AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION OF SPECIAL FUNDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES OF THE MISSISSIPPI STATE BOARD OF EXAMINERS FOR LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELORS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2027.
Summary
Senate Bill 3083 is an annual appropriations measure for the Mississippi State Board of Examiners for Licensed Professional Counselors for Fiscal Year 2027. It authorizes $473,712 in special funds to support the board’s operations from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027, and authorizes a permanent headcount of three positions with no time-limited positions.
The bill also earmarks $141,750 of the appropriation for updating and maintaining the board’s Licensing Management System and other technology initiatives. In addition to funding, it includes standard appropriations language governing how the agency may spend the money, including restrictions on replacing federal or other special funds with general funds, compliance with IRS reporting rules for contract employees, maintenance of detailed accounting and personnel records, and adherence to state spending limits and warrant procedures. It also expresses legislative intent that the Mississippi Industries for the Blind receive preference in certain procurement situations.
Impact
SB3083 does not create or amend licensure standards for professional counselors; instead, it funds the state board that administers the profession’s regulation. Its effect on state law is primarily fiscal and administrative, setting the board’s budget, staffing authorization, recordkeeping expectations, procurement preferences, and spending conditions for FY 2027. The bill supports continued operation of the licensing and regulatory system for licensed professional counselors in Mississippi, including technology-related upgrades to the licensing management system.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been noncontroversial and broadly supported. It passed the Senate 51-0 and the House 118-0, indicating unanimous approval in both chambers. The absence of committee transcript discussion suggests there was little or no public dispute over the measure, and the bill advanced as a routine appropriations item.
Contention
No notable contention is reflected in the available record. The only potentially substantive provisions are the allocation for technology upgrades and the standard appropriation restrictions, but there is no evidence of disagreement over those items in the votes or transcripts. The bill’s unanimous passage suggests that legislators viewed it as a routine funding measure for an existing professional licensing board rather than a policy debate.