Appropriation; Emergency Management Agency.

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To: Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Hopson, DeBar, DeLano,
Barnett, McLendon, Sparks, Suber

SENATE BILL NO. 3089
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES OF THE 1
MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY, AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF 2
ESTABLISHING A DISASTER RELIEF RESERVE FUND AND DEFRAYING THE 3
COSTS RELATED TO CERTAIN DISASTER ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FOR FISCAL 4
YEAR 2027. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 6
SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 7
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any funds in the State 8
General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of 9
defraying the expenses of the Mississippi Emergency Management 10
Agency in accordance with the provisions of Section 33-15-1 et 11
seq., Mississippi Code of 1972, for the fiscal year beginning 12
July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027......... $ 5,809,955.00. 13
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 14
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the special 15
fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Mississippi 16
Emergency Management Agency which is comprised of special source 17
funds collected by or otherwise available to the agency, for the 18
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support and maintenance of the agency for the fiscal year 19
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 20
............................................... $ 30,698,171.00. 21
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 22
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 23
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 24
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 25
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 26
FUNDING: 27
General Funds: $ 4,298,628.00 28
Special Funds: $ 14,769,453.00 29
Total Funds: $ 19,068,081.00 30
PERSONAL SERVICES: 31
Employee Salaries, Wages and 32
Fringe Benefits: $ 18,062,115.00 33
Progressions: $ 0.00 34
Vacancy Funding: $ 1,005,966.00 35
Total Personal Services: $ 19,068,081.00 36
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 37
Permanent: 122 38
Time-Limited: 61 39
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 40
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 41
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 42
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 43
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It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 44
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 45
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 46
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 47
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 48
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 49
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 50
Board. 51
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 52
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 53
year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 54
provisions of this act. 55
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 56
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 57
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 58
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 59
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 60
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 61
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 62
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 63
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 64
Mississippi Legislature. 65
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 66
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 67
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 68
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agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 69
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 70
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 71
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 72
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 73
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 74
agency. 75
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 76
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 77
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 78
funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 79
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 80
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 81
March 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 82
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 83
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 84
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 85
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 86
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 87
salaries for current employees. 88
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 89
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 90
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 91
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 92
Personal Services total without written approval from the 93
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Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 94
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 95
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 96
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 97
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 98
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 99
authorized time-limited headcounts. 100
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 101
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 102
salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 103
withdrawn and no longer available. 104
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 105
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 106
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 107
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 108
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 109
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 110
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 111
SECTION 4. In addition to all other sums herein 112
appropriated, the following sum, or so much thereof as may be 113
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State 114
General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Mississippi 115
Emergency Management Agency for the purpose of defraying certain 116
administrative expenses and the state share of the cost of 117
