State employees; require to pass drug test as a condition of being employed.

HB 1173 would have required all prospective state employees in Mississippi to pass a drug test as a condition of employment, directly affecting job applicants for state positions. The bill mandated the State Personnel Board to create rules for the testing process and specified that applicants would typically cover the test cost, though the board could choose to pay it. The bill was scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2026, but it died in committee on February 3, 2026, and was never enacted into law. This proposal would have established a new pre-employment screening requirement for state hiring.