UPSKILL Mississippi Grant Program; create.

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To: Universities and
Colleges
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Boyd, Blount, Gillespie Isom,
Mumford, Simmons (12th), Simmons (13th),
Brumfield, Butler

SENATE BILL NO. 2522
(As Passed the Senate)

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 MS TO ANNUALLY PROVIDE A LIST OF ELIGIBLE 9
PROGRAMS BASED ON PRIORITY SECTORS AND OCCUPATIONS; TO PROVIDE FOR 10
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION ON A PHASED SCHEDULE; AND FOR RELATED 11
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 & 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 center around equipping its citizens with the skills 25
necessary to meet the demands of high-growth, high-demand 26
industries. Such 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 MS, targeting industries with workforce 32
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 herein; 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 MS, which result in a certificate or degree, ensuring a 48
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source of skilled workers to meet the state's economic demands; 49
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 Office of 64
Workforce Development. 65
(b) "Office" means the Mississippi Office of Student 66
Financial Aid. 67
(c) "Eligible institution" means any Mississippi public 68
community 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 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 equal the student's outstanding tuition 100
and fees after other gift aid, plus a book/material stipend of 101
Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) per year; 102
(f) Disburse funds to eligible institutions on behalf 103
of eligible recipients upon verification of enrollment in an 104
eligible program; 105
(g) Use no more than five percent (5%) of the funds 106
allocated for this section for the administration of the program; 107
and 108
(h) Include the program in its annual report to the 109
Legislature. The report shall contain a detailed explanation of 110
how the funds appropriated for the program were awarded, how many 111
students have participated in the program, and their education and 112
employment outcomes where available. 113
(4) Eligible institutions shall: 114
(a) Provide the following support services to grant 115
recipients: 116
(i) Assign an advisor or success coach to contact 117
each grant recipient a minimum of three (3) times per term to 118
assist with enrollment, financial aid, career planning, or other 119
topics as needed to support program continuation and completion; 120
(ii) Enroll each recipient in Mississippi Works; 121
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(iii) Provide career integration by creating 122
program maps aligning eligible programs with careers and connect 123
grant recipients to paid practicums or apprenticeships where 124
possible; 125
(iv) Identify alternative funding sources, such as 126
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) or Temporary 127
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds, to provide up to Two 128
Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) per term per grant recipient in 129
emergency aid, childcare stipends or transportation assistance 130
(bus vouchers or gas cards); 131
(v) When possible, offer flexible program 132
delivery, such as evening, weekend, and online program 133
participation; 134
(vi) Utilize data and early alert systems to 135
support recipients. 136
(b) Report to the office each term: 137
(i) Student COA; 138
(ii) Federal grants received; 139
(iii) Institutional grants received; 140
(iv) Other grants received; 141
(v) Loans received; 142
(vi) Work Study received; 143
(vii) Degree/credential earned; and 144
(viii) Program CIP code. 145
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ST: UPSKILL Mississippi Grant Program; create.
(5) Accelerate MS shall annually provide a list of eligible 146
programs based on priority sectors and occupations to the office, 147
which shall use the list to determine the eligibility of 148
applicants. 149
SECTION 4. (1) The timeline for program implementation will 150
be as follows: 151
(a) Year One - At the commencement of the Spring 152
Semester of 2027, administer a limited pilot program. 153
(b) Year Two - Beginning with the 2027-2028 academic 154
year, administer a full pilot program. 155
(c) Year Three - Beginning with the 2028-2029 academic 156
year, fully implement the program. 157
(2) The Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid shall be 158
authorized to develop each phase of the program. 159
SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from 160
and after July 1, 2026, and shall stand repealed on June 30, 2026. 161