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SB2896 • 2026

Department of Public Safety; revise salary schedule of MHP and MBN officers.

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 45-1-12, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE SALARY SCHEDULE OF OFFICERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI HIGHWAY PATROL AND THE MISSISSIPPI BUREAU OF NARCOTICS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Hopson
Last action
2026-03-30
Official status
Dead
Effective date
** See Tex

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not become law as it died in conference committee.

Mississippi Highway Patrol and Narcotics Bureau Salary Changes

This act revises the salary schedule for officers in the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP) and the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN), setting new pay rates based on years of experience.

What This Bill Does

  • Revises the salary scale for MHP and MBN officers, increasing their base salaries according to years of service.
  • Specifies that all full-time sworn officers in these departments will be paid according to the updated scale.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Officers in the Mississippi Highway Patrol (MHP)
  • Sworn law enforcement officers in the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics (MBN)

Terms To Know

sworn officer
A police or law enforcement official who has taken an oath to uphold the law and serve their community.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill died in conference committee on March 30, 2026, so it did not become law.
  • It is unclear how many officers will be affected by the new salary scale if enacted.

Bill History

  1. 2026-03-30 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/30 (S) Died In Conference

  2. 2026-03-23 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/23 (H) Conferees Named Deweese,Cockerham,Oliver

  3. 2026-03-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/19 (S) Conferees Named Hopson,DeBar,Wiggins

  4. 2026-03-17 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/17 (S) Decline to Concur/Invite Conf

  5. 2026-03-06 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/06 (H) Returned For Concurrence

  6. 2026-03-05 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/05 (H) Passed As Amended

  7. 2026-03-05 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    03/05 (H) Amended

  8. 2026-02-26 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/26 (H) Title Suff Do Pass As Amended

  9. 2026-02-26 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/26 (H) DR - TSDPAA: AP To A2

  10. 2026-02-25 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/25 (H) DR - TSDPAA: A2 To AP

  11. 2026-02-16 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/16 (H) Referred To Appropriations C;Appropriations A

  12. 2026-02-11 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/11 (S) Transmitted To House

  13. 2026-02-10 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/10 (S) Passed

  14. 2026-02-10 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/10 (S) Committee Substitute Adopted

  15. 2026-02-02 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/02 (S) Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

  16. 2026-01-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/19 (S) Referred To Appropriations

Official Summary Text

Department of Public Safety; revise salary schedule of MHP and MBN officers.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
S. B. No. 2896 *SS08/R534CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/SS08/R534CS
PAGE 1

To: Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Hopson

COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE
FOR
SENATE BILL NO. 2896

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 45-1-12, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
REVISE THE SALARY SCHEDULE OF OFFICERS OF THE MISSISSIPPI HIGHWAY 2
PATROL AND THE MISSISSIPPI BUREAU OF NARCOTICS; AND FOR RELATED 3
PURPOSES. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 5
SECTION 1. Section 45-1-12, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 6
amended as follows: 7
45-1-12. (1) The salaries of all officers of the 8
Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol who have completed the course of 9
instruction in an authorized highway patrol training school on 10
general law enforcement, and are serving as a sworn officer of the 11
Highway Patrol in the enforcement of the laws of the State of 12
Mississippi, including service in any other division of the 13
Department of Public Safety, and the sworn law enforcement 14
officers of the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics, shall be 15
determined and paid in accordance with the scale for officers 16
salaries as provided in this subsection: 17
Department of Public Safety Sworn Officers Salary Schedule 18
Rank Years of Experience 19
S. B. No. 2896 *SS08/R534CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R534CS
PAGE 2

Less than 4 Over 4 Over 8 Over 12 20
Trooper * * *65,000 21
Trooper FC * * *68,000 22
Corporal * * *71,000 23
Sergeant * * *73,750 24
Rank Years of Experience 25
Over 16 Over 20 Over 24 Over 29 26
Staff Sgt. * * *76,750 27
Sr. Staff Sgt. * * *79,750 28
Sgt. 1st Class * * *83,000 * * * 29
86,000 30
Promotional Rank Years of Experience 31
Over 5 Over 10 Over 15 Over 20 Over 25 Over 29 32
Master Sgt. * * * 33
79,750 82,500 85,500 88,500 91,500 94,250 34
Lieutenant * * * 35
89,500 92,500 95,500 98,500 101,500 104,500 36
Captain * * * 37
102,750 106,000 109,250 112,500 115,500 38
* * * 39
Major * * *122,000 40
Lt. Colonel * * *131,500 41
Colonel * * *142,750 42
Department of Public Safety/MS Bureau of Narcotics 43
Sworn Officers Salary Schedule 44
S. B. No. 2896 *SS08/R534CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R534CS
PAGE 3

