House Bill 635

AN ACT TO PROVIDE THAT ALL K-12 PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS SHALL RECEIVE AN ELECTRONIC LEARNING DEVICE; TO PROVIDE THAT THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION SHALL CHOOSE THE ELECTRONIC LEARNING DEVICE; TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEVICES SHALL BE PURCHASED WITH FUNDS IN THE STATE TEXTBOOK FUND OF MISSISSIPPI; TO AMEND SECTION 37-43-41, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY WITH THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) Each student enrolled in a public school within this state shall receive an electronic learning device to be used for educational purposes.

(2) The electronic learning device provided for in subsection (1) shall be chosen by the State Board of Education after careful review of such devices the board considers to be an effective means of teaching and learning.

(3) The electronic learning devices may be purchased with any funds in the State Textbook Fund of Mississippi.

SECTION 2. Section 37-43-41, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-43-41. (1) The State Textbook Fund of Mississippi shall consist of the amounts appropriated by the Legislature for the same, all monies accruing from the sale of disused books from other than public schools, all monies derived from the purchase of books by both public and private schools trustees, and by private individuals, all monies collected in damage suits under the terms of this chapter, and all other monies collected in any way whatsoever under the terms of this chapter.

(2) There is hereby created a special fund in the State Treasury to be designated as the "Local School District Textbook Carryover Fund." Said fund shall be credited with any funds which were appropriated by the Legislature to the State Textbook Fund for any fiscal year in which said funds were allocated to local school districts but unexpended by said districts. Said unexpended funds shall be deposited by the board into the Local School District Textbook Carryover Fund to the credit of the local school districts which were originally allocated such funds. All carryover funds which exist on June 30, 1994, which belong to public school districts shall be disbursed to the respective school districts. Carryover funds for other than public schools shall be handled in the same manner as previously described in this section.

(3) Monies in the fund may be used for the purchase of educational learning devices in accordance with Section 1 of this act.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2015.