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To: Universities and
Colleges
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Boyd, Brumfield, Butler
SENATE BILL NO. 2368
(As Sent to Governor)
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-106-75, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT THAT STUDENTS COMPLETE THE COLLEGE 2
PREPARATORY CURRICULUM APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF STATE 3
INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDS; TO 4
REQUIRE THE STATE TO MAKE AWARDS TO STUDENTS WHO MEET THE CRITERIA 5
ESTABLISHED HEREIN; TO REMOVE THE REQUIREMENT THAT THE BOARD 6
PROVIDE FOR A PROCEDURE FOR WAIVER THROUGH THE 1996-1997 ACADEMIC 7
YEAR; TO STIPULATE THAT APPLICANTS WHOSE FAMILIES HAVE AN ANNUAL 8
INCOME EQUAL TO $42,500.00 SHALL BE FOUND TO BE IN FINANCIAL NEED; 9
TO REQUIRE THAT STUDENTS BE DEEMED ELIGIBLE FOR A FEDERAL PELL 10
GRANT PRIOR TO RECEIVING STATE FUNDS UNDER THIS SECTION; TO AMEND 11
SECTION 37-106-39, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE 12
DEFINITION OF "MISSISSIPPI LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER"; AND FOR 13
RELATED PURPOSES. 14
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 15
SECTION 1. Section 37-106-75, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 16
amended as follows: 17
37-106-75. (1) The Legislature hereby establishes the 18
Higher Education Legislative Plan Grant Program. 19
(2) For purposes of this section: 20
(a) "Institution of higher education" shall mean any 21
state institution of higher learning or public community or junior 22
college, or any regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit 23
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two-year or four-year college or university located in the State 24
of Mississippi approved by the board. 25
(b) "Tuition" shall mean the semester or trimester or 26
term charges and all required fees imposed by an institution of 27
higher education as a condition of enrollment by all students. 28
However, for a two-year nonpublic institution of higher education 29
defined in paragraph (a), the tuition payments shall not exceed 30
the average charges and fees required by all of the two-year 31
public institutions of higher education defined in paragraph (a), 32
and for a four-year nonpublic institution of higher education 33
defined in paragraph (a), the tuition payments shall not exceed 34
the average charges and fees required by all of the four-year 35
public institutions of higher education defined in paragraph (a). 36
(3) Subject to the availability of funds, the state may pay 37
the tuition of students who enroll at any state institution of 38
higher education to pursue an academic undergraduate degree who 39
apply for the assistance under the program and who meet all of the 40
following qualifications: 41
(a) Resident of the State of Mississippi. Resident 42
status for the purpose of receiving assistance under this chapter 43
shall be determined in the same manner as resident status for 44
tuition purposes in Sections 37-103-1 through 37-103-29, with the 45
exception of Section 37-103-17; 46
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(b) Graduate from high school within the two (2) years 47
preceding the application with a minimum cumulative grade point 48
average of 2.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale; 49
* * * 50
( * * *c) Have a composite score on the American 51
College Test of at least twenty (20) on the 1989 version or an 52
equivalent concordant value on an enhanced version of such test; 53
( * * *d) Have no criminal record, except for 54
misdemeanor traffic violations; and 55
( * * *e) Be in financial need. 56
(4) Subject to the availability of funds, the state may pay 57
the tuition of students who enroll at any state institution of 58
higher education to pursue an academic undergraduate degree or 59
associate degree who apply for assistance under the program and 60
who meet the qualifications in * * * subsection (3) * * *. 61
(5) To maintain continued state payment of tuition, once 62
enrolled in an institution of higher education, a student shall 63
meet all of the following requirements: 64
(a) Make steady academic progress toward a degree, 65
earning not less than the minimum number of hours of credit 66
required for full-time standing in each academic period requiring 67
such enrollment; 68
(b) Maintain continuous enrollment for not less than 69
two (2) semesters or three (3) quarters in each successive 70
academic year, unless granted an exception for cause by the board; 71
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(c) Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 72
2.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale at the end of the first academic 73
year and thereafter maintain such a cumulative grade point average 74
as evaluated at the end of each academic year; 75
(d) Have no criminal record, except for misdemeanor 76
traffic violations; and 77
(e) Be in financial need. 78
(6) The provisions of this section shall be administered by 79
the board. The board may promulgate rules for all matters 80
necessary for the implementation of this section. By rule, the 81
board shall provide for: 82
(a) A mechanism for informing all students of the 83
availability of the assistance provided under this section early 84
enough in their schooling that a salutary motivational effect is 85
possible; and 86
(b) Applications, forms, financial audit procedures, 87
eligibility and other program audit procedures and other matters 88
related to efficient operation * * *. 89
* * * 90
(7) An applicant shall be found to be in financial need if: 91
(a) The family has one (1) child under the age of 92
twenty-one (21), and the annual adjusted gross income of the 93
family is less than or equal to Forty-two Thousand Five Hundred 94
Dollars ($42,500.00); or 95
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(b) The family has an annual adjusted gross income of 96
less than or equal to Forty-two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars 97
($42,500.00) plus Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for each 98
additional child under the age of twenty-one (21). 99
The annual adjusted gross income of the family shall be 100
verified by completion of the Free Application for Federal Student 101
Aid (FAFSA) and the completion of the verification process if the 102
applicant is selected for it. 103
As used in this subsection, the term "family" for an 104
unemancipated applicant means the applicant, the applicant's 105