disaster assistance programs, including, but not being limited to, 118
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public assistance programs, individual and family grant programs, 119
and mitigation programs, for the fiscal year beginning 120
July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027............ $ 585,056.00. 121
SECTION 5. In addition to all other sums herein 122
appropriated, the following sum, or so much thereof as may be 123
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State 124
Treasury to the credit of the Mississippi Emergency Management 125
Agency Fund Nos. 33703, 3725, 3728, 372U, 3729, 37AH, 53730, 126
6820174300, and 58202 for the purpose of defraying certain 127
administrative expenses and the state and federal share of the 128
cost of disaster assistance programs, including, but not being 129
limited to, public assistance programs, individual and family 130
grant programs, and mitigation programs, for the fiscal year 131
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending 132
June 30, 2027................................... $ 370,684,867.00. 133
SECTION 6. The funds appropriated under the provisions of 134
Sections 4 and 5 of this act are provided to defray certain 135
administrative expenses and the state and federal share of the 136
cost of disaster assistance programs, including public assistance 137
programs, individual and family grant programs, and mitigation 138
programs resulting from, but not being limited to, the following: 139
1604 Hurricane Katrina 140
4175 Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding - Cities 141
of Louisville & Tupelo 142
- Hazard Mitigation 143
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- Other Needs Assistance 144
- Mississippi Temporary Housing Program 145
- Pre-Disaster Response 146
- Emergency Preparedness Programs 147
4429 Feb 22-March 29, 2019 Flooding 148
4450 Severe Weather April 13, 2019 149
4470 Severe Weather October 26, 2019 150
4478 Severe Weather January 10-11, 2020 151
4528 Coronavirus Pandemic 152
4536 Severe Weather April 12, 2020 Easter Tornadoes 153
4538 Flooding Feb 10-18, 2020 (Pearl River Flood) 154
4248 Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding - North 155
Mississippi/Holly Springs 156
4268 Delta Flooding 157
4295 Pine Belt Tornado/Flooding 158
4314 Severe Storms, Flooding in Adams, Calhoun, 159
Carroll, Claiborne, Holmes, Jefferson, Montgomery, 160
Webster & Yazoo Counties 161
4350 Hurricane Nate 162
4415 Severe Storms, Flooding & Tornado in Clarke, 163
Covington, Forrest, Greene, Jasper, Jones, 164
Marion, Newton, Perry & Wayne Counties 165
4551 Severe Weather April 22-23, 2020 166
4576 Hurricane Zeta 167
4598 2021 Winter Storm 168
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3582 Water Crisis EM Dec. 169
4697 Severe Weather March 24-25, 2023 170
4727 Severe Weather June 14, 2023 171
4874 Severe Weather March 14-15, 2025 172
SECTION 7. None of the funds appropriated in Section 4 of 173
this act shall be used to establish a special reserve fund in the 174
State Treasury for disaster relief except as provided for in 175
Section 33-15-307, Mississippi Code of 1972. 176
SECTION 8. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 177
Director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency may, upon 178
the request of a local public emergency management organization in 179
an area which has suffered a natural disaster, supply equipment to 180
rural water associations to enable their continued operation when 181
the local emergency management organization determines that such 182
private entities provide services essential to the welfare of the 183
community. 184
SECTION 9. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 185
Director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency shall 186
provide enhanced training to local governments, supervisors, 187
mayors, civil defense groups and municipal associations in 188
disaster management. 189
SECTION 10. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 190
Mississippi Emergency Management Agency shall maintain complete 191
accounting and personnel records related to the expenditure of all 192
funds appropriated under this act and that such records shall be 193
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in the same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal 194
Year 2026. It is further the intention of the Legislature that 195
the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be 196
submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format 197
and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail 198
provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 199
SECTION 11. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance 200
Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of 201
the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized 202
in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the 203
intended mission of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency 204
for operations. Based on the funding authorized, this agency 205
shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance 206
measures provided below: 207
FY2027 208
Performance Measures Target 209
Emergency Management 210
Number of Attendees at all Training 211
Courses Offered 1,000 212
Number of Community and Local Government 213
Workshops Conducted 60 214
Number of Basic Training Courses Offered 55 215
Number of Intermediate Training Courses 216
Offered 55 217
Number of Advanced Training Courses Offered 55 218
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Average Time from the Receipt of Message 219
to Delivery to Appropriate Agencies 5.00 220
Number of Community and Local Government 221
Plans Created and/or Updated 115 222
Number of Personnel Trained 3,000 223
Number of Likes, Shares and Audience Reach 3,000,000 224
Percent Increase in Participation by 225
Partners in Awareness, Planning, 226
Training and Exercise Activities 50.00 227
Number of Calls from the Public 228
Answered 7,000 229
Emergency Communications 230
Number of ECDs with Approved NG911 Plans 100 231
Percentage of the State that has Adopted 232
NG911 30.00 233
A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets 234
set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the 235
agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget 236
Committee for Fiscal Year 2028. 237
SECTION 12. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance 238
Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of 239
the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized 240
in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the 241
intended mission of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency 242
