Strengthen Mississippi Homes Act; create catastrophic windstorm damage mitigation program in Department of Insurance.

H. B. No. 1060 *HR43/R1980* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G3/5
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To: Insurance
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Turner

HOUSE BILL NO. 1060

AN ACT TO CREATE THE STRENGTHEN MISSISSIPPI HOMES ACT; TO 1
AMEND SECTION 83-1-191, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO RENAME THE 2
COMPREHENSIVE HURRICANE DAMAGE PROGRAM AS THE "STRENGTHEN 3
MISSISSIPPI HOMES PROGRAM"; TO REQUIRE THE PROGRAM TO PROVIDE FOR 4
HURRICANE, TORNADO AND OTHER CATASTROPHIC WINDSTORM DAMAGE 5
MITIGATION; TO DELETE REQUIREMENTS FOR A COST-BENEFIT STUDY ON 6
WIND HAZARD MITIGATION CONSTRUCTION MEASURES, WIND CERTIFICATION 7
AND HURRICANE MITIGATION INSPECTIONS, AND AN ADVISORY COUNCIL; TO 8
INCREASE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL GRANTS, PER HOME, OFFERED 9
BY THE PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE THE COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE TO 10
PROMULGATE RULES FOR ISSUING GRANTS UNDER THE PROGRAM; TO RENAME 11
THE COMPREHENSIVE HURRICANE DAMAGE MITIGATION PROGRAM FUND THE 12
"STRENGTHEN MISSISSIPPI HOMES PROGRAM FUND"; TO DELETE THE 13
REPEALER ON THE PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE THE COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE 14
TO SUBMIT AN ANNUAL REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR 15
AND CHAIRS OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE INSURANCE COMMITTEES ON THE 16
PROGRAM; TO AMEND SECTION 83-5-73, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 17
INCREASE THE FEE CHARGED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE FOR 18
FILING AND PROCESSING AN AGENT'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY; TO 19
REQUIRE HALF OF THE FEE TO BE DEPOSITED INTO THE STRENGTHEN 20
MISSISSIPPI HOMES PROGRAM FUND AND HALF INTO THE STATE GENERAL 21
FUND; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 22
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 23
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 24
"Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program." 25
SECTION 2. Section 83-1-191, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 26
amended as follows: 27
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83-1-191. (1) There is established within the Department of 28
Insurance * * * the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program to aid 29
homeowners in retrofitting insurable property to resist loss due 30
to hurricane, tornado or other catastrophic windstorm events. 31
This section does not create an entitlement for property owners or 32
obligate the state in any way to fund the inspection or 33
retrofitting of residential property or commercial property in 34
this state. * * * The program * * * shall develop and implement a 35
comprehensive and coordinated approach for hurricane, tornado or 36
other catastrophic windstorm event damage mitigation that may 37
include the following: 38
(a) * * * Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program. The 39
Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program shall provide financial 40
grants * * * to encourage single-family, site-built, 41
owner-occupied, residential property owners or commercial property 42
owners to retrofit their properties to make them less vulnerable 43
to hurricane, tornado or other catastrophic windstorm event 44
damage. No financial grant made under this section shall 45
exceed * * * Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000.00) per recipient. 46
Each grant award must include the following statement: "Funds 47
were made available for this grant by the Mississippi State 48
Legislature." The commissioner shall promulgate rules governing 49
eligibility requirements for grants and the administration of the 50
program, including, but not limited to, establishing applicant 51
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criteria, contractor and evaluator eligibility requirements, and 52
grant round eligibility and criteria. 53
( * * *b) Education and consumer awareness. Multimedia 54
public education, awareness and advertising efforts designed to 55
specifically address mitigation techniques may be employed, as 56
well as a component to support ongoing consumer resources and 57
referral services. In addition, all insurance companies shall 58
provide notification to their clients regarding the availability 59
of this program, participation details, and directions to the 60
state website promoting the program, along with appropriate 61
contact phone numbers to the state agency administrating the 62
program. The notification to the clients must be sent by the 63
insurance company within thirty (30) days after filing their 64
insurance discount schedules with the Department of Insurance. 65
* * * 66
( * * *c) Rules and regulations. The Department of 67
Insurance may adopt rules and regulations governing the * * * 68
Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program. The department also may 69
adopt rules and regulations establishing priorities for grants 70
