House Bill 166 Summary

• Removes criminal penalties (imprisonment) for violations of Mississippi Statewide Assessment System requirements, replacing them with civil penalties and administrative disciplinary action through educator license suspension or revocation.

• Establishes maximum suspension/revocation periods of five (5) years for violations of test administration requirements and ten (10) years for submitting false certifications regarding test administration.

• Changes the offense of submitting false test administration certifications from a felony to a civil misdemeanor, maintaining a fine of up to $15,000 but eliminating potential imprisonment.

• Retains criminal misdemeanor status for other test irregularities (such as giving students access to test questions or coaching during testing) with a maximum $1,000 fine, while removing the ninety (90) day imprisonment provision.

• Modifies Section 37-3-2 to clarify that false certifications regarding test administration must be subject to licensure disciplinary action and civil penalties under Section 37-16-4.