SB 3064 Mississippi Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Appropriation; Employment Security, Department of.

SB 3064 allocates $137,774,071 in state funds to the Mississippi Department of Employment Security for fiscal year 2027 (July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027), primarily for operational expenses. It specifically restricts $29,865,891 of these funds to "Personal Services" (salaries, wages, and benefits) for up to 425 authorized positions (379 permanent, 46 time-limited), with strict rules requiring the department to avoid exceeding budgeted personnel costs. The bill mandates that "Vacancy Funding" ($908,823) can only fill unfilled positions from the prior year - not fund raises or promotions - and requires State Personnel Board approval for any salary increases or position escalations. As a funding measure, it does not create new policies but sets procedural limits on how state funds may be spent for department staffing.

Issues: ✓ Budget & Taxes

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Feb 23, 2026 Signed Apr 9, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the upper → Current version · 10 edits

MAJOR

The bill was amended to reflect its passage to the Governor, increasing the total appropriation for the Department of Employment Security from $137.8 million to $138.3 million. Specific funding allocations for personal services and vacancy funding were raised, while the authorized headcount for permanent positions increased from 379 to 384. Several other line items, including workforce development funds and specific program budgets, were also adjusted upward.

FISCAL

The total appropriation for the Department of Employment Security was increased from $137,774,071.00 to $138,324,669.00.

Funding for 'Personal Services' increased from $28,957,068.00 to $29,247,313.00, and 'Vacancy Funding' increased from $908,823.00 to $1,169,176.00.

Operating expenses for the Office of Workforce Development were increased from $4,117,897.00 to $4,138,015.00.

The total amount available from the Mississippi Works Fund was increased from $15,000,000.00 to $25,000,000.00.

The allocation from the State Workforce Investment Funds was increased from $3,000,000.00 to $3,169,850.00.

A new Section 26 was added to allocate up to $300,000 from the Mississippi Works Fund to the Mississippi Office of Apprenticeship.

A new Section 28 was added to allocate $1,000,000 from the Opioid Settlement Fund to support a recovery-to-work pilot program.

REQUIREMENT

The authorized number of permanent employment headcounts was increased from 379 to 384.

A new Section 29 was added requiring recipients of funds under Section 28 to certify under oath that they have not entered into prohibited performance-based contracts.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting changes were made, including converting single quotes to double quotes for consistency and adjusting line breaks in the text.

As Introduced → Committee Substitute · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended from its original version to significantly increase funding for the Mississippi Department of Employment Security and the Office of Workforce Development. The Committee Substitute adds new sections to establish specific performance targets for workforce training, clarifies rules for salary escalations and vacancy funding, and reappropriates funds for capital expenses and educational programs that were not present in the original draft.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include detailed performance metrics for the Office of Workforce Development and specific restrictions on how salary increases and vacancy funding can be used, ensuring funds are directed toward filling authorized positions rather than raising current salaries.

FISCAL

Funding amounts were adjusted; the appropriation for the Department of Employment Security increased from $1.8 million to $137.7 million, and the Office of Workforce Development funding was expanded to include new specific line items totaling over $20 million.

New Sections 25 and 26 were added to reappropriate $75,000 for Save the Children and $400,000 for the Skills Foundation, respectively, supporting educational and workforce development initiatives.

New Sections 14 through 24 authorize specific funding allocations for various workforce programs, including the Career Coaching Program, financial literacy curriculum, and grants for Pathways2Possibilities and Area Development Partnerships.

REQUIREMENT

New Section 8 requires agencies to maintain detailed accounting records and submit budget requests in a specific format for the next fiscal year to ensure transparency.

New Section 12 introduces specific performance measures for the Talent Solutions program, including targets for job retention, training capacity, and student participation in workforce credentials.

New restrictions were added to prevent salary escalations without written approval from the Department of Finance and Administration and proof of available funds, preventing the agency from exceeding the appropriated budget.

DEFINITION

The definition of 'Vacancy Funding' was clarified to strictly prohibit using these funds for promotions, title changes, or salary adjustments for current employees, limiting their use to filling authorized but unfilled positions.

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

How they voted

49–0

Passed · 3 other

Total votes 52

Feb 19, 2026

D Democratic18

17 Yea 1

94% Yea

R Republican34

32 Yea 2

94% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 9, 2026

Signed into law

Approved by Governor

executive

Mar 29, 2026

Lower · Passed

Conference Report Adopted

lower

Mar 27, 2026

Lower · Passed

Conference Report Filed

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed As Amended

lower

Mar 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Amended

lower

Mar 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass As Amended

lower

Feb 24, 2026

Committee

Referred To Appropriations E;Appropriations A

lower

Feb 23, 2026

Introduced

Transmitted To House

upper

Feb 19, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

Feb 18, 2026

Upper · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Committee

Referred To Appropriations

upper

1 primary · 6 co-sponsors