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S. B. No. 3054 *SS26/A251SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~ A1/2
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To: Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Hopson, DeBar, Parks, Boyd,
Butler, DeLano, Suber
SENATE BILL NO. 3054
(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' DESIGNATED INSTITUTES, LABORATORIES AND PROGRAMS FOR 3
WHICH THEY ARE RESPONSIBLE AND THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE BOARD 4
OF TRUSTEES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 6
SECTION 1. The following sums of money, or so much thereof 7
as may be necessary, are hereby appropriated out of any money in 8
the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Board of 9
Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning for the purpose 10
of support of the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, Center 11
for Manufacturing Excellence, Mississippi State Chemical 12
Laboratory, Water Resources Institute, Mississippi Law Research 13
Institute, Jackson State University Urban Research Center, 14
Mississippi Mineral Resources Research Institute, Research 15
Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Supercomputer, the 16
Stennis Institute of Government, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, 17
Polymer Institute, Small Business Development Center, Stennis 18
Center for Higher Learning, the Commission for Volunteer Services, 19
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the State Court Education Program, and the executive office of the 20
board of trustees for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and 21
ending June 30, 2027........................... $ 39,927,392.00. 22
SECTION 2. The following sums of money, or so much thereof 23
as may be necessary, are hereby appropriated out of the proceeds 24
from any federal, student fees or other special source funds not 25
otherwise appropriated, to the Center for Advanced Vehicular 26
Systems, Center for Manufacturing Excellence, Board of Trustees of 27
State Institutions of Higher Learning for the purpose of support 28
of the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory, Water Resources 29
Institute, Mississippi Alcohol Safety Education Program, Stennis 30
Institute of Government, Mississippi Law Research Institute, 31
Mississippi Small Business Development Center, Mississippi Mineral 32
Resources Research Institute, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical 33
Sciences, the Supercomputer, Stennis Space Center's Center for 34
Higher Learning, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Polymer 35
Institute, Jackson State University Urban Research Center, the 36
Commission for Volunteer Services, and the executive office of the 37
board of trustees for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and 38
ending June 30, 2027........................... $ 48,026,992.00. 39
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 40
Sections 1 and 2 of this act hereof, the following amounts, or so 41
much thereof as may be necessary, shall be expended by the Board 42
of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning for the 43
purposes hereinafter set forth: 44
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(a) From State General Funds, for the support of: 45
Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems for 46
the sum of....................................... $ 4,813,359.00. 47
Supercomputer for the sum of................ $ 662,749.00. 48
Center for Manufacturing Excellence for 49
the sum of....................................... $ 3,136,419.00. 50
Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute for 51
the sum of....................................... $ 412,472.00. 52
State Court Education Program for the 53
sum of........................................... $ 2,085,496.00. 54
Mississippi Law Research Institute for the 55
sum of........................................... $ 922,966.00. 56
Executive Office of the Board of Trustees for 57
the sum of....................................... $ 7,425,157.00. 58
Mississippi Polymer Institute for 59
the sum of....................................... $ 929,961.00. 60
Mississippi Small Business Development 61
Center for the sum of............................ $ 364,613.00. 62
Stennis Space Center - Center for Higher 63
Learning for the sum of.......................... $ 366,474.00. 64
Jackson State University Urban Research 65
Center for the sum of............................ $ 553,605.00. 66
Stennis Institute of Government for the 67
sum of........................................... $ 800,829.00. 68
Commission for Volunteer Services for 69
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the sum of....................................... $ 1,111,961.00. 70
Gulf Coast Research Laboratory for the 71
sum of........................................... $ 8,715,767.00. 72
Mississippi Water Resources Institute for the 73
sum of........................................... $ 354,278.00. 74
Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory for the 75
sum of........................................... $ 1,913,635.00. 76
Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences 77
for the sum of................................... $ 5,357,651.00. 78
(b) From Special Funds, for the support of: 79
Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems for 80
the sum of....................................... $ 142,782.00. 81
Center for Manufacturing Excellence for the 82
sum of........................................... $ 142,782.00. 83
Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute for 84
the sum of....................................... $ 527,861.00. 85
Mississippi State University-Alcohol Safety 86
for the sum of................................... $ 1,940,639.00. 87
Mississippi Law Research Institute for the 88
sum of........................................... $ 345,778.00. 89
Executive Office of the Board of Trustees for 90
the sum of....................................... $ 21,506,688.00. 91
Mississippi Small Business Development 92
Center for the sum of............................ $ 2,573,401.00. 93
Commission for Volunteer Services for 94
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the sum of....................................... $ 2,474,134.00. 95
Gulf Coast Research Laboratory for the 96
sum of........................................... $ 2,074,725.00. 97
Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory for the 98
sum of........................................... $ 506,807.00. 99
Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences 100
for the sum of................................... $ 15,791,395.00. 101
Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 1 102
