Mississippi Postsecondary Attainment Council; establish., the official text

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Council, is hereby repealed.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.

(c)  State government
representatives:

(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.