SB 2037 Mississippi Senate · 2025 First Extraordinary Session

Appropriation; Secretary of State.

SB 2037 appropriates $15,146,621 from general funds and $18,863,565 from special funds to support the Mississippi Secretary of State's office for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026). The bill restricts $7,842,078 to "Personal Services" (salaries, wages, and benefits for 108 authorized positions), prohibiting use for promotions or raises and requiring strict adherence to annual budget limits. It mandates detailed accounting, prohibits using general funds to replace withdrawn special funds, and bans nepotistic hiring (paying relatives within the third degree). This procedural bill focuses solely on funding allocation for the office's existing duties, with no new policy changes.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

May 2025

Committee Review

May 2025

Senate Passage

May 2025

House Passage

May 2025

Signed into Law

Jun 2025

Introduced May 28, 2025 Signed Jun 17, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the upper → Current version · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to change its status from 'As Passed the Senate' to 'As Sent to Governor' and updated the total appropriation amount from $12,288,745.00 to $18,863,565.00 for the Office of the Secretary of State's fiscal year 2026 expenses. Several formatting improvements were made throughout the document, including standardizing quotation marks around terms like 'Personal Services' and 'Vacancy Funding', and adjusting line breaks for readability.

FISCAL

The total appropriation amount for the Office of the Secretary of State was increased from $12,288,745.00 to $18,863,565.00, representing a significant increase in available funds for fiscal year 2026 operations.

TECHNICAL

Formatting improvements were made throughout the document, including standardizing quotation marks around defined terms and adjusting line breaks for better readability.

The bill title was updated from 'As Passed the Senate' to 'As Sent to Governor', reflecting the legislative process status change.

As Introduced → As Passed the upper · 10 edits

MAJOR

The bill was amended to add new sections detailing specific fund allocations for cybersecurity, elections management, and other state programs, while also clarifying definitions and adding performance measures for the Secretary of State's office. The changes expand the bill's scope beyond simple appropriations to include detailed usage restrictions and accountability requirements.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded from a simple appropriation to include detailed fund allocation categories, performance metrics, and specific usage restrictions for various programs.

FISCAL

Added Section 7 allocating $500,000 for county voting system bond payments, Section 10 allocating $1,750,000 for land records maintenance fund distributions, Section 11 allocating $4,215,393 for elections support, Section 12 allocating $6,390,440 for public trust tidelands fund, and Section 15 allocating $6,299,732 for Broadwater Marina restoration.

Added Section 14 allocating $1,000,000 for cybersecurity and election integrity expenses.

Added Section 17 allocating $1,108,000 for Statewide Elections Management System (SEMS) replacement and support.

Added Section 18 allocating $208,000 for office relocation expenses from the Capital Expense Fund.

REQUIREMENT

Added Section 4 requiring complete accounting and personnel records, and Section 8 establishing performance measures with specific targets for business services, elections, publications, and support services.

Added Section 5 prohibiting expenditure of funds for purposes not required by state or federal law.

DEFINITION

Added clarification that 'Vacancy Funding' must be used only to increase headcounts, not for promotions or salary adjustments for current employees.

Modified Section 3 to add language clarifying that Vacancy Funding is designated for approved vacancies in Fiscal Year 2026 and must be used to increase filled headcounts.

ENFORCEMENT

Added Section 6 requiring State Personnel Board approval for position escalations and prohibiting salary actions if budget limits are exceeded.

TECHNICAL

Added Section 16 reappropriating $3,977,000 for systems updates and upgrades as authorized in Senate Bill No. 3059.

Floor votes · Senate May 28, 2025 · House May 28, 2025

How they voted

40–9

Passed · 10 other

Total votes 59

May 28, 2025

D Democratic20

7 Yea 9 Nay 4

45% Nay

R Republican39

33 Yea 6

84% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Jun 17, 2025

Signed into law

Approved by Governor

executive

May 29, 2025

Upper · Passed

Concurred in Amend From House

upper

May 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed As Amended

lower

May 28, 2025

Lower · Passed

Amended

lower

May 28, 2025

Committee

Referred To Appropriations A

lower

May 28, 2025

Introduced

Transmitted To House

upper

May 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

May 28, 2025

Upper · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass

upper

May 28, 2025

Committee

Referred To Appropriations

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors