Mississippi 2025 Regular Session

Mississippi House Bill HB1742 Compare Versions

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1		-	MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE 2025 Regular Session To: Appropriations C; Appropriations A By: Representatives Deweese, Read, Bennett, Creekmore IV, Currie, McGee, Mickens, Scott, Turner House Bill 1742 ~~(As Passed the House)~~ AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2026. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Department of Human Services for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026.... $ 78,116,522.00. SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Department of Human Services which is comprised of special source funds collected by or otherwise available to the department for the support of the various divisions of the department, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the department for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026 $ 1,572,880,450.00. SECTION 3. None of the funds appropriated by this act shall be expended for any purpose that is not actually required or necessary for performing any of the powers or duties of the Department of Human Services that are authorized by the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, state or federal law, or rules or regulations that implement state or federal law. SECTION 4. With the funds appropriated in this act, the following positions are authorized: AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: Permanent: Full Time............ 1,202 Time-Limited: Full Time............ 353 With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agencys responsibility to make certain that funds required for Personal Services for Fiscal Year 2027 do not exceed Fiscal Year 2026 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or positions are added to the agencys Fiscal Year 2026 budget by the Mississippi Legislature. The Legislature shall determine the agencys personal services appropriation, which the State Personnel Board shall publish. The agencys personal services appropriation may consist of restricted funds for approved vacancies for Fiscal Year 2026 that may be utilized to fill vacant Fiscal Year 2025 headcount. It shall be the agency's responsibility to ensure that the funds provided for vacancies are used to increase headcount and not for promotions, title changes, in-range salary adjustments or any other mechanism for increasing salaries for current employees. It is the Legislatures intention that no employee salary falls below the minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. Additionally, the State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the projected annualized payroll costs based on current employees. It shall be the responsibility of the agency head to ensure that actual personnel expenditures for Fiscal Year 2026 do not exceed the data provided by the Legislative Budget Office. If the agencys Fiscal Year 2026 projected cost exceeds the annualized costs, no salary actions shall be processed by the State Personnel Board except for new hires determined to be essential for the agency. Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State Personnel Board shall not escalate positions without written approval from the Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to escalate any funds for salaries and/or positions without proof of availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated level. No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are withdrawn and no longer available. None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in violation of the Internal Revenue Services Publication 15-A relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services shall maintain complete accounting and personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds appropriated under this act and that such records shall be in the same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 2025. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2027 shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail provided during the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request process. SECTION 6. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 herein to the Department of Human Services, One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) shall be transferred to the Department of Health, Child Care Licensure Program from the Child Care Development Fund or other appropriate special fund. These funds are to be transferred to the Board of Health no later than July 31, 2024. The Department of Health shall make a complete accounting to the Department of Human Services detailing the uses of these funds in accordance with federal and state regulations. SECTION 7. It is the intention of the Legislature that whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are made without competitive bids. SECTION 8. The Department of Human Services is authorized to expend available funds on technology or equipment upgrades or replacements when it will generate savings through efficiency or when the savings generated from such upgrades or replacements exceed expenditures thereof. SECTION 9. It is the intention of the Legislature that none of the funds provided herein shall be used to pay certain utilities for state furnished housing for any employees. Such utilities shall include electricity, natural gas, butane, propane, cable and phone services. Where actual cost cannot be determined, the agency shall be required to provide meters to be in compliance with legislative intent. Such state furnished housing shall include single-family and multi-family residences but shall not include any dormitory residences. Allowances for such utilities shall be prohibited. SECTION 10. