MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2016 Regular Session

To: Education

By: Representatives White, Dixon

House Bill 494

(As Passed the House)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-13-171, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXTEND BY FIVE YEARS THE REPEALER ON THE PROVISION OF LAW REQUIRING EVERY SCHOOL DISTRICT TO ADOPT A POLICY TO IMPLEMENT ABSTINENCE-ONLY OR ABSTINENCE-PLUS EDUCATION INTO ITS CURRICULUM; TO ABOLISH AND DISSOLVE THE TEEN PREGNANCY PREVENTION TASK FORCE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

     SECTION 1.  Section 37-13-171, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

     37-13-171.  (1)  The local school board of every public school district shall adopt a policy to implement abstinence-only or abstinence-plus education into its curriculum by June 30, 2012, which instruction in those subjects shall be implemented not later than the start of the 2012-2013 school year or the local school board shall adopt the program which has been developed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services and the Mississippi Department of Health.  The State Department of Education shall approve each district's curriculum for sex-related education and shall establish a protocol to be used by districts to provide continuity in teaching the approved curriculum in a manner that is age, grade and developmentally appropriate.

     (2)  Abstinence-only education shall remain the state standard for any sex-related education taught in the public schools.  For purposes of this section, abstinence-only education includes any type of instruction or program which, at an appropriate age and grade:

          (a)  Teaches the social, psychological and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity, and the likely negative psychological and physical effects of not abstaining;

          (b)  Teaches the harmful consequences to the child, the child's parents and society that bearing children out of wedlock is likely to produce, including the health, educational, financial and other difficulties the child and his or her parents are likely to face, as well as the inappropriateness of the social and economic burden placed on others;

          (c)  Teaches that unwanted sexual advances are irresponsible and teaches how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances;

          (d)  Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity before marriage, and fidelity within marriage, is the only certain way to avoid out-of-wedlock pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and related health problems.  The instruction or program may include a discussion on condoms or contraceptives, but only if that discussion includes a factual presentation of the risks and failure rates of those contraceptives.  In no case shall the instruction or program include any demonstration of how condoms or other contraceptives are applied;

          (e)  Teaches the current state law related to sexual conduct, including forcible rape, statutory rape, paternity establishment, child support and homosexual activity; and

          (f)  Teaches that a mutually faithful, monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the only appropriate setting for sexual intercourse.

     (3)  A program or instruction on sex-related education need not include every component listed in subsection (2) of this section for abstinence-only education.  However, no program or instruction under an abstinence-only curriculum may include anything that contradicts the excluded components.  For purposes of this section, abstinence-plus education includes every component listed under subsection (2) of this section that is age and grade appropriate, in addition to any other programmatic or instructional component approved by the department, which shall not include instruction and demonstrations on the application and use of condoms.  Abstinence-plus education may discuss other contraceptives, the nature, causes and effects of sexually transmitted diseases, or the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, along with a factual presentation of the risks and failure rates.

     (4)  Any course containing sex-related education offered in the public schools shall include instruction in either abstinence-only or abstinence-plus education.

(5)  Local school districts, in their discretion, may host programs designed to teach parents how to discuss abstinence with their children.

     (6)  There shall be no effort in either an abstinence-only or an abstinence-plus curriculum to teach that abortion can be used to prevent the birth of a baby.

     (7)  At all times when sex-related education is discussed or taught, boys and girls shall be separated according to gender into different classrooms, sex-related education instruction may not be conducted when boys and girls are in the company of any students of the opposite gender.

     (8)  This section shall stand repealed on July 1, * * * 2016 2021.

* * * SECTION 2. Section 2, Chapter 507, Laws of 2009, as amended by Section 4, Chapter 430, Laws of 2011, is amended as follows:

Section 2.  (1)  There is created the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Task Force to study and make recommendation to the Legislature on the implementation of sex‑related educational courses through abstinence‑only or abstinence‑plus education into the curriculum of local school districts and the coordination of services by certain state agencies to reduce teen pregnancy and provide prenatal and postnatal training to expectant teen parents in Mississippi.  The task force shall make an annual report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature beginning with the 2012 Regular Session.

