Mississippi laws bring custody, teacher pay changes starting July 1
Custody cases now start at 50-50, teachers got a $2,000 raise, and road tests disappeared from Mississippi license applicants.
A new Mississippi custody rule now starts disputed cases with a presumption of equal parenting time, and that shift took effect July 1 for families and lawyers dealing with child-custody fights. House Bill 1662 creates a rebuttable presumption in favor of joint custody, and judges can set it aside if evidence shows a different arrangement is in a child’s best interest. The committee version also says the presumption does not favor a parent with a history of perpetrating family violence.
School payrolls changed at the same time. Teachers and teacher assistants got a $2,000 state-funded raise, and special education teachers plus certain instructional specialists received an additional $2,000 supplement. The Mississippi Department of Education has already posted the 2026-2027 salary schedule, so districts have to work the higher pay into the coming fiscal year. That final figure was smaller than earlier proposals that would have pushed teacher pay up by $6,000 and special education pay by $9,000 over three years.
Driver licensing also got easier in one respect and tighter in another. Mississippi driver’s license applicants no longer have to complete a behind-the-wheel road test, but they still must pass the written knowledge exam and a vision screening. Driver-education certificates issued on or after July 1, 2026, must come from a Mississippi public school or a DPS-certified instructor, and a broader driver-education requirement for all new drivers is set to begin July 1, 2027.
County offices will feel the public-safety changes too. House Bill 538 bans sanctuary policies by cities and counties and reaches any policy, order, ordinance, practice or procedure that interferes with federal immigration enforcement. Senate Bill 2710 also took effect, moving certain firearm-related acts by children into circuit court’s original jurisdiction. Mississippi lawmakers passed more than 350 bills during the 2026 regular session, and agreements between local law enforcement agencies and ICE tripled in the first third of the year.
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