State Department of Education; permit to receive various contributions from public or private donors.

HB 1618 amends Mississippi law to allow the State Department of Education to accept donations, gifts, equipment, materials, or manpower from public or private donors. It permits the Department to use these contributions according to the donor’s conditions, as long as those conditions do not violate existing laws. The bill also allows unspent funds from such donations to carry over into the next fiscal year without affecting the Department’s annual legislative budget. The bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.