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Read. Follow. Verify.Mississippi Legislature Establishes Paid Family and Medical Leave Program for State Workers
Last action · February 3, 2026: 02/03 (H) Died In CommitteeSponsors: Grace Butler-Washington and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
Mississippi House Bill 1000 establishes the Mississippi Paid Family and Medical Leave Act, requiring the Department of Employment Security to administer a family and medical leave insurance program starting January 1, 2029, funded by employee premiums set by the State Treasurer beginning in 2028.
Eligible non-state employees across Mississippi gain the statutory right to take up to twelve weeks of paid leave annually for specified family and medical reasons, financed through mandatory payroll premiums deducted by employers.
- The federal Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) provides eligible employees with unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons, which this state legislation builds upon by introducing paid insurance benefits. context
- State employees in Mississippi are governed separately regarding leave benefits under existing statutes such as the Mississippi State Employees Paid Parental Leave Act. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Employees within the state
Employees gain the right to take up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, receive insurance benefits, and receive employment protection, while being required to pay mandatory payroll premiums.
Employers within the state
Employers must collect employee premium remittances, maintain health care benefits during leave, restore returning employees to equivalent positions, provide annual written notices, and display informational posters.
Self-employed persons
Self-employed individuals, including independent contractors and sole proprietors, have the option to voluntarily elect coverage under the program for a minimum three-year period.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the paid family and medical leave program start providing benefits?
Are state government employees covered by this act?
Can self-employed individuals participate in the program?
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 3, 2026House02/03 (H) Died In Committee
- Jan 16, 2026HouseCommittee01/16 (H) Referred To Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Creation of State-Administered Paid Leave
The bill establishes a broad social insurance mechanism for family and medical leave funded by employee premiums, representing a major policy expansion outside existing federal FMLA provisions.
Connected Entities
Sources
billstatus.ls.state.ms.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 85)
- Controversy75Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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