Strengthen Mississippi Homes Act; create catastrophic windstorm damage mitigation program in Department of Insurance.

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To: Insurance
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Yancey

HOUSE BILL NO. 988

AN ACT TO CREATE THE STRENGTHEN MISSISSIPPI HOMES ACT; TO 1
AMEND SECTION 83-1-191, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO RENAME THE 2
COMPREHENSIVE HURRICANE DAMAGE PROGRAM THE "STRENGTHEN MISSISSIPPI 3
HOMES PROGRAM"; TO REQUIRE THE PROGRAM TO PROVIDE FOR HURRICANE, 4
TORNADO AND OTHER CATASTROPHIC WINDSTORM DAMAGE MITIGATION; TO 5
DELETE REQUIREMENTS FOR A COST-BENEFIT STUDY ON WIND HAZARD 6
MITIGATION CONSTRUCTION MEASURES, WIND CERTIFICATION AND HURRICANE 7
MITIGATION INSPECTIONS, AND AN ADVISORY COUNCIL; TO INCREASE THE 8
MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF FINANCIAL GRANTS, PER HOME, OFFERED BY THE 9
PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE THE COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE TO PROMULGATE 10
RULES FOR ISSUING GRANTS UNDER THE PROGRAM; TO RENAME THE 11
COMPREHENSIVE HURRICANE DAMAGE MITIGATION PROGRAM FUND THE 12
"STRENGTHEN MISSISSIPPI HOMES PROGRAM FUND"; TO DELETE THE 13
REPEALER ON THE PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE THE COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE 14
TO SUBMIT AN ANNUAL REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR, LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR 15
AND CHAIRS OF THE HOUSE AND SENATE INSURANCE COMMITTEES ON THE 16
PROGRAM; TO AMEND SECTION 83-5-73, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 17
INCREASE THE FEE CHARGED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE FOR 18
FILING AND PROCESSING AN AGENT'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY; TO 19
REQUIRE HALF OF THE FEE TO BE DEPOSITED INTO THE STRENGTHEN 20
MISSISSIPPI HOMES PROGRAM FUND AND HALF INTO THE STATE GENERAL 21
FUND; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 22
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 23
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 24
"Strengthen Mississippi Homes Act." 25
SECTION 2. Section 83-1-191, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 26
amended as follows: 27
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83-1-191. (1) There is established within the Department of 28
Insurance * * * the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program to aid 29
homeowners in retrofitting insurable property to resist loss due 30
to hurricane, tornado or other catastrophic windstorm events. 31
This section does not create an entitlement for property owners or 32
obligate the state in any way to fund the inspection or 33
retrofitting of residential property or commercial property in 34
this state. * * * The program * * * shall develop and implement a 35
comprehensive and coordinated approach for hurricane, tornado or 36
other catastrophic windstorm event damage mitigation that may 37
include the following: 38
(a) * * * Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program. The 39
Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program shall provide financial 40
grants * * * to encourage single-family, site-built, 41
owner-occupied, residential property owners or commercial property 42
owners to retrofit their properties to make them less vulnerable 43
to hurricane, tornado or other catastrophic windstorm event 44
damage. No financial grant made under this section shall 45
exceed * * * Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000.00) per recipient. 46
The commissioner shall promulgate rules governing eligibility 47
requirements for grants and the administration of the program, 48
including, but not limited to, establishing applicant criteria, 49
contractor and evaluator eligibility requirements, and grant round 50
eligibility and criteria. 51
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( * * *b) Education and consumer awareness. Multimedia 52
public education, awareness and advertising efforts designed to 53
specifically address mitigation techniques may be employed, as 54
well as a component to support ongoing consumer resources and 55
referral services. In addition, all insurance companies shall 56
provide notification to their clients regarding the availability 57
of this program, participation details, and directions to the 58
state website promoting the program, along with appropriate 59
contact phone numbers to the state agency administrating the 60
program. The notification to the clients must be sent by the 61
insurance company within thirty (30) days after filing their 62
insurance discount schedules with the Department of Insurance. 63
* * * 64
( * * *c) Rules and regulations. The Department of 65
Insurance may adopt rules and regulations governing the * * * 66
Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program. The department also may 67
adopt rules and regulations establishing priorities for grants 68
provided under this section based on objective criteria that gives 69
priority to reducing the state's probable maximum loss from * * * 70
hurricane, tornado or other catastrophic windstorm event. 71
However, pursuant to this overall goal, the department may further 72
