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To: Workforce Development;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representatives Bell (21st), Hall, Scott
HOUSE BILL NO. 562
(As Sent to Governor)
AN ACT TO CREATE THE UPSKILL MISSISSIPPI GRANT PROGRAM TO 1
SUPPORT UPGRADING PRIORITY SKILLS FOR KEY INDUSTRY LEARNING AND 2
LABOR THROUGH TUITION-FREE ACCESS TO WORKFORCE-ALIGNED COMMUNITY 3
AND JUNIOR COLLEGE PROGRAMS; TO STATE LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS; TO 4
PROVIDE FOR FUNDING OF THE PROGRAM; TO DEFINE TERMS; TO STATE THE 5
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE MISSISSIPPI OFFICE OF FINANCIAL 6
AID IN ADMINISTERING THE PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE ELIGIBLE INSTITUTIONS 7
TO PROVIDE CERTAIN SUPPORT SERVICES TO GRANT RECIPIENTS; TO 8
REQUIRE ACCELERATE MISSISSIPPI TO ANNUALLY PROVIDE A LIST OF 9
ELIGIBLE PROGRAMS BASED ON PRIORITY SECTORS AND OCCUPATIONS; TO 10
PROVIDE FOR PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION ON A PHASED-IN SCHEDULE; AND 11
FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 12
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 13
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 14
"UPSKILL Mississippi Grant Program," an initiative designed to 15
support Upgrading Priority Skills for Key Industry Learning and 16
Labor through tuition-free access to workforce-aligned community 17
and junior college programs. 18
SECTION 2. (1) The Legislature finds that establishing 19
attainable workforce goals reflects Mississippi's commitment to 20
creating a source of skilled workers to address workforce 21
shortages and build a sustainable economic future, which begins 22
with investing in education programs that meet the needs of both 23
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employers and communities. Mississippi's workforce development 24
goals focus on equipping its citizens with the skills necessary to 25
meet the demands of high-growth, high-demand industries. Such 26
goals include the following: 27
(a) Expand career and technical education (CTE) 28
opportunities; 29
(b) Align education and training with emphasis on 30
Mississippi's high-value pathways and/or priority occupations, as 31
identified by Accelerate Mississippi, targeting industries with 32
workforce shortages; 33
(c) Address workforce shortages in rural areas; 34
(d) Promote lifelong learning and upskilling; 35
(e) Support economic resilience through public-private 36
partnerships; 37
(f) Increase access to funding and support services; 38
and 39
(g) Focus on data-driven workforce solutions. 40
(2) Therefore, the intent of the Legislature is to: 41
(a) Provide funding to the Mississippi Office of 42
Student Financial Aid to establish a grant program for the 43
purposes outlined in this section; 44
(b) Provide tuition-free access to community colleges 45
for enrollment in programs that are aligned with Mississippi's 46
high-value pathways and/or priority occupations, as identified by 47
Accelerate Mississippi, which result in a certificate or degree, 48
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ensuring a source of skilled workers to meet the state's economic 49
demands; and 50
(c) To gauge the effectiveness of this program by 51
gathering data related to participation and employment outcomes. 52
SECTION 3. (1) There is established the UPSKILL Mississippi 53
Grant Program, which shall be administered by the Mississippi 54
Office of Student Financial Aid, for the purpose of providing 55
grants to eligible recipients to cover tuition and fees associated 56
with attending a Mississippi public community or junior college 57
for the length of time required to earn a certificate or associate 58
degree in an eligible program. This program shall be subject to 59
the availability of funds appropriated by the Legislature. 60
(2) As used in this act, the following words and phrases 61
shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless context clearly 62
indicates otherwise: 63
(a) "Accelerate Mississippi" means the Mississippi 64
Office of Workforce Development. 65
(b) "Office" means the Mississippi Office of Student 66
Financial Aid. 67
(c) "Eligible institution" means any Mississippi public 68
community or junior college. 69
(d) "Eligible recipient" means a person who: 70
(i) Has been a resident of Mississippi for at 71
least two (2) years prior to application for participation in the 72
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Mississippi Workforce Promise Grant Program and continues to 73
physically reside in the state; 74
(ii) Is a United States citizen or a lawful, 75
