MS Length-of-Service Award Program; extend repealer and create Fire Grant Fund and Fire Equipment Grant Fund.

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To: Insurance
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Shanks, Carpenter,
Scoggin

HOUSE BILL NO. 939
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 45-11-271, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO EXTEND THE DATE OF THE REPEALER ON THE MISSISSIPPI 2
LENGTH-OF-SERVICE AWARD PROGRAM (LOSAP) CREATED BY THE DEPARTMENT 3
OF INSURANCE FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECRUITING AND RETAINING VOLUNTEER 4
FIREFIGHTERS; TO REQUIRE THE STATE FIRE MARSHAL AND THE 5
MISSISSIPPI STATE RATING BUREAU TO ADHERE TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF 6
SECTION 83-3-24, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, AS IT RELATES TO 7
RECOMMENDING AGE RESTRICTIONS FOR FIRE APPARATUS AND THE 8
REQUIREMENTS OF NFPA 1900 AS IT RELATES TO FIRE APPARATUS SERVICE 9
AND MAINTENANCE AND PUMP REQUIREMENTS; TO CREATE THE FIRE GRANT 10
FUND AS A SPECIAL FUND IN THE STATE TREASURY FOR THE PURPOSE OF 11
ASSISTING COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES WITH MEASURES AIMED AT 12
IMPROVING FIRE SAFETY; TO REQUIRE ALL FUNDS FORMERLY CREDITED TO 13
THE RURAL FIRE TRUCK FUND, THE RURAL FIRE TRUCK MATCHING 14
ASSISTANCE FUND, THE SUPPLEMENTARY RURAL FIRE TRUCK FUND AND THE 15
ANNUAL FIRE FUND TO BE PAID INTO THE FIRE GRANT FUND, AND TO 16
REQUIRE THE TRANSFER OF BALANCES IN THOSE FUNDS TO THE FIRE GRANT 17
FUND; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TO 18
ADMINISTER THE FUND; TO CREATE THE FIRE EQUIPMENT GRANT FUND AS A 19
SPECIAL FUND IN THE STATE TREASURY FOR THE PURPOSE OF ASSISTING 20
COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES BY PROVIDING FUNDS FOR FIRE SAFETY 21
PROTECTION AND LIFE SAVING EQUIPMENT; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF 22
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TO ADMINISTER THE FUND; TO ESTABLISH 23
THE FIRE GRANT COMMITTEE FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING NONBINDING 24
ADVICE TO THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION REGARDING 25
THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FIRE GRANT FUND AND THE FIRE EQUIPMENT 26
GRANT FUND AND THE AUTHORIZING AND AWARDING OF GRANTS FROM THOSE 27
FUNDS; TO REQUIRE THE COMMITTEE TO ADOPT A MECHANISM TO SCORE 28
GRANT APPLICANTS; TO ESTABLISH DEADLINES FOR THE RECEIPT OF GRANT 29
APPLICATIONS AND DETERMINATIONS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND 30
ADMINISTRATION; TO REPEAL SECTION 17-23-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 31
1972, WHICH CREATES THE RURAL FIRE TRUCK ACQUISITION ASSISTANCE 32
PROGRAM; TO REPEAL SECTION 17-23-11, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 33
WHICH CREATES A SUPPLEMENTARY RURAL FIRE TRUCK ACQUISITION 34
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ASSISTANCE PROGRAM; TO REPEAL SECTION 17-23-21, MISSISSIPPI CODE 35
OF 1972, WHICH CREATES THE ANNUAL FIRE FUND; TO AMEND SECTION 36
83-34-4, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY TO THE PRECEDING 37
PROVISIONS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 38
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 39
SECTION 1. Section 45-11-271, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 40
amended as follows: 41
45-11-271. (1) The Mississippi Department of 42
Insurance * * * shall establish the Mississippi Length-of-Service 43
Award Program (LOSAP) for the recruitment and the retention of 44
volunteer firefighters. Such program shall provide paid 45
Length-of-Service Awards to eligible volunteer firefighters and 46
shall be open to all Mississippi volunteer fire department 47
members. 48
(2) The following words and phrases shall have the meanings 49
as defined in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates 50
otherwise: 51
(a) "Length-of-Service Award Program" means a program 52
to provide paid length-of-service awards to eligible volunteer 53
firefighters. 54
(b) "Eligible volunteer firefighter" means a bona fide 55
volunteer firefighter who is registered with the State of 56
Mississippi or a political subdivision thereof and is an active 57
part-time or on-call member of a volunteer fire department or a 58
volunteer firefighter. "Eligible volunteer firefighter" shall not 59
include full-time firefighters or career firefighters unless such 60
