MS Municipality and County Fire Station Building Fund; establish.

H. B. No. 597 *HR26/R1598* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/HR26/R1598
PAGE 1 (OM\KW)

To: Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Summers

HOUSE BILL NO. 597

AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI MUNICIPALITY AND COUNTY FIRE 1
STATION BUILDING FUND; TO PROVIDE THAT SUCH FUND SHALL BE 2
ADMINISTERED BY THE MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY; TO 3
PROVIDE THAT SUCH FUNDS SHALL BE USED TO RENOVATE, UPGRADE AND 4
MODIFY LOCAL FIRE STATIONS; TO PROVIDE CERTAIN FUNDING FOR THE 5
FUND; TO AMEND SECTION 45-2-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 6
CONFORM TO THE PRECEDING SECTION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 8
SECTION 1. (1) This act shall be known and may be cited as 9
the "Mississippi Municipality and County Fire Station Building 10
Fund." 11
(2) There is hereby established within the Mississippi 12
Emergency Management Agency the Mississippi Municipality and 13
County Water Fire Station Grant Program under which municipalities 14
and counties may apply for reimbursable grants with a fifty 15
percent (50%) match from the municipality or county, to make 16
necessary investments to renovate, upgrade and modify local fire 17
stations. 18
(3) (a) On or before July 1, 2027, the Mississippi 19
Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) shall promulgate rules and 20
H. B. No. 597 *HR26/R1598* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1598
PAGE 2 (OM\KW)

regulations necessary to administer the program prescribed under 21
this act, including application procedures and deadlines. MEMA is 22
exempt from compliance with the Mississippi Administrative 23
Procedures Law in fulfilling the requirements of this section. 24
(4) An application for a grant under this act shall be 25
submitted at such time, be in such form, and contain such 26
information as MEMA prescribes. Each application for grant funds 27
shall include the following at a minimum: (a) applicant contact 28
information; (b) project description and type of project; (c) 29
project map; (d) estimate of population affected by the project; 30
(e) disadvantaged community criteria (population, median household 31
income, unemployment); (f) estimated project cost; (h) estimated 32
project schedule and readiness to proceed; (i) engineering or 33
architectural services agreement; (j) engineering or architectural 34
reports; and (k) information about status of obtaining any 35
required permits. 36
(5) MEMA must apply a system for use in ranking the grant 37
applications received. When applying the ranking system, the 38
agency shall apply a greater weight to projects that have approved 39
engineering or architectural design, plans and permits if MEMA has 40
deemed the project is ready to begin construction within six (6) 41
months. The ranking system shall include the following factors, 42
at a minimum: (a) the environmental impact of the proposed 43
project; (b) the proposed project's ability to address 44
noncompliance with state/federal requirements; (c) the extent to 45
H. B. No. 597 *HR26/R1598* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1598
PAGE 3 (OM\KW)

which the project promotes economic development; (d) the number of 46
people served by the project and the number of communities the 47
project serves; (e) impacts of the proposed project on 48
disadvantaged/overburdened communities; (f) the grant applicant's 49
prior efforts to secure funding to address the proposed project's 50
objectives; (g) the grant applicant's proposed contribution of 51
other funds or in-kind cost-sharing to the proposed project; (h) 52
the grant applicant's long-term plans for the financial and 53
physical operation and maintenance of the project; (i) the grant 54
applicant's capacity to initiate construction in a timely manner; 55
(j) the extent to which the project benefits multiple political 56
subdivisions in a regional manner; (k) the project's ability to 57
enhance public service infrastructure, including transportation 58
and emergency access; and (l) any other factors as determined by 59
the agency. 60
(6) Applications shall be reviewed and scored as they are 61
received. Grant agreements shall be executed between the 62
recipient and MEMA. All final awards shall be determined at the 63
discretion of the executive director of MEMA. 64
(7) The use of funds allocated under this program shall be 65
subject to audit by the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor. 66
Each person receiving funds under these programs found to be fully 67
or partially noncompliant with the requirements in this act shall 68
return to the state all or a portion of the funds received. 69
H. B. No. 597 *HR26/R1598* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1598
PAGE 4 (OM\KW)

(8) MEMA shall submit to the Lieutenant Governor, Speaker of 70
the House, House and Senate Appropriations Chairmen, and the 71
Legislative Budget Office quarterly reports. The reports shall 72
contain the applications received, the score of the applications, 73
the amount of grant funds awarded to each applicant, the amount of 74
grant funds expended by each applicant, and status of each 75
applicant's project. 76
(9) MEMA may retain an amount not to exceed five percent 77
(5%) of the total funds allocated to the program to defray 78
administrative costs. 79
(10) There is established in the State Treasury a special 80
fund to be known as the Mississippi Municipality and County Fire 81
Station Building Fund. The fund shall be funded by an initial 82
transfer of funds from the Law Enforcement Officers and Fire 83
Fighters Death Benefits Trust Fund, which is established under 84
Section 45-2-1. The initial transfer from the Law Enforcement 85
Officers and Fire Fighters Death Benefits Trust Fund to the 86
Mississippi Municipality and County Fire Station Building Fund 87
shall be in the amount of Five Million Dollars ($5,000,000.00) for 88
the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this act. The fund 89
may be also comprised of any additional funds made available by 90
the Legislature or by donation, contribution, gift of any other 91
source. 92
SECTION 2. Section 45-2-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 93
amended as follows: 94
H. B. No. 597 *HR26/R1598* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1598
PAGE 5 (OM\KW)

