SB 3060 Mississippi Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Appropriation; IHL - Student Financial Aid.

SB 3060 allocates $54.3 million from the state general fund and $4.5 million from federal/found sources to support Mississippi's student financial aid programs for fiscal year 2027. It directly affects Mississippi students receiving scholarships, grants, or loans through the Mississippi Office of Student Financial Aid, prioritizing those eligible under Section 37-106-39 of state law. The bill requires the Office to report annually on program usage, including recipient numbers, award amounts, and loan repayment status. It also specifies funding for 10 new optometry students annually and restricts funds from supporting certain specialized loan programs like the Southeast Asia POW/MIA Grant.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Feb 23, 2026 Signed Apr 8, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the upper → Current version · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was finalized for the Governor with significant adjustments to funding amounts, the addition of a new section specifying the source of funds for specific grants, and a correction to the effective date. The total appropriation was reduced from $54.3 million to $47.3 million, while a separate line item was increased from $4.5 million to $9.6 million. A new Section 3 clarifies that $5.1 million must come from the Education Enhancement Fund for specific grant programs, and the effective date was updated to start July 1, 2026, removing the previous repeal clause.

Scope change

The bill's scope regarding funding sources was expanded by adding a new requirement for the Education Enhancement Fund, and the scope of applicability was adjusted by correcting the effective date to apply to the 2026-2027 fiscal year.

FISCAL

The total appropriation amount in the main funding section was reduced from $54,332,181.00 to $47,261,364.00.

A separate funding line item was increased from $4,542,660.00 to $9,642,660.00.

A new Section 3 was added to specify that $5,100,000.00 must be drawn from the Education Enhancement Fund for the Higher Education Legislative Plan, Eminent Scholars, and Resident Tuition Assistance grants.

TIMELINE

The effective date clause was updated to state the act takes effect July 1, 2026, and removed the previous language repealing the act after June 30, 2026.

TECHNICAL

The bill title and status were updated from 'As Passed the Senate' to 'As Sent to Governor' to reflect its final legislative stage.

As Introduced → Committee Substitute · 8 edits

MODERATE

The bill was revised to increase the primary funding amount for student financial aid, add a new $3 million allocation for specific scholarship and loan programs, and introduce new rules regarding student eligibility and reporting. The Committee Substitute also reorganized the bill's structure, removed a section regarding competitive bidding preferences for the Mississippi Industries for the Blind, and added a new section reappropriating funds from the Education Enhancement Fund.

Scope change

The scope of funding expanded to include a new $3 million allocation for the FAITH Scholarship Program and Teacher Loan Repayment Program, while the primary appropriation for general financial aid programs increased significantly.

FISCAL

The primary appropriation for general financial aid programs was increased from $47,261,364.00 to $54,332,181.00.

A new Section 12 was added to allocate $3,000,000.00 from the Education Enhancement Fund specifically for the FAITH Scholarship Program and the William F. Winter and Jack Reed, Sr. Teacher Loan Repayment Program.

A new Section 15 was added to reappropriate $500,000.00 from the Education Enhancement Fund to cover administrative expenses for the FAITH Scholarship and Teacher Loan Repayment Programs.

ELIGIBILITY

Section 11 was expanded to define financial need for the Higher Education Legislative Plan Grant Program, specifying income thresholds based on the number of children under 21 in the family.

REQUIREMENT

Section 13 was added to prevent students from receiving undergraduate grant aid from more than one state-supported program in the same term, directing them to the program offering the larger sum if eligible for multiple.

Section 14 was added to require all students to demonstrate continued eligibility at the end of each academic term to maintain state-supported aid.

Section 9, which mandated giving preference to the Mississippi Industries for the Blind in purchasing commodities or equipment, was removed entirely.

TECHNICAL

The bill's formatting was updated to reflect a 'Committee Substitute' version, and the text was reorganized with new section numbers and slightly altered phrasing in existing sections.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 19, 2026 · House Mar 12, 2026

How they voted

50–0

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 52

Feb 19, 2026

D Democratic18

17 Yea 1

94% Yea

R Republican34

33 Yea 1

97% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 8, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor

executive

Mar 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Conference Report Adopted

lower

Mar 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Conference Report Filed

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed As Amended

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Amended

lower

Mar 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass As Amended

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Committee

Referred To Appropriations E;Appropriations A

lower

Feb 23, 2026

Introduced

Transmitted To House

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Committee

Referred To Appropriations

upper

1 primary · 6 co-sponsors