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To: Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Senator(s) Hopson, DeBar, Wiggins,
Hickman, Sparks, Turner-Ford
SENATE BILL NO. 3069
(As Sent to Governor)
AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES OF THE 1
MISSISSIPPI WORKERS' COMPENSATION COMMISSION FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027. 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 3
SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 4
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State 5
General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of 6
defraying the expenses incurred by the Mississippi Workers' 7
Compensation Commission for the fiscal year beginning 8
July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027......... $ 6,219,424.00. 9
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 10
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State 11
Treasury to the credit of the Second Injury Fund (Fund Number 12
3352300000) for the purpose of making payments under the 13
provisions of Section 71-3-73, Mississippi Code of 1972, for the 14
fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027...... 15
............................................... $ 25,000.00. 16
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 17
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 18
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exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 19
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 20
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 21
FUNDING: 22
General Funds: $ 5,055,251.00 23
Special Funds: $ 0.00 24
Total Funds: $ 5,055,251.00 25
PERSONAL SERVICES: 26
Employee Salaries, Wages and 27
Fringe Benefits: $ 4,832,641.00 28
Progressions: $ 0.00 29
Vacancy Funding: $ 222,610.00 30
Total Personal Services: $ 5,055,251.00 31
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 32
Permanent: 54 33
Time-Limited: 0 34
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 35
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 36
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 37
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 38
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 39
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 40
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 41
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 42
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 43
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Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 44
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 45
Board. 46
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 47
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 48
year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 49
provisions of this act. 50
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 51
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 52
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 53
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 54
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 55
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 56
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 57
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 58
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 59
Mississippi Legislature. 60
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 61
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 62
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 63
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 64
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 65
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 66
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 67
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 68
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the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 69
agency. 70
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 71
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 72
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 73
funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 74
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 75
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 76
March 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 77
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 78
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 79
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 80
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 81
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 82
salaries for current employees. 83
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 84
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 85
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 86
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 87
Personal Services total without written approval from the 88
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 89
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 90
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 91
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 92
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 93
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headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 94
authorized time-limited headcounts. 95
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 96
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 97
salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 98
withdrawn and no longer available. 99
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 100
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 101
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 102
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 103
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 104
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 105
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 106
SECTION 4. Of the funds provided in Section 1, and as 107
outlined in Section 71-3-85, Mississippi Code of 1972, the 108
following salaries are provided for the following positions: 109
Workers' Compensation Commission Chairman - $132,460.99. 110
Workers' Compensation Commission Member - $128,057.41. 111
Administrative Law Judge - $123,184.36. 112
Workers' Compensation Commission Executive Director - 113
$123,184.36. 114
SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 115
Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission shall maintain 116
complete accounting and personnel records related to the 117
expenditure of all funds appropriated under this act and that such 118
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records shall be in the same format and level of detail as 119
maintained for Fiscal Year 2026. It is further the intention of 120
the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 121
2028 shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee 122
in a format and level of detail comparable to the format and level 123
of detail provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request 124
process. 125
SECTION 6. It is the intention of the Legislature that with 126
the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this act, the Mississippi 127
Workers' Compensation Commission shall enter into a contract with 128
the industrial private sector for the purpose of implementing a 129
safety education and training program. 130
SECTION 7. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance 131
Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of 132
the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized 133
in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the 134
intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, 135
this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted 136
performance measures provided below: 137
FY2027 138
Performance Measures Target 139
Adjudication 140
Number of Open Claims 58,000 141
Number of Cases Resolved at the 142
Administrative or Commission Level 143
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within 3 Months 900 144
Number of Cases Resolved at the 145
Administrative or Commission Level 146
within 6 Months 950 147
Number of Cases Resolved at the 148
Administrative or Commission Level 149
within 9 Months 900 150
Number of Cases Resolved at the 151
Administrative or Commission Level 152
within 1 Year 900 153
Self-insurance 154
Percent of Individual Self-Insurers 155
Reviewed in the Past Fiscal Year 34.00 156
Percent of Individual Self-Insurer 157
Reviews Conducted in the Past Fiscal 158
Year Showing That Reserves are 159
Insufficient to Cover Claims 5.00 160
Percent of Self-Insurance Groups Reviewed 100.00 161
Percent of Self-Insurance Group Reviews 162
Conducted Showing That Reserves are 163
Insufficient to Cover Claims 0.00 164
Medical Cost Containment 165
Fee Schedule Adjustments (Cost in Millions) 35.00 166
Medical Cost Savings to Payers (as a % 167
of Total Billings) 46.00 168
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A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets 169
set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the 170
agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget 171
Committee for Fiscal Year 2028. 172
SECTION 8. It is the intention of the Legislature that 173
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 174
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 175
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 176
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 177
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 178
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 179
made without competitive bids. 180
SECTION 9. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 181
salary of the Workers' Compensation Commission members shall be 182
equal and the salary of the commission chairman shall exceed these 183
salaries as approved by the State Personnel Board. 184
SECTION 10. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 185
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 186
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 187
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 188
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 189
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 190
actions contrary to this provision. 191
SECTION 11. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 192
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 193
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ST: Appropriation; Workers' Compensation
Commission.
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 194
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 195
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 196
proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. 197
SECTION 12. This act shall take effect and be in force from 198
and after July 1, 2026. 199