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To: Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Hopson, DeBar, Parks, Boyd,
Butler, DeLano, Suber
SENATE BILL NO. 3053
(As Sent to Governor)
AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF 1
STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING FOR SUPPORT OF THE EIGHT 2
UNIVERSITIES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 4
SECTION 1. The following sum of money, or so much thereof as 5
may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the 6
State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Board of 7
Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning for the purpose 8
of support, maintenance, affirmative action plan, interest funds 9
and repairs at the state-supported institutions of higher 10
learning; for support of Alcorn State University, Delta State 11
University, Jackson State University, Mississippi State 12
University, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley 13
State University, University of Mississippi, and University of 14
Southern Mississippi, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, 15
and ending June 30, 2027........................ $ 379,154,701.00. 16
SECTION 2. The following sum of money, or so much thereof as 17
may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of the proceeds from 18
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any federal, student fees or other special source funds not 19
otherwise appropriated, to the Board of Trustees of State 20
Institutions of Higher Learning for the purpose of support of 21
education and general operations of Alcorn State University, Delta 22
State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi State 23
University, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi Valley 24
State University, University of Mississippi, and University of 25
Southern Mississippi, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, 26
and ending June 30, 2027....................... $ 1,310,271,056.00. 27
SECTION 3. The following sums, or so much thereof as may be 28
necessary, are hereby appropriated out of any money in the Ayers 29
Endowment interest fund for the purposes as set out by the courts 30
in the Ayers Case for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and 31
ending June 30, 2027: 32
Alcorn State University................... $ 424,500.00. 33
Jackson State University.................. $ 651,000.00. 34
Mississippi Valley State University....... $ 424,500.00. 35
TOTAL:........... $ 1,500,000.00. 36
SECTION 4. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 37
Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning shall 38
allocate funds to the off-campus centers based on a minimum rate 39
of sixty-five percent (65%) of the on-campus cost of a full-time 40
equivalent student. The on-campus distribution is to be 41
determined without regard to the costs incurred by any one or more 42
of them in the operation of off-campus degree-completing centers' 43
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classes. Off-campus centers which are operated jointly by two (2) 44
or more institutions, the amount allocated to such centers shall 45
be prorated among the institutions jointly operating such centers 46
based on the full-time equivalent enrollment of such centers. 47
The board of trustees shall ensure that the off-campus 48
centers are not charged with any indirect or overhead cost 49
prorated from any on-campus activity. It is the intention of the 50
Legislature that the on-campus operations charge the off-campus 51
centers with only actual direct charges. 52
SECTION 5. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 53
act, the amount of One Hundred Forty-five Thousand Dollars 54
($145,000.00) shall be used for the promotion and expenses of the 55
Mississippi Governor's School for the Gifted and Talented. 56
Provided, however, that the Board of Trustees of State 57
Institutions of Higher Learning shall develop the governing policy 58
for faculty, course content and facilities selection on a 59
competitive basis from all Mississippi senior colleges and 60
universities. The Mississippi Governor's School for the Gifted 61
and Talented shall accept not less than one (1) high school 62
student nominee from each accredited high school in Mississippi. 63
The nominees, selected under criteria developed and adopted by the 64
Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, shall 65
be provided a two-week tuition-free program. 66
SECTION 6. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 67
act, the amount of Three Hundred Forty-nine Thousand Two Hundred 68
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Dollars ($349,200.00) shall be used for the promotion and expenses 69
of the Teacher Corps. 70
SECTION 7. It is the intent of the Legislature that no 71
general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be used to 72
replace federal funds and/or other special funds which are being 73
used for salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and 74
which are withdrawn and no longer available. 75
SECTION 8. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 76
act, the following amounts shall be used as set forth: 77
(a) For Mississippi State University as interest 78
on agricultural land script fund and interest on sale of 79
university land, the sum of...................... $ 14,387.00. 80
(b) For the University of Mississippi as interest on 81
original seminary fund, the sum of............... $ 32,643.00. 82
(c) For the University of Mississippi as interest on 83
1904 land grant fund, the sum of................. $ 9,965.00. 84
(d) For the University of Mississippi as interest on 85
LaBauve Fund, the sum of......................... $ 1,420.00. 86
(e) For Mississippi University for Women as interest on 87
funds paid into the State Treasury as proceeds of sale of land 88
donated to the Industrial Institute and College by the United 89
States government, the sum of.................... $ 9,389.00. 90
(f) For Alcorn State University as interest on land 91
script and land sales funds, the sum of.......... $ 12,592.00. 92
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SECTION 9. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 93
act, the following amount shall be derived from Education 94
Enhancement Funds deposited pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 95
27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972: 96
