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To: State Affairs;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representative Steverson
HOUSE BILL NO. 1066
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 57-78-3 AND 57-78-5, MISSISSIPPI 1
CODE OF 1972, TO TRANSFER THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI 2
MAIN STREET REVITALIZATION GRANT PROGRAM FROM THE MISSISSIPPI 3
DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TO THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES 4
AND HISTORY; TO INCREASE THE MAXIMUM OF GRANT FUNDS THAT MAY BE 5
PROVIDED TO A COMMUNITY UNDER THE PROGRAM DURING A YEAR; TO 6
PROVIDE THAT THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY 7
MAY PROVIDE THE MISSISSIPPI MAIN STREET ASSOCIATION WITH NO MORE 8
THAN TWO PERCENT OF THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS DEPOSITED INTO THE 9
MISSISSIPPI MAIN STREET REVITALIZATION GRANT FUND FOR 10
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES IN CARRYING OUT ITS DUTIES UNDER THE 11
MISSISSIPPI MAIN STREET REVITALIZATION GRANT PROGRAM; AND FOR 12
RELATED PURPOSES. 13
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 14
SECTION 1. Section 57-78-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 15
amended as follows: 16
57-78-3. The Mississippi Main Street Revitalization Grant 17
Program Act will authorize the Legislature, as well as the 18
Mississippi * * * Department of Archives and History through 19
appropriations by the Legislature, to make grants available to 20
eligible recipients for projects leading to the revitalization of 21
Mississippi's downtowns or communities. 22
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SECTION 2. Section 57-78-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 23
amended as follows: 24
57-78-5. (1) For the purposes of this section: 25
(a) "Eligible recipient" means a: 26
(i) Main Street Designated Community, or local 27
Main Street program that has achieved and maintained Designated 28
Community Status by the Mississippi Main Street Association 29
(MMSA), that is a good-standing member of the MMSA, has obtained 30
Section 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status or Section 501(c)(6) 31
tax-exempt status from the Internal Revenue Service; 32
(ii) Main Street Network Community; 33
(iii) Main Street Associate Community; 34
(iv) Cities located in Mississippi that otherwise 35
meet the requirements of this chapter; or 36
(v) Business improvement districts that otherwise 37
meet the requirements of this chapter. 38
(b) "Matching funds" means cash funds that are either 39
in the applicant's possession or proposed by a match partner and 40
clearly identified in a support letter and are reserved for the 41
proposed project. No state funds may be included in determining 42
the amount of the match. 43
(c) "Administrator" means the Mississippi Main Street 44
Association. 45
(2) The administrator shall accept applications from 46
eligible recipients, prioritize their applications and submit a 47
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list of suggested recipients to the Legislature no later than 48
December of each year. Applicants who did not receive a grant the 49
prior year shall receive priority for a grant the following year. 50
The Legislature shall review the submitted list and determine the 51
projects for which to award grants to eligible recipients through 52
the Mississippi * * * Department of Archives and History. The 53
administrator will consider projects in relation to the following 54
criteria: 55
(a) The demonstration of local financial need; 56
(b) Projects that demonstrate high local impact; 57
(c) Projects that produce a high level of public 58
benefit; 59
(d) Projects that demonstrate best practices in 60
preservation; 61
(e) Projects that will have local administration and 62
implementation capacity; 63
(f) The distribution of geographic size and location of 64
the project; 65
(g) Projects that will be completed on time; and 66
(h) Projects that are according to the Main Street 67
Approach and Guiding Principles or a comparable community plan. 68
(3) The Mississippi * * * Department of Archives and History 69
shall provide grant funds to the eligible recipients under this 70
section on a reimbursement basis, not to exceed * * * Seven 71
Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($750,000.00) per community each 72
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year, and grantees shall not receive compensation for their 73
required twenty percent (20%) of local match funds, which must 74
cover at least twenty percent (20%) of the total project cost. 75
Municipalities, or eligible recipients within a municipality, with 76
a population of over ten thousand (10,000) are required to possess 77
local matching funds to cover at least twenty percent (20%) of the 78
total project cost. Municipalities, or eligible recipients within 79
a municipality, with a population of less than ten thousand 80