firefighters are also active eligible volunteer firefighters when 61
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they are not acting as full-time or career firefighters and meet 62
all other required qualifications as provided by the Mississippi 63
Length-of-Service Award Program Board of Trustees in collaboration 64
with the Mississippi Department of Insurance * * *. 65
(c) "Defined contribution" means the predefined 66
contribution that the Mississippi Length-of-Service Award Program 67
Board of Trustees, in collaboration with the Mississippi 68
Department of Insurance * * *, establishes as a yearly 69
contribution to an eligible volunteer firefighter's LOSAP account. 70
(3) (a) The LOSAP shall be administered by the Mississippi 71
Length-of-Service Award Program Board of Trustees, which shall be 72
comprised of the following members: 73
(i) The Commissioner of Insurance, or his or her 74
designee; 75
(ii) The State Fire Coordinator, or his or her 76
designee; 77
(iii) The State Treasurer, or his or her designee; 78
(iv) One (1) member from the state at large 79
appointed by the Governor; and 80
(v) One (1) member from the state at large 81
appointed by the Lieutenant Governor. 82
(b) The LOSAP Board of Trustees, in collaboration with 83
the Mississippi Department of Insurance * * *, shall have the 84
following powers and duties: 85
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(i) Establish a points system to be awarded to 86
volunteer firefighters for their performance of certain 87
activities, as determined by the board, and award LOSAP service 88
credit based upon that points system; 89
(ii) Create a list of the activities that points 90
will be awarded for. Such list shall include, at a minimum * * *: 91
the number of emergency and nonemergency calls responded to by the 92
volunteer member; the activities and training of each member as 93
determined on an annual basis; and the volunteer fire department 94
members eligible time to be considered as an active member of the 95
department before the establishment of the LOSAP on July 1, 2023; 96
(iii) Determine the annual contribution to each 97
volunteer's LOSAP account; and 98
(iv) Promulgate any rules and regulations as 99
necessary to implement the provisions of this section. All such 100
rules and regulations shall be in compliance with Section 101
457(e)(11) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. 102
(4) There is * * * created in the State Treasury a special 103
fund to be known as the "Mississippi Volunteer Firefighter 104
Length-of-Service Awards Program Fund" (LOSAP Fund) to be 105
maintained by the State Treasurer. The Treasurer of the State of 106
Mississippi may invest the monies deposited in the special fund. 107
The amounts to be invested shall be determined by the Treasurer 108
and shall be in the approximate amount of the total monies 109
deposited in * * * the special fund less the anticipated 110
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withdrawals and disbursements from the Mississippi 111
Length-of-Service Award Program to be made within the following 112
ninety-day period. Such funds shall be invested by * * * the 113
Treasurer in short-term bonds, Treasury Bills, or other direct 114
obligations of the United States of America, or any national or 115
state banks in the State of Mississippi. Monies in the fund shall 116
first be used for the purpose of providing retirement benefits as 117
a defined contribution to volunteer firefighters for the purpose 118
of recruiting and retaining volunteer firefighters as provided in 119
this section. Any other unexpended amounts remaining in the fund 120
at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General 121
Fund, and any interest earned on amounts in the fund shall be 122
deposited to the credit of the fund. 123
(5) The Mississippi Department of Insurance * * * shall 124
notify the Mississippi Length-of-Service Award Program Board of 125
Trustees and the State Fire Marshal of any volunteer fire 126
department member that is ineligible to receive LOSAP funds due to 127
the member or department's failure to file required documentation 128
or financial reports or failure to comply with an audit or review 129
by the Mississippi Department of Insurance * * *. A volunteer 130
fire department member or department reported by the Mississippi 131
Department of Insurance * * * shall be ineligible to receive funds 132