On-campus and off-campus support of Alcorn State University, 97
Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi 98
State University, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi 99
Valley State University, University of Mississippi, and University 100
of Southern Mississippi for the sum of........... $ 72,873,070.00. 101
SECTION 10. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 102
Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning shall 103
first use special funds to the greatest extent possible to defray 104
the costs of providing remediation at the state-supported 105
institutions of higher learning. 106
SECTION 11. None of the funds appropriated by this act shall 107
be expended for any purpose that is not actually required or 108
necessary for performing any of the powers or duties of the Board 109
of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, or any of 110
the powers or duties of any institution under the jurisdiction of 111
the board of trustees, that are authorized by the Mississippi 112
Constitution of 1890, state or federal law, or rules or 113
regulations that implement state or federal law. 114
SECTION 12. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 115
budget requests of the institutions for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be 116
submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format 117
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and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail 118
provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 119
SECTION 13. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 120
Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning 121
continue to review, and eliminate when possible, duplicating 122
programs and degrees in the existing institutions of higher 123
learning in this state. 124
SECTION 14. No state appropriations or student tuition and 125
fee receipts, except those specifically charged for the provision 126
of the services, shall be used to support auxiliary enterprises, 127
with the exception of intercollegiate athletics at a level 128
designated by the board of trustees. It is the intent of the 129
Legislature that auxiliary enterprises shall be self-supporting 130
and that deficits not be taken from funds intended for instruction 131
and academic programs. 132
SECTION 15. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of 133
Higher Learning shall report yearly to the Legislature the 134
institution compliance with Section 97-11-51, Mississippi Code of 135
1972, which prohibits deficit spending. 136
SECTION 16. Any funds appropriated pursuant to this act and 137
paid as a fee to or deposited in a financial institution shall be 138
in compliance with Section 109 of the Constitution of the State of 139
Mississippi and Section 25-4-105, Mississippi Code of 1972. 140
SECTION 17. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance 141
Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of 142
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the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized 143
in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the 144
intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, 145
this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted 146
performance measures provided below: 147
FY2027 148
Performance Measures Target 149
Instruction 150
Number of undergraduate degrees awarded. 12,221 151
Number of graduate degrees awarded. 4,592 152
Number of degrees (Graduate & 153
Undergraduate) awarded in the Education 154
Field 1,044 155
Number of undergraduate degrees awarded 156
per 100 undergraduate full-time 157
equivalent (FTE) enrollment. 23.20 158
Number of graduate degrees awarded per 159
100 graduate FTE enrollment. 44.00 160
Number of students completing 30 hours 13,915 161
Number of students completing 60 hours 10,132 162
A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets 163
set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the 164
agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget 165
Committee for Fiscal Year 2028. 166
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SECTION 18. Of the funds provided herein to the Board of 167
Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the following 168
amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be allocated 169
equally to Jackson State University, Mississippi State University, 170
the University of Mississippi, and the University of Southern 171
Mississippi for economic development, reorganization, and 172
relocation of efforts at those universities....... $ 2,000,000.00. 173
SECTION 19. Of the funds provided herein to the Board of 174
Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the following 175
amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be allocated 176
to Mississippi State University - Meridian Branch................. 177
.................................................. $ 900,000.00. 178
SECTION 20. It is the intention of the Legislature that 179
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 180
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 181
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 182
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 183
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 184
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 185
made without competitive bids. 186
SECTION 21. Of the funds provided herein to the Board of 187
Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the following 188
amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be allocated 189
to Jackson State University E-Learning Center..... $ 485,000.00. 190
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SECTION 22. Of the funds provided herein to the Board of 191
Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the following 192
amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be allocated 193
to the Delta State University Workforce and K-12 Teacher 194
Initiative........................................ $ 155,000.00. 195
SECTION 23. None of the State General Funds appropriated by 196
this act shall be expended for the purpose of travel outside the 197
United States. 198
SECTION 24. Of the funds provided herein to the Board of 199
Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the following 200
sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be allocated to 201
Delta State University Department of Commercial Aviation.......... 202
