Appropriation; Veterans' Home Purchase Board.

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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. 1932
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FROM SPECIAL FUNDS IN THE 1
STATE TREASURY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES OF THE 2
VETERANS' HOME PURCHASE BOARD AND MAKING NEW HOME LOANS AS 3
AUTHORIZED BY LAW 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 thereof as may be 6
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State 7
Treasury to the credit of the Veterans' Home Purchase Board's 8
revolving fund, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the 9
Veterans' Home Purchase Board and making new home loans as 10
authorized by law for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and 11
ending June 30, 2027........................... $ 84,594,361.00. 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: $ 1,430,076.00 20
Total Funds: $ 1,430,076.00 21
PERSONAL SERVICES: 22
Employee Salaries, Wages and 23
Fringe Benefits: $ 1,287,068.00 24
Progressions: $ 0.00 25
Vacancy Funding: $ 143,008.00 26
Total Personal Services: $ 1,430,076.00 27
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 28
Permanent: 18 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 36
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 37
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 38
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 39
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 40
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 41
Board. 42
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 43
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 44
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year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 45
provisions of this act. 46
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 47
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 48
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 49
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 50
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 51
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 52
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 53
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 54
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 55
Mississippi Legislature. 56
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 57
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 58
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 59
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 60
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 61
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 62
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 63
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 64
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 65
agency. 66
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 67
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 68
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 69
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funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 70
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 71
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 72
February 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 73
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 74
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 75
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 76
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 77
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 78
salaries for current employees. 79
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 80
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 81
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 82
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 83
Personal Services total without written approval from the 84
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 85
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 86
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 87
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 88
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 89
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 90
authorized time-limited headcounts. 91
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 92
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 93
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salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 94
withdrawn and no longer available. 95
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 96
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 97
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 98
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 99
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 100
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 101
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 102
SECTION 3. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 103
Veterans' Home Purchase Board shall maintain complete accounting 104
and personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds 105
appropriated under this act and that such records shall be in the 106
same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 107
2026. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the 108
agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be submitted to 109
the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of 110
detail comparable to the format and level of detail provided 111
during the Fiscal Year 2027 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
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 118
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ST: Appropriation; Veterans' Home Purchase
Board.
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 119
made without competitive bids. 120
SECTION 5. The funds herein appropriated shall be expended 121
in compliance with Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, 122
that no state agency shall incur obligations or indebtedness in 123
excess of their appropriation and that the responsible officers, 124
either personally or upon their official bonds, shall be held 125
responsible for actions contrary to this provision. 126
SECTION 6. The Veterans' Home Purchase Board is hereby 127
authorized to escalate, budget and expend funds from any source, 128
not to exceed Ten Million Dollars ($10,000,000.00), for the 129
purpose of making new home loans as authorized by law, in 130
accordance with rules and regulations of the Department of Finance 131
and Administration in a manner consistent with the escalation of 132
federal funds. 133
SECTION 7. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 134
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 135
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 136
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 137
Officer shall issue warrants upon requisitions signed by the 138
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 139
SECTION 8. This act shall take effect and be in force from 140
and after July 1, 2026. 141