establish priorities based on the insured value of the dwelling, 73
whether or not the dwelling is insured by the Mississippi 74
Windstorm Underwriting Association and whether or not the area 75
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under consideration has sufficient resources and the ability to 76
perform the retrofitting required. 77
(2) * * * The Department of Insurance may enter into a 78
contract with any other appropriate state or federal agency or 79
appropriate nonprofit entity to act on the department's behalf or 80
administer, assist with, or perform any of the duties set forth in 81
this section. The department may receive a fee for services or 82
resources from any federal agency or appropriate nonprofit entity 83
for those services. 84
(3) * * * In implementing, establishing and administering 85
the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program, the Department of 86
Insurance may enter into contracts for personal or professional 87
services and may access monies in the Strengthen Mississippi Homes 88
Program Fund created in subsection (4) of this section. However, 89
no more than five percent (5%) of monies in the Strengthen 90
Mississippi Homes Program Fund may be accessed annually by the 91
department for these contracts. The engagement of services 92
through these contracts is not subject to the procurement and 93
facilitation requirements of the Mississippi Department of 94
Information Technology Services (Chapter 53, Title 25, Mississippi 95
Code of 1972) and state public purchasing requirements (Section 96
31-7-13). 97
(4) There is created a special fund in the State Treasury to 98
be known as the * * * Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program Fund. 99
The fund shall consist of any monies from any source that are 100
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designated or made available for deposit into the fund. The 101
Department of Insurance may apply for any federal or private 102
grants to provide additional funds for the special fund. Monies 103
in the fund shall be expended by the Department of Insurance * * * 104
for the purposes as provided in this section. Unexpended amounts 105
remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse 106
into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment 107
earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into such fund. 108
(5) * * * Before December 1 of each year, the Department of 109
Insurance shall submit to the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and 110
chairs of the House and Senate Insurance Committees a report 111
detailing, for that calendar year: the number of grants awarded; 112
the number of homes mitigated; the number of IBHS FORTIFIED 113
certificates issued; and the estimated amount of premium discounts 114
given to grant recipients through the program. The report must be 115
made available to the public by publishing it on the department's 116
website. 117
SECTION 3. Section 83-5-73, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 118
amended as follows: 119
83-5-73. The commissioner shall collect and pay into the 120
special fund in the State Treasury designated as the "Insurance 121
Department Fund" the following fees: for certificate of authority 122
to each general or district agent or manager, Twenty-five Dollars 123
($25.00); for filing and processing an agent's certificate of 124
authority, * * * Fifty Dollars ($50.00); for filing and examining 125
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ST: Strengthen Mississippi Homes Act; create
catastrophic windstorm damage mitigation program
in Department of Insurance.
statement preliminary to admission, One Thousand Dollars 126
($1,000.00); for filing and processing a Form A application, Two 127
Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00); for filing and auditing annual 128
statement, Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00); for filing any other 129
paper required by law, Fifty Dollars ($50.00); for continuing 130
education courses or programs filed by the providers for approval, 131
Fifty Dollars ($50.00); for each certification company licensed 132
status, Forty Dollars ($40.00); for each seal when required, 133
Twenty Dollars ($20.00); for service of process on the 134
commissioner as attorney, Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00). 135
From and after July 1, 2016, the expenses of this agency 136
shall be defrayed by appropriation from the State General Fund, 137
and all user charges and fees authorized under this section shall 138
be deposited into the State General Fund as authorized by law. 139
However, beginning on July 1, 2026, of the Fifty Dollar ($50.00) 140
fee charged for the filing and processing of an agent's 141
certificate of authority, Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) must be 142
deposited into the State General Fund and Twenty-five Dollars 143
($25.00) must be deposited into the Strengthen Mississippi Homes 144
Program Fund. 145
From and after July 1, 2016, no state agency shall charge 146
another state agency a fee, assessment, rent or other charge for 147
services or resources received by authority of this section. 148
SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from 149
and after July 1, 2026. 150