.................................................. $ 800,000.00. 203
SECTION 25. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 and 204
Section 2 of this act, One Hundred Ninety-one Thousand Six Hundred 205
Ten Dollars ($191,610.00) is provided for geospatial site 206
licenses. 207
SECTION 26. It is the intention of the Legislature that none 208
of the funds provided herein shall be used to pay certain 209
utilities for state-furnished housing for any employees. Such 210
utilities shall include electricity, natural gas, butane, propane, 211
cable and phone services. Where actual cost cannot be determined, 212
the agency shall be required to provide meters to be in compliance 213
with legislative intent. Such state-furnished housing shall 214
include single-family and multifamily residences but shall not 215
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include any dormitory residences. Allowances for such utilities 216
shall be prohibited. 217
SECTION 27. Of the funds provided herein to the Board of 218
Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the following 219
amount shall be allocated to the Delta State University Delta 220
Center for Culture and Learning................... $ 100,000.00. 221
The funds allocated in this section shall only be used for 222
the Delta Center for Culture and Learning. 223
SECTION 28. Of the funds provided herein to the Board of 224
Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the following 225
amount, or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be allocated 226
to fund the Washington Center for Internships and Academic 227
Seminars Mississippi Initiative Scholarship Program............... 228
.................................................. $ 90,000.00. 229
This program will provide opportunities for Mississippi's 230
university and college students to gain real-life experience 231
working in Washington, D.C., and through attending short course 232
Academic Seminars. The funding will provide scholarships at 233
Alcorn State University, Delta State University, Jackson State 234
University, Mississippi State University, Mississippi University 235
for Women, Mississippi Valley State University, and the University 236
of Southern Mississippi. A written report shall be submitted 237
listing the scholarship recipients by university to the Chairmen 238
of the Senate and House Appropriations and Universities and 239
Colleges Committees. 240
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SECTION 29. None of the funds appropriated and/or authorized 241
for expenditure under this act shall be used for research in which 242
a human embryo is killed or destroyed. 243
SECTION 30. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions 244
of Section 1 of this act, an amount not more than One Hundred 245
Twenty-five Thousand Dollars ($125,000.00) shall be allocated to 246
implement university system efficiencies, including, but not 247
limited to, academic, space, energy and any other system projects 248
or expenditures that would lead to improved efficiency. Such 249
funds may also be used to draw down other funds or as matching 250
funds. 251
SECTION 31. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions 252
of Section 1 of this act, Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars 253
($900,000.00) shall be used to defray the expenses of the 254
Children's Center for Communication and Development at the 255
University of Southern Mississippi. 256
SECTION 32. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 257
act, the amount of One Million One Hundred Thousand Dollars 258
($1,100,000.00) is provided for defraying the expenses of the 259
DuBard School at the University of Southern Mississippi. 260
SECTION 33. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions 261
of Section 1 of this act, Two Hundred Sixty-six Thousand Seven 262
Hundred Fifty Dollars ($266,750.00) is provided for the Southwest 263
Mississippi Center for Culture and Learning at Alcorn State 264
University. 265
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SECTION 34. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 266
act, it is the intention of the Legislature that Eight Hundred 267
Fifty Thousand Dollars ($850,000.00) is provided for the Engineer 268
Research and Development Center in Vicksburg, Mississippi, for 269
Research and Development opportunities in Science and Technology 270
initiatives. 271
SECTION 35. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 272
act, Three Hundred Thousand Dollars ($300,000.00) is provided for 273
the Delta State University Delta Music Institute. 274
SECTION 36. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 275
act, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000.00) is provided for 276
the T.K. Martin Center to study the IDEA Part C Early Intervention 277
System in Mississippi and Mississippi's Laws Regarding Early 278
Intervention, as established by Senate Bill 2167, 2023 Regular 279
Session. 280
SECTION 37. It is the intention of the Legislature that 281
Mississippi Valley State University is authorized to provide water 282
or sewer service to any existing, privately owned structures that 283
presently take water or sewer service from Mississippi Valley 284
State University. Furthermore, Mississippi Valley State 285
University is authorized to charge a flat or metered rate for the 286
service provided. Mississippi Valley State University shall not 287
provide any water or sewer service to any new, privately owned 288
structures. 289
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SECTION 38. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 290
act, One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00), 291
shall be derived from funds in the Education Enhancement Fund 292
deposited pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, Mississippi 293
Code of 1972, and allocated in a manner as determined by the 294
Treasurer's Office. These funds are provided to Alcorn State 295
University for STEM-related programs as determined by the 296
university. 297
SECTION 39. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 298
act, One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00), or so much as necessary, 299
shall be derived from funds in the Education Enhancement Fund 300
deposited pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, Mississippi 301
Code of 1972, and allocated in a manner as determined by the 302
