House Bill 10 is an appropriations measure for the Pat Harrison Waterway District for fiscal year 2026. It authorizes expenditure of $7,764,319 in special funds for the district’s operations for the period beginning July 1, 2025, and ending June 30, 2026, and authorizes 42 permanent positions and no time-limited positions. The bill also sets administrative conditions for how the district must manage, account for, and report on the use of those funds.
The measure specifically earmarks $700,000 for park facilities repairs, limited to bath houses and cabins and expressly excluding Flint Creek Horse Trail repairs, and $480,000 for dam repairs. It requires the district to maintain detailed accounting and personnel records, submit a five-year project plan, provide an annual audit, and file a repair report with photos by December 1, 2025. It also includes standard appropriations provisions on procurement preferences for the Mississippi Industries for the Blind, investment of idle funds, compliance with state spending limits, and disbursement procedures.
Impact
HB10 continues state funding and operational authority for the Pat Harrison Waterway District and governs how its special funds may be spent in FY 2026. It does not create a new program, but it does direct spending toward specified infrastructure needs, especially park facility and dam repairs, while imposing reporting and fiscal controls. The bill affects the district’s budget, staffing, procurement practices, and compliance obligations under Mississippi appropriations and public finance law.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported. It passed the House 89-14 and the Senate 36-6, indicating clear bipartisan approval despite some opposition. The absence of committee transcript discussion suggests no major public controversy in the available record, and the vote margins indicate general agreement with funding the district and its repair priorities.
Contention
The main points of potential contention are the size and allocation of the appropriation, particularly the directed spending for park repairs and dam repairs, and the exclusion of Flint Creek Horse Trail repairs from the park-facility repair line item. Any disagreement likely centered on whether the earmarked projects and reporting requirements were the best use of special funds, rather than on the existence of funding for the district itself. The recorded votes show some dissent in both chambers, but not enough to suggest deep division.
Relating to the authority of the Wood County Central Hospital District of Wood County, Texas, to provide brain and memory care services to residents of the hospital district through the creation and operation of brain and memory health care services districts.