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To: Public Health and
Welfare
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Frazier
SENATE BILL NO. 2552
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 73-21-111, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO ESTABLISH PHARMACY TECHNICIAN-TO-PHARMACIST RATIO REQUIREMENTS 2
FOR LICENSED PHARMACIES THAT ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC AND FOR THOSE 3
THAT ARE NOT OPEN TO THE PUBLIC; TO DIRECT THE MISSISSIPPI BOARD 4
OF PHARMACY TO ADOPT RULES AND REGULATIONS NECESSARY TO ENSURE 5
COMPLIANCE; TO EXCLUDE FROM BEING COUNTED TOWARD THE RATIO CERTAIN 6
SUPPORTIVE PERSONNEL WHO ARE NOT PERFORMING THE FUNCTIONS OF A 7
REGISTERED PHARMACY TECHNICIAN; TO AUTHORIZE A LICENSED PHARMACY 8
TO EXCEED THE PHARMACY TECHNICIAN-TO-PHARMACIST RATIO IF ALL 9
PHARMACY TECHNICIANS IN EXCESS OF THE APPLICABLE RATIO ARE 10
NATIONALLY CERTIFIED BY A CERTIFICATION PROGRAM RECOGNIZED BY THE 11
BOARD; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 12
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 13
SECTION 1. Section 73-21-111, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 14
amended as follows: 15
73-21-111. (1) The board shall make, adopt, amend and 16
repeal, from time to time, such rules and regulations for the 17
regulation of supportive personnel as may be deemed necessary by 18
the board. 19
(2) Every person who acts or serves as a pharmacy technician 20
in a pharmacy that is located in this state and permitted by the 21
board shall obtain a registration from the board. To obtain a 22
pharmacy technician registration the applicant must: 23
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(a) Have submitted a written application on a form(s) 24
prescribed by the board; and 25
(b) Be of good moral character; and 26
(c) Have paid the initial registration fee not to 27
exceed One Hundred Dollars ($100.00). 28
(3) Each pharmacy technician shall renew his or her 29
registration annually. To renew his or her registration, a 30
technician must: 31
(a) Submit an application on a form prescribed by the 32
board; and 33
(b) Pay a renewal fee not to exceed One Hundred Dollars 34
($100.00) for each annual registration period. The board may add 35
a surcharge of not more than Five Dollars ($5.00) to the 36
registration renewal fee to assist in funding a program that 37
assists impaired pharmacists, pharmacy students and pharmacy 38
technicians. 39
(4) To ensure that all applicants are of good moral 40
character, the board shall conduct a criminal history records 41
check on all applicants for a license. In order to determine the 42
applicant's suitability for licensing, the applicant shall be 43
fingerprinted. The board shall submit the fingerprints to the 44
Department of Public Safety for a check of the state criminal 45
records and forward to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a 46
check of the national criminal records. The Department of Public 47
Safety shall disseminate the results of the state check and the 48
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national check to the board for a suitability determination. The 49
board shall be authorized to collect from the applicant the amount 50
of the fee that the Department of Public Safety charges the board 51
for the fingerprinting, whether manual or electronic, and the 52
state and national criminal history records checks. 53
(5) (a) A licensed pharmacy located in this state that is 54
open to the public shall maintain a pharmacy 55
technician-to-pharmacist ratio of not more than five (5) pharmacy 56
technicians for every one (1) licensed pharmacist on duty. 57
(b) A licensed pharmacy located in this state that is 58
not open to the public shall maintain a pharmacy 59
technician-to-pharmacist ratio of not more than twelve (12) 60
pharmacy technicians for every one (1) licensed pharmacist on 61
duty. 62
(c) The board shall have the authority to adopt rules 63
and regulations necessary to enforce and ensure compliance with 64
the pharmacy technician-to-pharmacist ratio requirements set forth 65
in this subsection. The board shall not have authority to adopt 66
rules or regulations establishing a pharmacy 67
technician-to-pharmacist ratio that is more restrictive than the 68
ratios specified in this subsection. 69
(d) Supportive personnel who are not performing the 70
functions of a registered pharmacy technician shall not be counted 71
toward the pharmacy technician-to-pharmacist ratio under this 72
subsection. For purposes of this paragraph (d), "supportive 73
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ST: Pharmacy technician-to-pharmacist ratio
requirements; establish for licensed pharmacies.
personnel" means individuals who assist in non-dispensing and 74
non-clinical tasks, including, but not limited to, cashiering, 75
inventory management or administrative support, under the 76
supervision of a pharmacist, and who do not perform duties 77
requiring pharmacy technician registration as defined by board 78
rule. 79
(e) Notwithstanding paragraphs (a) and (b) of this 80
subsection, a licensed pharmacy may exceed the pharmacy 81
technician-to-pharmacist ratio if all pharmacy technicians in 82
excess of the applicable ratio are nationally certified by a 83
certification program recognized by the board. The pharmacist in 84
charge shall maintain documentation verifying the certification 85
status of each such pharmacy technician and shall ensure 86
compliance with all other applicable board rules and regulations. 87
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 88
and after July 1, 2026. 89