AN ACT TO CREATE THE "STRENGTHEN MISSISSIPPI HOMES ACT" TO ESTABLISH A COMPREHENSIVE MITIGATION PROGRAM IN THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE FOR RETROFITTING INSURABLE HOMES; TO AMEND SECTION 83-1-191, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO RENAME THE "COMPREHENSIVE HURRICANE DAMAGE MITIGATION PROGRAM" TO THE "STRENGTHEN MISSISSIPPI HOMES PROGRAM"; TO ESTABLISH CRITERIA FOR THE NEW PROGRAM; TO INCLUDE HURRICANE, TORNADO, HAIL, OR OTHER CATASTROPHIC WINDSTORM EVENT MITIGATION; TO ESTABLISH AN ADVISORY COUNCIL; TO PROVIDE FOR OPERATIONAL REPORTS TO BE SUBMITTED TO THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATURE; TO INCREASE THE AMOUNTS OF FINANCIAL GRANTS OFFERED BY THE STRENGTHEN MISSISSIPPI HOMES PROGRAM TO $10,000.00 PER HOME AND TO ALLOW THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE TO ESTABLISH CRITERIA FOR THE ISSUING OF GRANTS BY REGULATION; TO PROVIDE THAT GRANTS SHALL BE SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION; TO RENAME THE "COMPREHENSIVE HURRICANE DAMAGE MITIGATION PROGRAM FUND" TO THE "STRENGTHEN MISSISSIPPI HOMES FUND"; TO REMOVE THE REPEALER; TO AMEND SECTION 83-5-73, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO INCREASE THE FEE CHARGED FOR AN AGENT'S CERTIFICATE OF AUTHORITY; AND FOR OTHER RELATED PURPOSES.
SB 2409 creates the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Act and establishes a mitigation grant program within the Mississippi Department of Insurance to help homeowners retrofit insurable property against hurricane, tornado, hail, and other catastrophic windstorm damage. The program is built around the IBHS FORTIFIED roof standard and related wind-mitigation measures, and it authorizes inspections, cost-benefit studies, consumer education, and premium-discount information to support homeowners and insurers. The bill also broadens the program’s scope beyond hurricanes alone to include other wind-related hazards and allows the department to contract with third-party administrators or other agencies to carry out program functions.
The bill amends Mississippi Code Section 83-1-191 to rename the existing Comprehensive Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program as the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program and to rename the associated fund accordingly. It increases the maximum grant amount to $10,000 per home, requires grants to be subject to legislative appropriation, and sets administrative limits on program spending. It also creates a formal advisory council, requires annual reporting to the Governor and Legislature, and removes the prior repealer so the program is not automatically sunset on the earlier schedule. In addition, it amends Section 83-5-73 to dedicate part of the agent certificate of authority fee to the new fund, creating a revenue stream for the program.
The bill’s impact on state law is to expand and formalize Mississippi’s home-hardening and windstorm mitigation framework within the Department of Insurance. It changes statutory names, creates or revises special funds, establishes eligibility and inspection requirements, and gives the department rulemaking authority over grant criteria, priorities, and administration. It also affects insurers and agents by requiring insurer notice to clients about the program and by increasing the filing fee for an agent’s certificate of authority, with a portion redirected to the mitigation fund.
The overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable. It passed the Senate unanimously, passed the House overwhelmingly with only one dissenting vote, and both chambers later adopted the conference report unanimously. That voting pattern suggests broad bipartisan support for the program’s goals of reducing storm losses, improving home resilience, and potentially lowering insurance claims and premiums over time.
There is little evidence of major controversy in the available record, but the bill does contain some policy choices that could draw scrutiny. Notable points include the use of public funds and a dedicated fee diversion to finance the program, the $10,000 grant cap, the reliance on IBHS certification and standardized inspections, and the department’s discretion to set priorities through regulation or lottery. The bill also limits eligibility to certain property types and makes clear that the program is not an entitlement, which may be relevant to homeowners, insurers, contractors, and policymakers concerned with program access and administrative control.
SB 2409 revises Mississippi insurance law by renaming and expanding the state’s home mitigation program, creating the Strengthen Mississippi Homes Fund, and authorizing grants, inspections, reporting, and administrative rules for windstorm retrofit assistance. It also changes fee law so that part of the agent certificate of authority fee is deposited into the new fund, thereby linking insurance regulation revenue to mitigation funding. The bill affects the Mississippi Department of Insurance, homeowners seeking retrofit grants, insurers that must notify clients about the program, and contractors/inspectors involved in IBHS FORTIFIED compliance.
The bill appears to have received very strong support throughout the legislative process. It passed both chambers by wide margins, including unanimous adoption of the conference report in both the House and Senate. The vote totals suggest broad agreement that the program is a useful disaster-mitigation and insurance-stabilization measure, with no visible organized opposition in the available materials.
No committee transcript is available, and the vote history shows minimal opposition, so there is no clear record of major contention. The main policy issues embedded in the bill are the funding mechanism, including the redirection of part of an insurance licensing fee to the new fund, the $10,000 grant limit, the use of IBHS standards and inspections as eligibility requirements, and the department’s discretion to prioritize applicants or allocate grants by lottery. These provisions could matter to insurers, agents, homeowners, and contractors, but the legislative record provided does not show significant disagreement over them.