under this section until the Mississippi Insurance Department 133
notifies the Mississippi Length-of-Service Award Program Board of 134
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Trustees and the State Fire Marshal that the volunteer member or 135
department has come into compliance. 136
(6) A member of the Mississippi Length-of-Service Award 137
Program may receive the funds allocated on their behalf to the 138
program upon their withdrawal from the program. 139
(7) The Mississippi Length-of-Service Award Program may 140
allocate a maximum of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) in yearly 141
defined contributions to each member's LOSAP account. 142
(8) * * * This section shall stand repealed on July 1, * * * 143
2030. 144
SECTION 2. The State Fire Marshal and the Mississippi State 145
Rating Bureau shall comply with Section 83-3-24 as it relates to 146
recommending age restrictions of fire apparatus. When rating a 147
municipality or fire district, including evaluations of rural or 148
volunteer fire departments, the Rating Bureau shall consider the 149
mileage, condition and maintenance of the fire trucks rather than 150
the age of the fire trucks. Maintenance requirements shall follow 151
NFPA 1900 as it relates to fire apparatus service and maintenance 152
and fire apparatus pump requirements. 153
SECTION 3. (1) There is created in the State Treasury a 154
special fund to be designated as the "FIRE Grant Fund" to be 155
administered by the Department of Finance and Administration. The 156
purposes of the fund shall be to assist municipalities and 157
counties with fire safety, maintaining or lowering community fire 158
ratings, recruiting and retaining firefighters, and defraying 159
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initial costs associated with creating a countywide fire program. 160
The department shall retain an administrative fee in the amount of 161
one percent (1%) of grants awarded from the FIRE Grant Fund to 162
defray the costs of administering the fund. 163
(2) Beginning on July 1, 2026, all funds that would have 164
been appropriated to or otherwise deposited in the Rural Fire 165
Truck Fund, the Rural Fire Truck Matching Assistance Fund created 166
under Section 17-23-1, the Supplementary Rural Fire Truck Fund 167
created under Section 17-23-11, and the Annual Fire Fund created 168
under Section 17-23-21 shall be deposited into the FIRE Grant 169
Fund. No later than July 10, 2026, the State Fiscal Officer shall 170
transfer all unobligated funds in the Rural Fire Truck Fund, the 171
Rural Fire Truck Matching Assistance Fund, the Supplementary Rural 172
Fire Truck Fund and the Annual Fire Fund to the FIRE Grant Fund. 173
Unexpended amounts remaining in the FIRE Grant Fund at the end of 174
a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any 175
interest earned on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the 176
credit of the fund. 177
(3) The FIRE Grant Fund shall be used to fund grants in the 178
following areas: 179
(a) Fire trucks. A fire truck grant will be awarded 180
based on need. Need shall be determined based upon the 181
establishment of a multifactor scoring system described in 182
subsection (3) of Section 5 of this act. A grant awarded under 183
this paragraph shall be used to pay an amount up to fifty percent 184
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(50%) of the total purchase price of a fire truck; however, if an 185
applicant has never received a grant under the Rural Fire Truck 186
Acquisition Assistance Program, the applicant's first match under 187
this paragraph may be an amount up to seventy percent (70%) of the 188
total purchase price. 189
(b) Countywide Fire Programs. The countywide fire 190
grant will reimburse a county an amount up to One Hundred Thousand 191
Dollars ($100,000.00) to help cover the first or second year 192
expenses following the formation and implementation of a 193
countywide fire program. The grant may cover expenses incurred 194
from the construction of a building, the purchase of software, 195
computers, radios and other equipment, and staffing. In order to 196
be eligible for a grant under this paragraph, a program must be 197
approved by the local governing board and must consolidate no less 198
than three (3) local volunteer fire departments or alternatively, 199
must cover no less than forty percent (40%) of the county. No 200
more than five (5) grants may be awarded across the state under 201
