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To: Appropriations C;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representatives Deweese, Read, Bennett,
Creekmore IV, Currie, McGee, Mickens, Scott,
Turner
HOUSE BILL NO. 1907
(As Sent to Governor)
AN ACT APPROVING THE EXPENDITURE OF SPECIAL FUNDS FOR THE 1
PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES OF THE STATE BOARD OF 2
COSMETOLOGY AND BARBERING 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 Treasury 6
to the credit of the State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering, for 7
the purpose of defraying the expenses of the board for the fiscal 8
year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027............. 9
............................................... $ 1,806,579.00. 10
SECTION 2. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 11
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 12
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 13
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 14
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 15
FUNDING: 16
General Funds: $ 0.00 17
Special Funds: $ 883,420.00 18
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Total Funds: $ 883,420.00 19
PERSONAL SERVICES: 20
Employee Salaries, Wages and 21
Fringe Benefits: $ 720,078.00 22
Progressions: $ 0.00 23
Vacancy Funding: $ 163,342.00 24
Total Personal Services: $ 883,420.00 25
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 26
Permanent: 14 27
Time-Limited: 0 28
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 29
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 30
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 31
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 32
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 33
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 34
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 35
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 36
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 37
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 38
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 39
Board. 40
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 41
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 42
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year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 43
provisions of this act. 44
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 45
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 46
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 47
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 48
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 49
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 50
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 51
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 52
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 53
Mississippi Legislature. 54
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 55
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 56
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 57
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 58
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 59
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 60
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 61
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 62
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 63
agency. 64
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 65
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 66
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 67
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funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 68
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 69
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 70
February 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 71
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 72
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 73
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 74
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 75
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 76
salaries for current employees. 77
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 78
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 79
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 80
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 81
Personal Services total without written approval from the 82
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 83
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 84
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 85
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 86
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 87
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 88
authorized time-limited headcounts. 89
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 90
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 91
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salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 92
withdrawn and no longer available. 93
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 94
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 95
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 96
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 97
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 98
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 99
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 100
SECTION 3. The State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering 101
shall not be authorized to expend any funds appropriated by this 102
act after October 1, 2019, unless the board has adopted and 103
implemented each of the following policies, which shall be 104
conditions upon the receipt and expenditure of those funds: 105
(a) A policy that the board will not issue any licenses 106
for the practice of wigology and will issue licenses and 107
certifications only as provided under the cosmetology or barbering 108
licensure law; and 109
(b) A policy that allows any person who holds a wig 110
specialist license issued by the board before July 1, 2014, to 111
continue his or her practice as it existed before July 1, 2014, 112
and allows any person who holds a wig salon license issued by the 113
board before July 1, 2014, to continue operating a wig salon under 114
the statutory requirements as they existed before July 1, 2014, 115
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and provides that any such person will be eligible to receive a 116
certificate of registration issued by the board. 117
SECTION 4. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance 118
Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of 119
the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized 120
in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the 121
intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, 122
this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted 123
performance measures provided below: 124
FY2027 125
Performance Measures Target 126
Examination & Licensure 127
Number of Barber Examinations 1,008 128
Average Cost per Barber & Instructor License 65.00 129
Number of Cosmetology Examinations 3,120 130
Cost Per Cosmetology Licensing Examination 190.00 131
Number of School Permits 20 132
Cost Per School License 300.00 133
Number of Working Days Between 134
Examination & Distribution of Results 5 135
Percentage of Candidates that Passed the 136
Exam 78.00 137
Average Number of Workdays to Issue License 10.00 138
Average Number of Workdays to Issue Permit 10.00 139
Regulation 140
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Number of Inspections Conducted (Annually) 6,000 141
Number of Formal Complaints Received 142
(Annually) 30 143
Number of Disciplinary Actions Taken 40 144
Average Number of Days to Resolve Valid 145
Complaints 90.00 146
Percentage of Documented Complaints 147
Resolved Within Six Months 100.00 148
Percentage of Deficiencies Noted During 149
Inspections are Addressed Within the 150
Allotted Timeframe 85.00 151
A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets 152
set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the 153
agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget 154
Committee for Fiscal Year 2028. 155
SECTION 5. It is the intention of this legislation to 156
provide the funds for the board to meet when necessary, but under 157
no circumstances shall it meet more than sixty-two (62) days a 158
year. 159
SECTION 6. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 160
State Board of Cosmetology and Barbering shall maintain complete 161
accounting and personnel records related to the expenditure of all 162
funds appropriated under this act and that such records shall be 163
in the same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal 164
Year 2026. It is further the intention of the Legislature that 165
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the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be 166
submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format 167
and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail 168
provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 169
SECTION 7. It is the intention of the Legislature that 170
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 171
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 172
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 173
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 174
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 175
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 176
made without competitive bids. 177
SECTION 8. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 178
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 179
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 180
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 181
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 182
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 183
actions contrary to this provision. 184
SECTION 9. The Board is authorized to pay vendors for Fiscal 185
Year 2026 services rendered during the time in which there were no 186
appointed Board members to approve vendor contracts or payments 187
for the services rendered. 188
SECTION 10. Of the funds appropriated under this act, funds 189
are provided for any ITS charges that may be required for system 190
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ST: Appropriation; Board of Cosmetology and
Barbering.
upgrades or migration related to the Cloud Center of Excellence 191
Act, as described in Section 25-53-251. 192
SECTION 11. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 193
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 194
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 195
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 196
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 197
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 198
SECTION 12. This act shall take effect and be in force from 199
and after July 1, 2026, with the exception of Section 9, which 200
shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage. 201