SB 3098 Mississippi Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Appropriation; Secretary of State.

SB 3098 appropriates $15.12 million from Mississippi's General Fund and $24.06 million from special funds to cover the Secretary of State's office expenses for fiscal year 2027 (July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027). It specifically allocates $7.82 million for employee salaries, benefits, and "Vacancy Funding" to fill authorized positions (96 permanent and 11 temporary roles), with strict rules preventing fund transfers to other categories or exceeding budget limits. The bill requires the office to maintain detailed financial records matching 2026 standards and prohibits using these funds to replace federal or other special funds. As a funding measure, it does not change the Secretary of State's duties or create new policies.

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 8, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the upper → Current version · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to reflect its status as sent to the Governor, increasing the total appropriation for the Secretary of State's office from $15.1 million to $15.6 million. Specific funding allocations for personal services, vacancy funding, and special funds were raised, while the total authorized headcount for the agency remains unchanged. Several sections were consolidated to streamline the description of election-related expenses, and the effective date of the act was extended to cover the full fiscal year.

Scope change

The scope of the bill's financial scope expanded significantly with increased appropriations, while the operational scope regarding staff headcount remained constant.

FISCAL

The total appropriation for the Secretary of State's fiscal year 2027 budget was increased from $15,124,840 to $15,571,621.

Funds designated for 'Personal Services' (salaries and benefits) were increased from $7,820,297 to $7,842,078.

The specific budget for 'Vacancy Funding' used to hire unfilled positions was nearly doubled from $82,518 to $169,822.

The appropriation for the Public Trust Tidelands Fund was reduced from $18,090,440 to $16,309,000.

REQUIREMENT

The deadline for filling vacant positions to qualify for proportional funding adjustment was extended from February 1, 2026, to March 1, 2026.

ENFORCEMENT

Sections 9 and 10, which separately specified funding amounts for county voting system bonds and cybersecurity, were removed and merged into a single Section 9.

TIMELINE

Section 18 was amended to remove the repeal date of June 30, 2026, ensuring the act remains in force for the entire fiscal year ending June 30, 2027.

As Introduced → As Passed the upper · 9 edits

MAJOR

The bill was amended to add detailed performance metrics for the Secretary of State's office, clarify how 'Vacancy Funding' must be used to fill unfilled positions, and introduce strict controls on salary escalations requiring written approval from the Department of Finance and Administration. Several new sections were added to allocate specific funds for cybersecurity, election integrity, and bond interest, while other sections were renumbered to accommodate these additions.

Scope change

The bill's scope expanded to include specific performance targets for business services and elections, as well as new funding allocations for cybersecurity and election integrity that were not present in the original version.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new section defining 'Vacancy Funding' strictly for filling authorized but unfilled headcounts, prohibiting its use for promotions or salary increases for current employees.

Added new restrictions requiring written approval from the Department of Finance and Administration before any positions can be escalated or the Personal Services total increased.

Introduced a new requirement that if the agency's total authorized headcount decreases, the agency has discretion on which specific headcounts are removed.

Added Section 14 to allocate $18,090,440 from the Public Trust Tidelands Fund to the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources.

Added a new section listing specific performance measures for the Secretary of State, including targets for poll worker training, voter registration updates, and website visits.

FISCAL

Added Section 9 to allocate up to $500,000 for paying principal and interest on county voting system bonds.

Added Section 10 to allocate $1,000,000 specifically for cybersecurity and election integrity expenses.

Added Section 11 to allocate $1,108,000 for the replacement, modification, and support of the Statewide Elections Management System (SEMS).

SCOPE

Reordered and renumbered existing sections to accommodate the new content, moving the original Section 4 (accounting records) to Section 4 and shifting subsequent sections accordingly.

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

How they voted

50–0

Passed · 2 other

Total votes 52

Feb 19, 2026

D Democratic18

17 Yea 1

94% 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 8, 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 D;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

upper

Feb 17, 2026

Committee

Referred To Appropriations

upper

1 primary · 6 co-sponsors