Appropriation; Animal Health, Board of.

S. B. No. 3093 *SS36/A428SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~ A1/2
26/SS36/A428SG
PAGE 1

To: Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Hopson, DeBar, McCaughn,
Hartness, Suber, Tate, Thompson

SENATE BILL NO. 3093
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE MISSISSIPPI BOARD OF 1
ANIMAL HEALTH FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES OF THE 2
BOARD FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 4
SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 5
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State 6
General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of 7
defraying the expenses of the Mississippi Board of Animal Health 8
for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending 9
June 30, 2027.................................. $ 1,968,554.00. 10
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be 11
necessary, is hereby authorized for expenditure out of any special 12
source funds which are collected by or otherwise become available 13
for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi Board 14
of Animal Health, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and 15
ending June 30, 2027........................... $ 1,264,495.00. 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
S. B. No. 3093 *SS36/A428SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS36/A428SG
PAGE 2

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: $ 1,777,400.00 23
Special Funds: $ 459,322.00 24
Total Funds: $ 2,236,722.00 25
PERSONAL SERVICES: 26
Employee Salaries, Wages and 27
Fringe Benefits: $ 2,083,120.00 28
Progressions: $ 0.00 29
Vacancy Funding: $ 153,602.00 30
Total Personal Services: $ 2,236,722.00 31
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 32
Permanent: 23 33
Time-Limited: 5 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
S. B. No. 3093 *SS36/A428SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS36/A428SG
PAGE 3

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
S. B. No. 3093 *SS36/A428SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS36/A428SG
PAGE 4

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
S. B. No. 3093 *SS36/A428SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS36/A428SG
PAGE 5

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. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 107
Mississippi Board of Animal Health shall maintain complete 108
accounting and personnel records related to the expenditure of all 109
funds appropriated under this act and that such records shall be 110
in the same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal 111
Year 2026. It is further the intention of the Legislature that 112
the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2028 shall be 113
submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format 114
and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail 115
provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 116
SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that 117
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 118
S. B. No. 3093 *SS36/A428SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS36/A428SG
PAGE 6

purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 119
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 120
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 121
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 122
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 123
made without competitive bids. 124
SECTION 6. The Mississippi Board of Animal Health is 125
authorized to accept and expend any grant, donation, or 126
contribution from any individual, public or private organization, 127
or government entity for purposes of defraying the operational 128
costs of the department. Such grants, donations, contributions, 129
and any carryover funds shall be received and expended under the 130
rules and regulations of the Department of Finance and 131
Administration in a manner consistent with the escalation of 132
federal funds not to exceed Five Hundred Thousand Dollars 133
($500,000.00). 134
SECTION 7. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 135
funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with 136
Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency 137
shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their 138
appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally 139
or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for 140
actions contrary to this provision. 141
SECTION 8. Of the funds in Section 2 of this act, Four 142
Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($450,000.00) is provided from the 143
S. B. No. 3093 *SS36/A428SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/SS36/A428SG
PAGE 7
ST: Appropriation; Animal Health, Board of.
Animal Health Disaster Response Fund. These funds are provided 144
for expenses incurred by the Board of Animal Health in responding 145
to animal disease outbreaks as outlined in Section 69-15-21, 146
Mississippi Code of 1972. Included in these funds is Twenty-five 147
Thousand Dollars ($25,000.00) for hazard pay, which may be 148
escalated in accordance with the rules and regulations of the 149
Department of Finance and Administration, in a manner consistent 150
with the escalation of federal funds, and required documentation 151
of the hours worked for each outbreak by each staff person. If 152
approved by the Department of Finance and Administration, the 153
Mississippi State Personnel Board may update the authorized 154
Personal Services amount to include these escalations on the 155
compliance reports. 156
SECTION 9. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 157
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 158
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 159
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 160
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 161
proper person, officer or officers in the manner provided by law. 162
SECTION 10. This act shall take effect and be in force from 163
and after July 1, 2026. 164