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To: Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Hopson, DeBar, Parks, Boyd,
Butler, DeLano, Suber
SENATE BILL NO. 3060
(As Sent to Governor)
AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF 1
STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING FOR THE SUPPORT AND 2
MAINTENANCE OF FINANCIAL AID SCHOLARSHIP, LOAN AND GRANT PROGRAMS 3
AND THE MISSISSIPPI OFFICE OF STUDENT FINANCIAL AID, FOR FISCAL 4
YEAR 2027. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 6
SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 7
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State 8
General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Board of Trustees 9
of State Institutions of Higher Learning for the support and 10
maintenance of financial aid scholarship, loan and grant programs 11
authorized by law and administered by the Mississippi Office of 12
Student Financial Aid and for support of the Mississippi Office of 13
Student Financial Aid, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, 14
and ending June 30, 2027....................... $ 47,261,364.00. 15
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 16
necessary, is hereby authorized out of the proceeds derived from 17
any federal funds, grants, donations, fees, or other special 18
source funds which are collected by or otherwise become available 19
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for the support and maintenance of financial aid scholarship, loan 20
and grant programs authorized by law including funds used as 21
federal matching funds for the GEAR UP Mississippi Scholarship 22
Program and administered by the Mississippi Office of Student 23
Financial Aid and for support of the Mississippi Office of Student 24
Financial Aid, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and 25
ending June 30, 2027........................... $ 9,642,660.00. 26
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 27
act, Five Million One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($5,100,000.00) 28
shall be derived from funds in the Education Enhancement Fund 29
deposited pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, Mississippi 30
Code of 1972. This amount shall be used for the Higher Education 31
Legislative Plan Grant Program established by Section 37-106-75, 32
Mississippi Code of 1972, the Mississippi Eminent 33
Scholars Grant Program established by Section 37-106-31, 34
Mississippi Code of 1972, and the Mississippi Resident Tuition 35
Assistance Grant Program established by Section 37-106-29, 36
Mississippi Code of 1972. 37
SECTION 4. None of the funds appropriated in this act shall 38
be paid to or for the benefit of any student who applies for the 39
first time, subsequent to July 1, 2026, for assistance through the 40
Southeast Asia POW/MIA Grant established under the provisions of 41
Section 37-106-41, Mississippi Code of 1972, the Public Management 42
Graduate Internship established under the provisions of Section 43
37-106-43, Mississippi Code of 1972, the State Medical Education 44
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Loan established under the provisions of Section 37-106-61, 45
Mississippi Code of 1972, the State Dental Education Loan 46
established under the provisions of Section 37-106-63, Mississippi 47
Code of 1972, the Graduate and Professional Degree Forgivable Loan 48
established under the provisions of Section 37-106-65, Mississippi 49
Code of 1972, the Health Care Professions Forgivable Loan 50
established under the provisions of Section 37-106-67, Mississippi 51
Code of 1972, or the Family Protection Specialist Social Worker 52
Forgivable Loan established under the provisions of Section 53
37-106-69, Mississippi Code of 1972. 54
SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that of 55
the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 1 of this 56
act, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher 57
Learning shall expend from the support of the out-of-state 58
graduate and professional studies program an amount not exceeding 59
the funding necessary, contingent upon the availability of 60
qualified applicants, for ten (10) new entering optometry students 61
and the number of returning optometry students who received 62
funding under the program during the preceding school year. 63
SECTION 6. In the allocation of funds appropriated under the 64
provisions of Sections 1 and 2 of this act, among the student 65
financial aid programs included herein, it is the intention of the 66
Legislature that priority shall be given and funds shall be first 67
allocated to all students eligible for financial aid under the 68
provisions of Section 37-106-39, Mississippi Code of 1972. 69
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SECTION 7. All funds provided for in this act shall be 70
accounted for in an annual report, which shall be submitted at the 71
next regular session of the Legislature within ten (10) days after 72
the convening thereof. The report should detail for each grant, 73
scholarship, or loan program the number of recipients, the total 74
amount of awards made, and the average award amount. The report 75
shall include the number of students at each institution receiving 76
financial assistance and the amount of such assistance. For loan 77
programs, the report shall also include a summary of the repayment 78
status and method of repayment for student cohorts as well as an 79
accounting of the receipt of funds in repayment. Furthermore, all 80
funds received and expended shall be reported and otherwise 81
accounted for in accordance with the provisions of Section 82
37-106-11, Mississippi Code of 1972, except where individual 83