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided below: FY2026 Performance Measures Target Support Services Percent of Referred/Directed Investigative Audits Conducted 100.00 Percent of Special Investigations Conducted 95.00 Percent of Referred/Obtained Fraud Investigations Conducted Timely 100.00 Percent of Referred Administrative Disqualification Hearings & Fair Hearings Conducted Timely 99.00 Percent of Monitoring Reviews Conducted within Acceptable Timeframes 98.00 Total Amount of Funds Recovered 3,500,000.00 Aging & Adult Services In-Home Services - Age 60 + (Persons Served) 18,680 Community Services - Age 60 + (Persons Served) 193,617 Number of Congregate Meals 468,272 Number of Home Delivered Meals 2,700,000 Substantiated Incidences of Abuse of Vulnerable Adults per 1,000 Population 0.17 Home Delivered Meals, Percent Reduction of Persons on Waiting list 1.00 Child Support Enforcement Increase the Number of Paternities Established 15,500 Percent Change in Paternities Established 3.30 Number of Obligations Established 16,000 Percent Change in Obligations Established 12.50 Total Collections 378,000,000.00 Percent Change in Total Collections -2.50 Number of Absent Parents Located 68,000 Percent of Child Support Cases Current on Payments -2.53 Community Services Number of Elderly Served by CSBG & LIHEAP 20,352 Number of Disabled Served CSBG/LIHEAP 26,762 Number of Households Achieving Self-Sufficiency CSBG/LIHEAP 0 Percent Increase in Rate of Households Attaining Self-Sufficiency 0.00 Number of Households Stabilized CSBG/LIHEAP 0 Percent Increase in the Number of Households Stabilized 0.00 Number of Households Weatherized 516 Early Childhood Care & Dev Number of Children Served 33,000 Assistance Payments Dollar Amount of Assistance 6,240,877.00 Food Assistance Number of Average Monthly Households 22,500 Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP ($) 716,413,100.00 Percent of Mississippi Households Receiving SNAP Benefits 22.51 Tanf Work Program Number of Average Monthly TANF Households 8,864 Number of Average Monthly Persons Served in TANF Work Program 1,107 TANF Work Program Participation Rate (%) 60.00 Number of Persons Employed Through the TANF Work Program for the Year 832 Number of Households Receiving TANF Benefits During the Year 9,969 Percent of Households Receiving TANF During the Year 49.00 Percent of TANF Participants in Job Trng Who Enter Employment 30.00 Percent of TANF Participants in Job Training Who Enter Employment at A Salary Sufficient to Be Ineligible for TANF 19.00 Percent of TANF Participants in Job Training Who Remain Employed For: One Year After Leaving the Program 75.00 Percent of TANF Participants in Job Training Who Remain Employed For: Five Years After Leaving the Program 65.00 Social Services Block Grant Number of Clients Served, Division of Family & Children's Services 75,611 Number of Clients Served, Aging & Adult Services 21,178 Number of Clients Served, Youth Services 12,880 Youth Services Community Services (Children Served) 6,000 Institutional Component (Children Served) 130 Number of Volunteers - Community Services/Institution 0 Number of Children Placed in Alternative Placement 95 Percent of Children Diverted from Institutional Care 95.00 Recidivism Rate (%) 4.00 A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee for Fiscal Year 2027. SECTION 11. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Enforcement, make a concentrated effort to increase collections of past due child support payments. On or before January 1, 2026, the Executive Director of the Department of Human Services shall submit a report to the Legislative Budget Office detailing year-to-date performance measures in the Child Support Enforcement Program compared with the prior year. SECTION 12. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services shall have the authority to spend such additional funds as it shall receive from the federal government in incentives or the federal match on those incentives for the purpose of child support enforcement. SECTION 13. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1, Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00) shall be transferred to the Juvenile Facility Monitoring Unit at the Department of Public Safety no later than July 31, 2025. SECTION 14. Of the funds appropriated herein, to the Department of Human Services One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00), is provided for the support of the Home Delivered Meals Program and any additional funds that may be appropriated to this program. SECTION 15. Of the funds provided in Section 1, herein to the Department of Human Services, an amount not to exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) is provided to fund the Senior Olympics Program. SECTION 16. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Governors Office, Division of Medicaid and the Department of Human Services shall continue to work together to implement Section 43-12-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, known as the "Medicaid and Human Services Transparency and Fraud Prevention Act". SECTION 17. As a condition of receiving and expending any funds appropriated under this act, the Department of Human Services: (a) Shall use a competitive procurement process for entering into all TANF subgrant agreements with non-state entities when the federal government does not direct to whom the funds must be subgranted; (b) Upon awarding of a grant to any subgrantee of the department, shall require the subgrantee to submit a monthly report to the department that contains, but is not limited to, all of the following: (i) A listing of all costs incurred by the subgrantee during the previous