this paragraph during a one-year period. 202
(4) (a) A municipality or county that is the recipient of 203
grant funds from the FIRE Grant Fund must procure or have ordered 204
the fire truck before the expiration of twelve (12) months 205
following the date on which the grant funds are received. If a 206
recipient of grant funds has not procured or ordered the fire 207
truck for which the funds were granted before the required date, 208
the funds shall be returned to the Department of Finance and 209
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Administration by the appropriate entity. Where a municipality or 210
county fails to return funds as required under this paragraph, the 211
Department of Finance and Administration shall notify the State 212
Auditor. 213
(b) Upon receipt of the notification, the State Auditor 214
shall send the county or municipality a letter expressing the 215
State Auditor's intent to seek recovery of the funds by issuing a 216
certificate of noncompliance. If the funds have not been returned 217
within thirty (30) days from the date of issuance of the letter of 218
intent, the Auditor shall issue a certificate of noncompliance to 219
the county or municipality and provide written notice of the 220
certificate to the Department of Revenue. 221
(c) The Department of Revenue shall withhold such 222
amount which has not been returned to the Department of Finance 223
and Administration in compliance with this subsection and shall 224
transfer the withheld allocations and payments under Section 225
27-65-75 to the Department of Finance and Administration. 226
(d) The State Treasurer, in conjunction with the State 227
Fiscal Officer, shall transfer such funds into the FIRE Grant 228
Fund. Once a sum equal to the amount of funds owed to the state 229
under this subsection by the county or municipality has been 230
transferred into the FIRE Grant Fund, the State Fiscal Officer 231
shall certify to the State Auditor that the required funds have 232
been returned to the FIRE Grant Fund. 233
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(e) Upon receipt of the certification by the State 234
Fiscal Officer under paragraph (d) of this subsection, the State 235
Auditor shall cancel the certificate of noncompliance and inform 236
the Department of Revenue of such cancellation in writing. 237
(5) In addition to the requirements specified in subsection 238
(3) of this section, in order to be eligible for a grant under 239
this section, an applicant shall have a Fire Rating Plan on file 240
which includes a one-year and three-year plan to maintain and 241
reduce the area fire rating. 242
SECTION 4. (1) There is created in the State Treasury a 243
special fund to be designated as the "Fire Equipment Grant Fund" 244
to be administered by the Department of Finance and 245
Administration. The purpose of the special fund shall be to 246
assist municipalities and counties by providing funds for fire 247
safety protection and life saving equipment. The special fund 248
shall consist of such monies which may be transferred from the Law 249
Enforcement Officers and Fire Fighters Training and Equipment 250
Trust Fund created under Section 45-2-1. The department shall 251
retain an administrative fee in the amount of one percent (1%) of 252
grants awarded from the Fire Equipment Grant Fund to defray the 253
costs of administering the fund. 254
(2) The Fire Equipment Grant Fund shall be used to fund 255
grants for fire and safety equipment. An equipment grant will be 256
awarded based on need. Need shall be determined based upon the 257
establishment of a multifactor scoring system described in 258
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subsection (3) of Section 5 of this act. A grant awarded under 259
this subsection shall pay an amount up to seventy percent (70%) of 260
the total purchase price of equipment. 261
(3) (a) A municipality or county that is the recipient of 262
grant funds from the Fire Equipment Grant Fund must procure the 263
equipment before the expiration of twelve (12) months following 264
the date on which the grant funds are received. If a recipient of 265
grant funds has not procured the equipment for which the funds 266
were granted before the required date, the funds shall be returned 267
to the Department of Finance and Administration by the appropriate 268
entity. Where a municipality or county fails to return funds as 269