(10,000), shall be required to have a local cash match of ten 81
percent (10%) for the first One Hundred Thousand Dollars 82
($100,000.00) requested, then will be required to have a local 83
cash match of twenty percent (20%) for any amount over One Hundred 84
Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00). 85
(4) Eligible costs for the expenditure of grant funds 86
include the acquisition of land and any improvements thereon, 87
preservation of historic downtown structures and sites, and 88
initiatives that will produce a revitalization to the economy of 89
the historic downtown areas. 90
(5) Grants may be awarded for prospective purchases or for 91
acquisitions of which the applicant has closed. In the latter 92
case, the applicant shall demonstrate: 93
(a) The closing occurred no more than twelve (12) 94
months prior to the date of application for the grant; and 95
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(b) The subject purchase was made to help preserve and 96
revitalize the location and economy of a historic downtown 97
community. 98
(6) Any eligible recipient that is awarded a grant pursuant 99
to this section for a project involving a historic property must 100
comply with all applicable laws relating to the property, as well 101
as applicable regulations of the Mississippi Department of 102
Archives and History, or other department or agency relating to 103
such property. 104
(7) Grantees must adhere to Mississippi state procedures and 105
guidelines relating to the implementation and financing of the 106
approved project. Grantees must also submit any and all audit and 107
financial statements as required by the State of Mississippi. 108
(8) Nothing in this section shall preclude the subsequent 109
transfer or assignment by a state agency or other owner or holder 110
of any property interest acquired pursuant to this section to the 111
State of Mississippi, the county, city, town or municipality in 112
which the land is located, for the purpose of further preserving, 113
improving or maintaining the downtown property. The 114
Mississippi * * * Department of Archives and History shall 115
facilitate transfers and assignments of any such interests held by 116
the department. 117
(9) There is created in the State Treasury a special fund to 118
be known as the "Mississippi Main Street Revitalization Grant 119
Program Fund," which shall consist of funds made available by the 120
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Legislature in any manner, funds received as grants, endowments or 121
gifts from the federal government, its agencies and 122
instrumentalities, and funds from any other source designated for 123
deposit into such fund. The fund shall be maintained by the State 124
Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from 125
the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in 126
the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the 127
State General Fund, and any investment earnings or interest earned 128
on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the 129
fund. Monies in the fund shall be used by the Mississippi * * * 130
Department of Archives and History, upon appropriation by the 131
Legislature, for the purposes provided in this section. 132
(10) The Mississippi * * * Department of Archives and 133
History shall administer the fund and establish guidelines for the 134
expenditure of grant funds and reports relating to the expenditure 135
of grant funds. The department * * * may provide the 136
administrator with no more than two percent (2%) of the amount of 137
funds deposited into the Mississippi Main Street Revitalization 138
Grant Fund for administrative expenses in carrying out its duties 139
under this section. 140
(11) To carry out this chapter, the Mississippi * * * 141
Department of Archives and History may enter into cooperative 142
agreements with entities in the public and private sectors, 143
including: 144
(a) Colleges and universities; 145
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ST: Mississippi Main Street Revitalization
Grant Program; transfer administration of and
revise certain other provisions.
(b) Historical societies; 146
(c) State and local agencies; and 147
(d) Nonprofit organizations. 148
(12) To develop cooperative land-use strategies and conduct 149
activities that facilitate the conservation of the historic, 150
cultural, natural and scenic resources, the Mississippi * * * 151
Department of Archives and History may require that recipients 152
seek and secure technical assistance from the administrator, to 153
the extent that a recipient of technical assistance is engaged in 154
the protection, interpretation or commemoration of historically 155
significant property in the area in and around the historic 156
downtown site. The administrator will provide administrative 157
support to eligible recipients to ensure proper grant 158
administration and project implementation. 159
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 160
and after its passage. 161