Bill > HB649

Introduced Session

An Act To Establish The "public Safety Recruitment And Retention Act," To Provide College Tuition Awards For Certain Public Safety Personnel And Their Legal Dependents; To Define Terminology Used In The Act; To Provide That Subject To Appropriation, Public Safety Personnel With At Least Six Years Of Service Shall Be Entitled To An Award Worth Up To 100% Of The Resident Tuition; To Provide That The Maximum Award To Attend An Approved Private Institution Shall Be Equal To The Total Cost Of Tuition And Mandatory Fees Charged To A Mississippi Resident At The Public Institution Of Higher Education That Has The Highest Combined Tuition And Mandatory Fee Cost In The State, As Determined By The Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board; To Prescribe The Necessary Criteria To Be Presented To The Board By The Public Safety Personnel When Applying For Tuition Awards; To Require Applicants To Meet All Admission Requirements Of The Institution Of Higher Learning Of Application For Enrollment And To Pursue A License Or Associate Or Baccalaureate Degree In A Specified Academic Subject Area; To Provide That Individuals Who Have Already Earned A Baccalaureate Degree Are Ineligible To Use The Tuition Award To Earn Another Degree, To Require Applicants Who Are Renewing Their Application For Tuition Award To Present Proof Of Employment And Proof Of Residence In The State Of Mississippi; To Provide That The Tuition Award Created Under This Act Shall Be A Last Dollar Scholarship And Require Applicants To First Apply For All Other Forms Of Federal And State Student Financial Aid; To Provide Eligibility For Tuition Awards To Legal Dependents Of Public Safety Personnel With At Least Ten Years Of Service Upon A Condition Of The Legal Dependent To Enter Into An Agreement To Remain In The State For A Minimum Of Five Years As Well As A Commitment To Provide A Copy Of His Or Her State Income Tax Return Annually To Board In Order To Prove Continued Residency In Mississippi Upon Completion Of Their Academic Degree; To Provide That The Death Of Public Safety Personnel In The Line Of Duty Shall Not Disqualify An Individual's Otherwise Eligible Legal Dependent From Receiving The Tuition Award; To Establish An Annual December 15 Deadline For Receipt Of Tuition Awards Applications And March 1 Deadline For The Board To Notify Applicants Of Approval Or Denial Of Application Request; To Establish The Public Safety Recruitment And Retention Fund In The State Treasury For Purposes Of Granting Tuition Awards As Provided In The Act; To Stipulate That If Funds Are Insufficient To Provide Tuition Awards For All Eligible Applicants, Public Safety Personnel Shall Be In The First Class Of Applicants To Receive The Awards, And Dependents Shall Be In The Second Class, In A Priority Order Specified In The Act; And For Related Purposes.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Lester Carpenter (R)*, 

Died In Committee (on 02/03/2026)

Official Document