Mississippi House Bill 1258 Summary

• Requires minimum $20 million annual spending on child care payment programs from federal TANF block grant funds and establishes a state minimum wage starting at $7.50/hour in 2019, increasing to $10.00/hour by 2022.

• Expands the Mississippi State Workforce Investment Board to include a woman with expertise in assisting women in nontraditional occupations and requires the Department of Employment Security to achieve gender pay equity in workforce development programs.

• Establishes the Mississippi Paid Family Leave Act providing 12 workweeks of paid leave for birth, adoption, or serious health conditions of employee or family member for employers with 50+ employees.

• Creates the Women in High-Wage, High-Demand, Nontraditional Jobs Grant Program and the Mississippi Higher Education Grant Program for Single Mothers earning up to 150% of federal poverty guidelines, with minimum $1,500 awards.

• Prohibits gender-based wage discrimination ("Evelyn Gandy Fair Pay Act"), requires equal pay certificates for state contracts exceeding $100,000, and establishes paid sick and safe leave accrual of one hour per 30 hours worked (maximum 56 hours annually).