MAKING 14
GRANTS TO MUNICIPALITIES FOR THE PURPOSES SPECIFIED IN THIS ACT; 15
AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 16
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 17
SECTION 1. (1) Subject to appropriation by the Legislature, 18
there is established a Youth Employment Grant Program to be 19
administered by the Mississippi Department of Employment Security 20
for the purpose of assisting municipalities with offering 21
meaningful full-time or productive work for youth. Eligibility 22
requirements for youth participants of the program are as follows: 23
(a) The youth must be between the ages of 16 through 24
24; 25
H. B. No. 403 *HR43/R53* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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(b) The youth must be in school, either high school or 26
college, or have agreed to enroll for a high school diploma or its 27
equivalency or have agreed to enroll in college; and 28
(c) The youth must be a resident of the municipality. 29
As used under this section, municipalities shall mean cities, 30
towns and villages as described under Section 21-1-1. 31
(2) In administering the provisions of this act, the 32
Department of Employment Security shall have the following powers 33
and duties: 34
(a) To supervise the use of all grant funds made to 35
municipalities under this act for employing youth; 36
(b) To review and certify all work projects for which 37
grants are made to municipalities under this act for employing 38
youth; 39
(c) To requisition monies in the Youth Employment Grant 40
Fund and make grants from those monies to municipalities on a 41
project-by-project basis; 42
(d) To maintain an accurate record of all grants made 43
to municipalities under this act for employing youth, place of 44
employment for the youth, duties related to the employment for the 45
youth and the costs for each work project; and 46
(e) To adopt and promulgate such rules and regulations 47
as may be necessary or desirable for the purpose of implementing 48
the provisions of this act. 49
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(3) In order for a municipality to be eligible for a grant 50
under the provisions of this act, the municipality must meet the 51
following conditions: 52
(a) (i) The governing authorities of the municipality 53
must present to the Department of Employment Security a plan for 54
employing youth. The plan must identify the proposed work project 55
or projects for youth and what municipal department the youth 56
will work for and the prescribed duties for the youth; and 57
(ii) The plan prescribed in subparagraph (i) must 58
provide youth a combination of work experience and on-the-job 59
training that includes a minimum of ten percent (10%) of a youth's 60
time that will enhance basic life skills that include, but are not 61
limited to, education, communication skills, leadership 62
development, positive work ethic, training and safety; and 63
(b) The governing authorities of the municipality must 64
agree to provide matching funds equal to twenty percent (20%) of 65
the amount of the grant. 66
(4) There is created in the State Treasury a special fund to 67
be designated as the Youth Employment Program Fund. The fund 68
shall consist of monies appropriated by the Legislature for 69
funding the program, and any other monies that the Legislature may 70
designate for deposit into the fund. Monies in the fund may be 71
expended upon legislative appropriation for making grants to 72
municipalities for the purposes specified in this act. Unexpended 73
amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall 74
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ST: Youth Employment Grant Program; create.
not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned on 75
amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. 76
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 77
and after July 1, 2026. 78