HB 1896 Mississippi House · 2026 Regular Session

Appropriation; Marine Resources, Department of.

This bill appropriates $3,692,008 from general funds and $257,168,829 from special funds (including $3,050,000 from gasoline taxes) for Mississippi's Department of Marine Resources during fiscal year 2027. It directly affects the department's staffing and budgeting, requiring all funds to be used strictly for personnel costs like salaries and fringe benefits, with no transfers to other spending categories. The bill prohibits using vacancy funding for employee raises or promotions and mandates strict adherence to approved staffing levels (108 permanent and 65 time-limited positions). It also requires the department to maintain detailed records for all expenditures and comply with state personnel compensation rules.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Feb 20, 2026 Signed Apr 6, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the lower → Current version · 5 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to increase total funding for the Department of Marine Resources, raising the General Fund appropriation by approximately $18,000 and the Special Fund appropriation by nearly $60 million. Additionally, the legislation reorganized the detailed project list for Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) funds, shifting from a narrative list to a structured table format and adjusting the total GOMESA allocation from $93 million to $152 million. A significant reduction in the agency's discretionary authority to use GOMESA funds for new projects was also made, lowering the cap from $10 million to $5 million.

Scope change

The scope of funding expanded significantly with higher appropriations, while the scope of discretionary spending authority was narrowed by reducing the allowable cap for unallocated GOMESA funds.

FISCAL

Increased the General Fund appropriation for the Department of Marine Resources from $3,692,008 to $3,710,653.

Increased the Special Fund appropriation for the Department of Marine Resources from $257,168,829 to $316,532,445.

Reorganized the GOMESA project list into a structured table format and increased the total allocated amount from $93,388,264 to $152,701,468.

REQUIREMENT

Reduced the maximum amount of GOMESA funds the Department of Marine Resources can use for discretionary projects from $10 million to $5 million.

TIMELINE

Changed the deadline for submitting vacancy funding proposals from February 1, 2026, to March 1, 2026.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 12, 2026 · House Feb 19, 2026

How they voted

51–0

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 52

Mar 12, 2026

D Democratic18

18 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican34

33 Yea 1

97% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 6, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor

executive

Mar 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Conference Report Adopted

lower

Mar 30, 2026

Committee

Recommitted For Further Conf

upper

Mar 30, 2026

Lower · Passed

Conference Report Filed

lower

Mar 29, 2026

Committee

Recommitted For Further Conf

lower

Mar 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Conference Report Filed

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed As Amended

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Amended

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Upper · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass As Amended

upper

Feb 27, 2026

Committee

Referred To Appropriations

upper

Feb 20, 2026

Introduced

Transmitted To Senate

lower

Feb 19, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed

lower

Feb 18, 2026

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass

lower

Feb 16, 2026

Committee

Referred To Appropriations B;Appropriations A

lower

1 primary · 7 co-sponsors