JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Mississippi lawmakers faced a major deadline on Tuesday as they enter the third month of the 2024 Legislative Session. Any bills not passed out of committee will be dead after Tuesday, March 5.

A bill that would replace the Mississippi Adequate Education Program (MAEP) is called the Inspire Act.

Proponents of the bill said this is a simpler formula and more equitable compared to MAEP. The Inspire Act would mandate a minimum base student cost of $6,650, as well as give school districts more funding based off the amount of students that struggle with disabilities, are English language learners or are low-income students.

Full funding of this formula would be increased by $241 million compared to MAEP, if passed and signed into law.

“The MAEP formula, which was, was a good formula in its day and time. But it’s 32 years. We haven’t done anything to this formula in 32 years, and then we’ve only been able to finance it to the amount that it’s, you know, said to do twice,” said Rep. Rob Roberson (R-District 43).

The bill passed out of committee Tuesday afternoon and is still alive. The earliest it could be brought up on the House floor is on Thursday, March 7.