parents and other children under age twenty-one (21) of the 106
applicant's parents. The term "family" for an emancipated 107
applicant means the applicant, an applicant's spouse, and any 108
children under age twenty-one (21) of the applicant and spouse. 109
(8) No student shall receive a grant under this section in 110
an amount greater than the tuition charged by the school. The 111
student must * * * be deemed eligible for a federal Pell Grant 112
prior to receiving state funds. 113
SECTION 2. Section 37-106-39, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 114
amended as follows: 115
37-106-39. (1) There is established the Mississippi Law 116
Enforcement Officers and Firefighters Scholarship. 117
(2) Except as provided in this section, if any Mississippi 118
law enforcement officer, full-time firefighter or volunteer 119
firefighter shall suffer or has suffered fatal injuries or wounds 120
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or become permanently and totally disabled as a result of injuries 121
or wounds which occurred in the performance of the official and 122
appointed duties of his or her office, his or her spouse, child or 123
children shall be entitled to an eight-semester scholarship 124
without cost, exclusive of books, food, school supplies, materials 125
and dues or fees for extracurricular activities, at any 126
state-supported college or university of his or her choice within 127
this state. 128
(a) No child shall be entitled to receive benefits 129
during any semester or quarter when said child has reached the age 130
of twenty-three (23) years on the first day of said semester or 131
quarter. However, any child who has begun the process of 132
acquiring college credits under the provisions of this section 133
prior to attaining the age of twenty-three (23) years shall be 134
entitled to the full eight-semester scholarship if his or her 135
college instruction was interrupted for any reason. 136
(b) Scholarship benefits shall not accrue hereunder to 137
any person if the wounds or injuries suffered by any law 138
enforcement officer, full-time firefighter or volunteer 139
firefighter are self-inflicted or if his death is self-induced. 140
(3) Eligibility for renewal of the scholarship shall be 141
evaluated each academic year at the end of each semester or term. 142
As a condition for renewal, a student shall: 143
(a) Make steady academic progress toward a certificate 144
or degree, as outlined in the school Satisfactory Academic 145
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Progress Standards and certified by the institution's registrar; 146
and 147
(b) Have a cumulative grade point average of at least 148
2.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale at the end of each academic year. 149
(4) For the purposes of this section, these words and 150
phrases shall be defined as follows: 151
(a) "Mississippi law enforcement officers" shall be 152
defined as follows: 153
(i) * * * Any law enforcement officer who is 154
certified and in good standing with the Board on Law Enforcement 155
Standards and Training; 156
* * * 157
( * * *ii) "Constables" means all duly elected 158
constables of any beat of any county within the state while 159
actually engaged in the performance of their duties concerning the 160
criminal laws of the county and state * * *; 161
* * * 162
( * * *iii) Members of the National Guard serving 163
as peace officers when ordered to state emergency duty under 164
authority vested in the Governor by the Constitution and laws of 165
the state * * *; and 166
* * * 167
( * * *iv) Correctional * * * officers employed by 168
the Mississippi Department of Corrections. 169
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(b) "Mississippi full-time firefighters" shall be 170
defined as all firefighters employed by any subdivision of the 171
State of Mississippi on a full-time duty status while actually 172
engaged in the performance of their duties, and volunteer 173
firefighters shall be defined as any volunteer firefighter 174
registered with the State of Mississippi or a political 175
subdivision thereof on a volunteer firefighting status while 176
actually engaged in the performance of firefighting duties. 177
(c) "Child" or "children" means natural children, 178
adopted children or stepchildren. 179
(d) "Spouse" means a person who was, at the time of the 180
death of the decedent, legally married to a Mississippi law 181
enforcement officer, full-time firefighter, or volunteer 182
firefighter, or in the case of a law enforcement officer, 183
full-time firefighter or volunteer firefighter who suffered fatal 184
injuries or wounds, prior to or after March 13, 1990, who has not 185
remarried. 186
(5) (a) Any law enforcement officer, full-time firefighter 187
or volunteer firefighter claiming permanent and total disability 188
shall be qualified or disqualified for a claim under this section 189
based on examination and review of the following four (4) 190
documents: 191
(i) A letter from the officer's or firefighter's 192
former supervisor or employer stating whether the officer or 193
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ST: Higher Education Legislative Plan Grant
Program; amend.
firefighter is disabled as a result of injuries or wounds that 194
occurred in the performance of the official duties of his office; 195
(ii) A statement from the officer's or 196
firefighter's physician stating whether the officer or firefighter 197
is disabled and the reason for that disability; 198
(iii) Verification from the Public Employees' 199
Retirement System; and 200
(iv) Verification from the Social Security 201
Administration. 202
(b) If the law enforcement officer, full-time 203
firefighter or volunteer firefighter suffered fatal injuries or 204
wounds, a claim under this section shall be based on examination 205
and review of the following two (2) documents: 206
(i) A letter from the officer's or firefighter's 207
former supervisor or employer stating whether he suffered fatal 208
injuries in the performance of the official duties of his office; 209
and 210
(ii) A death certificate. 211
(6) Any applicant qualified and desiring a scholarship under 212
the provisions of this section shall apply in writing to the 213
board. The board shall make inquiries into each application and 214
shall make the investigation as it deems proper to establish and 215
validate all claims before a scholarship is granted. 216
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 217
and after its passage. 218