month; (ii) A listing of all clients served by the subgrantee, with an explanation of which services were provided to the clients; (iii) A listing of all lower-tier subgrantees, who must be approved by the department before the execution of any such agreement by the prime subgrantee; and (iv) Any other data required by the department to provide sufficient evidence of budgetary compliance; (c) Shall not advance funds to a subgrantee for more than sixty (60) days; and (d) Shall reimburse a subgrantee for expenses only after the required documentation is provided and is approved by the department. SECTION 18. It is the intent of the Legislature, that within the funds available, the Department of Human Services may provide any qualifying grants of CARES Act or American Rescue Act funding in an amount not to exceed One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) to the three (3) regional food banks that serve Mississippi, including Feed the Gulf Coast, Mid-South Food Bank, and Mississippi Food Network. SECTION 19. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated for the Department of Human Services for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of Capital Expense Funds, as authorized in HB 1797, 2024 Regular Session to defray expenses of the Department of Human Services for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026 .............................................. $ 56,188,624.00. This appropriation is made for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of funds as allocated herein: (a) To defray the Departments computer expenses........... ......................................... $ 2,188,624.00. (b) To secure federal funding for a new computer system.... ......................................... $ 54,000,000.00. Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, the amount that may be expended under the authority of this section, shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds remaining as of June 30, 2025, from the amount authorized for the previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. SECTION 20. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. SECTION 21. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2025.
	1	+	MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE 2025 Regular Session To: Appropriations C; Appropriations A By: Representatives Deweese, Read, Bennett, Creekmore IV, Currie, McGee, Mickens, Scott, Turner House Bill 1742 AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2026. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Department of Human Services for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026.... $ 78,116,522.00. SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Department of Human Services which is comprised of special source funds collected by or otherwise available to the department for the support of the various divisions of the department, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the department for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026 $ 1,572,880,450.00. SECTION 3. None of the funds appropriated by this act shall be expended for any purpose that is not actually required or necessary for performing any of the powers or duties of the Department of Human Services that are authorized by the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, state or federal law, or rules or regulations that implement state or federal law. SECTION 4. With the funds appropriated in this act, the following positions are authorized: AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT: Permanent: Full Time............ 1,202 Time-Limited: Full Time............ 353 With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agencys responsibility to make certain that funds required for Personal Services for Fiscal Year 2027 do not exceed Fiscal Year 2026 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or positions are added to the agencys Fiscal Year 2026 budget by the Mississippi Legislature. The Legislature shall determine the agencys personal services appropriation, which the State Personnel Board shall publish. The agencys personal services appropriation may consist of restricted funds for approved vacancies for Fiscal Year 2026 that may be utilized to fill vacant Fiscal Year 2025 headcount. It shall be the agency's responsibility to ensure that the funds provided for vacancies are used to increase headcount and not for promotions, title changes, in-range salary adjustments or any other mechanism for increasing salaries for current employees. It is the Legislatures intention that no employee salary falls below the minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel Board. Additionally, the State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the projected annualized payroll costs based on current employees. It shall be the responsibility of the agency head to ensure that actual personnel expenditures for Fiscal Year 2026 do not exceed the data provided by the Legislative Budget Office. If the agencys Fiscal Year 2026 projected cost exceeds the annualized costs, no salary actions shall be processed by the State Personnel Board except for new hires determined to be essential for the agency. Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State Personnel Board shall not escalate positions without written approval from the Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to escalate any funds for salaries and/or positions without proof of availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated level. No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are withdrawn and no longer available. None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in violation of the Internal Revenue Services Publication 15-A relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor. SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services shall maintain complete accounting and personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds appropriated under this act and that such records shall be in the same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 2025. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2027 shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail provided during the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request process. SECTION 6. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 herein to the Department of Human Services, One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) shall be transferred to the Department of Health, Child Care Licensure Program from the Child Care Development Fund or other appropriate special fund. These funds are to be transferred to the Board of Health no later than July 31, 2024. The Department of Health shall make a complete accounting to the Department of Human Services detailing the uses of these funds in accordance with federal and state regulations. SECTION 7. It is the intention of the Legislature that whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are made without competitive bids. SECTION 8. The Department of Human Services is authorized to expend available funds on technology or equipment upgrades or replacements when it will generate savings through efficiency or when the savings generated from such upgrades or replacements exceed expenditures thereof. SECTION 9. It is the intention of the Legislature that none of the funds provided herein shall be used to pay certain utilities for state furnished housing for any employees. Such utilities shall include electricity, natural gas, butane, propane, cable and phone services. Where actual cost cannot be determined, the agency shall be required to provide meters to be in compliance with legislative intent. Such state furnished housing shall include single-family and multi-family residences but shall not include any dormitory residences. Allowances for such utilities shall be prohibited. SECTION 10. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided below: FY2026 Performance Measures Target Support Services Percent of Referred/Directed Investigative Audits Conducted 100.00 Percent of Special Investigations Conducted 95.00 Percent of Referred/Obtained Fraud Investigations Conducted Timely 100.00 Percent of Referred Administrative Disqualification Hearings & Fair Hearings Conducted Timely 99.00 Percent of Monitoring Reviews Conducted within Acceptable Timeframes 98.00 Total Amount of Funds Recovered 3,500,000.00 Aging & Adult Services In-Home Services - Age 60 + (Persons Served) 18,680 Community Services - Age 60 + (Persons Served) 193,617 Number of Congregate Meals 468,272 Number of Home Delivered Meals 2,700,000 Substantiated Incidences of Abuse of Vulnerable Adults per 1,000 Population 0.17 Home Delivered Meals, Percent Reduction of Persons on Waiting list 1.00 Child Support Enforcement Increase the Number of Paternities Established 15,500 Percent Change in Paternities Established 3.30 Number of Obligations Established 16,000 Percent Change in Obligations Established 12.50 Total Collections 378,000,000.00 Percent Change in Total Collections -2.50 Number of Absent Parents Located 68,000 Percent of Child Support Cases Current on Payments -2.53 Community Services Number of Elderly Served by CSBG & LIHEAP 20,352 Number of Disabled Served CSBG/LIHEAP 26,762 Number of Households Achieving Self-Sufficiency CSBG/LIHEAP 0 Percent Increase in Rate of Households Attaining Self-Sufficiency 0.00 Number of Households Stabilized CSBG/LIHEAP 0 Percent Increase in the Number of Households Stabilized 0.00 Number of Households Weatherized 516 Early Childhood Care & Dev Number of Children Served 33,000 Assistance Payments Dollar Amount of Assistance 6,240,877.00 Food Assistance Number of Average Monthly Households 22,500 Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program - SNAP ($) 716,413,100.00 Percent of Mississippi Households Receiving SNAP Benefits 22.51 Tanf Work Program Number of Average Monthly TANF Households 8,864 Number of Average Monthly Persons Served in TANF Work Program 1,107 TANF Work Program Participation Rate (%) 60.00 Number of Persons Employed Through the TANF Work Program for the Year 832 Number of Households Receiving TANF Benefits During the Year 9,969 Percent of Households Receiving TANF During the Year 49.00 Percent of TANF Participants in Job Trng Who Enter Employment 30.00 Percent of TANF Participants in Job Training Who Enter Employment at A Salary Sufficient to Be Ineligible for TANF 19.00 Percent of TANF Participants in Job Training Who Remain Employed For: One Year After Leaving the Program 75.00 Percent of TANF Participants in Job Training Who Remain Employed For: Five Years After Leaving the Program 65.00 Social Services Block Grant Number of Clients Served, Division of Family & Children's Services 75,611 Number of Clients Served, Aging & Adult Services 21,178 Number of Clients Served, Youth Services 12,880 Youth Services Community Services (Children Served) 6,000 Institutional Component (Children Served) 130 Number of Volunteers - Community Services/Institution 0 Number of Children Placed in Alternative Placement 95 Percent of Children Diverted from Institutional Care 95.00 Recidivism Rate (%) 4.00 A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee for Fiscal Year 2027. SECTION 11. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Enforcement, make a concentrated effort to increase collections of past due child support payments. On or before January 1, 2026, the Executive Director of the Department of Human Services shall submit a report to the Legislative Budget Office detailing year-to-date performance measures in the Child Support Enforcement Program compared with the prior year. SECTION 12. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services shall have the authority to spend such additional funds as it shall receive from the federal government in incentives or the federal match on those incentives for the purpose of child support enforcement. SECTION 13. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1, Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00) shall be transferred to the Juvenile Facility Monitoring Unit at the Department of Public Safety no later than July 31, 2025. SECTION 14. Of the funds appropriated herein, to the Department of Human Services One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00), is provided for the support of the Home Delivered Meals Program and any additional funds that may be appropriated to this program. SECTION 15. Of the funds provided in Section 1, herein to the Department of Human Services, an amount not to exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) is provided to fund the Senior Olympics Program. SECTION 16. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Governors Office, Division of Medicaid and the Department of Human Services shall continue to work together to implement Section 43-12-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, known as the "Medicaid and Human Services Transparency and Fraud Prevention Act". SECTION 17. As a condition of receiving and expending any funds appropriated under this act, the Department of Human Services: (a) Shall use a competitive procurement process for entering into all TANF subgrant agreements with non-state entities when the federal government does not direct to whom the funds must be subgranted; (b) Upon awarding of a grant to any subgrantee of the department, shall require the subgrantee to submit a monthly report to the department that contains, but is not limited to, all of the following: (i) A listing of all costs incurred by the subgrantee during the previous month; (ii) A listing of all clients served by the subgrantee, with an explanation of which services were provided to the clients; (iii) A listing of all lower-tier subgrantees, who must be approved by the department before the execution of any such agreement by the prime subgrantee; and (iv) Any other data required by the department to provide sufficient evidence of budgetary compliance; (c) Shall not advance funds to a subgrantee for more than sixty (60) days; and (d) Shall reimburse a subgrantee for expenses only after the required documentation is provided and is approved by the department. SECTION 18. It is the intent of the Legislature, that within the funds available, the Department of Human Services may provide any qualifying grants of CARES Act or American Rescue Act funding in an amount not to exceed One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) to the three (3) regional food banks that serve Mississippi, including Feed the Gulf Coast, Mid-South Food Bank, and Mississippi Food Network. SECTION 19. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated for the Department of Human Services for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of Capital Expense Funds, as authorized in HB 1797, 2024 Regular Session to defray expenses of the Department of Human Services for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026 .............................................. $ 56,188,624.00. This appropriation is made for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of funds as allocated herein: (a) To defray the Departments computer expenses........... ......................................... $ 2,188,624.00. (b) To secure federal funding for a new computer system.... ......................................... $ 54,000,000.00. Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, the amount that may be expended under the authority of this section, shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds remaining as of June 30, 2025, from the amount authorized for the previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized. SECTION 20. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law. SECTION 21. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2025.
2	2
3	3		MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
4	4
5	5		2025 Regular Session
6	6
7	7		To: Appropriations C; Appropriations A
8	8
9	9		By: Representatives Deweese, Read, Bennett, Creekmore IV, Currie, McGee, Mickens, Scott, Turner
10	10
11	11		# House Bill 1742
12		-
13		-	## (As Passed the House)
14	12
15	13		AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2026.
16	14
17	15		BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
18	16
19	17		SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Department of Human Services for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026.... $ 78,116,522.00.
20	18
21	19		SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Department of Human Services which is comprised of special source funds collected by or otherwise available to the department for the support of the various divisions of the department, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the department for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026 $ 1,572,880,450.00.
22	20
23	21		SECTION 3. None of the funds appropriated by this act shall be expended for any purpose that is not actually required or necessary for performing any of the powers or duties of the Department of Human Services that are authorized by the Mississippi Constitution of 1890, state or federal law, or rules or regulations that implement state or federal law.