provided under this section based on objective criteria that gives 71
priority to reducing the state's probable maximum loss from * * * 72
hurricane, tornado or other catastrophic windstorm event. 73
However, pursuant to this overall goal, the department may further 74
establish priorities based on the insured value of the dwelling, 75
whether or not the dwelling is insured by the Mississippi 76
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Windstorm Underwriting Association and whether or not the area 77
under consideration has sufficient resources and the ability to 78
perform the retrofitting required. 79
(2) * * * The Department of Insurance may enter into a 80
contract with any other appropriate state or federal agency or 81
appropriate nonprofit entity to act on the department's behalf or 82
administer, assist with, or perform any of the duties set forth in 83
this section. The department may receive a fee for services or 84
resources from any federal agency or appropriate nonprofit entity 85
for those services. 86
(3) * * * In implementing, establishing and administering 87
the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program, the Department of 88
Insurance may enter into contracts for personal or professional 89
services and may access monies in the Strengthen Mississippi Homes 90
Program Fund created in subsection (4) of this section. However, 91
no more than five percent (5%) of monies in the Strengthen 92
Mississippi Homes Program Fund may be accessed annually by the 93
department for these contracts. 94
(4) There is created a special fund in the State Treasury to 95
be known as the * * * Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program Fund. 96
The fund shall consist of any monies from any source that are 97
designated or made available for deposit into the fund. The 98
Department of Insurance may apply for any federal or private 99
grants to provide additional funds for the special fund. Monies 100
in the fund shall be expended by the Department of Insurance * * * 101
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for the purposes as provided in this section. Unexpended amounts 102
remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse 103
into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment 104
earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into such fund. 105
(5) * * * Before December 1 of each year, the Department of 106
Insurance shall submit to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and 107
chairs of the House and Senate Insurance Committees a report 108
detailing, for that calendar year: the number of grants awarded; 109
the number of homes mitigated; the number of IBHS FORTIFIED 110
certificates issued; and the estimated amount of premium discounts 111
given to grant recipients through the program. The report must be 112
made available to the public by publishing it on the department's 113
website. 114
SECTION 3. Section 83-5-73, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 115
amended as follows: 116
83-5-73. The commissioner shall collect and pay into the 117
special fund in the State Treasury designated as the "Insurance 118
Department Fund" the following fees: for certificate of authority 119
to each general or district agent or manager, Twenty-five Dollars 120
($25.00); for filing and processing an agent's certificate of 121
authority, * * * Fifty Dollars ($50.00); for filing and examining 122
statement preliminary to admission, One Thousand Dollars 123
($1,000.00); for filing and processing a Form A application, Two 124
Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00); for filing and auditing annual 125
statement, Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00); for filing any other 126
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ST: Strengthen Mississippi Homes Act; create
catastrophic windstorm damage mitigation program
in Department of Insurance.
paper required by law, Fifty Dollars ($50.00); for continuing 127
education courses or programs filed by the providers for approval, 128
Fifty Dollars ($50.00); for each certification company licensed 129
status, Forty Dollars ($40.00); for each seal when required, 130
Twenty Dollars ($20.00); for service of process on the 131
commissioner as attorney, Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00). 132
From and after July 1, 2016, the expenses of this agency 133
shall be defrayed by appropriation from the State General Fund, 134
and all user charges and fees authorized under this section shall 135
be deposited into the State General Fund as authorized by law. 136
However, beginning on July 1, 2026, of the Fifty Dollar ($50.00) 137
fee charged for the filing and processing of an agent's 138
certificate of authority, Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) must be 139
deposited into the State General Fund and Twenty-five Dollars 140
($25.00) must be deposited into the Strengthen Mississippi Homes 141
Program Fund. 142
From and after July 1, 2016, no state agency shall charge 143
another state agency a fee, assessment, rent or other charge for 144
services or resources received by authority of this section. 145
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 146
and after July 1, 2026. 147