State office space; limit amount per occupant.

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To: State Affairs
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Zuber

HOUSE BILL NO. 1124

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 29-5-2, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
MAXIMIZE UTILIZATION OF STATE OFFICE SPACE; TO REQUIRE A MAXIMUM 2
OF 250 SQUARE FEET PER OCCUPANT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 4
SECTION 1. Section 29-5-2, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 5
amended as follows: 6
29-5-2. The duties of the Department of Finance and 7
Administration shall be as follows: 8
(a) (i) To exercise general supervision and care over 9
and keep in good condition the following state property located in 10
the City of Jackson: the New State Capitol Building, the Woolfolk 11
State Office Building and Parking Garage, the Carroll Gartin 12
Justice Building, the Walter Sillers Office Building and Parking 13
Garage, the War Veterans' Memorial Building, the Charlotte Capers 14
Building, the William F. Winter Archives and History Building, the 15
Mississippi Museum Complex, the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Train Depot 16
(GM&O Depot), the Old State Capitol Building, the Governor's 17
Mansion, the Heber Ladner Building, the Robert E. Lee Office 18
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Building, the Robert E. Lee Parking Garage, the former Naval 19
Reserve Center, 515 East Amite Street, 620 North Street, 660 North 20
Street, 700 North State Street, 350 High Street, 401 North Lamar 21
Street, 455 North Lamar Street, the State Records Center, the 22
Robert G. Clark, Jr. Building, the Mississippi State Fairgrounds 23
Complex, the former Central High Building, the Mississippi 24
Workers' Compensation Commission Office Building, as well as all 25
state-owned or leased buildings situated on seat of government 26
property. 27
(ii) To exercise general supervision and care over 28
and keep in good condition the Dr. Eldon Langston Bolton Building 29
located in Biloxi, Mississippi. 30
(iii) To exercise general supervision and care 31
over and keep in good condition the State Service Center, located 32
at the intersection of U.S. Highway 49 and John Merl Tatum 33
Industrial Drive in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. 34
(iv) To exercise general supervision and care over 35
and keep in good condition any property purchased, constructed or 36
otherwise acquired by the State of Mississippi for conducting 37
state business and not specifically under the supervision and care 38
by any other state entity, but which is reasonably assumed the 39
department would be responsible for such, as approved by the 40
Public Procurement Review Board, including, but not limited to: 41
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1. The National Aeronautics and Space 42
Administration (NASA) Shared Services Center and Lockheed Martin 43
Building at Stennis Space Center; 44
2. The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame; 45
3. The Mississippi Crafts Center; 46
4. The Mississippi Children's Museum; and 47
5. The Mississippi Arts and Entertainment 48
Center. 49
(b) To assign suitable office space for the various 50
state departments, officers and employees who are provided with an 51
office in any of the buildings under the jurisdiction or control 52
of the Department of Finance and Administration. However, the 53
assignment of space in the New Capitol Building shall be 54
designated by duly passed resolution of the combined Senate Rules 55
Committee and the House Management Committee, meeting as a joint 56
committee, approved by the Lieutenant Governor and Speaker of the 57
House of Representatives. A majority vote of the members of the 58
Senate Rules Committee and a majority vote of the members of the 59
House Management Committee shall be required on all actions taken, 60
resolutions or reports adopted, and all other matters considered 61
by the full combined committee on occasions when the Senate Rules 62
Committee and the House Management Committee shall meet as a full 63
combined committee. 64
(c) To approve or disapprove with the concurrence of 65
the Public Procurement Review Board, any lease or rental 66
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agreements by any state agency or department, including any state 67
agency financed entirely by federal and special funds, for space 68
outside the buildings under the jurisdiction of the Department of 69
Finance and Administration, including space necessary for parking 70
to be used by state employees who work in the Woolfolk Building, 71
the Carroll Gartin Justice Building or the Walter Sillers Office 72
Building. In no event shall any employee, officer, department, 73
federally funded agency or bureau of the state be authorized to 74
enter into a lease or rental agreement without prior approval of 75
the Department of Finance and Administration and the Public 76
Procurement Review Board. 77
No agency may lease or occupy an area larger than required to 78
provide two hundred fifty (250) square feet of office space per 79
full-time salaried employee, contract worker, vendor, or person 80
occupying space for more than twenty-four (24) hours per week. By 81
December 1 of each year, all state agencies in violation of the 82
provisions of this section on the last day of the previous fiscal 83
year shall submit to the Department of Finance and Administration 84
a plan to become compliant with the provisions of this section. 85
Any agency unable to comply with the provisions of this section by 86
June 30, 2031, due to preexisting leases shall further explain 87
current lease terms in writing to the Department of Finance and 88
Administration by December 1, 2026. The Department of Finance and 89
Administration shall compile a list of agencies in violation of 90
this provision as of the last day of the previous fiscal year and 91
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their respective compliance plan(s) and provide it to the Senate 92
and House of Representatives by December 31 of each year. 93
The Department of Finance and Administration is authorized to 94
use architects, engineers, building inspectors and other personnel 95
for the purpose of making inspections as may be deemed necessary 96
in carrying out its duties and maintaining the facilities. 97
This section is not intended to apply to locations for which 98
the Department of Finance and Administration has decided to 99
solicit proposals in accordance with subsection (e) of this 100
section. 101
(d) To acquire by lease, lease-purchase agreement, or 102
otherwise, as provided in Section 27-104-107, and to assign 103
through the Office of General Services, by lease or sublease 104
agreement from the office, and with the concurrence of the Public 105
Procurement Review Board, to any state agency or department, 106
including any state agency financed entirely by federal and 107
special funds, appropriate office space in the buildings acquired. 108
(e) To solicit and approve or disapprove, 109
notwithstanding any rule of law to the contrary, and with the 110
concurrence of the Public Procurement Review Board, any lease, use 111
or rental agreement for a charge or other consideration for space 112
not exceeding three thousand (3,000) square feet in any individual 113
building listed in subsection (a) of this section, with a private 114
entry who will provide food and/or catering services for state 115
employees, visitors and the general public. 116
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ST: State office space; limit amount per
occupant.
The department shall select the entity using a competitive 117
process which shall be publicly advertised. In addition to 118
satisfying any other requirements for the Public Procurement 119
Review Board's approval, the department must demonstrate that any 120
agreement entered into under this section will neither result in a 121
net cost to the state, nor impair or impede the function of state 122
agencies at such location. 123
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 124
and after July 1, 2026. 125