45-2-1. (1) Whenever used in this section, the term: 95
(a) "Covered individual" means a law enforcement 96
officer or firefighter, including volunteer firefighters, as 97
defined in this section when employed by an employer as defined in 98
this section; it does not include employees of independent 99
contractors. 100
(b) "Employer" means a state board, commission, 101
department, division, bureau or agency, or a county, municipality 102
or other political subdivision of the state, which employs, 103
appoints or otherwise engages the services of covered individuals. 104
(c) "Firefighter" means an individual who is trained 105
for the prevention and control of loss of life and property from 106
fire or other emergencies, who is assigned to firefighting 107
activity, and is required to respond to alarms and perform 108
emergency actions at the location of a fire, hazardous materials 109
or other emergency incident. 110
(d) "Law enforcement officer" means any lawfully sworn 111
officer or employee of the state or any political subdivision of 112
the state whose duties require the officer or employee to 113
investigate, pursue, apprehend, arrest, transport or maintain 114
custody of persons who are charged with, suspected of committing, 115
or convicted of a crime, whether the officer is on regular duty on 116
full-time status, an auxiliary or reserve officer, or is serving 117
on a temporary or part-time status. 118
H. B. No. 597 *HR26/R1598* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1598
PAGE 6 (OM\KW)

(e) "Cause of death" means any cause of death that 119
would be covered under the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Act of 120
1976, the Hometown Heroes Survivors Benefits Act of 2003, 121
generally codified at 42 USCS Chapter 46, or the Safeguarding 122
America's First Responders Act of 2020. 123
(2) (a) (i) The Department of Public Safety shall make a 124
payment, as provided in this section, in the amount of One Hundred 125
Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00) when a covered individual, 126
while engaged in the performance of the person's official duties, 127
dies or receives accidental or intentional bodily injury that 128
results in the loss of the covered individual's life and such 129
death is the result of a covered cause of death, provided that the 130
death is not the result of suicide and that the bodily injury is 131
not intentionally self-inflicted. 132
(ii) In addition to the payment authorized in 133
subparagraph (i) of this paragraph, the Department of Public 134
Safety shall pay Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) per 135
child of the covered individual, not to exceed a total payment of 136
Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00) under this 137
subsection (2). 138
(b) The payment provided for in this subsection shall 139
be made to the beneficiary who was designated in writing by the 140
covered individual, signed by the covered individual and delivered 141
to the employer during the covered individual's lifetime. If no 142
such designation is made, then the payment shall be made to the 143
H. B. No. 597 *HR26/R1598* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1598
PAGE 7 (OM\KW)

surviving child or children and spouse in equal portions, and if 144
there is no surviving child or spouse, then to the parent or 145
parents. 146
(c) The payment made in this subsection is in addition 147
to any workers' compensation or pension benefits and is exempt 148
from the claims and demands of creditors of the covered 149
individual. 150
(3) The Department of Public Safety shall make a payment, as 151
provided in this section, in the amount not to exceed Fifteen 152
Thousand Dollars ($15,000.00) to pay funeral and other related 153
burial expenses when a covered individual dies or receives 154
accidental or intentional bodily injury that results in the loss 155
of the covered individual's life. This payment may be made 156
directly to the funeral home chosen by the next of kin and is 157
subject to the availability of funds. 158
(4) (a) There is established in the State Treasury a 159
special fund to be known as the Law Enforcement Officers and Fire 160
Fighters Death Benefits Trust Fund. The trust fund shall maintain 161
a minimum balance of Four Million Dollars ($4,000,000.00), and 162
shall be comprised of any additional funds made available by the 163
Legislature or by donation, contribution, gift or any other 164
source. 165
(b) The State Treasurer shall invest the monies of the 166
trust fund in any of the investments authorized for the funds of 167
the Public Employees' Retirement System under Section 25-11-121, 168
H. B. No. 597 *HR26/R1598* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1598
PAGE 8 (OM\KW)

and those investments shall be subject to the limitations 169
prescribed by Section 25-11-121. 170
(c) Unexpended amounts remaining in the trust fund at 171
the end of the state fiscal year shall not lapse into the State 172
General Fund, and any income earned on amounts in the trust fund 173
shall be deposited to the credit of the trust fund. At the end of 174
each state fiscal year, the State Treasurer shall transfer any 175
amount of funds that exceed the minimum required balance in 176
paragraph (a) of this subsection to the Law Enforcement Officers 177
and Fire Fighters Training and Equipment Trust Fund. 178
(d) A portion of the fund shall be transferred to the 179
Mississippi Municipality and County Fire Station Building Fund as 180
set out under Section 1 of this act. 181
( * * *5) The Department of Public Safety shall be 182
responsible for the management of the trust fund and the 183
disbursement of death benefits authorized under this section. The 184
Department of Public Safety shall adopt rules and regulations 185
necessary to implement and standardize the payment of death 186
benefits under this section, to administer the trust fund created 187
by this section and to carry out the purposes of this section. 188
( * * *6) (a) There is created in the State Treasury a 189
special fund to be known as the Law Enforcement Officers and Fire 190
Fighters Training and Equipment Trust Fund. Money in the fund may 191
be disbursed pursuant to the Law Enforcement Officers and Fire 192
Fighters Training and Equipment Grant Program established in this 193
H. B. No. 597 *HR26/R1598* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1598
PAGE 9 (OM\KW)
ST: MS Municipality and County Fire Station
Building Fund; establish.
subsection. The fund shall consist of monies received from any 194
source, including those transferred at the end of each fiscal year 195
from the Law enforcement Death Benefit Trust Fund. Monies 196
remaining in the revolving fund at the end of a fiscal year shall 197
not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned on 198
the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. 199
(b) There is established the Law Enforcement Officers 200
and Fire Fighters Training and Equipment Grant Program in the 201
Department of Public Safety. Upon agreement, the Commissioner of 202
the Department of Public Safety and the State Fire Marshal may 203
award grants for enhanced training or safety equipment for covered 204
individuals. 205
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 206
and after July 1, 2026. 207