Appropriation; Library Commission.

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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. 1937
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE SUPPORT AND 1
MAINTENANCE OF THE MISSISSIPPI LIBRARY COMMISSION FOR THE FISCAL 2
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 support and maintenance 7
of the Mississippi Library Commission and for carrying out the 8
provisions of Section 39-3-107, Mississippi Code of 1972, for the 9
fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027...... 10
............................................... $ 11,477,082.00. 11
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 12
necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the special fund in 13
the State Treasury to the credit of the Mississippi Library 14
Commission which is comprised of special source funds collected by 15
or otherwise available to the commission, for the purpose of 16
defraying the expenses of the commission for the fiscal year 17
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 18
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............................................... $ 4,894,825.00. 19
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 20
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 21
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 22
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 23
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 24
FUNDING: 25
General Funds: $ 2,490,676.00 26
Special Funds: $ 1,011,363.00 27
Total Funds: $ 3,502,039.00 28
PERSONAL SERVICES: 29
Employee Salaries, Wages and 30
Fringe Benefits: $ 3,311,820.00 31
Progressions: $ 0.00 32
Vacancy Funding: $ 190,219.00 33
Total Personal Services: $ 3,502,039.00 34
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 35
Permanent: 48 36
Time-Limited: 1 37
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 38
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 39
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 40
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 41
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 42
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 43
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25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 44
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 45
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 46
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 47
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 48
Board. 49
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 50
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 51
year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 52
provisions of this act. 53
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 54
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 55
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 56
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 57
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 58
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 59
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 60
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 61
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 62
Mississippi Legislature. 63
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 64
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 65
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 66
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 67
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 68
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Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 69
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 70
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 71
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 72
agency. 73
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 74
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 75
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 76
funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 77
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 78
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 79
March 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 80
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 81
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 82
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 83
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 84
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 85
salaries for current employees. 86
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 87
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 88
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 89
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 90
Personal Services total without written approval from the 91
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 92
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 93
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escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 94
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 95
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 96
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 97
authorized time-limited headcounts. 98
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 99
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 100
salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 101
withdrawn and no longer available. 102
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 103
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 104
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 105
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 106
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 107
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 108
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 109
SECTION 4. Funds to be distributed to eligible public 110
library systems under the Personnel Incentive Grants Program shall 111
be paid quarterly in advance on or before September 30, December 112
31, March 31 and June 30. 113
SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 114
Mississippi Library Commission shall maintain complete accounting 115
and personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds 116
appropriated under this act and that such records shall be in the 117
same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 118
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2026. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the 119
agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be submitted to 120
the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of 121
detail comparable to the format and level of detail provided 122
during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 123
SECTION 6. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 124
Section 2, Four Hundred Ninety-three Thousand Eight Hundred 125
Forty-seven Dollars ($493,847.00) shall be derived from the 126
Education Enhancement Fund deposited pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 127
and 27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972. 128
SECTION 7. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, Three 129
Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($350,000.00) or so much thereof as 130
may be necessary, is derived from the Education Enhancement Fund 131
pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 132
1972, for MAGNOLIA. 133
SECTION 8. It is the intention of the Legislature that no 134
less than One Million Three Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars 135
($1,350,000.00) shall be expended for the Magnolia Database. 136
SECTION 9. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance 137
Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of 138
the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized 139
in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the 140
intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, 141
this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted 142
performance measures provided below: 143
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FY2027 144
Performance Measures Target 145
Administrative Services 146
Number of Help Desk Tickets Resolved 1,150 147
Library Services 148
Number of Continuing Education Workshops 149
Held per Year 75 150
Number of Library Visits by Commission Staff 175 151
Number of Patrons Utilizing Braille, 152
Audio, Etc 2,500 153
Number of Children Participating in 154
Statewide Summer Library Prg 100,000 155
Number of Items Borrowed and Loaned on 156
the Interlibrary Loan System 10,000 157
Number of Items Available for Use 158
Statewide on the Interlibrary Loan 159
System 5,000,000 160
Number of Searches on MAGNOLIA 35,000,000 161
Number of Items Available for Use at MLC 162
(Primary Resource Library) 100,000 163
A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets 164
set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the 165
agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget 166
Committee for Fiscal Year 2028. 167
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SECTION 10. Of the funds appropriated herein, Five Million 168
One Hundred Thirty-three Thousand Eighty-nine Dollars 169
($5,133,089.00) is provided for the cost of health insurance for 170
all full-time library staff members in each public library in 171
Mississippi. 172
SECTION 11. It is the intention of the Legislature that 173
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 174
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 175
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 176
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 177
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 178
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 179
made without competitive bids. 180
SECTION 12. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 181
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 182
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 183
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 184
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 185
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 186
actions contrary to this provision. 187
SECTION 13. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 188
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 189
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 190
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 191
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ST: Appropriation; Library Commission.
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 192
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 193
SECTION 14. This act shall take effect and be in force from 194
and after July 1, 2026. 195