Appropriation; Motor Vehicle Commission.

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To: Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Hopson, DeBar, Norwood,
Hickman, Hill, McCaughn, Tate

SENATE BILL NO. 3082
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FROM SPECIAL FUNDS IN THE 1
STATE TREASURY TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES OF THE MISSISSIPPI MOTOR 2
VEHICLE COMMISSION 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 Treasury to the credit of the Mississippi Motor Vehicle 7
Commission, as provided by Section 63-17-51 et seq., Mississippi 8
Code of 1972, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of said 9
commission, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending 10
June 30, 2027.................................. $ 385,230.00. 11
SECTION 2. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 12
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 13
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 14
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 15
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 16
FUNDING: 17
General Funds: $ 0.00 18
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Special Funds: $ 277,901.00 19
Total Funds: $ 277,901.00 20
PERSONAL SERVICES: 21
Employee Salaries, Wages and 22
Fringe Benefits: $ 277,901.00 23
Progressions: $ 0.00 24
Vacancy Funding: $ 0.00 25
Total Personal Services: $ 277,901.00 26
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 27
Permanent: 3 28
Time-Limited: 0 29
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 30
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 31
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 32
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 33
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 34
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 35
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 36
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 37
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 38
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 39
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 40
Board. 41
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 42
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 43
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year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 44
provisions of this act. 45
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 46
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 47
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 48
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 49
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 50
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 51
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 52
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 53
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 54
Mississippi Legislature. 55
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 56
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 57
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 58
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 59
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 60
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 61
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 62
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 63
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 64
agency. 65
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 66
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 67
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 68
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funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 69
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 70
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 71
February 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 72
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 73
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 74
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 75
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 76
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 77
salaries for current employees. 78
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 79
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 80
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 81
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 82
Personal Services total without written approval from the 83
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 84
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 85
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 86
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 87
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 88
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 89
authorized time-limited headcounts. 90
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 91
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 92
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salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 93
withdrawn and no longer available. 94
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 95
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 96
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 97
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 98
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 99
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 100
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 101
SECTION 3. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 102
Mississippi Motor Vehicle Commission shall maintain complete 103
accounting and personnel records related to the expenditure of all 104
funds appropriated under this act and that such records shall be 105
in the same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal 106
Year 2026. It is further the intention of the Legislature that 107
the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be 108
submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format 109
and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail 110
provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 111
SECTION 4. It is the intention of the Legislature that 112
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 113
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 114
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 115
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 116
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 117
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ST: Appropriation; Motor Vehicle Commission.
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 118
made without competitive bids. 119
SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 120
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 121
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 122
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of its 123
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 124
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 125
actions contrary to this provision. 126
SECTION 6. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 127
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 128
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 129
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 130
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 131
proper person, officer or officers in the manner provided by law. 132
SECTION 7. This act shall take effect and be in force from 133
and after July 1, 2026. 134