Appropriation; Forestry Commission.

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To: Appropriations B;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Bounds, Read, Anderson
(122nd), Clark, Eure, Hale, Jackson (11th),
Pigott, Rosebud

HOUSE BILL NO. 1893
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE SUPPORT AND 1
MAINTENANCE OF THE STATE FORESTRY COMMISSION FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2
2027. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 4
SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 5
necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State General 6
Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the support and maintenance 7
of the State Forestry Commission for the fiscal year beginning 8
July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027......... $ 17,979,969.00. 9
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 10
necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the special fund in 11
the State Treasury to the credit of the State Forestry Commission 12
which is comprised of special source funds collected by or 13
otherwise available to the commission, for the support and 14
maintenance of the commission for the fiscal year beginning 15
July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027......... $ 14,506,218.00. 16
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 17
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 18
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exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 19
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 20
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 21
FUNDING: 22
General Funds: $ 17,369,929.00 23
Special Funds: $ 1,028,946.00 24
Total Funds: $ 18,398,875.00 25
PERSONAL SERVICES: 26
Employee Salaries, Wages and 27
Fringe Benefits: $ 17,037,223.00 28
Progressions: $ 0.00 29
Vacancy Funding: $ 1,361,652.00 30
Total Personal Services: $ 18,398,875.00 31
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 32
Permanent: 264 33
Time-Limited: 7 34
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 35
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 36
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 37
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 38
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 39
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 40
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 41
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 42
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 43
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Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 44
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 45
Board. 46
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 47
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 48
year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 49
provisions of this act. 50
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 51
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 52
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 53
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 54
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 55
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 56
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 57
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 58
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 59
Mississippi Legislature. 60
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 61
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 62
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 63
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 64
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 65
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 66
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 67
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 68
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the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 69
agency. 70
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 71
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 72
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 73
funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 74
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 75
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 76
March 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 77
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 78
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 79
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 80
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 81
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 82
salaries for current employees. 83
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 84
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 85
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 86
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 87
Personal Services total without written approval from the 88
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 89
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 90
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 91
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 92
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 93
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headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 94
authorized time-limited headcounts. 95
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 96
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 97
salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 98
withdrawn and no longer available. 99
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 100
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 101
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 102
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 103
With the funds appropriated herein, it shall be the agency's 104
responsibility to ensure that no employee in a job classification 105
with a minimum salary of Seventy Thousand Dollars ($70,000.00) or 106
greater shall receive an in-range adjustment through progression, 107
equity, or immediate labor market increases. 108
SECTION 4. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 109
State Forestry Commission shall maintain complete accounting and 110
personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds 111
appropriated under this act and that such records shall be in the 112
same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 113
2026. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the 114
agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be submitted to 115
the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of 116
detail comparable to the format and level of detail provided 117
during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 118
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SECTION 5. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance 119
Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of 120
the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized 121
in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the 122
intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, 123
this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted 124
performance measures provided below: 125
FY2027 126
Performance Measures Target 127
Forest Protection & Information 128
Average Suppression Time (Hrs from 129
Detection to Control) 2.00 130
Number of Acres Burned Under a 131
Prescribed Burn Program 15,000 132
Percent of Fires Suppressed at 100 acres or Less 95.00 133
Forest Management 134
Forest Resource Development Program 135
Acres Regenerated or Improved 35,000 136
Acres Monitored for Insect, Storm or Disease 19,200,000 137
Re-Inventory 20% of State's Forest Lands 138
(% of Regions) 20.00 139
Percent Increase of Re-Inventory of 140
State Forest Land 20.00 141
A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets 142
set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the 143
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agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget 144
Committee for Fiscal Year 2028. 145
SECTION 6. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, it is the 146
intention of the Legislature that Two Hundred Thousand Dollars 147
($200,000.00) shall be transferred to the Department of 148
Agriculture and Commerce for the Beaver Control or Eradication 149
Program during the Fiscal Year 2027. 150
SECTION 7. Any funds in the Salary, Wages and Fringe 151
Benefits major object of expenditure may be used to purchase 152
accumulated compensatory time within the funds available. 153
SECTION 8. It is the intention of the Legislature that 154
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 155
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 156
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 157
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 158
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 159
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 160
made without competitive bids. 161
SECTION 9. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 162
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 163
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 164
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 165
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 166
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 167
actions contrary to this provision. 168
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ST: Appropriation; Forestry Commission.
SECTION 10. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 169
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 170
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 171
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 172
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 173
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 174
SECTION 11. This act shall take effect and be in force from 175
and after July 1, 2026. 176