identifying information must be withheld pursuant to the Family 84
Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), 20 USC Section 1232g 85
34 CFR Part 99. 86
No public or private institution of higher learning receiving 87
funds under the respective provisions of this act, for the purpose 88
of issuing scholarship grants or loans, shall issue any official 89
transcripts for any persons who have any amount of repayment in 90
arrears on the date such official transcript is requested. 91
SECTION 8. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 92
agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be submitted to 93
the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of 94
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detail comparable to the format and level of detail provided 95
during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 96
SECTION 9. Any funds appropriated pursuant to this act and 97
paid as a fee to or deposited in a financial institution shall be 98
in compliance with Section 109 of the Constitution of the State of 99
Mississippi and Section 25-4-105, Mississippi Code of 1972. 100
SECTION 10. It is the intention of the Legislature that 101
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 102
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 103
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 104
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 105
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 106
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 107
made without competitive bids. 108
SECTION 11. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 109
act, an amount not to exceed Seventy Thousand Dollars ($70,000.00) 110
is provided for the Speech-Language Pathologists Loan Forgiveness 111
Program established under the provisions of Section 37-106-73, 112
Mississippi Code of 1972, and administered by the Mississippi 113
Office of Student Financial Aid. 114
SECTION 12. Awards for the Higher Education Legislative Plan 115
Grant Program, authorized by Section 37-106-75, Mississippi Code 116
of 1972, shall be made to applicants meeting all program 117
requirements and found to be in financial need according to the 118
following definition: 119
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(a) The family has one (1) child under the age of 120
twenty-one (21), and the annual adjusted gross income of the 121
family is less than Forty-two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars 122
($42,500.00); or 123
(b) The family has annual adjusted gross income of less 124
than Forty-two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($42,500.00) plus 125
Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for each additional child under 126
the age of twenty-one (21). 127
SECTION 13. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 128
act, Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000.00) shall be derived from 129
funds in the Education Enhancement Fund deposited pursuant to 130
Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972. This 131
amount shall be used for the Fostering Access and Inspiring True 132
Hope (FAITH) Scholarship Program Act established by Section 133
37-106-81, Mississippi Code of 1972, and the William F. Winter and 134
Jack Reed, Sr., Teacher Loan Repayment Program established by 135
Section 37-106-36, Mississippi Code of 1972. 136
SECTION 14. It is the intention of the Legislature that no 137
student should receive undergraduate grant aid through more than 138
one state-supported undergraduate grant program in the same term 139
of enrollment. If a student is eligible for aid through multiple 140
grant programs, the student shall be awarded from the program that 141
awards the larger sum. 142
SECTION 15. It is the intention of the Legislature that all 143
students must demonstrate eligibility at the conclusion of each 144
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term during the regular academic year in order to continue to 145
receive state-supported aid. 146
SECTION 16. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 147
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Education 148
Enhancement Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Mississippi 149
Office of Student Financial Aid for the purpose of reauthorizing 150
the expenditure of Education Enhancement Funds to defray the 151
expenses of the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid for 152
the Fostering Access and Inspiring True Hope (FAITH) Scholarship 153
Program Act and the William F. Winter and Jack Reed, Sr., Teacher 154
Loan Repayment Program, as authorized in Senate Bill 2008, 2025 155
First Extraordinary Session, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 156
2026, and ending June 30, 2027..................... $ 500,000.00. 157
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under the 158
provisions of this section, in no event shall the amount expended 159
exceed the unexpended balance as of June 30, 2026. In addition, 160
this reappropriation shall not change the purpose for which the 161
funds were originally authorized. 162
SECTION 17. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 163
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 164
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 165
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer, and the State Fiscal 166
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 167
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 168
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ST: Appropriation; IHL - Student Financial Aid.
SECTION 18. This act shall take effect and be in force from 169
and after July 1, 2026. 170