Treasurer's Office. These funds are provided to the IHL research 303
institutions for the purpose of technology transfer and 304
entrepreneurial programs, which may be connected to the Department 305
of Defense and related federal research in Mississippi. It is the 306
intent of the Legislature that funds can be used for both research 307
and upgrades to the physical space in order to perform research 308
and entrepreneurship. 309
SECTION 40. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 310
act, One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00), or so much thereof, is 311
hereby appropriated out of any money in the State Treasury to the 312
credit of the 2023 Declaration of Independence Center for the 313
Study of American Freedom Fund, as created in Section 37-115-131, 314
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Mississippi Code of 1972, and allocated in a manner as determined 315
by the Treasurer's Office, to support the operations of the 316
Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American 317
Freedom ("Center") at the University of Mississippi, subject to 318
the conditions that the Center shall: 319
(a) Promote scholarly research and civic education by 320
exploring the principles of freedom expressed in our country's 321
founding documents; 322
(b) Support individual faculty members at institutions 323
of higher learning who have been named Declaration Fellows and who 324
actively participate in the Center's network of scholars and 325
further the mission and principles of the Center; 326
(c) Support classes, activities, and internships that 327
advance students' understanding of American freedom at both the 328
secondary and post-secondary level of education, including support 329
for the operation of any Freedom Studies minor that may be 330
available for academic credit at the University of Mississippi, as 331
well as support for all Freedom Studies courses belonging to this 332
minor; and 333
(d) Continue to be governed and advised in accordance 334
with the Center governing structure described in the last 335
paragraph of the Center mission statement signed by the 336
Chancellor, Provost and founding Director of the Center and 337
received in the Office of the Chancellor on March 1, 2023. 338
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SECTION 41. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 339
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Education 340
Enhancement Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the Institutions 341
of Higher Learning for the purpose of reauthorizing the 342
expenditure of Education Enhancement Funds to defray the expenses 343
of the Institutions of Higher Learning, as authorized in Senate 344
Bill 2001, 2025 First Extraordinary Session, for the fiscal year 345
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 346
................................................... $ 9,572,614.00. 347
This appropriation is made for the purpose of reauthorizing 348
the expenditure of funds as allocated herein: 349
(a) University of Mississippi to defray expenses 350
related to the operations of the Haley Barbour Center for the 351
Study of American Politics......................... $ 900,000.00. 352
(b) University of Mississippi to defray expenses 353
related to the Healthcare Innovation Tech Hub Infrastructure, 354
Biomedical Innovation, Nano-Bio Immuno Engineering Consortium 355
(NIEC), Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.................. 356
................................................... $ 2,300,000.00. 357
(c) Mississippi University for Women to defray expenses 358
related to the expansion of the nursing program................... 359
................................................... $ 2,472,614.00. 360
(d) Alcorn State University to defray the expenses 361
related to the repair, renovation, expansion, construction, 362
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furnishing and equipping of the Davey L. Whitney Complex and 363
Wellness Center.................................... $ 3,000,000.00. 364
(e) IHL research institutions for the purpose of 365
technology transfer and entrepreneurial programs, which may be 366
connected to the Department of Defense and related federal 367
research in Mississippi: 368
Jackson State University...................... $ 250,000.00 369
University of Mississippi..................... $ 650,000.00 370
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, 371
the amount that may be expended under the authority of this 372
section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds 373
remaining as of June 30, 2026, from the amount authorized for the 374
previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not 375
change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. 376
SECTION 42. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 377
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital 378
Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the Institutions of 379
Higher Learning for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure 380
of Capital Expense Funds to defray the expenses of the 381
Institutions of Higher Learning, as authorized in Senate Bill 382
2001, 2025 First Extraordinary Session, for the fiscal year 383
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 384
................................................... $ 2,000,000.00. 385
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This appropriation is made for the purpose of reauthorizing 386
the expenditure of funds for the University of Southern 387
Mississippi Ocean Enterprise – Gulfport. 388
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, 389
the amount that may be expended under the authority of this 390
section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds 391
remaining as of June 30, 2026, from the amount authorized for the 392
previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not 393
change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. 394
SECTION 43. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 395
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Education 396
Enhancement Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the Institutions 397
of Higher Learning for the purpose of reauthorizing the 398
expenditure of Education Enhancement Funds to defray the expenses 399
of the Institutions of Higher Learning, as authorized in Senate 400
Bill 2001, 2025 First Extraordinary Session, for the fiscal year 401