permanent resident; 76
(iii) Has a high school diploma, GED or 77
equivalent; 78
(iv) Is enrolled at least half-time in an eligible 79
program at a Mississippi community or junior college; 80
(v) Has completed a Free Application for Federal 81
Student Aid (FAFSA) and qualifies as an independent student on the 82
basis of age and is at least twenty-four (24) years of age; 83
(vi) Has completed the Mississippi Aid Application 84
and submitted all required supporting documents by the deadline 85
established in rules promulgated by the Mississippi Postsecondary 86
Education Financial Assistance Board; and 87
(vii) Maintains satisfactory academic progress as 88
defined by the administering institution. 89
(3) The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid shall: 90
(a) Serve as the fiscal agent in administering the 91
program; 92
(b) With the Mississippi Postsecondary Education 93
Financial Assistance Board, promulgate rules and regulations for 94
administering the program; 95
(c) Establish an annual application and application 96
process; 97
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(d) Receive and review applications; 98
(e) Inform each eligible recipient of the amount of his 99
or her award, which shall be a last-dollar financial grant equal 100
to the student's outstanding tuition and fees after all other gift 101
aid, plus a book/material stipend of Five Hundred Dollars 102
($500.00) per year; 103
(f) Disburse funds to eligible institutions on behalf 104
of eligible recipients upon verification of enrollment in an 105
eligible program; 106
(g) Use no more than five percent (5%) of the funds 107
allocated for this section for the administration of the program; 108
and 109
(h) Include the program in its annual report to the 110
Legislature. The report shall contain a detailed explanation of 111
how the funds appropriated for the program were awarded, how many 112
students have participated in the program, and their education and 113
employment outcomes where available. 114
(4) Eligible institutions shall: 115
(a) Provide the following support services to grant 116
recipients: 117
(i) Assign an advisor or success coach to contact 118
each grant recipient a minimum of three (3) times per term to 119
assist with enrollment, financial aid, career planning, or other 120
topics as needed to support program continuation and completion; 121
(ii) Enroll each recipient in Mississippi Works; 122
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(iii) Provide career integration by creating 123
program maps aligning eligible programs with careers and connect 124
grant recipients to paid practicums or apprenticeships where 125
possible; 126
(iv) Identify alternative funding sources, such as 127
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) or Temporary 128
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds, to provide up to Two 129
Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) per term per grant recipient in 130
emergency aid, childcare stipends or transportation assistance 131
(bus vouchers or gas cards); 132
(v) When possible, offer flexible program 133
delivery, such as evening, weekend, and online program 134
participation; 135
(vi) Utilize data and early alert systems to 136
support recipients. 137
(b) Report to the office each term: 138
(i) Student cost of attendance; 139
(ii) Federal grants received; 140
(iii) Institutional grants received; 141
(iv) Other grants received; 142
(v) Loans received; 143
(vi) Work Study received; 144
(vii) Degree/credential earned; and 145
(viii) Program Classification of Instructional 146
Programs (CIP) code. 147
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ST: Upskill Mississippi Grant Program;
establish to provide last-dollar tuition
assistance at community colleges for certain
programs.
(5) Accelerate Mississippi shall annually provide a list of 148
eligible programs based on priority sectors and occupations to the 149
office, which shall use the list to determine the eligibility of 150
applicants. 151
SECTION 4. (1) The timeline for program implementation will 152
be as follows: 153
(a) Year One - At the commencement of the Spring 154
Semester of 2027, administer a limited pilot program. 155
(b) Year Two - Beginning with the 2027-2028 academic 156
year, administer a full pilot program. 157
(c) Year Three - Beginning with the 2028-2029 academic 158
year, fully implement the program. 159
(2) The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid shall be 160
authorized to develop each phase of the program. 161
SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from 162
and after July 1, 2026. 163