MS HB370

Amends Mississippi's public purchasing laws (Section 31-7-13) to add a new exemption from competitive bidding requirements for textbook purchases

Exempts the State Department of Education from competitive bidding when purchasing both adopted and non-adopted textbooks for state-accredited nonpublic (private) schools

Previously, only purchases of state-adopted textbooks by public school districts were exempt from bidding requirements

The exemption allows the Department of Education to purchase textbooks for private schools without following the standard bidding procedures that apply to most government purchases over $5,000

Effective date: July 1, 2021