State employees; authorize to use major medical leave for their mental health care or treatment.

HB 537, titled "State employees; authorize to use major medical leave for their mental health care or treatment," expands existing major medical leave policies to explicitly include mental health care. The bill allows all Mississippi state employees (excluding certain university staff) to use accrued major medical leave for treatment by psychiatrists, psychologists, or licensed counselors under the same rules that apply to physical health leave, including the requirement to first use personal leave for most absences. It specifies that leave for regular mental health appointments requires prior physician certification, mirroring existing provisions for chronic physical conditions. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and has not become law.