24	22
25	23		SECTION 4. With the funds appropriated in this act, the following positions are authorized:
26	24
27	25		AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT:
28	26
29	27		Permanent: Full Time............ 1,202
30	28
31	29		Time-Limited: Full Time............ 353
32	30
33	31		With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agencys responsibility to make certain that funds required for Personal Services for Fiscal Year 2027 do not exceed Fiscal Year 2026 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or positions are added to the agencys Fiscal Year 2026 budget by the Mississippi Legislature. The Legislature shall determine the agencys personal services appropriation, which the State Personnel Board shall publish. The agencys personal services appropriation may consist of restricted funds for approved vacancies for Fiscal Year 2026 that may be utilized to fill vacant Fiscal Year 2025 headcount. It shall be the agency's responsibility to ensure that the funds provided for vacancies are used to increase headcount and not for promotions, title changes, in-range salary adjustments or any other mechanism for increasing salaries for current employees. It is the Legislatures intention that no employee salary falls below the minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel Board.
34	32
35	33		Additionally, the State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the projected annualized payroll costs based on current employees. It shall be the responsibility of the agency head to ensure that actual personnel expenditures for Fiscal Year 2026 do not exceed the data provided by the Legislative Budget Office. If the agencys Fiscal Year 2026 projected cost exceeds the annualized costs, no salary actions shall be processed by the State Personnel Board except for new hires determined to be essential for the agency.
36	34
37	35		Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with the terms, conditions, and procedures established by law or allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State Personnel Board shall not escalate positions without written approval from the Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to escalate any funds for salaries and/or positions without proof of availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated level.
38	36
39	37		No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds used for salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are withdrawn and no longer available.
40	38
41	39		None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in violation of the Internal Revenue Services Publication 15-A relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor.
42	40
43	41		SECTION 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services shall maintain complete accounting and personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds appropriated under this act and that such records shall be in the same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 2025. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2027 shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail provided during the Fiscal Year 2026 budget request process.
44	42
45	43		SECTION 6. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2 herein to the Department of Human Services, One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) shall be transferred to the Department of Health, Child Care Licensure Program from the Child Care Development Fund or other appropriate special fund. These funds are to be transferred to the Board of Health no later than July 31, 2024. The Department of Health shall make a complete accounting to the Department of Human Services detailing the uses of these funds in accordance with federal and state regulations.
46	44
47	45		SECTION 7. It is the intention of the Legislature that whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are made without competitive bids.
48	46
49	47		SECTION 8. The Department of Human Services is authorized to expend available funds on technology or equipment upgrades or replacements when it will generate savings through efficiency or when the savings generated from such upgrades or replacements exceed expenditures thereof.
50	48
51	49		SECTION 9. It is the intention of the Legislature that none of the funds provided herein shall be used to pay certain utilities for state furnished housing for any employees. Such utilities shall include electricity, natural gas, butane, propane, cable and phone services. Where actual cost cannot be determined, the agency shall be required to provide meters to be in compliance with legislative intent. Such state furnished housing shall include single-family and multi-family residences but shall not include any dormitory residences. Allowances for such utilities shall be prohibited.
