Appropriation; Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, Board of Examiners for.

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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. 1922

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FROM SPECIAL FUNDS IN THE 1
STATE TREASURY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES OF THE 2
BOARD OF EXAMINERS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS AND MARRIAGE AND FAMILY 3
THERAPISTS FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2027. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 5
SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much of it as may be 6
necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the special fund in 7
the State Treasury to the credit of the Board of Examiners for 8
Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists for the purpose 9
of defraying the expenses of the board for the fiscal year 10
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 11
............................................... $ 330,629.00. 12
SECTION 2. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 13
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 14
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 15
only for “Personal Services,” which includes “Vacancy Funding,” 16
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 17
FUNDING: 18
General Funds: $ 0.00 19
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Special Funds: $ 203,629.00 20
Total Funds: $ 203,629.00 21
PERSONAL SERVICES: 22
Employee Salaries, Wages and 23
Fringe Benefits: $ 203,629.00 24
Progressions: $ 0.00 25
Vacancy Funding: $ 0.00 26
Total Personal Services: $ 203,629.00 27
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 28
Permanent: 3 29
Time-Limited: 0 30
As used in this section, the term “Personal Services” shall 31
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 32
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 33
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 34
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 35
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 25-9-36
147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds shall be 37
in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan promulgated by 38
the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the Legislature’s 39
intention that no employee’s salary falls below the minimum salary 40
established by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. 41
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 42
projected annual cost of “Personal Services” based on monthly and 43
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year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 44
provisions of this act. 45
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency’s 46
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 47
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 48
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for “Personal Services” with the 49
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency’s 50
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 51
for “Personal Services” for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 52
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 53
positions are added to the agency’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 54
Mississippi Legislature. 55
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 56
“Personal Services,” the State Personnel Board determines that the 57
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 58
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 59
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for “Personal 60
Services” for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 61
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 62
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 63
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 64
agency. 65
When used in this section, “Vacancy Funding” shall mean funds 66
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 67
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 68
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funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 69
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 70
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 71
February 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 72
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 73
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 74
be responsible for ensuring that “Vacancy Funding” is used to 75
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, in-76
range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 77
salaries for current employees. 78
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 79
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 80
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 81
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 82
Personal Services total without written approval from the 83
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 84
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 85
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 86
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 87
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 88
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 89
authorized time-limited headcounts. 90
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 91
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 92
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salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 93
withdrawn and no longer available. 94
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 95
violation of the Internal Revenue Service’s Publication 15-A 96
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 97
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 98
If the agency’s total authorized headcount decreases from 99
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency’s 100
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 101
SECTION 3. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 102
Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family 103
Therapists shall maintain complete accounting and personnel 104
records related to the expenditure of all funds appropriated under 105
this act and that such records shall be in the same format and 106
level of detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 2026. It is further 107
the intention of the Legislature that the agency's budget request 108
for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative 109
Budget Committee in a format and level of detail comparable to the 110
format and level of detail provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 111
budget request process. 112
SECTION 4. It is the intention of the Legislature that 113
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 114
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 115
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 116
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 117
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ST: Appropriation; Social Workers and Marriage
and Family Therapists, Board of Examiners for.
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 118
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 119
made without competitive bids. 120
SECTION 5. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 121
Section 1, Five Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($5,500.00) is 122
provided for the upgrade and maintenance of the Board’s Licensing 123
and Regulatory System (LARS) to a CLOUD based system. 124
SECTION 6. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 125
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 126
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 127
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 128
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 129
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 130
actions contrary to this provision. 131
SECTION 7. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 132
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 133
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 134
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 135
Officer shall issue warrants upon requisitions signed by the 136
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 137
SECTION 8. This act shall take effect and be in force from 138
and after July 1, 2026. 139