N ACT TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 1, CHAPTER 489, LAWS OF 2025, WHICH SETS FORTH THE AGENCIES THAT ADMINISTER CERTAIN GRANT FUNDS SUBJECT TO A REPORTING REQUIREMENT TO THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION, FOR POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; TO AMEND SECTION 2, CHAPTER 489, LAWS OF 2025, TO ENUMERATE WHICH ENTITIES ARE REQUIRED TO REPORT UNDER THIS SECTION; TO AMEND SECTION 4, CHAPTER 509, LAWS OF 2024, AS AMENDED BY SECTION 3, CHAPTER 489, LAWS OF 2025, TO DIRECT CERTAIN AGENCIES TO NOTIFY THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION IF A SUBGRANTEE HAS NOT MADE A REIMBURSEMENT REQUEST IN TWO CONSECUTIVE REPORTING PERIODS; TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TO TRANSFER CERTAIN AVAILABLE FUNDS TO THE ARPA-MDOT MAINTENANCE PROJECT FUND; TO DIRECT THE STATE FISCAL OFFICER, ON OR AFTER SEPTEMBER 30, 2026, TO DETERMINE THE AMOUNT OF FUNDS THAT ARE AVAILABLE OR UNEXPENDED UNDER CERTAIN PROGRAMS; TO DIRECT THE TRANSFER OF AVAILABLE OR UNEXPENDED FUNDS TO CERTAIN FUNDS WITHIN THE STATE TREASURY; TO AUTHORIZE THE STATE FISCAL OFFICER TO CLASSIFY AND TRANSFER THE REMAINING BALANCE, IF ANY, OF THE CORONAVIRUS STATE FISCAL RECOVERY FUND TO ASSIGN REMAINING FUNDS TO ELIGIBLE USES AT THE DIRECTION OF THE GOVERNOR IN ORDER TO FULLY EXPEND ALL CORONAVIRUS STATE FISCAL RECOVERY FUNDS BY DECEMBER 31, 2026; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION TO REPORT ON CERTAIN TRANSFERS AND REMAINING FUNDS; TO PROVIDE THAT IN CARRYING OUT CERTAIN RESPONSIBILITIES FOR ANY CONTRACT UNDER THE PURVIEW OF THE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT REVIEW BOARD, THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION SHALL BE EXEMPT FROM ANY REQUIREMENT THAT THE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT REVIEW BOARD APPROVE ANY PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL SERVICES CONTRACTS OR PRE-APPROVE ANY SOLICITATION OF SUCH CONTRACTS; TO CREATE NEW SECTION 65-1-141.4, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CREATE A SPECIAL FUND WITHIN THE STATE TREASURY TO BE DESIGNATED AS THE ARPA-MDOT PROJECT LOST REVENUE FUND; TO CREATE A SPECIAL FUND WITHIN THE STATE TREASURY TO BE DESIGNATED AS THE ARPA-DFA-OFFICE OF INSURANCE LOST REVENUE FUND; TO AMEND SECTION 37-106-64, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS IN THE SKILLED NURSING HOME AND HOSPITAL NURSES RETENTION LOAN REPAYMENT PROGRAM SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO AMEND SECTION 37-153-63, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS PROVIDED BY THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION ACT SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO REQUIRE EACH GRANT RECIPIENT TO CERTIFY THAT IF THE PROJECT IS NOT COMPLETED BY A CERTAIN DATE THAT THE GRANT RECIPIENT WILL COMPLETE THE PROJECT THROUGH OTHER FUNDS; TO AMEND SECTION 37-153-217, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS PROVIDED BY THE AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN ACT (ARPA) NURSE/ALLIED HEALTH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT AND RETENTION ACT SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO REQUIRE EACH GRANT RECIPIENT TO CERTIFY THAT IF THE PROJECT IS NOT COMPLETED BY A CERTAIN DATE THAT THE GRANT RECIPIENT WILL COMPLETE THE PROJECT THROUGH OTHER FUNDS; TO AMEND SECTION 37-185-21, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS IN THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROGRAM SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO REQUIRE EACH GRANT RECIPIENT TO CERTIFY THAT IF THE PROJECT IS NOT COMPLETED BY A CERTAIN DATE THAT THE GRANT RECIPIENT WILL COMPLETE THE PROJECT THROUGH OTHER FUNDS; TO EXTEND THE DATE OF REPEAL ON THIS SECTION; TO AMEND SECTION 37-185-31, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS IN THE MISSISSIPPI ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROGRAM SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO REQUIRE EACH GRANT RECIPIENT TO CERTIFY THAT IF THE PROJECT IS NOT COMPLETED BY A CERTAIN DATE THAT THE GRANT RECIPIENT WILL COMPLETE THE PROJECT THROUGH OTHER FUNDS; TO EXTEND THE DATE OF REPEAL ON THIS SECTION; TO AMEND SECTION 41-3-16.1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS IN THE ARPA RURAL WATER ASSOCIATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROGRAM SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO REQUIRE EACH GRANT RECIPIENT TO CERTIFY THAT IF THE PROJECT IS NOT COMPLETED BY A CERTAIN DATE THAT THE GRANT RECIPIENT WILL COMPLETE THE PROJECT THROUGH OTHER FUNDS; TO EXTEND THE DATE OF REPEAL ON A SUBSECTION WITHIN THIS SECTION; TO AMEND SECTION 41-9-371, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS IN THE MISSISSIPPI HOSPITAL SUSTAINABILITY GRANT PROGRAM SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO AMEND SECTION 41-139-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS IN THE COVID-19 MISSISSIPPI LOCAL PROVIDER INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO AMEND SECTION 41-14-31, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS IN THE COVID-19 HOSPITAL EXPANDED CAPACITY PROGRAM SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO EXTEND THE DATE OF REPEAL ON THIS SECTION; TO AMEND SECTION 49-2-131, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT FUNDS IN THE MISSISSIPPI MUNICIPALITY AND COUNTY WATER INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT PROGRAM SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO REQUIRE EACH GRANT RECIPIENT TO CERTIFY THAT IF THE PROJECT IS NOT COMPLETED BY A CERTAIN DATE THAT THE GRANT RECIPIENT WILL COMPLETE THE PROJECT THROUGH OTHER FUNDS; TO EXTEND THE DATE OF REPEAL ON A SUBSECTION WITHIN THIS SECTION; TO AMEND SECTIONS 57-123-7 AND 57-123-53, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN FUNDS PROVIDED TO DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS SHALL BE AVAILABLE UNTIL A CERTAIN DATE; TO REQUIRE EACH GRANT RECIPIENT TO CERTIFY THAT IF THE PROJECT IS NOT COMPLETED BY A CERTAIN DATE THAT THE GRANT RECIPIENT WILL COMPLETE THE PROJECT THROUGH OTHER FUNDS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
