Appropriation; Treasurer's Office.

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To: Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Hopson, DeBar, Williams,
DeLano, Seymour, Simmons (13th), Tate

SENATE BILL NO. 3099
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES OF THE 1
STATE TREASURER'S OFFICE FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027. 2
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 3
SECTION 1. The following sum of money, or so much thereof as 4
may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the 5
special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the State 6
Treasurer's office which are collected by or otherwise become 7
available, to defray the expenses of the Office of the State 8
Treasurer for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2026, and ending 9
June 30, 2027.................................. $ 7,521,889.00. 10
SECTION 2. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of 11
this act, not more than the following amount of funds, with the 12
exception of the provisions in this section, shall be expended 13
only for "Personal Services," which includes "Vacancy Funding," 14
for the following authorized number of employment headcount: 15
FUNDING: 16
General Funds: $ 0.00 17
Special Funds: $ 3,841,122.00 18
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Total Funds: $ 3,841,122.00 19
PERSONAL SERVICES: 20
Employee Salaries, Wages and 21
Fringe Benefits: $ 3,620,670.00 22
Progressions: $ 0.00 23
Vacancy Funding: $ 220,452.00 24
Total Personal Services: $ 3,841,122.00 25
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: 26
Permanent: 40 27
Time-Limited: 0 28
As used in this section, the term "Personal Services" shall 29
mean funds provided under the major object of expenditure category 30
Personal Services for Salaries, Wages, and Fringe Benefits. Funds 31
in this category shall not be transferred to any other category. 32
It is the intention of the Legislature to ensure compliance 33
with the Variable Compensation Plan, as outlined in Section 34
25-9-147, Mississippi Code of 1972. Payment from these funds 35
shall be in accordance with the Variable Compensation Plan 36
promulgated by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. It is the 37
Legislature's intention that no employee's salary falls below the 38
minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel 39
Board. 40
The State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the 41
projected annual cost of "Personal Services" based on monthly and 42
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year-to-date payroll expenditures in compliance with the 43
provisions of this act. 44
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency's 45
responsibility to ensure that no single personnel action or 46
combination of personnel actions, when annualized, exceeds the 47
Fiscal Year 2027 appropriation for "Personal Services" with the 48
exception of escalated funds. Further, it shall be the agency's 49
responsibility to ensure that funds required to be appropriated 50
for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2028 do not exceed Fiscal 51
Year 2027 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or 52
positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2027 budget by the 53
Mississippi Legislature. 54
If, at the time the agency takes any action to change 55
"Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the 56
agency has taken or will take an action that would cause the 57
agency to exceed the funds appropriated in this act when 58
annualized for Fiscal Year 2027 or increase the need for "Personal 59
Services" for Fiscal Year 2028, when annualized, the State 60
Personnel Board shall process no salary actions until such time as 61
the requirements of the provisions of this section are met with 62
the exception of new hires determined to be essential for the 63
agency. 64
When used in this section, "Vacancy Funding" shall mean funds 65
included in the Total Personal Services amount listed above and 66
designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2027. These 67
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funds are to be utilized to increase the number of filled 68
headcounts that were authorized but unfilled as of the last day of 69
Fiscal Year 2026. If the agency fills additional headcounts after 70
February 1, 2026, until the end of Fiscal Year 2026, the amount of 71
available Vacancy Funding may be proportionally adjusted to 72
reflect the updated number of filled headcounts. The agency shall 73
be responsible for ensuring that "Vacancy Funding" is used to 74
increase headcounts and not for promotions, title changes, 75
in-range salary adjustments, or any other mechanism for increasing 76
salaries for current employees. 77
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with 78
the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or 79
allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State 80
Personnel Board shall not escalate positions or increase the 81
Personal Services total without written approval from the 82
Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of 83
Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to 84
escalate any funds for salaries and/or headcounts without proof of 85
availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated 86
level. Unless specifically noted, all Fiscal Year 2026 escalated 87
headcounts have been accounted for and shall be converted to 88
authorized time-limited headcounts. 89
No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be 90
used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for 91
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salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are 92
withdrawn and no longer available. 93
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in 94
violation of the Internal Revenue Service's Publication 15-A 95
relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as 96
interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. 97
If the agency's total authorized headcount decreases from 98
Fiscal Year 2026 to Fiscal Year 2027, it will be the agency's 99
discretion as to what headcounts are removed. 100
The Legislature authorized three (3) new headcount which is 101
included in the authorized headcount above for Fiscal Year 2027. 102
New Headcount Titles Authorized: 103
Program Specialist III - 3 104
SECTION 3. In addition to all other sums herein 105
appropriated, the following sum, or so much thereof as may be 106
necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State 107
Treasury to the credit of the Education Improvement Trust Fund No. 108
3219 for the purpose of investing funds for the fiscal year 109
beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.................. 110
................................................ $ 150,000.00. 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
Treasury to the credit of the Mississippi Prepaid Affordable 115
College Tuition Trust Fund for the purpose of paying all amounts 116
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due for prepaid tuition contracts of the Mississippi Prepaid 117
Affordable College Tuition Program, for the fiscal year beginning 118
July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.......... $ 35,000,000.00. 119
It is the intention of the Legislature that the State 120
Treasurer is hereby authorized to accept, budget and expend an 121
amount not to exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) from any 122
funds authorized for the Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College 123
Tuition Program, for paying amounts due for prepaid tuition 124
contracts of the Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition 125
Program. Such funds shall be escalated in accordance with the 126
rules and regulations of the Department of Finance and 127
Administration in a manner consistent with the escalation of 128
federal funds. 129
SECTION 5. No part of the funds appropriated herein shall be 130
used in the payment of attorney's fees, nor shall any of said 131
funds be used either directly or indirectly, for the purpose of 132
paying any clerk, stenographer, assistant, deputy or other person 133
who may be related by blood or marriage within the third degree, 134
computed by the rules of the civil law, to the official employing 135
or having the right of employment or selection thereof; and in the 136
event of any such payment, then the official or person approving 137
and making or receiving such payment shall be jointly and 138
severally liable to return to the State of Mississippi and to pay 139
into the State Treasury three (3) times any such amount so paid or 140
received, to be recovered at suit of the Attorney General; 141
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provided that when the relationship is by affinity and the person 142
through whom the relationship was established is dead, this 143
provision shall not apply. 144
SECTION 6. It is the intention of the Legislature that the 145
Office of the State Treasurer shall maintain complete accounting 146
and personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds 147
appropriated under the provisions of this act and that such 148
records shall be in the same format and level of details as 149
maintained for Fiscal Year 2026. It is further the intention of 150
the Legislature that the budget request for Fiscal Year 2028 shall 151
be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format 152
and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail 153
provided during the Fiscal Year 2027 budget request process. 154
SECTION 7. It is the intention of the Legislature that 155
whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the 156
purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things 157
stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, 158
quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind 159
shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to 160
the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are 161
made without competitive bids. 162
SECTION 8. Of the funds appropriated to the State Treasury 163
under the provisions of Section 1 of this act, the following 164
amounts shall be available for expenditure in the following 165
program budgets: 166
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ST: Appropriation; Treasurer's Office.
(a) Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition 167
program......................................... $ 1,854,655.00. 168
(b) Mississippi Affordable College Savings 169
program......................................... $ 177,860.00. 170
(c) Treasury Office - Support 171
programs........................................ $ 5,489,374.00. 172
Further, no funds to the credit of the Mississippi Prepaid 173
Affordable College Tuition Administrative Fund shall be expended 174
for purposes related to any program other than the Mississippi 175
Prepaid Affordable College Tuition program. 176
SECTION 9. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1 of this 177
act, Two Hundred Thirty-nine Thousand Dollars ($239,000.00) shall 178
be made available contingent upon passage of House Bill 4073, 2026 179
Regular Session. These funds shall be made available for the 180
purpose of administering the Mississippi Work and Save Program. 181
SECTION 10. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by 182
the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the 183
credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon 184
warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal 185
Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the 186
proper person, officer or officers in the manner provided by law. 187
SECTION 11. This act shall take effect and be in force from 188
and after July 1, 2026. 189