AN ACT TO REENACT SECTIONS 37-153-1 THROUGH 37-153-7 AND 37-153-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH ARE THE MISSISSIPPI COMPREHENSIVE WORKFORCE TRAINING AND EDUCATION CONSOLIDATION ACT OF 2004; TO AMEND SECTION 37-153-17, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXTEND THE DATE OF THE REPEALER ON THE MISSISSIPPI COMPREHENSIVE WORKFORCE TRAINING AND EDUCATION CONSOLIDATION ACT OF 2004; TO AMEND REENACTED SECTIONS 37-153-5, 37-153-7 AND 37-153-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE AGENCY NOMENCLATURE AND CERTAIN REPORTING DEADLINES AND TO EXTEND THE DATE GRANTING AN EXEMPTION TO THE WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD FROM THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT REVIEW BOARD FROM CERTAIN PURCHASES; TO REPEAL SECTION 37-153-9, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH REQUIRES THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A LOCAL WORKFORCE INVESTMENT BOARD IN EACH OF THE FOUR WORKFORCE AREAS OF THE STATE; TO REPEAL SECTIONS 37-153-11 AND 37-153-13, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH REQUIRE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ONE-STOP CAREER CENTERS AFFILIATED WITH THE COMMUNITY AND JUNIOR COLLEGES AND DESIGNATES THE MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE BOARD AS THE PRIMARY SUPPORT AGENCY TO THE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT CENTERS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
HB 1401 reenacts and updates the Mississippi Comprehensive Workforce Training and Education Consolidation Act of 2004 and extends its repeal date from July 1, 2026 to July 1, 2029. The bill keeps in place the statewide workforce development framework centered on the Mississippi Office of Workforce Development and the Mississippi State Workforce Investment Board, while revising terminology, reporting deadlines, and certain administrative provisions to align the statute with current federal workforce law and state agency structure.
The measure continues the state’s integrated workforce system, including the board’s role in strategic planning, coordination of training programs and funds, oversight of one-stop employment and training services, and reporting on workforce spending and outcomes. It also preserves the career and technical education incentive grant program tied to qualifying industry certifications, with annual reporting on student participation, certifications earned, and grant usage. The bill additionally extends a temporary exemption from certain procurement requirements for the office and maintains confidentiality protections for certain economic development and project-related records.
HB 1401 amends Mississippi Code Sections 37-153-1 through 37-153-7 and 37-153-15, extends the sunset/repealer in Section 37-153-17, and repeals Sections 37-153-9, 37-153-11, and 37-153-13. In practical terms, it preserves the statewide workforce governance structure, updates references from older agency names to current ones, changes some reporting deadlines to November 1, and extends the office’s procurement exemption through December 31, 2028. It also removes statutory requirements for separate local workforce investment boards in each workforce area and for one-stop career centers affiliated with community and junior colleges, shifting the statute away from those specific local-structure mandates while keeping the broader statewide system intact.
The bill appears to have been received positively in the House, passing 120-0 on February 9, 2026. That vote suggests broad bipartisan support or at least no recorded opposition in the chamber. The text and available context indicate the bill is largely a continuation-and-update measure rather than a major policy overhaul, which likely contributed to the strong vote total.
No committee transcript is available, and there is no recorded floor opposition in the provided voting history. The main policy-sensitive elements are the repeal of statutory requirements for local workforce investment boards and one-stop career centers tied to community and junior colleges, which could affect local governance and the role of the Mississippi Community College Board. Another potentially sensitive issue is the extension of procurement flexibility and confidentiality provisions for the Office of Workforce Development, though no explicit objections are documented in the available materials.