required under this paragraph, the Department of Finance and 270
Administration shall notify the State Auditor. 271
(b) Upon receipt of the notification, the State Auditor 272
shall send the county or municipality a letter expressing the 273
State Auditor's intent to seek recovery of the funds by issuing a 274
certificate of noncompliance. If the funds have not been returned 275
within thirty (30) days from the date of issuance of the letter of 276
intent, the Auditor shall issue a certificate of noncompliance to 277
the county or municipality and provide written notice of the 278
certificate to the Department of Revenue. 279
(c) The Department of Revenue shall withhold such 280
amount which has not been returned to the Department of Finance 281
and Administration in compliance with this subsection and shall 282
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transfer the withheld allocations and payments under Section 283
27-65-75 to the Department of Finance and Administration. 284
(d) The State Treasurer, in conjunction with the State 285
Fiscal Officer, shall transfer such funds into the Fire Equipment 286
Grant Fund. Once a sum equal to the amount of funds owed to the 287
state under this subsection by the county or municipality has been 288
transferred into the Fire Equipment Grant Fund, the State Fiscal 289
Officer shall certify to the State Auditor that the required funds 290
have been returned to the Fire Equipment Grant Fund. 291
(e) Upon receipt of the certification by the State 292
Fiscal Officer under paragraph (d) of this subsection, the State 293
Auditor shall cancel the certificate of noncompliance and inform 294
the Department of Revenue of such cancellation in writing. 295
SECTION 5. (1) There is created the FIRE Grant Committee, 296
which shall provide nonbinding, advisory recommendations to the 297
Department of Finance and Administration regarding the 298
administration, scoring, selection process and authorizing of 299
grant funds from the FIRE Grant Fund created under Section 3 of 300
this act and the Fire Equipment Grant Fund created under Section 4 301
of this act. In awarding grants to municipalities and counties 302
from the FIRE Grant Fund and the Fire Equipment Grant Fund, the 303
Department of Finance and Administration shall adhere to the same 304
criteria established and used by the FIRE Grant Committee for 305
making determinations on applications for grant funds in 306
formulating recommendations to be made to the department. 307
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(2) The FIRE Grant Advisory Committee shall be comprised of 308
the following members: 309
(a) The Chair of the Appropriations Committee of the 310
House of Representatives, or his or her designee; 311
(b) The Chair of the Appropriations Committee of the 312
Senate, or his or her designee; 313
(c) Four (4) individuals appointed by the Lieutenant 314
Governor, with one (1) of such being from each Congressional 315
District; 316
(d) Four (4) individuals appointed by the Speaker of 317
the House of Representatives, with one (1) of such being from each 318
Congressional District; 319
(e) One (1) representative appointed by the Mississippi 320
Fire Chiefs Association; 321
(f) One (1) representative from the Mississippi Fire 322
Fighters Association; 323
(g) One (1) representative from the Professional 324
Firefighter Association of Mississippi; and 325
(h) The State Fire Coordinator. 326
(3) The committee shall adopt rules and grant application 327
guidelines in an effort to achieve its legislative purpose. It 328
shall create a mechanism that scores applicants based on a number 329
of factors, which may be based on, but not limited to: (a) the 330
population served by the fire district; (b) the current condition 331
of the fire truck and equipment; (c) the amount of savings to be 332
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incurred by the local government and/or local population residing 333
within the fire district; (d) the timeframe during which changes 334
may be implemented; (e) any coverage gaps that could be reduced or 335
eliminated by receiving funds; (f) emergency call volume; (g) the 336
winning or losing of previous grants and/or awards; and (h) 337
feasibility of being able to sufficiently and timely obtain funds 338
to match FIRE Grant Funds of Fire Equipment Grant Funds, whichever 339
is applicable, having a current Fire Rating Plan on file. The 340
committee shall factor in the amount of matching funds made 341
