AN ACT MAKING AN ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION OF CAPITAL EXPENSE FUNDS, EDUCATION ENHANCEMENT FUNDS AND SPECIAL FUNDS FOR FISCAL YEARS 2026 AND 2027 TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES OF THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL; THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY; THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION; THE MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY; THE MISSISSIPPI STATE SUPREME COURT - ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF COURTS; THE MISSISSIPPI BOARD OF MEDICAL LICENSURE; THE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES; THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION; THE BOARD OF EXAMINERS FOR SOCIAL WORKERS AND MARRIAGE AND FAMILY THERAPISTS; THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES; THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH; THE MISSISSIPPI OFFICE OF STUDENT FINANCIAL AID; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
HB 1940 is an additional appropriations bill for Mississippi’s FY 2026 and FY 2027 budgets. It provides funding from the Capital Expense Fund, Education Enhancement Fund, special funds, and other state sources to cover a wide range of agency needs, including legal expenses and settlements for the Attorney General’s Office, public safety headquarters construction, Department of Finance and Administration relocation and renovation costs, emergency management operations, court staffing, licensing system upgrades, human services software, health-related litigation costs, marine resources tidelands projects, and student aid grants. The bill also includes a dedicated appropriation for victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation, as well as funding for Mississippi’s semiquincentennial celebrations.
The bill makes targeted additions to state appropriations law by authorizing specific dollar amounts for named agencies, programs, and litigation-related obligations for FY 2026 and FY 2027. It does not create broad new policy programs, but it directs state funds to particular operational, capital, legal, and grant expenses, including several court cases and settlement agreements, county emergency management support, and education aid programs such as HELP, MTAG, and MESG. The measure affects multiple agencies and fund sources and requires the State Treasurer and State Fiscal Officer to disburse the money as specified.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported overall. It passed the House 121-0, the Senate 48-3, and then the House concurred in the Senate amendments by a vote of 108-8, indicating strong bipartisan approval despite some dissent. The voting pattern suggests general agreement that the listed agencies and obligations required supplemental funding.
The main points of potential contention are the size and specificity of the appropriations, especially the large allocations for litigation, settlements, and legal expenses in the Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Health. Other likely areas of scrutiny include funding tied to the Bolton Building relocation, emergency management grant replacement, and income verification software for Human Services, since these are substantial expenditures with limited policy detail. The few no votes in the Senate and House concurrence likely reflect concerns about spending levels, fund sources, or the inclusion of case-specific appropriations rather than opposition to the bill’s overall purpose.