(2)  The task force shall be composed of the following seventeen (17) members:

  (a)  The Chairmen of the Senate and House Public Health and Welfare Committees, or their designees;

  (b)  The Chairmen of the Senate and House Education Committees, or their designees;

  (c)  The Chairman of the House Select Committee on Poverty;

  (d)  One (1) member of the Senate appointed by the Lieutenant Governor;

  (e)  The Executive Director of the Department of Human Services, or his or her designee;

  (f)  The State Health Officer, or his or her designee;

  (g)  The State Superintendent of Public Education, or his or her designee;

  (h)  The Executive Director of the Division of Medicaid, or his or her designee;

  (i)  The Executive Director of the State Department of Mental Health, or his or her designee;

  (j)  The Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Medicine, or his or her designee;

  (k)  Two (2) representatives of the private health or social services sector appointed by the Governor;

  (l)  One (1) representative of the private health or social services sector appointed by the Lieutenant Governor;

  (m)  One (1) representative of the private health or social services sector appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and

  (n)  One (1) representative from a local community‑based youth organization that teaches or has taught a federal or local school district approved curriculum.

(3)  Appointments shall be made within thirty (30) days after July 1, 2011, and, within fifteen (15) days thereafter on a day to be designated jointly by the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor, the task force shall meet and organize by selecting from its membership a chairman and a vice chairman.  The vice chairman shall also serve as secretary and shall be responsible for keeping all records of the task force.  A majority of the members of the task force shall constitute a quorum.  In the selection of its officers and the adoption of rules, resolutions and reports, an affirmative vote of a majority of the task force shall be required.  All members shall be notified in writing of all meetings, the notices to be mailed at least fifteen (15) days before the date on which a meeting is to be held.  If a vacancy occurs on the task force, the vacancy shall be filled in the manner that the original appointment was made.

(4)  Members of the task force who are not legislators, state officials or state employees shall be compensated at the per diem rate authorized by Section 25‑3‑69 and shall be reimbursed in accordance with Section 25‑3‑41 for mileage and actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties.  Legislative members of the task force shall be paid from the contingent expense funds of their respective houses in the same manner as provided for committee meetings when the Legislature is not in session.  However, no per diem or expense for attending meetings of the task force may be paid to legislative members of the task force while the Legislature is in session.  No task force member may incur per diem, travel or other expenses unless previously authorized by vote, at a meeting of the task force, which action shall be recorded in the official minutes of the meeting.  Nonlegislative members shall be paid from any funds made available to the task force for that purpose.

(5)  The task force shall use clerical and legal staff already employed by the Legislature and any other staff assistance made available to it by the Department of Health, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Department of Mental Health, the State Department of Education and the Division of Medicaid.  To effectuate the purposes of this section, any department, division, board, bureau, commission or agency of the state or of any political subdivision thereof shall, at the request of the chairman of the task force, provide to the task force such facilities, assistance and data as will enable the task force properly to carry out its duties.

(6)  In order to carry out the functions and responsibilities necessary to study and make recommendations to the Legislature, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Task Force shall:

  (a)  Form task force subgroups based on specific areas of expertise;

  (b)  Review and consider coordinated services and plans and related studies done by or through existing state agencies and advisory, policy or research organizations to reduce teen pregnancy and provide the necessary prenatal and postnatal training to expectant teen parents;

  (c)  Review and consider statewide and regional planning initiatives related to teen pregnancy;

  (d)  Consider efforts of stakeholder groups to comply with federal requirements for coordinated planning and service delivery;

(e)  Evaluate the implementation of sex‑related educational courses through abstinence‑only or abstinence‑plus education in local school districts throughout the state;

  (f)  Evaluate the effect of the adoption of a required sex education policy on teen pregnancy rates and dropout rates due to teen pregnancy on the local school district and statewide levels;

  (g)  Compare and analyze data in districts adopting and implementing abstinence‑only education to districts adopting abstinence‑plus education;

  (h)  Require the Department of Health, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Department of Mental Health, the State Department of Education and the Division of Medicaid to conduct a study of community programs available throughout the state, and the areas wherein they are located, which provide programs of instruction on sexual behavior and assistance to teen parents; and

  (i)  Work through the Department of Health, the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Department of Mental Health, the State Department of Education and the Division of Medicaid to cause any studies, assessments and analyses to be conducted as may be deemed necessary by the task force.

(7)  This section shall stand repealed on July 1, * * * 2016 2021.

     SECTION 2.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2016.

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