52	50
53	51		SECTION 10. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided below:
54	52
55	53		FY2026
56	54
57	55		Performance Measures Target
58	56
59	57		Support Services
60	58
61	59		Percent of Referred/Directed
62	60
63	61		Investigative Audits Conducted 100.00
64	62
65	63		Percent of Special Investigations Conducted 95.00
66	64
67	65		Percent of Referred/Obtained Fraud
68	66
69	67		Investigations Conducted Timely 100.00
70	68
71	69		Percent of Referred Administrative
72	70
73	71		Disqualification Hearings & Fair
74	72
75	73		Hearings Conducted Timely 99.00
76	74
77	75		Percent of Monitoring Reviews Conducted
78	76
79	77		within Acceptable Timeframes 98.00
80	78
81	79		Total Amount of Funds Recovered 3,500,000.00
82	80
83	81		Aging & Adult Services
84	82
85	83		In-Home Services - Age 60 + (Persons Served) 18,680
86	84
87	85		Community Services - Age 60 + (Persons
88	86
89	87		Served) 193,617
90	88
91	89		Number of Congregate Meals 468,272
92	90
93	91		Number of Home Delivered Meals 2,700,000
94	92
95	93		Substantiated Incidences of Abuse of
96	94
97	95		Vulnerable Adults per 1,000 Population 0.17
98	96
99	97		Home Delivered Meals, Percent Reduction
100	98
101	99		of Persons on Waiting list 1.00
102	100
103	101		Child Support Enforcement
104	102
105	103		Increase the Number of Paternities
106	104
107	105		Established 15,500
108	106
109	107		Percent Change in Paternities Established 3.30
110	108
111	109		Number of Obligations Established 16,000
112	110
113	111		Percent Change in Obligations Established 12.50
114	112
115	113		Total Collections 378,000,000.00
116	114
117	115		Percent Change in Total Collections -2.50
118	116
119	117		Number of Absent Parents Located 68,000
120	118
121	119		Percent of Child Support Cases Current
122	120
123	121		on Payments -2.53
124	122
125	123		Community Services
126	124
127	125		Number of Elderly Served by CSBG & LIHEAP 20,352
128	126
129	127		Number of Disabled Served CSBG/LIHEAP 26,762
130	128
131	129		Number of Households Achieving
132	130
133	131		Self-Sufficiency CSBG/LIHEAP 0
134	132
135	133		Percent Increase in Rate of Households
136	134
137	135		Attaining Self-Sufficiency 0.00
138	136
139	137		Number of Households Stabilized CSBG/LIHEAP 0
140	138
141	139		Percent Increase in the Number of
142	140
143	141		Households Stabilized 0.00
144	142
145	143		Number of Households Weatherized 516
146	144
147	145		Early Childhood Care & Dev
148	146
149	147		Number of Children Served 33,000
150	148
151	149		Assistance Payments
152	150
153	151		Dollar Amount of Assistance 6,240,877.00
154	152
155	153		Food Assistance
156	154
157	155		Number of Average Monthly Households 22,500
158	156
159	157		Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program
160	158
161	159		- SNAP ($) 716,413,100.00
162	160
163	161		Percent of Mississippi Households
164	162
165	163		Receiving SNAP Benefits 22.51
166	164
167	165		Tanf Work Program
168	166
169	167		Number of Average Monthly TANF Households 8,864
170	168
171	169		Number of Average Monthly Persons Served
172	170
173	171		in TANF Work Program 1,107
174	172
175	173		TANF Work Program Participation Rate (%) 60.00
176	174
177	175		Number of Persons Employed Through the
178	176
179	177		TANF Work Program for the Year 832
180	178
181	179		Number of Households Receiving TANF
182	180
183	181		Benefits During the Year 9,969
184	182
185	183		Percent of Households Receiving TANF
186	184
187	185		During the Year 49.00
188	186
189	187		Percent of TANF Participants in Job Trng
190	188
191	189		Who Enter Employment 30.00
192	190
193	191		Percent of TANF Participants in Job
194	192
195	193		Training Who Enter Employment at A
196	194
197	195		Salary Sufficient to Be Ineligible for
198	196
199	197		TANF 19.00
200	198
201	199		Percent of TANF Participants in Job
202	200
203	201		Training Who Remain Employed For: One
204	202
205	203		Year After Leaving the Program 75.00
206	204
207	205		Percent of TANF Participants in Job
208	206
209	207		Training Who Remain Employed For: Five
210	208
211	209		Years After Leaving the Program 65.00
212	210
213	211		Social Services Block Grant
214	212
215	213		Number of Clients Served, Division of
216	214
217	215		Family & Children's Services 75,611
218	216
219	217		Number of Clients Served, Aging & Adult
220	218
221	219		Services 21,178
222	220
223	221		Number of Clients Served, Youth Services 12,880
224	222
225	223		Youth Services
226	224
227	225		Community Services (Children Served) 6,000
228	226
229	227		Institutional Component (Children Served) 130
230	228
231	229		Number of Volunteers - Community
232	230
233	231		Services/Institution 0
234	232
235	233		Number of Children Placed in Alternative
236	234
237	235		Placement 95
238	236
239	237		Percent of Children Diverted from
240	238
241	239		Institutional Care 95.00
242	240
243	241		Recidivism Rate (%) 4.00
244	242
245	243		A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee for Fiscal Year 2027.
