Mississippi Burn Care Fund; revise use of monies in, increase license tag fees to be deposited into.
Summary
HB 888 revises Mississippi law governing the Mississippi Burn Care Fund and the state’s burn-care delivery system. The bill expands the list of facilities eligible to receive burn-care appropriations by adding Baptist Medical Center and any burn center affiliated with a Level I trauma center to the Mississippi Trauma Care System for burn treatment purposes. It also directs the State Board of Health to revise the statewide burn-victim service plan to include those facilities once the Mississippi Burn Center at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is operational.
The bill also changes how the Burn Care Fund is financed. It increases the additional fee on distinctive or special license tags and plates from $2.00 to $2.50, with proceeds deposited into the Burn Care Fund, and it adds a new 50-cent fee on certain private carrier license tags and decals, also dedicated to the fund. In addition, the bill removes the University of Mississippi Medical Center as the designated agency responsible for receiving gifts, donations, bequests, appropriations, or grants for deposit into the fund, while preserving the fund’s ability to receive outside contributions. The act takes effect July 1, 2025.
Impact
HB 888 amends Sections 7-9-70, 27-19-44.4, 41-59-5, and 27-19-43 of the Mississippi Code. Its practical effect is to broaden the burn-care network recognized in state law, require equitable distribution of burn-care funds among UMMC, Baptist Medical Center, and qualifying Level I trauma-center burn centers, and increase dedicated revenue streams for the Mississippi Burn Care Fund through vehicle-related fees. It also shifts administrative language regarding receipt of donations and appropriations away from UMMC and updates the State Board of Health’s planning duties for burn-victim care within the trauma system.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been broadly supported in the House, passing on January 29, 2025 by a vote of 118-0. The unanimous vote suggests strong bipartisan agreement or at least no recorded opposition at that stage. No committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded debate to indicate significant resistance in the materials provided.
Contention
The main policy issue reflected in the bill is how burn-care funding and services should be distributed among hospitals. The measure expands eligibility beyond the University of Mississippi Medical Center to include Baptist Medical Center and any burn center affiliated with a Level I trauma center, which may be seen as improving access and regional coverage but could also raise questions about allocation of limited fund dollars. Another point of change is the increase in special tag fees and the new private-carrier fee, which could draw concern from vehicle owners or industry groups even though the amounts are relatively small. No explicit opposition is documented in the available vote or transcript record.