Education

SB 2004 allocates $24.5 million in state general funds and $10.5 million from special sources (including $1.35 million from the Education Enhancement Fund) to support Mississippi State University's Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station for fiscal year 2025-2026. The bill directly funds the station's operations, including research activities, and requires reporting on performance targets like researcher staffing levels and publications. It mandates efficient use of funds to meet specific annual goals and includes provisions for purchasing preferences for Mississippi Industries for the Blind. This is a routine appropriations bill focused on sustaining agricultural research, not a policy change.

SB 2049 adjusts state budget allocations by transferring specific funds between accounts and creating new designated funds. It directs $18 million from the Capital Expense Fund to the Mississippi State University Veterinary School Fund for campus renovations, transfers $2.5 million to create a Mississippi Veteran's Home Improvement Fund for a new Rankin County facility, and establishes a United States Fire Insurance Company Settlement Fund using existing funds. The bill also corrects a reference to the 2022 Emergency Road and Bridge Fund, repeals the March 2023 Storm Housing Mission Fund, and reallocates over $820 million across 12 other funds for infrastructure, healthcare, and disaster programs. This is a procedural budget adjustment, not a new policy, focusing solely on fund management.

SB 2036 is an appropriations bill that allocates $56.99 million from general funds and $25.85 million from special funds for the Mississippi Department of Revenue (DOR) during fiscal year 2026. It covers DOR operations - including the Homestead Exemption Division, Motor Vehicle Comptroller, Alcohol Beverage Control, and Enforcement Division - and reimburses counties and school districts for tax losses due to homestead exemptions. The bill restricts $44.92 million of the total to "Personal Services" (salaries, wages, and benefits), requiring strict adherence to headcount limits and salary caps set by the State Personnel Board. This funding ensures DOR can maintain essential services while preventing overspending on personnel costs.

SB 2029 appropriates $1.2 million for the Dixie National Livestock Show in Jackson and allocates additional funds totaling $196,540 for other livestock events in Mississippi. It directly supports livestock exhibitors, county associations, and schools by funding prizes, premiums, and operational costs for county shows, district livestock shows, state dairy shows, and high school rodeos. Key provisions require 75% of district and dairy show funds to go to 4-H and Smith-Hughes students, limit county show funding to $2,000 per county, and mandate adequate facilities for funded events. The bill specifies exact amounts for each event type (e.g., $65,000 for district shows, $14,150 for high school rodeo promotion) for fiscal year 2026. It has been signed into law by the governor.

HB 41 appropriates $1.6 million from general funds and $6.49 million from special funds (including $1.49 million from the Education Enhancement Fund) to cover the Mississippi Arts Commission's expenses for fiscal year 2026. The bill specifically allocates $1.49 million to fund arts education programs in public schools, including teacher training, grants, and the "Whole Schools Initiative." It strictly limits $1.098 million of the total funds to "Personal Services" (salaries, benefits, and vacancy funding for staff), prohibiting use for promotions or salary increases beyond approved headcounts. The Commission must maintain detailed financial records and ensure funds are spent only as specified, directly affecting its staff and public school arts programs.

This bill appropriates $73.47 million total for Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine for fiscal year 2026. It allocates $20.57 million from general funds for operations and $52.90 million from special sources (including $750,000 from the Education Enhancement Fund), specifically funding the Wise Center construction ($17.5 million), rural veterinarian scholarships ($120,000), and Chronic Wasting Disease testing ($125,000). The bill requires the college to track performance metrics like 95% graduation pass rates on vet licensing exams and 40,000 annual animal clinic visits. It mandates efficient spending and reporting to the legislature on these targets.

This bill appropriates $189 million from Mississippi's general fund and $1.7 billion from patient/student fees and special funds to cover the University of Mississippi Medical Center's (UMMC) operating expenses for fiscal year 2026. It specifically allocates funds for UMMC's schools (Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing), the Teaching Hospital, and designated programs including $2.17 million for rural physician scholarships, $4.75 million for the Cancer Institute, $595,000 for a tobacco center, and $1.35 million for children's abuse care facilities. The bill requires UMMC to provide detailed expenditure reports to the legislature and mandates that state agencies reimburse UMMC for services within 90 days or risk service discontinuation. It also prohibits using funds for embryo research and specifies how certain allocations (like scholarship programs) must be used.

HB 19 appropriates $597 million from state funds for Mississippi's Department of Health operations during fiscal year 2026 (July 2025-June 2026). It allocates specific sums to critical programs, including $34 million for the Trauma Care System (covering hospitals in Mississippi and select out-of-state partners), $20 million from the Tobacco Control Fund for cancer programs and school nurse initiatives, and $7 million for targeted health disparity and maternal care programs. The bill also sets strict limits on "Personal Services" funding (salaries and benefits) for 2,083 authorized positions. The legislation passed the legislature but was partially vetoed by the governor on June 19, 2025.

SB 2005 appropriates $33.37 million from general funds and $14.53 million from special sources (including $1.15 million from the Education Enhancement Fund) to support Mississippi State University's Cooperative Extension Service for fiscal year 2026. The bill requires the service to report on meeting specific performance targets across agriculture, 4-H, family education, and community development programs, while prohibiting the use of state funds to replace federal or external grants. It also mandates preference for Mississippi Industries for the Blind in purchasing decisions and requires compliance with budget reporting standards for future funding requests.

HB 43 appropriates $4,713,545 from general funds and $9,921,012 from special funds (including $2,118,966 from the Education Enhancement Fund) to cover the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television's (MAET) expenses for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025-June 30, 2026). The bill specifically restricts $6,550,368 of these funds for "Personal Services" (salaries, wages, benefits, and vacancy funding), limiting MAET to 87 total authorized positions (80 permanent, 7 time-limited) and prohibiting use for public relations or replacing federal funds. It requires MAET to maintain detailed financial records matching its 2025 reporting standards and mandates that any 2027 budget request follow the same format. This is a routine budget appropriation bill, now law after passing the legislature and being signed by the governor on June 2, 2025.