Mississippi House Bill HB13

Mississippi 2025 1st Special Session

• Introduced: 5/28/25
• Refer: 5/28/25
• Engrossed: 5/28/25
• Refer: 5/29/25
• Enrolled: 5/30/25
• Passed: 6/4/25

Caption

Appropriation; Public Utilities Staff.

Summary

HB13 is an appropriations bill for the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff for fiscal year 2026. It provides $2,566,599 from the state general fund and an additional $80,000 from special funds tied to the Project Atlas Fund to cover agency operating expenses, including salaries, wages, fringe benefits, and related personnel costs. The bill also specifies that the Public Utilities Staff will have 24 permanent positions and no time-limited positions for FY 2026. The measure tightly controls how the appropriated money may be spent. Most of the funding is designated for personal services, with explicit limits on transfers, vacancy funding, salary actions, and headcount changes. It also requires compliance with the Mississippi State Personnel Board’s Variable Compensation Plan, prohibits using general funds to replace withdrawn federal or special funds, and directs the agency to maintain detailed accounting and personnel records. The $80,000 Project Atlas allocation is intended to expedite services needed for that project and is to be administered through the Treasurer’s Office. In terms of state law impact, HB13 does not create a new regulatory program or amend substantive utility law; instead, it authorizes spending and imposes budgetary conditions on the Public Utilities Staff for FY 2026. It reinforces existing appropriations and personnel-management statutes, including Section 25-9-147 on compensation and Section 27-104-25 on spending limits, while also referencing the Project Atlas Fund created in Section 57-1-641 of the Mississippi Code. The bill takes effect July 1, 2025. The overall sentiment appears broadly favorable and noncontroversial. The bill passed the House 91-4 and the Senate 37-6, indicating strong bipartisan support for funding the agency’s operations. The absence of committee transcript discussion suggests there was little recorded public debate or that the bill was treated as a routine appropriations measure. Any contention appears limited to the usual appropriations issues rather than the agency’s mission itself. The bill’s detailed restrictions on vacancy funding, salary escalations, and headcount management reflect legislative concern about fiscal discipline and personnel control, but there is no evidence in the available record of major disagreement over the funding levels or the Project Atlas allocation.

Impact

HB13 appropriates a total of $2,646,599 for the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff in FY 2026, with $2,566,599 from the general fund and $80,000 from the Project Atlas Fund. It sets the agency’s authorized staffing level at 24 permanent positions, restricts how personal-services money may be used, and imposes reporting, compensation, and spending-compliance requirements. The bill primarily affects the Public Utilities Staff, the State Personnel Board, the Department of Finance and Administration, and the State Treasurer’s Office through budget execution and oversight provisions.

Sentiment

The bill’s sentiment is generally positive and routine. It passed both chambers with comfortable margins, 91-4 in the House and 37-6 in the Senate, suggesting broad agreement on funding the Public Utilities Staff and the Project Atlas-related work. With no committee transcripts available, there is no indication of sustained controversy or organized opposition beyond a small number of dissenting votes.

Contention

The main points of contention are the standard appropriations controls embedded in the bill: limits on salary growth, vacancy funding, headcount changes, and the requirement that the agency not exceed its appropriation. These provisions reflect legislative concern about fiscal oversight and personnel management rather than disagreement over the agency’s core functions. The small number of no votes in each chamber suggests some lawmakers may have objected to the spending level, the restrictions, or both, but no specific objections are documented in the available record.