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 402
.................................................. $ 3,731,137.00. 403
This appropriation is made for the purpose of reauthorizing 404
the expenditure of funds as allocated herein: 405
(a) Delta State University – Commercial Aviation 406
Department to defray expenses related to the construction and/or 407
repair and renovation of hangers and classrooms, the purchase of 408
flight simulators, training equipment, and the purchase and/or 409
refurbishment of aircraft......................... $ 1,000,000.00. 410
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(b) Mississippi University for Women to defray expenses 411
related to capital needs, construction, and/or repair and 412
renovation projects............................... $ 500,000.00. 413
(c) Alcorn State University to defray expenses related 414
to capital needs, construction, and/or repair and renovation 415
projects.......................................... $ 2,231,137.00. 416
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, 417
the amount that may be expended under the authority of this 418
section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds 419
remaining as of June 30, 2026, from the amount authorized for the 420
previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not 421
change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. 422
SECTION 44. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 423
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital 424
Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Institutions of 425
Higher Learning for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure 426
of Capital Expense Funds to defray the expenses of the 427
Institutions of Higher Learning, acting through the Bureau of 428
Building, Grounds and Real Property Management as authorized in 429
Senate Bill 2001, 2025 First Extraordinary Session, for the fiscal 430
year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027............. 431
.................................................. $ 2,800,000.00. 432
This appropriation is made for the purpose of providing the 433
funds necessary to authorize the expenditure of funds for the 434
Institutions of Higher Learning as allocated herein: 435
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Alcorn State University to defray expenses 436
related to repair and renovation upgrades 437
to existing facilities.................. $ 2,500,000.00. 438
MS University of Women to defray expenses 439
related to the Painter Hall 440
renovation.............................. $ 300,000.00. 441
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, 442
the amount that may be expended under the authority of this 443
section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds 444
remaining as of June 30, 2026, from the amount authorized for the 445
previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not 446
change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. 447
SECTION 45. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 448
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Education 449
Enhancement Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the Institutions 450
of Higher Learning for the purpose of reauthorizing the 451
expenditure of Education Enhancement Funds to defray the expenses 452
of the Institutions of Higher Learning, as authorized in Senate 453
Bill 2001, 2025 First Extraordinary Session, for the fiscal year 454
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 455
.................................................. $ 1,325,190.00. 456
This appropriation is made for the purpose of reauthorizing 457
the expenditure of funds as allocated herein: 458
Delta State University to defray the costs 459
associated with designing, constructing, 460
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maintaining, and operating a model rural 461
education school in a partnership with 462
the Cleveland School District to serve 463
PreK through sixth-grade students from 464
Bolivar County ......................... $ 1,325,190.00. 465
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, 466
the amount that may be expended under the authority of this 467
section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds 468
remaining as of June 30, 2026, from the amount authorized for the 469
previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not 470
change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. 471
SECTION 46. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 472
necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the General Fund 473
not otherwise appropriated, for the Institutions of Higher 474
Learning for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of 475
General Funds to defray the expenses of the Institutions of Higher 476
Learning, as authorized in Senate Bill 2001, 2025 First 477
Extraordinary Session, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, 478
and ending June 30, 2027.......................... $ 250,000.00. 479
This appropriation is made for the purpose of reauthorizing 480
the expenditure of funds as allocated herein: 481
(a) DuBard School at the University of Southern 482
Mississippi....................................... $ 200,000.00. 483
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(b) T.K. Martin Center to study the IDEA Part C Early 484
Intervention System in Mississippi and Mississippi's Laws 485
Regarding Early Intervention...................... $ 50,000.00. 486
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, 487
the amount that may be expended under the authority of this 488
section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds 489
remaining as of June 30, 2026, from the amount authorized for the 490
previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not 491
change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. 492
SECTION 47. (1) It is the intention of the Legislature that 493
the Board of Trustees of the State Institutions of Higher Learning 494
shall: 495
(a) Report, by July 1, 2026, the methodology of and 496
basis for the calculation and distribution of general fund and 497
special fund monies, including any federal monies, appropriated by 498
the Mississippi Legislature to the Board of Trustees of State 499
Institutions of Higher Learning for fiscal year 2026 for the 500
purpose of support of each of the eight (8) IHL institutions. 501
