Bill Text: MS SB2524 | 2026 | Regular Session | Enrolled

Mississippi Senate Bill 2524

Bill Title: Mississippi Postsecondary Attainment Council; establish.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Passed) 2026-04-08 - Approved by Governor [SB2524 Detail]

Download: Mississippi-2026-SB2524-Enrolled.html

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2026 Regular Session

To: Universities and Colleges

By: Senator(s) Boyd

Senate Bill 2524

(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO REPEAL SECTION 37-163-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH CREATES THE EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENT COUNCIL; TO ESTABLISH THE MISSISSIPPI POSTSECONDARY ATTAINMENT COUNCIL; TO NAME THE MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL; TO PROVIDE FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THE COUNCIL; TO REQUIRE ANNUAL REPORTS AND PROGRESS REPORTS; TO PROVIDE FOR STAFFING OF THE COUNCIL; TO PROVIDE FOR REIMBURSEMENT FOR MEMBERS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-163-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, which creates the Education Achievement Council, is hereby repealed.

SECTION 2. (1) The Legislature finds that:

(a) Advanced skills training at any age that leads to an individual's postsecondary attainment is vital for Mississippi's economic growth and directly contributes to a higher quality of life for its citizens.

(b) An effective strategy for increasing postsecondary attainment requires close collaboration between educational entities, companies doing business in Mississippi, workforce programs and economic development systems to ensure long-term prosperity.

(c) Mississippi's public and private two- and four-year colleges and institutions are a valued partner in the state's economic and workforce development activities, serving as the primary suppliers of a trained workforce required to meet the demand of expanding or newly established private and public sector employment opportunities.

(d) The Statewide Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) collects valuable information that can help align regional and state-level postsecondary attainment with current and future workforce needs across the state. Third parties, including citizens, should be able to easily access data so they can identify high-growth, high-wage and high-demand private sector priority occupations and public sector jobs at each postsecondary educational attainment level.

(2) For the purposes of this section, "postsecondary attainment" means a workforce certification, an industry credential, or an academic degree leading to an occupation in the public or private sector. A credential of value is affiliated with a private sector priority occupation, as designated by the state's Office of Workforce Development, leading to a high-growth, high-wage occupation.

(3) There is hereby created the Mississippi Postsecondary Attainment Council (M-PAC) whose purpose is establishing the state's postsecondary attainment goals, as well as action-oriented strategies designed to make progress toward that goal. The work of M-PAC shall be conducted in a collaborative manner between Mississippi's public and private education leaders and workforce and economic development leaders to identify and promote solutions to achieve the state's educational attainment goals. The council shall not displace any existing, codified governing or coordinating bodies or their responsibilities.

(4) M-PAC shall have a total membership of twenty-six (26) voting members and six (6) ex officio members, representing academic, private and state sectors. A voting member may designate a person or persons to represent him or her at all meetings from which he or she may be absent. Any such designee shall have the power to attend and vote with the same force and effect as if the member designating him or her were present and voting. The members shall be as follows:

(a) Academic Sector Representatives:

(i) The Commissioner of the State Institutions of Higher Learning;

(ii) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Community College Board;

(iii) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities;

(iv) The President of the Mississippi Association for Proprietary Schools;

(v) The State Superintendent of the Mississippi Department of Education;

(vi) Three (3) presidents of a community or junior college to be appointed by the Mississippi Community College Board;

(vii) Three (3) presidents or chancellors of a public institution of higher learning to be appointed by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning;

(viii) One (1) president of a private college or university to be appointed by the Executive Director of the Mississippi Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities; and

(ix) One (1) superintendent of a local K-12 school district to be appointed by the Superintendent of the Department of Education.

(b) Private sector representatives:

(i) One (1) representative of the Mississippi Business Alliance Foundation's WorkFuture Institute for Workforce and Educational Excellence;

(ii) The President of the Mississippi Economic Development Council;

(iii) The President of Build Mississippi; and

(iv) Five (5) representatives of priority occupation businesses to be appointed by the Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Development.

(i) One (1) representative of the Office of the Governor, to be appointed by the Governor;

(ii) The Chairman of the State Workforce Investment Board;

(iii) The Executive Director of the Office of Workforce Development;

(iv) One (1) representative of a Local Workforce Development Area to be appointed by the Governor; and

(v) One (1) representative from the State Longitudinal Data System;

(d) Ex officio legislative members:

(i) The Chairmen of the Universities and Colleges Committees of the Mississippi State Senate and House of Representatives;

(ii) The Chairmen of the Education Committees of the Mississippi State Senate and House of Representatives;

(iii) The Chairman of the Economic and Workforce Development Committee of the Mississippi Senate; and

(iv) The Chairman of the Workforce Development Committee of the Mississippi House of Representatives.

(5) (a) The council shall have an executive committee comprised of the members, as follows:

(i) The Commissioner of the State Institutions of Higher Learning;

(ii) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Community College Board;

(iii) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Office of Workforce Development;

(iv) The State Superintendent of the Mississippi Department of Education;

(v) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities; and

(vi) Two (2) representatives of priority occupation businesses, one (1) of which appointed by the Lieutenant Governor and one (1) of which appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

(b) The chairman of the council as chosen in subsection (6) of this section shall also serve on the executive committee if he or she is not one of the members designated by paragraph (a) of this subsection.

(6) (a) The council shall elect a chairman and a vice chairman from among its membership. An election for chairman shall be held annually, and no chairman shall serve more than two (2) consecutive terms.

(b) A system of committees comprised of council members and non-members, as needed, may be organized for the purposes of performing the council's work.

(7) The State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS) shall provide data to M-PAC for the purpose of producing the following reports:

(a) Annual report. M-PAC shall work in coordination with the Office of Workforce Development to report Mississippi's progress in raising the postsecondary attainment rate, defined as the percentage of adults with a college degree, credential or recognized certification. Beginning in 2027, such annual report shall be published publicly on or before November 1 each year and presented to the State Workforce Investment Board, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House and the Governor.

(b) Progress reports. M-PAC shall publish and maintain a publicly accessible dashboard-style scorecard quantifying progress toward the state's attainment goal.

(8) The Office of Workforce Development shall serve as the principal staff to support the Mississippi Postsecondary Attainment Council. The Office of Workforce development shall utilize the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the Mississippi Community College Board, the Mississippi Alliance of Independent Colleges and Universities, the State Longitudinal Data System, and private sector partners, to provide appropriate staff to support the work of the Mississippi Postsecondary Attainment Council.

(9) The Legislature may appropriate funds for the administrative costs, contractual costs, travel expenses and other expenses of the council.

(10) Legislative members of the council shall be entitled to per diem and reimbursement of expenses in accordance with Section 25-3-41. Nonlegislative members shall serve without compensation but may be reimbursed for necessary travel expenses from any available funds designated for such purposes.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2026.