for disaster response and recovery. Based on the funding 243
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authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the 244
targeted performance measures provided below: 245
FY2027 246
Performance Measures Target 247
Emergency Mgmt Preparedness 248
Percent of the Affected Population Informed 100.00 249
Average Time to Deliver Goods & Services 48.00 250
Recovery 251
Number of Ongoing Projects 15 252
Number of Meetings Conducted 6,000 253
Average Cost per Project 40,000,000.00 254
Percent of Recovery Objectives Complete 100.00 255
Mitigation 256
Number of Workshops Conducted 30 257
Number of Ongoing Projects 14 258
Average Cost per Project 50,000.00 259
Percent Reduction in Damage Due to 260
Natural and Man-Made Incidents 5.00 261
A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets 262
set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the 263
agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget 264
Committee for Fiscal Year 2028. 265
SECTION 13. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 266
Executive Director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency 267
shall have authority to transfer not more than Five Hundred 268
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Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) from any general or special fund 269
treasury fund and major object budget category to another special 270
or general fund treasury fund and major object budget category 271
accordingly under the control of the Mississippi Emergency 272
Management Agency. The purpose of this authority is to more 273
efficiently use available cash reserves. It is further the 274
intention of the Legislature that the Executive Director of the 275
Mississippi Emergency Management Agency shall submit written 276
justification for the transfer to the Legislative Budget Office 277
and the Department of Finance and Administration on or before the 278
fifteenth of the month prior to the effective date of the 279
transfer. 280
SECTION 14. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 281
Mississippi Emergency Management Agency shall submit a 282
notification and summary of all state support funding on all 283
disasters that require general funds or state support special 284
funds to the Legislative Budget Office. 285
SECTION 15. It is the intention of the Legislature that from 286
any funds appropriated in this act, the agency shall maintain a 287
minimum of nine (9) Area Coordinators to provide daily assistance 288
to local jurisdictions with emergency management activities as 289
well as to provide quicker response to incidents and/or disasters. 290
In addition, it is the intent of the Legislature that these Area 291
Coordinators shall reside in or within fifty (50) miles of their 292
assigned districts. 293
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SECTION 16. It is the intention of the Legislature that 294
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 295
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 296
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 297
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 298
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 299
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 300
made without competitive bids. 301
SECTION 17. With funds appropriated herein, the Mississippi 302
Emergency Management Agency is authorized to make reimbursement 303
payments directly to individual Mississippi citizens who have been 304
or will be approved to participate in the Federal Emergency 305
Management Agency's Safe Room Grant Program. All funds paid by 306
the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency under this program 307
will be reimbursed to the Agency by the Federal Emergency 308
Management Agency. 309
SECTION 18. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 310
act, Three Million Dollars ($3,000,000.00) is provided from the 311
NG911 CMRS Grant Fund as created in Senate Bill 2835, 2025 Regular 312
Session. These funds are provided to pay for reimbursement of 313
eligible expenses. 314
SECTION 19. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 of this 315
act, Two Million Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars 316
($2,750,000.00) is provided from the State NG911 Fund as created 317
in Section 19-5-395, Mississippi Code of 1972, for the operations 318
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of the new State NG911 program at the agency. However, none of 319
the funds provided shall be used to purchase vehicles. 320
SECTION 20. It is the intention of the Legislature that in 321
accordance with Section 19-5-389, Mississippi Code of 1972, the 322
authority shall develop, establish, and publish a defined scope, 323
technical standards, and operation requirements for a State NG911 324
Plan. The authority will approve all purchases made on behalf of 325
the Mississippi Emergency Communications Authority. The Authority 326
shall report to the House and Senate Appropriations Chairmen and 327
the Legislative Budget Office by September 30, 2026, the minimum 328
standards, specifications, and requirements for each ECD NG911 329
plan, including the proposed budgets for Fiscal Years 2027 and 330
2028. The authority shall act as a statewide proprietor and 331
resource for the development, modification, and approval of ECD's 332
NG911 implementation plan. 333
SECTION 21. In addition to all other sums herein 334
appropriated, the following sum, or so much thereof as may be 335
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State 336
Treasury to the credit of the 2026 Local Governments Disaster 337
Recovery Emergency Loan Fund, as created in Section 6 of House 338
Bill 1646, 2026 Regular Legislative Session, for the purpose of 339
defraying certain administrative expenses, grants, and loans, for 340
the period beginning upon passage of this act, and ending June 30, 341
2027........................................... $ 125,000,000.00. 342
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ST: Appropriation; Emergency Management Agency.
SECTION 22. The expenditure of the funds appropriated by 343
this act shall be under the direction of the Governor and shall be 344
paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in the proper fund or 345
funds as set forth in this act, upon warrants issued by the State 346
Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal Officer shall issue his 347
warrants upon requisitions signed by the proper person, officer or 348
officers in the manner provided by law. 349
SECTION 23. This act shall take effect and be in force from 350
and after July 1, 2026, with the exception of Section 21 of this 351
act, which shall take effect and be in force from and after 352
passage. 353