246	244
247	245		SECTION 11. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services, Division of Child Support Enforcement, make a concentrated effort to increase collections of past due child support payments. On or before January 1, 2026, the Executive Director of the Department of Human Services shall submit a report to the Legislative Budget Office detailing year-to-date performance measures in the Child Support Enforcement Program compared with the prior year.
248	246
249	247		SECTION 12. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Human Services shall have the authority to spend such additional funds as it shall receive from the federal government in incentives or the federal match on those incentives for the purpose of child support enforcement.
250	248
251	249		SECTION 13. Of the funds appropriated in Section 1, Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00) shall be transferred to the Juvenile Facility Monitoring Unit at the Department of Public Safety no later than July 31, 2025.
252	250
253	251		SECTION 14. Of the funds appropriated herein, to the Department of Human Services One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00), is provided for the support of the Home Delivered Meals Program and any additional funds that may be appropriated to this program.
254	252
255	253		SECTION 15. Of the funds provided in Section 1, herein to the Department of Human Services, an amount not to exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) is provided to fund the Senior Olympics Program.
256	254
257	255		SECTION 16. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Governors Office, Division of Medicaid and the Department of Human Services shall continue to work together to implement Section 43-12-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, known as the "Medicaid and Human Services Transparency and Fraud Prevention Act".
258	256
259	257		SECTION 17. As a condition of receiving and expending any funds appropriated under this act, the Department of Human Services:
260	258
261	259		(a) Shall use a competitive procurement process for entering into all TANF subgrant agreements with non-state entities when the federal government does not direct to whom the funds must be subgranted;
262	260
263	261		(b) Upon awarding of a grant to any subgrantee of the department, shall require the subgrantee to submit a monthly report to the department that contains, but is not limited to, all of the following:
264	262
265	263		(i) A listing of all costs incurred by the subgrantee during the previous month;
266	264
267	265		(ii) A listing of all clients served by the subgrantee, with an explanation of which services were provided to the clients;
268	266
269	267		(iii) A listing of all lower-tier subgrantees, who must be approved by the department before the execution of any such agreement by the prime subgrantee; and
270	268
271	269		(iv) Any other data required by the department to provide sufficient evidence of budgetary compliance;
272	270
273	271		(c) Shall not advance funds to a subgrantee for more than sixty (60) days; and
274	272
275	273		(d) Shall reimburse a subgrantee for expenses only after the required documentation is provided and is approved by the department.
276	274
277	275		SECTION 18. It is the intent of the Legislature, that within the funds available, the Department of Human Services may provide any qualifying grants of CARES Act or American Rescue Act funding in an amount not to exceed One Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($1,500,000.00) to the three (3) regional food banks that serve Mississippi, including Feed the Gulf Coast, Mid-South Food Bank, and Mississippi Food Network.
278	276
279	277		SECTION 19. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated for the Department of Human Services for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of Capital Expense Funds, as authorized in HB 1797, 2024 Regular Session to defray expenses of the Department of Human Services for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026
280	278
281	279		.............................................. $ 56,188,624.00.
282	280
283	281		This appropriation is made for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of funds as allocated herein:
284	282
285	283		(a) To defray the Departments computer expenses...........
286	284
287	285		......................................... $ 2,188,624.00.
288	286
289	287		(b) To secure federal funding for a new computer system....
290	288
291	289		......................................... $ 54,000,000.00.
292	290
293	291		Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, the amount that may be expended under the authority of this section, shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds remaining as of June 30, 2025, from the amount authorized for the previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized.
294	292
295	293		SECTION 20. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law.
296	294
297	295		SECTION 21. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2025.