HB 1260 Summary

• Creates the "2021 Mississippi Women's Economic Security Act" establishing multiple workforce and economic protections for women, including requirements for minimum child care spending from TANF funds and Medicaid eligibility expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

• Establishes state minimum wage beginning January 1, 2022, increasing from $7.50/hour to $10.00/hour by January 1, 2025, with automatic increases tied to federal minimum wage increases.

• Requires paid family and medical leave of 12 workweeks annually for employees at covered employers, plus paid sick and safe leave accrual of at least 1 hour per 30 hours worked for illness, family care, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

• Creates the "Mississippi Pregnant Workers Fairness Act" prohibiting employment discrimination based on pregnancy, childbirth, or related conditions and requiring reasonable workplace accommodations unless undue hardship exists.

• Establishes the "Evelyn Gandy Fair Pay Act" prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination for substantially equal work and the "Women in High-Wage, High-Demand, Nontraditional Jobs Grant Program" to increase women's participation in skilled trades and STEM occupations.