available by the applicant. The fire protection plan guidelines 342
must be adopted before the expiration of six (6) months following 343
the date appointments are made pursuant to subsection (1) of this 344
section. 345
(4) A municipality or county desiring to receive an award 346
from the FIRE Grant Fund or Fire Equipment Grant Fund, or both, 347
shall submit an application for the grant to the FIRE Grant 348
Advisory Committee on a form prescribed by the Department of 349
Finance and Administration. In order to be considered for an 350
award in the fiscal year commencing on July 1, an application must 351
be received by the committee before May 1. The committee shall 352
make its recommendations on grant awards to the department before 353
July 1. A determination on each award recommendation received 354
from the committee must be made by the department no later than 355
ninety (90) days following the department's receipt of the 356
recommendation. The department may promulgate such rules and 357
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regulations as may be necessary which are not inconsistent with 358
the provisions of this act for the purposes of implementing the 359
FIRE Grant Fund and Fire Equipment Grant Funds programs. 360
SECTION 6. Section 17-23-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, which 361
creates the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program, is 362
repealed. 363
SECTION 7. Section 17-23-11, Mississippi Code of 1972, which 364
creates a Supplementary Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance 365
Program, is repealed. 366
SECTION 8. Section 17-23-21, Mississippi Code of 1972, which 367
creates the Annual Fire Fund, is repealed. 368
SECTION 9. Section 83-34-4, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 369
amended as follows: 370
83-34-4. (1) Nonadmitted insurers shall not be assessable 371
insurers of the association. All surplus lines insurance 372
producers placing insurance through nonadmitted insurers shall 373
collect from the insured and remit to the association a 374
nonadmitted policy fee on all premiums for all insurance written 375
by such surplus lines insurance producer for a policy from a 376
nonadmitted insurer for any and all risks in this state, except 377
that policies or portions thereof that cover residential 378
earthquake risks or residential flood risks that are not written 379
through the National Flood Insurance Program shall be exempt from 380
the nonadmitted policy fee. By procuring or selling insurance on 381
property in this state from a nonadmitted insurer, each surplus 382
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lines insurance producer placing insurance through a nonadmitted 383
insurer agrees to be bound by the provisions of this chapter and 384
to collect and remit the nonadmitted policy fee provided for 385
herein. 386
(2) The nonadmitted policy fee shall be a percentage of the 387
total policy premium but the nonadmitted policy fee shall not be 388
considered premium and is not subject to premium taxes or 389
commissions. However, failure to pay the nonadmitted policy fee 390
shall be treated the same as failure to pay the premium. "Total 391
policy premium" includes taxes and commissions. 392
(3) The nonadmitted policy fee percentage shall be three 393
percent (3%). 394
(4) Within twenty (20) days of the end of the quarter, 395
surplus lines insurance producers placing insurance through 396
nonadmitted insurers shall remit directly to the association all 397
nonadmitted policy fees collected in the preceding quarter. In 398
addition to the nonadmitted policy fee provided for herein, 399
surplus lines insurance producers placing insurance through 400
nonadmitted insurers shall collect and remit excess deficit 401
surcharges as provided by this chapter. Surplus lines insurance 402
producers placing insurance through nonadmitted insurers may 403
designate another surplus lines insurance producer that actually 404
procured the insurance from the nonadmitted carrier to collect and 405
remit the nonadmitted policy fees. 406
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(5) Each insured in this state who directly procures or 407
renews insurance with a nonadmitted insurer on properties, risks 408
or exposures located or to be performed, in whole or in part, in 409
this state, other than insurance procured through a surplus lines 410
