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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. 1910
(As Sent to Governor)
AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING 1
THE EXPENSES OF THE STATE FIRE ACADEMY FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2027. 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 3
SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 4
necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State General 5
Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of defraying the 6
expenses of the State Fire Academy for the fiscal year beginning 7
July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027......... $ 7,847,433.00. 8
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 9
necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the special fund in 10
the State Treasury to the credit of the State Fire Academy which 11
is comprised of special source funds collected by or otherwise 12
available to the department, for the purpose of defraying the 13
expenses of the department for the fiscal year beginning 14
July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027......... $ 480,000.00. 15
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 16
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 17
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 18
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only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 19
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 20
FUNDING: 21
General Funds: $ 6,080,901.00 22
Special Funds: $ 0.00 23
Total Funds: $ 6,080,901.00 24
PERSONAL SERVICES: 25
Employee Salaries, Wages and 26
Fringe Benefits: $ 4,844,415.00 27
Progressions: $ 764,595.00 28
Vacancy Funding: $ 471,891.00 29
Total Personal Services: $ 6,080,901.00 30
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 31
Permanent: 62 32
Time-Limited: 0 33
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 34
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 35
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits Funds 36
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 37
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 38
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 39
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 40
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 41
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 42
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 43
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minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 44
Board. 45
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 46
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 47
year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 48
provisions of this act. 49
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 50
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 51
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 52
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 53
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 54
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 55
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 56
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 57
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 58
Mississippi Legislature. 59
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 60
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 61
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 62
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 63
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 64
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 65
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 66
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 67
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the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 68
agency. 69
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 70
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 71
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 72
funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 73
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 74
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 75
March 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 76
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 77
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 78
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 79
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 80
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 81
salaries for current employees. 82
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 83
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 84
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 85
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 86
Personal Services total without written approval from the 87
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 88
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 89
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 90
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 91
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 92
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headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 93
authorized time-limited headcounts. 94
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 95
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 96
salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 97
withdrawn and no longer available. 98
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 99
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 100
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 101
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 102
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 103
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 104
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 105
SECTION 4. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance 106
Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of 107
the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized 108
in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the 109
intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, 110
this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted 111
performance measures provided below: 112
FY2027 113
Performance Measures Target 114
Training 115
Number of Students Trained 10,125 116
Average Cost per Student Trained 862.32 117
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A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets 118
set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the 119
agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget 120
Committee for Fiscal Year 2028. 121
SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 122
State Fire Academy shall maintain complete accounting and 123
personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds 124
appropriated under this act and that such records shall be in the 125
same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 126
2026. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the 127
agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be submitted to 128
the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of 129
detail comparable to the format and level of detail provided 130
during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 131
SECTION 6. It is the intention of the Legislature that 132
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 133
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 134
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 135
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 136
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 137
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 138
made without competitive bids. 139
SECTION 7. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 140
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 141
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 142
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shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 143
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 144
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 145
actions contrary to this provision. 146
SECTION 8. Of the funds provided in Section 1, Seven Hundred 147
Sixty-four Thousand Five Hundred Ninety-five Dollars ($764,595.00) 148
is allocated for the purposes of funding the Instructional Pay 149
Plan at the State Fire Academy. 150
SECTION 9. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, Three 151
Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($350,000.00) or so much thereof as 152
may be necessary, shall be derived out of any money in the State 153
Treasury to the credit of the Capital Expense Fund, as created in 154
Section 27-103-303, Mississippi Code of 1972, and allocated in a 155
manner as determined by the Treasurer's Office. These funds are 156
provided for the refurbishment of the campus water system used for 157
instruction. 158
SECTION 10. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, One 159
Hundred Thirty Thousand Dollars ($130,000.00) or so much thereof 160
as may be necessary, shall be derived out of any money in the 161
State Treasury to the credit of the Capital Expense Fund, as 162
created in Section 27-103-303, Mississippi Code of 1972, and 163
allocated in a manner as determined by the Treasurer's Office. 164
These funds are provided for Vehicle Pool Replacements. 165
SECTION 11. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 166
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital 167
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Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the State Fire 168
Academy for replacement of the campus water system used for 169
instruction as authorized in House Bill 21, 2025 First 170
Extraordinary Session, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, 171
and ending June 30, 2027.............................. $100,000.00. 172
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, 173
the amount that may be expended under the authority of this 174
section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds 175
remaining as of June 30, 2026, from the amount authorized for the 176
previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not 177
change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. 178
SECTION 12. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 179
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital 180
Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the State Fire 181
Academy for the purchase of a Specialty Rescue Truck as authorized 182
in House Bill 21, 2025 First Extraordinary Session, for the fiscal 183
year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027............. 184
................................................... $ 75,000.00. 185
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, 186
the amount that may be expended under the authority of this 187
section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds 188
remaining as of June 30, 2026, from the amount authorized for the 189
previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not 190
change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. 191
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ST: Appropriation; Fire Academy.
SECTION 13. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 192
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 193
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 194
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 195
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 196
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 197
SECTION 14. This act shall take effect and be in force from 198
and after July 1, 2026. 199