HB 1571 is an ARPA cleanup and reallocation bill that updates Mississippi’s existing federal-relief grant programs and related reporting rules. It brings forward and amends prior 2024 and 2025 provisions governing how state agencies and subgrantees report spending, reimbursement requests, and remaining balances for a range of programs, including workforce development, health care, water infrastructure, independent schools, tourism, and transportation. The bill also extends several program availability dates to September 30, 2026, and in multiple sections requires grant recipients to certify that if a project is not finished by that date, they will complete it with other funds if Congress does not extend ARPA deadlines.
A major feature of the bill is the directive to identify unobligated or unexpended Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund balances and transfer them into designated state funds by October 15, 2026. It authorizes transfers to the ARPA-MDOT Maintenance Project Fund, creates two new special funds—the ARPA-MDOT Project Lost Revenue Fund and the ARPA-DFA-Office of Insurance Lost Revenue Fund—and allows the State Fiscal Officer, at the end of the process, to classify and redirect any remaining balance to eligible uses at the Governor’s direction so the state can fully expend ARPA funds by December 31, 2026. The bill also exempts the Department of Finance and Administration from Public Procurement Review Board approval requirements for certain personal or professional services contracts tied to these transfer and expenditure responsibilities.
The bill further revises several specific grant programs. It extends or clarifies funding windows for nursing loan repayment, workforce and nurse/allied health grants, independent school and MAICU infrastructure grants, rural water association grants, hospital sustainability grants, local provider innovation grants, hospital expanded capacity grants, MCWI water infrastructure grants, and tourism/destination marketing grants. In several of those programs, it adds or reinforces reporting, audit, and compliance requirements, including annual or quarterly reports, project-status updates, and repayment obligations for noncompliance. It also extends repeal dates for some of the affected sections, generally to July 1, 2027 or January 1, 2027.
The overall sentiment reflected in the vote history was strongly favorable and noncontroversial. The bill passed the House 116-2 and the Senate 52-0, indicating broad bipartisan support for the administrative cleanup, deadline extensions, and fund-transfer framework. No committee transcript was provided, so there is no recorded debate in the supplied materials, but the vote margins suggest general agreement that the state should tighten reporting, preserve accountability, and ensure ARPA dollars are fully obligated and spent before federal deadlines.
The main points of potential contention are not reflected in the vote totals but are inherent in the bill’s structure: the redirection of leftover federal relief money into transportation and insurance-related lost-revenue funds, the Governor’s role in directing any remaining balances to eligible uses, and the procurement exemption for DFA. The bill also continues Mississippi’s use of ARPA funds for a wide range of sectors, including private independent schools, private colleges, tourism organizations, hospitals, and local health providers, which could draw policy scrutiny even though the measure itself moved with little opposition.
HB 1571 amends multiple sections of Mississippi law governing ARPA-funded programs and related fiscal administration. It extends the availability of funds for numerous grant and loan programs through September 30, 2026, adds recipient certification requirements, and updates reporting obligations for agencies and subgrantees. It also creates two new special funds in the State Treasury—the ARPA-MDOT Project Lost Revenue Fund and the ARPA-DFA-Office of Insurance Lost Revenue Fund—and directs a series of transfers of unobligated or unexpended Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund balances into those and other state funds. In addition, it exempts DFA from certain Public Procurement Review Board approval requirements for specified contracts tied to ARPA administration and fund transfers.
The bill appears to have enjoyed broad support and little visible opposition. It passed the House 116-2 and the Senate 52-0, suggesting strong bipartisan agreement on the need to manage remaining ARPA balances, extend deadlines, and improve reporting and accountability. No committee discussion transcript was provided, so the available record shows support through the votes rather than through detailed debate.
The most notable policy issues are the bill’s reallocation of remaining federal relief money, especially the transfer of funds into transportation and insurance-related lost-revenue accounts, and the Governor’s role in directing any remaining balance to eligible uses to fully expend ARPA funds. Another possible point of concern is the exemption from Public Procurement Review Board approval for certain DFA contracts, which reduces an oversight step. More broadly, the bill continues funding for a wide mix of recipients—including independent schools, private colleges, hospitals, tourism entities, and local health providers—which could be debated as a matter of spending priorities, even though the recorded vote shows minimal resistance.