of this act and allocated to the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, 103
the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning 104
shall allocate One Hundred Seventy-five Thousand Dollars 105
($175,000.00) for Sea Grants matching for the Fiscal Year 2027. 106
Provided further, it is the intention of the Legislature, in 107
the event budget reductions are imposed on the Gulf Coast Research 108
Laboratory by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of 109
Higher Learning, as a result of the Governor ordering budget 110
reductions under the provisions of Section 27-104-13 or 31-17-123, 111
Mississippi Code of 1972, the same percent reduction will be 112
applied to those state funds identified in this section for Sea 113
Grant match. 114
It is the intent of the Legislature that no general funds 115
authorized to be expended herein shall be used to replace federal 116
funds and/or other special funds which are being used for salaries 117
authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 118
withdrawn and no longer available. 119
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After the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory has provided 120
the maximum amount of services which may be provided free of 121
charge under the provisions of Section 57-21-11(c), Mississippi 122
Code of 1972, the laboratory shall not provide any additional 123
services from the funds appropriated under the provisions of 124
Sections 1 and 2 of this act if any charges for such services 125
previously provided are more than ninety (90) days past due. 126
After all such delinquent charges have been paid by a client, the 127
laboratory may provide additional services to the client. 128
SECTION 4. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 129
act and authorized for expenditure in Section 3(b) of this act, 130
the following amounts shall be derived from Education Enhancement 131
Funds deposited pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, 132
Mississippi Code of 1972: 133
Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems.......$ 142,782.00. 134
Center for Manufacturing Excellence.........$ 142,782.00. 135
Gulf Coast Research Laboratory..............$ 142,782.00. 136
Executive Office of the Board of Trustees 137
for the sum of................................... $ 402,396.00. 138
Total.......................................$ 830,742.00. 139
SECTION 5. None of the funds appropriated by this act shall 140
be expended for any purpose that is not actually required or 141
necessary for performing any of the powers or duties of the Board 142
of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, or any of 143
the powers or duties of any institution under the jurisdiction of 144
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the board of trustees, that are authorized by the Mississippi 145
Constitution of 1890, state or federal law, or rules or 146
regulations that implement state or federal law. 147
SECTION 6. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 148
budget requests of the individual institutes, laboratories and 149
programs consolidated in this bill for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be 150
submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format 151
and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail 152
provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 153
SECTION 7. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of 154
Higher Learning shall report yearly to the Legislature any 155
institution not in compliance with Section 97-11-51, Mississippi 156
Code of 1972, which prohibits deficit spending. 157
SECTION 8. Any funds appropriated pursuant to this act and 158
paid as a fee to or deposited in a financial institution shall be 159
in compliance with Section 109 of the Constitution of the State of 160
Mississippi and Section 25-4-105, Mississippi Code of 1972. 161
SECTION 9. It is the intention of the Legislature that 162
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 163
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 164
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 165
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 166
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 167
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 168
made without competitive bids. 169
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SECTION 10. None of the funds appropriated and/or authorized 170
for expenditure under this act shall be used for research in which 171
a human embryo is killed or destroyed. 172
SECTION 11. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 173
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 174
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 175
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 176
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 177
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 178
actions contrary to this provision. 179
SECTION 12. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 180
act, One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) is 181
hereby provided for the National Center for Cannabis Research and 182
Education at the University of Mississippi - Research Institute of 183
Pharmaceutical Sciences for the purpose of data analysis, 184
educational initiatives, and other activities in collaboration 185
with the State Department of Health pursuant to Section 41-138-1, 186
Mississippi Code of 1972. 187
SECTION 13. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 188
act, One Hundred Twenty-one Thousand Nine Hundred Sixty-eight 189
Dollars ($121,968.00), or so much thereof as may be necessary, is 190
provided for the equivalent of a Two Thousand Dollar ($2,000.00) 191
salary increase for all professors and adjunct professors at the 192
following programs: the Center for Advanced Vehicular Systems, 193
the Center for Manufacturing Excellence, the Mississippi Mineral 194
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ST: Appropriation; IHL - Subsidiary programs.
Resources Institute, the Stennis Institute of Government, the Gulf 195
Coast Research Laboratory and the Research Institute of 196
Pharmaceutical Sciences, at the discretion of the Institutional 197
Executive Officer. 198
SECTION 14. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 199
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 200
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 201
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 202
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 203
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 204
SECTION 15. This act shall take effect and be in force from 205
and after July 1, 2026. 206