licensee, shall be subject to the nonadmitted policy fee which 411
shall be paid by the insured according to the procedures provided 412
for premium taxes in Section 83-21-17(5). 413
(6) Monies derived from the nonadmitted policy fee collected 414
under this section shall not be considered public funds and may be 415
used by the association, in addition to any uses provided for in 416
Section 83-34-3(4), for education, public outreach, training of 417
building officials and other programs targeted to reduce the 418
number of policies within the association; however, beginning on 419
July 1, 2018, and ending on June 30, 2019, before any fees are 420
remitted to the association, One Million Five Hundred Thousand 421
Dollars ($1,500,000.00) shall be diverted and deposited into the 422
Capital Expense Fund, and Four Million Five Hundred Thousand 423
Dollars ($4,500,000.00) shall be diverted and deposited into the 424
Rural Fire Truck Fund or Supplementary Rural Fire Truck Fund. 425
Further, beginning July 1, 2019, and ending on June 30, 2020, 426
before any fees are remitted to the association, Three Million 427
Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($3,500,000.00) shall be diverted 428
and deposited into the Rural Fire Truck Fund or Supplementary 429
Rural Fire Truck Fund. Further, beginning July 1, 2022, and 430
ending on June 30, 2025, before any fees are remitted to the 431
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association but only if the association will receive at least 432
sixty percent (60%) of the fees, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars 433
($500,000.00) shall be diverted and deposited annually into the 434
Mississippi First Responders Health and Safety Trust Fund created 435
in Section 25-15-411. Further, beginning July 1, 2022, and ending 436
on June 30, 2025, but only if the association will receive at 437
least sixty percent (60%) of the fees and the Mississippi First 438
Responders Health and Safety Trust Fund has received the diversion 439
of Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00), Three Million Five 440
Hundred Thousand Dollars ($3,500,000.00) shall be diverted and 441
deposited annually into the Annual Fire Fund created in Section 442
17-23-21. Further, beginning July 1, 2022, and ending on June 30, 443
2025, after the association has received sixty percent (60%) of 444
the fees and after all other diversions are made, fifty percent 445
(50%) of any excess amount shall be remitted to the association 446
and fifty percent (50%) of any excess amount shall be diverted and 447
deposited annually into the Annual Fire Fund. Beginning July 1, 448
2025, and ending on June 30, 2026, (a) Five Hundred Thousand 449
Dollars ($500,000.00) shall be diverted and deposited annually 450
into the Mississippi First Responders Health and Safety Trust Fund 451
created in Section 25-15-41; (b) Twelve Million Dollars 452
($12,000,000.00) shall be remitted annually to the association; 453
and (c) any remaining excess amount shall be diverted and 454
deposited annually as follows: forty percent (40%) into the Rural 455
Fire Truck Fund created in Section 17-23-1; thirty percent (30%) 456
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ST: MS Length-of-Service Award Program; extend
repealer and create Fire Grant Fund and Fire
Equipment Grant Fund.
into the Municipal Fire Protection Fund created in Section 83-1-37 457
and thirty percent (30%) into the County Volunteer Fire Department 458
Fund created in Section 83-1-39. Beginning July 1, 2026, (a) Five 459
Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) shall be diverted and 460
deposited annually into the Mississippi First Responders Health 461
and Safety Trust Fund created in Section 25-15-41; (b) Twelve 462
Million Dollars ($12,000,000.00) shall be remitted annually to the 463
association; and (c) any remaining excess amount shall be diverted 464
and deposited annually as follows: forty percent (40%) into the 465
FIRE Grant Fund created in Section 3 of this act; thirty percent 466
(30%) into the Municipal Fire Protection Fund created in Section 467
83-1-37 and thirty percent (30%) into the County Volunteer Fire 468
Department Fund created in Section 83-1-39. 469
(7) The association may use excess funds to purchase 470
reinsurance in an amount that may exceed the total premiums 471
collected from policyholders. 472
SECTION 10. This act shall take effect and be in force from 473
and after July 1, 2026. 474