A bill that aimed to jumpstart plans for a new multi-purpose stadium at Jackson State has died in committee.
House Bill 117, introduced by Rep. Robert Johnson (D-Natchez) during the 2026 Legislative Session, failed to advance this week, according to WLBT.
The proposal called for a $40 million appropriation from the state’s general fund to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. The funds would have served as seed money for the planning, design, and initial construction of the project.
A similar measure has been introduced in previous legislative sessions but has yet to gain enough traction to move forward.
Johnson, who has long championed a new stadium for Jackson State, said in a January interview that he remains committed to the effort. He added that he is also open to pursuing legislation to secure funding for renovations to Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium — the Tigers’ home field since 2011.
Johnson said that a proposed stadium project would cost roughly $250 million, with $40 million allocated from the state if HB117 passes.
JSU funding bill has been attempted before
HB117 is the newest in a recent line of proposed legislative measures to secure funding for an on-campus stadium for Tigers football.
During the 2025 legislative session, Johnson introduced HB137, which didn’t make it past the committee phase. Senate Bill 3151, introduced by current Jackson Mayor John Horhn, suffered the same fate because a location couldn’t be agreed upon.
Current Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves suggested in 2022 that he wasn’t pleased with the notion that Jackson State could fund a proposed football stadium using taxpayer dollars.
“I’m not real excited about Jackson State building a football stadium,” he said then. “At most of our universities, they build stadiums through donations of alumni.”
Jackson State most recently conducted a feasibility study on the matter, according to its 2021 strategic plan.
A state Senate bill introduced to provide $40 million to JSU for its stadium efforts did not advance past a legislative session.
Jackson State had hoped to construct a stadium within five years, athletic director Ashley Robinson previously told a local Jackson TV station in 2021.
Jackson State led FCS in attendance in 2025, averaging 28,733 fans per game.