(b) Report, by December 1, 2026, the Board of Trustees 502
of the State Institutions of Higher Learning's analysis and 503
recommendations to address the population shifts within the state, 504
the declining national birth rate, and the pending enrollment 505
cliff's impact on all IHL institutions. 506
(c) Report, by December 1, 2026, the Board of Trustees 507
of State Institutions of Higher Learning's analysis and 508
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recommendations to address graduation rate disparities and how to 509
improve graduation rates across all IHL institutions. 510
(d) Report, by December 1, 2026, the Board of Trustees 511
of State Institutions of Higher Learning's analysis and 512
recommendations from each university to address student attainment 513
and degree completion rate disparities and how to improve 514
graduation rates for four (4) academic years by first-time, 515
full-time degree-seeking students and for six (6) academic years 516
first-time, full-time degree-seeking students. The analysis 517
should include the one-year retention rate for first-time, 518
full-time degree-seeking students in comparison to the national 519
rate. 520
(2) The reports required by this section shall be made to 521
the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House, the Chairs of 522
the Senate and House Appropriations Committees, and the 523
Legislative Budget Office. 524
SECTION 48. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 525
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 526
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 527
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 528
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 529
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 530
actions contrary to this provision. 531
SECTION 49. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 532
act, Twelve Million Thirteen Thousand Eight Hundred Forty-eight 533
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Dollars ($12,013,848.00), or so much thereof as may be necessary, 534
shall be derived out of any money in the State Treasury to the 535
credit of the Education Enhancement Fund and deposited pursuant to 536
Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972. These 537
funds are provided for the equivalent of a Two Thousand Dollar 538
($2,000.00) salary increase for all professors and adjunct 539
professors at the eight (8) universities, at the discretion of the 540
Institutional Executive Officer. 541
SECTION 50. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 542
act, Forty Million Dollars ($40,000,000.00), or so much as 543
necessary, shall be derived from funds in the Education 544
Enhancement Fund deposited pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 545
27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972, and allocated in a manner as 546
determined by the Treasurer's Office, to defray the expenses of 547
the Institutions of Higher Learning (IHL) and the Executive Office 548
of the Board of Trustees, acting through the Bureau of Building, 549
Grounds and Real Property Management, for the fiscal year 550
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 551
.................................................. $ 40,000,000.00. 552
This appropriation is made for the purpose of providing the 553
funds necessary to authorize the expenditure of funds for 554
construction and/or repair and renovation projects for the 555
Institutions of Higher Learning and the Executive Office of the 556
Board of Trustees. It is the intention of the Legislature that 557
the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning may 558
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use, at its discretion, an amount not to exceed Six Million Five 559
Hundred Thousand Dollars ($6,500,000.00) of the funds appropriated 560
in this section for the purpose of repairing roads and parking 561
lots, improving drainage, and repairing structural damage at the 562
IHL – Education and Research Center in Jackson, Mississippi. The 563
remaining funds appropriated in this section shall be allocated 564
among the universities as follows: fifty percent (50%) based on 565
total building square footage and fifty percent (50%) based on the 566
in-person student enrollment for the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. 567
SECTION 51. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions 568
of Section 2 of this act, One Million Four Hundred Thousand 569
Dollars ($1,400,000.00) shall be derived from the Opioid 570
Settlement Fund as created in Section 27-103-305, for the 571
following universities. These abatement funds provided in this 572
section shall be allocated as follows: 573
(a) Mississippi State University for training on opioid 574
overdose reversal medications and treatment options for 575
problematic opioid substance use................... $ 700,000.00. 576
(b) University of Mississippi to establish a statewide 577
data repository and dashboard to track opioid and polysubstance 578
use................................................ $ 700,000.00. 579
SECTION 52. As a condition of receiving and expending the 580
funds appropriated to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions 581
of Higher Learning under Section 51, a recipient designated under 582
this section shall certify in writing and under oath to the Board 583
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ST: Appropriation; IHL - General support.
of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning that no 584
contract of compensation dependent on the success or failure of 585
legislation or executive action prohibited under Section 5-8-13, 586
Mississippi Code of 1972, has been entered into by the recipient, 587
with any individual or entity, in pursuance of such funding. None 588
of the funds appropriated by this act shall be disbursed to a 589
recipient or used by a recipient who fails to make such 590
certification or is found to be in violation of such 591
certification. 592
SECTION 53. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 593
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 594
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 595
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 596
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 597
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 598
SECTION 54. This act shall take effect and be in force from 599
and after July 1, 2026. 600