Appropriation; Public Employees' Retirement System.

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

By: Representatives Mims, Read, Barton,
Cockerham, Faulkner, Hood, McKnight, Rushing,
Watson

HOUSE BILL NO. 1929
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FROM SPECIAL FUNDS IN THE 1
STATE TREASURY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING THE ADMINISTRATIVE 2
EXPENSES OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES' 3
RETIREMENT SYSTEM AND FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF THE 4
RETIREMENT SYSTEM BUILDING FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2027. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 6
SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 7
necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State Treasury 8
to the credit of the Administrative Expense Account of the Public 9
Employees' Retirement System for the purpose of defraying the 10
administrative expenses of the Board of Trustees of the Public 11
Employees' Retirement System, or out of any money in the State 12
Treasury to the credit of the Retirement System Building Account 13
of the Public Employees' Retirement System for the purpose of 14
maintenance and general operation of the Retirement System 15
Building, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending 16
June 30, 2027.................................. $ 21,201,795.00. 17
SECTION 2. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 18
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 19
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exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 20
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 21
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 22
FUNDING: 23
General Funds: $ 0.00 24
Special Funds: $ 12,997,770.00 25
Total Funds: $ 12,997,770.00 26
PERSONAL SERVICES: 27
Employee Salaries, Wages and 28
Fringe Benefits: $ 12,330,950.00 29
Progressions: $ 0.00 30
Vacancy Funding: $ 666,820.00 31
Total Personal Services: $ 12,997,770.00 32
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 33
Permanent: 168 34
Time-Limited: 0 35
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 36
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 37
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 38
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 39
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 40
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 41
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 42
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 43
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 44
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Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 45
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 46
Board. 47
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 48
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 49
year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 50
provisions of this act. 51
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 52
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 53
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 54
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 55
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 56
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 57
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 58
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 59
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 60
Mississippi Legislature. 61
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 62
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 63
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 64
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 65
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 66
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 67
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 68
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 69
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the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 70
agency. 71
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 72
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 73
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 74
funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 75
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 76
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 77
March 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 78
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 79
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 80
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 81
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 82
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 83
salaries for current employees. 84
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 85
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 86
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 87
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 88
Personal Services total without written approval from the 89
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 90
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 91
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 92
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 93
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 94
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headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 95
authorized time-limited headcounts. 96
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 97
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 98
salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 99
withdrawn and no longer available. 100
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 101
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 102
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 103
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 104
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 105
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 106
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 107
SECTION 3. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 108
Board of Trustees of the Public Employees' Retirement System shall 109
maintain complete accounting and personnel records related to the 110
expenditure of all funds appropriated under this act and that such 111
records shall be in the same format and level of detail as 112
maintained for Fiscal Year 2026. It is further the intention of 113
the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 114
2028 shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee 115
in a format and level of detail comparable to the format and level 116
of detail provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request 117
process. 118
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SECTION 4. In accordance with the purposes of this article, 119
there shall be established in the State Treasury the Public 120
Employees' Retirement System Building Repair and Maintenance Fund, 121
into which shall be deposited all funds collected as rental income 122
from the building owned by the system located at 301 North 123
President Street, Jackson, Mississippi. At the end of each fiscal 124
year, any and all unexpended funds shall be transferred to the 125
Administrative Budget Fund of the system. 126
SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that 127
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 128
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 129
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 130
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 131
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 132
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 133
made without competitive bids. 134
SECTION 6. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1, no more 135
than Three Million Five Hundred Thirty-eight Thousand Dollars 136
($3,538,000.00) is provided for the purpose of defraying those 137
expenses associated with maintaining, upgrading and operating the 138
computer system. 139
SECTION 7. As a condition of expending the funds 140
appropriated in Section 1 of this act, the Board of Trustees of 141
the Public Employees' Retirement System shall live webcast and 142
record all board and committee meetings, excluding any executive 143
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sessions of the board under the provision of the Mississippi Open 144
Meetings Act. Archived footage or a weblink to the archived 145
footage shall be posted on the agency website within forty-eight 146
(48) hours of the date and time the meeting was held. 147
SECTION 8. The Public Employees' Retirement System is 148
further authorized, in its discretion, to expend funds for the 149
purchase of service pins for employees of the Public Employees' 150
Retirement System. 151
SECTION 9. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1, no more 152
than Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars ($800,000.00) is provided, 153
only for the explicit purpose of building maintenance and repair. 154
SECTION 10. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 155
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital 156
Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the Public Employees' 157
Retirement System for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure 158
of Capital Expense Funds as authorized in House Bill No. 36, 2025 159
First Extraordinary Session, to provide for the implementation of 160
Tier 5, including legal or other costs related to the initial 161
creation of the plan document, investment lineup, or other aspects 162
of the Defined Contribution portion of Tier 5 for the fiscal year 163
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 164
................................................... $ 164,858.00. 165
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under the 166
provisions of this section, in no event shall the amount expended 167
exceed the unexpended balances as of June 30, 2026. In addition, 168
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ST: Appropriation; Public Employees' Retirement
System.
this reappropriation shall not change the purpose for which the 169
funds were originally authorized. 170
SECTION 11. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 171
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 172
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 173
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 174
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 175
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 176
actions contrary to this provision. 177
SECTION 12. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 178
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 179
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 180
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 181
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 182
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 183
SECTION 13. This act shall take effect and be in force from 184
and after July 1, 2026. 185