House Bill 1197 Summary

• Creates the "2020 Mississippi Women's Economic Security Act" establishing minimum spending of $20 million annually from TANF block grant funds on the Child Care Payment Program (CCPP).

• Expands Medicaid eligibility beginning July 1, 2020 to include individuals age 65+ with income up to 133% of federal poverty level and entitles them to essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act.

• Increases state minimum wage from current federal floor to $7.50/hour (Jan 2021), $7.75/hour (Jan 2022), $8.00/hour (Jan 2023), and $10.00/hour (Jan 2024), with automatic increases if federal minimum wage rises.

• Establishes paid family and medical leave act allowing 12 weeks of paid leave for birth, adoption, serious health conditions, and family member care, with job protection upon return.

• Creates equal pay requirements for state contractors (those with 40+ employees and contracts exceeding $100,000) and enacts the Evelyn Gandy Fair Pay Act prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination, requiring equal pay for equal work regardless of job title.

• Mandates paid sick and safe leave accrual of 1 hour per 30 hours worked for employee health, family care, and domestic violence/sexual assault situations; prohibits retaliation for requesting or using leave.

• Establishes Women in High-Wage, High-Demand, Nontraditional Jobs Grant Program to increase women's participation in skilled trades and STEM occupations through grants to eligible organizations.

• Expands Mississippi State Workforce Investment Board to include representative with expertise in women's job training and nontraditional occupations; requires gender pay equity reporting in annual workforce development reports.

• Protects pregnant workers from discrimination and requires reasonable accommodations for pregnancy-related conditions without forcing employees to take leave if other accommodations available.