Appropriations; additional for various state agencies for FY25 and FY26.
HB46 is an additional appropriations bill for Mississippi’s 2025 First Extraordinary Session. It provides supplemental funding for multiple state agencies and programs for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, including the Office of the Attorney General, Department of Corrections, Mississippi State Department of Health, Department of Education, Department of Child Protection Services, Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, Department of Mental Health, and the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District.
A significant portion of the bill is directed to the Attorney General’s office for outside legal assistance, expert witnesses, court costs, judgments, and settlements tied to specific cases and investigations. Other major appropriations include funding for the Department of Corrections’ medical program and replacement of the offender tracking system, legal expenses related to the City of Jackson water litigation, salary supplements for eligible National Board-certified educators, and operational costs for child protection, mental health, and water supply operations.
The bill increases appropriations from the State General Fund, Capital Expense Fund, Education Enhancement Fund, and other special funds, but it does not create new programs or change substantive regulatory law. Its effect is to authorize additional spending for identified agencies and to earmark funds for specific litigation, settlements, capital needs, and operational expenses. It also references existing statutory authority for the teacher salary supplement under Section 37-19-7(2) of the Mississippi Code, while otherwise functioning as a budgetary measure for FY2025 and FY2026.
The bill appears to have broad legislative support, passing the House 80-16 and the Senate 32-4. The vote margins suggest general agreement that the listed agencies needed supplemental funding, especially for corrections, child protection, mental health, and legal obligations. The absence of committee transcript discussion limits insight into detailed debate, but the strong passage indicates overall favorable sentiment toward the appropriations package.
The most likely points of contention are the large appropriations for litigation-related costs and settlements, particularly the Attorney General’s office funding for specific cases, the Department of Corrections’ offender tracking system replacement, and the substantial funding for the City of Jackson water litigation. These items involve ongoing legal disputes and large expenditures that may draw scrutiny over cost, priority, and accountability. The bill’s narrower vote margins in the House and Senate suggest some members may have objected to the size or purpose of certain allocations, even though the measure ultimately passed comfortably.