Appropriation; Soil and Water Conservation 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. 1902
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING 1
THE EXPENSES OF THE STATE SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION COMMISSION 2
FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 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, to the State Soil and Water 7
Conservation Commission for the purpose of defraying the 8
administrative expenses of the commission and carrying out the 9
provisions of Section 69-27-1 et seq., Mississippi Code of 1972, 10
for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending 11
June 30, 2027.................................. $ 689,982.00. 12
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 13
necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the special fund in 14
the State Treasury to the credit of the State Soil and Water 15
Conservation Commission which is comprised of special source funds 16
collected by or otherwise available to the commission, for the 17
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purpose of defraying the expenses of the commission for the fiscal 18
year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027............. 19
............................................... $ 44,398,969.00. 20
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 21
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 22
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 23
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 24
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 25
FUNDING: 26
General Funds: $ 689,982.00 27
Special Funds: $ 513,169.00 28
Total Funds: $ 1,203,151.00 29
PERSONAL SERVICES: 30
Employee Salaries, Wages and 31
Fringe Benefits: $ 1,106,301.00 32
Progressions: $ 0.00 33
Vacancy Funding: $ 96,850.00 34
Total Personal Services: $ 1,203,151.00 35
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 36
Permanent: 9 37
Time-Limited: 6 38
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 39
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 40
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 41
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 42
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It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 43
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 44
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 45
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 46
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 47
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 48
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 49
Board. 50
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 51
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 52
year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 53
provisions of this act. 54
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 55
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 56
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 57
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 58
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 59
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 60
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 61
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 62
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 63
Mississippi Legislature. 64
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 65
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 66
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 67
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agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 68
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 69
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 70
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 71
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 72
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 73
agency. 74
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 75
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 76
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 77
funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 78
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 79
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 80
March 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 81
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 82
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 83
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 84
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 85
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 86
salaries for current employees. 87
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 88
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 89
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 90
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 91
Personal Services total without written approval from the 92
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Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 93
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 94
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 95
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 96
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 97
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 98
authorized time-limited headcounts. 99
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 100
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 101
salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 102
withdrawn and no longer available. 103
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 104
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 105
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 106
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 107
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 108
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 109
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 110
SECTION 4. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 111
State Soil and Water Conservation Commission shall maintain 112
complete accounting and personnel records related to the 113
expenditure of all funds appropriated under this act and that such 114
records shall be in the same format and level of detail as 115
maintained for Fiscal Year 2026. It is further the intention of 116
the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 117
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2028 shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee 118
in a format and level of detail comparable to the format and level 119
of detail provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request 120
process. 121
SECTION 5. The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission 122
is authorized to retain all funds generated from the sale of 123
equipment. Any funds made available from the sale of equipment 124
shall be deposited into the special fund in the State Treasury to 125
the credit of the Soil and Water Conservation Commission and shall 126
be used solely for the purpose of purchasing equipment. 127
SECTION 6. The State Soil and Water Conservation Commission 128
is authorized to receive, budget and expend any proceeds derived 129
from the sale of bonds authorized in Section 69-27-331 et seq., 130
Mississippi Code of 1972. All expenditures shall be in accordance 131
with conditions provided in Section 69-27-331 et seq., Mississippi 132
Code of 1972. 133
SECTION 7. It is the intention of the Legislature that 134
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 135
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 136
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 137
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 138
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 139
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 140
made without competitive bids. 141
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ST: Appropriation; Soil and Water Conservation
Commission.
SECTION 8. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 142
Section 2, Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), or so much 143
thereof, shall be derived out of any money in the State Treasury 144
to the credit of the Capital Expense Fund, as created in Section 145
27-103-303, Mississippi Code of 1972, and allocated in a manner as 146
determined by the State Treasurer. These funds are provided to the 147
Soil and Water Conservation Commission for monitoring, 148
maintenance, and data analytics for three (3) river gauges on the 149
Pearl River. 150
SECTION 9. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 151
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 152
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 153
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 154
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 155
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 156
actions contrary to this provision. 157
SECTION 10. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 158
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 159
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 160
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 161
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 162
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 163
SECTION 11. This act shall take effect and be in force from 164
and after July 1, 2026. 165