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To: Appropriations E;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representatives Oliver, Read, Arnold,
Boyd (19th), Hines, Mangold, Massengill,
Roberson, Scoggin
HOUSE BILL NO. 1936
(As Sent to Governor)
AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING 1
THE EXPENSES OF THE MISSISSIPPI AUTHORITY FOR EDUCATIONAL 2
TELEVISION 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 General 6
Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of defraying the 7
expenses of the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television 8
for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending 9
June 30, 2027.................................. $ 4,713,259.00. 10
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 11
necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the special fund in 12
the State Treasury to the credit of the Mississippi Authority for 13
Educational Television which is comprised of special source funds 14
collected by or otherwise available to the Authority, for the 15
purpose of defraying the expenses of the Authority for the fiscal 16
year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027............. 17
............................................... $ 9,019,652.00. 18
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SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 19
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 20
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 21
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 22
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 23
FUNDING: 24
General Funds: $ 4,713,259.00 25
Special Funds: $ 1,835,463.00 26
Total Funds: $ 6,548,722.00 27
PERSONAL SERVICES: 28
Employee Salaries, Wages and 29
Fringe Benefits: $ 5,893,850.00 30
Progressions: $ 0.00 31
Vacancy Funding: $ 654,872.00 32
Total Personal Services: $ 6,548,722.00 33
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 34
Permanent: 80 35
Time-Limited: 7 36
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 37
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 38
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 39
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 40
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 41
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 42
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 43
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shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 44
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 45
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 46
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 47
Board. 48
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 49
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 50
year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 51
provisions of this act. 52
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 53
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 54
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 55
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 56
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 57
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 58
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 59
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 60
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 61
Mississippi Legislature. 62
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 63
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 64
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 65
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 66
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 67
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 68
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Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 69
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 70
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 71
agency. 72
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 73
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 74
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 75
funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 76
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 77
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 78
March 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 79
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 80
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 81
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 82
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 83
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 84
salaries for current employees. 85
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 86
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 87
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 88
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 89
Personal Services total without written approval from the 90
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 91
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 92
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 93
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availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 94
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 95
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 96
authorized time-limited headcounts. 97
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 98
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 99
salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 100
withdrawn and no longer available. 101
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 102
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 103
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 104
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 105
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 106
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 107
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 108
SECTION 4. Funds appropriated herein shall first be used for 109
the continuation of a full and complete broadcast schedule of 110
educational and instructional, professional growth, and public 111
service programs, with the production of new films and programs to 112
be secondary thereto. 113
SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 114
Mississippi Authority for Educational Television shall maintain 115
complete accounting and personnel records related to the 116
expenditure of all funds appropriated under this act and that such 117
records shall be in the same format and level of detail as 118
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maintained for Fiscal Year 2027. It is further the intention of 119
the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 120
2028 shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee 121
in a format and level of detail comparable to the format and level 122
of detail provided during the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request 123
process. 124
SECTION 6. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 125
Section 2, Two Million One Hundred Eighteen Thousand Nine Hundred 126
Sixty-six Dollars ($2,118,966.00) shall be derived from the 127
Education Enhancement Fund deposited pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 128
and 27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972. 129
SECTION 7. No part of the funds appropriated herein shall be 130
transferred to, expended by, or used, directly or indirectly, for 131
the benefit of any public relations, publicity or publication 132
activities of any other state agency, department or officer, nor 133
shall any personnel paid or equipment purchased with funds 134
appropriated hereby be transferred or assigned to any other state 135
agency, department or officer for public relations, publicity or 136
publication activities of such office. 137
SECTION 8. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 138
Mississippi Authority for Educational Television shall have the 139
authority to expend funds in the Capital Equipment Replacement 140
Revolving Fund, in accordance with Section 37-63-17, Mississippi 141
Code of 1972, for the purpose of purchasing technical equipment 142
for operating the educational radio and television facilities. 143
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SECTION 9. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance 144
Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of 145
the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized 146
in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the 147
intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, 148
this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted 149
performance measures provided below: 150
FY2027 151
Performance Measures Target 152
Content Operations 153
Number of Locally Produced TV Programs 115 154
Number of Locally Produced Radio Programs 988 155
Number of Monthly Average Number of Web 156
Site Users 25,000 157
Percent of Radio Broadcasts and TV 158
Alerts During Times of Emergency 100.00 159
Education Services 160
Percent Increase of Users Accessing 161
MPB's Online Resources for Pre-K 162
Children and Families 15.00 163
Number of Students Participating in the 164
DEN Classroom 2,000 165
Number of School Districts Participating 166
in the DEN Classroom 30 167
Number of Teachers Taking e-Learning Courses 1,300 168
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Number of Teacher Continuing Education 169
Units (CEUs) Provided by e-Learning 170
Courses Offered 3,000 171
Number of Educators Attending MPB 172
Resource Workshops Involving PBS and MPB 173
Programs/Content 1,240 174
Technical Services 175
Number of Transmitters On Air 8 176
On-Air Reliability 99.95 177
Number of IT Help Desk Orders Filled 835 178
Administration 179
Number of Community Engagements/Outreach 180
Events 150 181
Number of State Agency Partners 40 182
New Grant Dollars Acquired 75,000.00 183
A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets 184
set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the 185
agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget 186
Committee for Fiscal Year 2028. 187
SECTION 10. It is the intention of the Legislature that 188
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 189
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 190
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 191
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 192
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 193
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the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 194
made without competitive bids. 195
SECTION 11. It is the intention of the Legislature that an 196
amount equal to One Dollar and Fifty Cents ($1.50) per square foot 197
shall be paid to the Executive Office of the State Board of 198
Institutions of Higher Learning to defray utility costs. 199
SECTION 12. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 200
Authority for Educational Television may fund a program to focus 201
on the manufacturing industry in Mississippi. 202
SECTION 13. Mississippi Authority for Educational Television 203
is authorized to accept and expend any grant, donation, or 204
contribution from any individual, public, or private organization, 205
or government entity for purposes of defraying the operational 206
costs of the department. Such grants, donations or contributions 207
shall be received and expended under the rules and regulations of 208
the Department of Finance and Administration in a manner 209
consistent with the escalation of federal funds not to exceed Two 210
Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00). 211
SECTION 14. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 212
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Education 213
Enhancement Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the Educational 214
Television Authority for the purpose of reauthorizing the 215
expenditure of Education Enhancement Funds as authorized in House 216
Bill 43, 2025 First Extraordinary Session, for digitalization of 217
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ST: Appropriation; Educational Television,
Authority for.
educational content and Mississippi history, for the fiscal year 218
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 219
.................................................. $ 522,968.00. 220
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under the 221
provisions of this section, in no event shall the amount expended 222
exceed the unexpended balance as of June 30, 2026. In addition, 223
this reappropriation shall not change the purpose for which the 224
funds were originally authorized. 225
SECTION 15. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, the 226
following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is derived 227
from the Education Enhancement Fund pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 228
and 27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972............ $ 600,000.00. 229
These funds are provided for repairs and replacements at 230
microwave tower sites. 231
SECTION 16. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 232
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 233
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 234
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 235
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 236
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 237
SECTION 17. This act shall take effect and be in force from 238
and after July 1, 2026. 239