Rank Years of Experience 45
Less than 4 Over 4 Over 8 Over 12 46
LE-Agent I * * *65,000 47
LE-Agent II * * *68,000 48
LE-Agent III * * *71,000 49
LE-Agent IV * * * 50
73,750 51
Rank Years of Experience 52
Over 16 Over 20 Over 24 Over 29 53
LE-Agent V * * *76,750 54
LE-Agent VI * * *79,750 55
* * *LE-Agent VII * * *83,000 56
* * *LE-Agent VIII * * * 57
86,000 58
Promotional Rank Years of Experience 59
Over 5 Over 10 Over 15 Over 20 Over 25 Over 29 60
Master Sgt. * * * 61
79,750 82,500 85,500 88,500 91,500 94,250 62
Lieutenant * * * 63
89,500 92,500 95,500 98,500 101,500 104,500 64
Captain * * * 65
102,750 106,000 109,250 112,500 115,500 66
* * * 67
Major * * *122,000 68
Lt. Colonel * * *131,500 69
S. B. No. 2896 *SS08/R534CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R534CS
PAGE 4

Colonel * * *142,750 70
(2) All sworn officers in the Mississippi Highway Patrol and 71
the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics employed on a full-time basis 72
shall be paid a salary in accordance with the above scale. 73
Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, any 74
rank of any sworn officer not based upon a merit-based promotion 75
or years of experience shall be at the will and pleasure of the 76
appointing authority as approved by the State Personnel Board. 77
The rank and years of experience of each sworn officer to be used 78
in establishing the salary shall be determined by the rank and 79
years of experience on July 1 of the current fiscal year. 80
(3) For purposes of applying the rank designation to the 81
above scale, the following job classifications of the State 82
Personnel Board shall be applicable for the Mississippi Highway 83
Patrol: 84
Rank Job Classes 85
(a) Trooper DPS-Highway Patrol Officer I 86
* * * 87
(b) Trooper First Class DPS-Highway Patrol Officer II 88
* * * 89
(c) Corporal DPS-Highway Patrol Officer III 90
* * * 91
(d) Sergeant DPS-Highway Patrol Officer IV 92
* * * 93
(e) Staff Sergeant DPS-Highway Patrol Officer V 94
S. B. No. 2896 *SS08/R534CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R534CS
PAGE 5

(f) Senior Staff Sergeant DPS-Highway Patrol Officer VI 95
* * * 96
(g) Sergeant First Class DPS-Highway Patrol Officer VII 97
( * * *h)Master * * * Sergeant DPS-Assistant Inspector 98
* * * 99
DPS-Investigator I 100
* * * 101
( * * *i) Lieutenant * * * 102
* * *DPS-District Executive Officer 103
* * * 104
DPS-Branch Director 105
* * * 106
* * *LE-District Investigator 107
( * * *j) Captain DPS-Staff Officer (MHP) 108
( * * *k) Major DPS-Bureau Director II 109
( * * *l) * * *Lieutenant Colonel DPS-Deputy Administrator; 110
* * * 111
( * * *m) Colonel * * * Dir-Office of MS Hwy Safety Patrol 112
(4) For purposes of applying the rank designation to the 113
above scale, the following job classifications of the State 114
Personnel Board shall be applicable for the Mississippi Bureau of 115
Narcotics: 116
Rank Job Classes 117
(a) * * * Agent LE-Agent I 118
LE-Agent II 119
S. B. No. 2896 *SS08/R534CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R534CS
PAGE 6

LE-Agent III 120
LE-Agent IV 121
LE-Agent V 122
LE-Agent VI 123
LE-Agent VII 124
(b) Master Sergeant BN-Investigator I 125
( * * *c) Lieutenant BN-District Investigator (LT) 126
( * * *d) Captain BN-District Commander 127
( * * *e) Major BN-Bureau Director II 128
* * * 129
( * * *f) * * *Lieutenant Colonel BN-Deputy Administrator 130
( * * *g) Colonel Director, Bureau of Narcotics 131
(5) In any fiscal year after July 1, 2015, in the event the 132
Legislature provides across-the-board salary increases to state 133
employees whose compensation is paid from the State General Fund 134
and subject to specific appropriation therefor by the Legislature, 135
the State Personnel Board shall revise the salary scale above to 136
provide the same percentage or dollar amount increase as has been 137
appropriated for other state employees. 138
(6) It shall be the duty of the Mississippi Department of 139
Public Safety to file with the Legislative Budget Office and the 140
State Fiscal Officer such data and information as may be required 141
to enable the said Legislative Budget Office and State Fiscal 142
Officer to budget and distribute the funds necessary to compensate 143
the sworn officers of the Department of Public Safety according to 144
S. B. No. 2896 *SS08/R534CS* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS08/R534CS
PAGE 7
ST: Department of Public Safety; revise salary
schedule of MHP and MBN officers.
the requirements of the salary scale. Such data and information 145
so filed may be revised from time to time as necessitated to 146
reflect the current number and experience of sworn officers 147
employed by the department. 148
(7) The Commissioner of Public Safety, with approval by the 149
State Personnel Board, is authorized to set the salaries equitably 150
of sworn law enforcement officers assigned to the Commercial 151
Transportation Enforcement Division, the Mississippi Bureau of 152
Investigation, and Capitol Police based upon the pay scale 153
contained in this section. 154
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 155
and after July 1, 2026, and shall stand repealed on June 30, 2026. 156