MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1997 Regular Session

To: Appropriations

By: Senator(s) Gollott

AN ACT TO AMEND HOUSE BILL NO. 1635, 1996 REGULAR SESSION, TO DELETE THE FUNDING AUTHORIZED FOR THE GULF COAST RESEARCH LAB-CEDAR POINT CAMPUS IN FISCAL YEAR 1997 AND TO REALLOCATE THOSE FUNDS TO OTHER PROJECTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. House Bill No. 1635, 1996 Regular Session, is amended as follows:

Section 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the support and maintenance of the Department of Marine Resources for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1996, and ending June 30, 1997

$ 689,010.00.

Section 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Department of Marine Resources for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1996, and ending June 30, 1997

$ 10,307,919.00.

Of the funds appropriated in this section, One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00) is derived from the state excise taxes upon gasoline, oil and other petroleum products.

Section 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Sections 1 and 2, not more than the amounts set forth below shall be expended for the respective major objects or purpose of expenditure:

MAJOR OBJECTS OF EXPENDITURE:

Personal Services:

Salaries, Wages and Fringe Benefits $ 1,347,232.00

Travel and Subsistence 23,039.00

Contractual Services 1,502,703.00

Commodities 147,901.00

Capital Outlay:

Other Than Equipment 0.00

Equipment 127,803.00

Subsidies, Loans and Grants 7,848,251.00

Total $ 10,996,929.00

FUNDING:

General Funds $ 689,010.00

Special Funds 10,307,919.00

Total $ 10,996,929.00

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time. . . . . . . . . 37

Part Time. . . . . . . . . 0

Time-Limited: Full Time. . . . . . . . . 4

Part Time. . . . . . . . . 0

From the funds provided in the Major Object of Expenditure "Personal Services: Salaries, Wages and Fringe Benefits," funds may be expended for the following purposes, in compliance with policies established by the State Personnel Board and any conditions placed on such expenditures:

(a) The components of the Variable Compensation Plan shall be maintained within the constraints of the funds provided herein.

(b) No funds provided herein shall be expended within the In-service (COLA), Longevity, Productivity, Upward Reallocation or Realignment components of the Variable Compensation Plan, except as specified herein.

(c) In those cases where the State Personnel Board determines that a bona fide staffing need exists, funds may be expended for upward reallocations and realignments, but only upon written certification by the agency director and the State Fiscal Officer that adequate funds are available.

(d) Pursuant to policies established by the State Personnel Board, agency heads may, on a case by case basis and from within funds available, recommend equity salary adjustments. Such adjustments shall not be retroactive and may be made when an employee with greater or equal continuous state service experience and qualifications is being paid less than an employee working in the same job classification within the same agency.

It is the agency's responsibility to make certain that funds required to be appropriated for personnel services for Fiscal Year 1998 do not exceed Fiscal Year 1997 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs and/or positions are added to the agency's budget by the Mississippi Legislature.

Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with the terms, conditions and procedures established by law.

No general funds authorized to be expended herein shall be used to replace federal funds and/or other special funds which are being used for salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are withdrawn and no longer available.

Section 4. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 2 and allocated in Section 3, funds in the amount of Seven Million Dollars ($7,000,000.00) shall be derived from the Tidelands Fund (Fund 3450) for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the following projects:

Bay St. Louis Jetty Project $ 375,000.00

Biloxi Seafood Museum 150,000.00

City of Biloxi Port Commission 550,000.00

City of D'Iberville Port Commission 350,000.00

Gulf Coast Research Lab Study on all

Aquatic Life 250,000.00

Gulf Coast Research Lab - Point Cadet 200,000.00

  Gulf Coast Research Lab - Stock Enhancement 200,000.00

Gulfport Harbour Repair and Renovation 550,000.00

Hancock County Board of Supervisors

Marina Facility 375,000.00

Long Beach Harbor Repairs 250,000.00

Long Beach Piers (Board of Supervisors) 200,000.00

City of Moss Point Boat Docking

Facility 75,000.00

City of Ocean Springs O.S. Harbor

Commission 250,000.00

Old Pop's Ferry Causeway 200,000.00

Parker's Creek Boat Ramp 50,000.00

Pascagoula Port Commission Boat

Launching Facility 75,000.00

Pass Christian Harbour Repairs 275,000.00

Waveland Piers 250,000.00

DMR Fishing Reefs Construction and

Artificial Reefs 450,000.00

Coastal Wetland and Land Use Trends 60,000.00

MS CZM Grant - Non Point Source

Program working in conjunction

with the State Health Department 90,000.00

Effects of Trawling on Seagrass Resources

in MS Sound 87,300.00

Ageing the Roe Mullet Harvest in MS, 1996 18,000.00

Impact of Fish Predation on Blue Crab

Recruitment 42,700.00

Marsh-edge habitats as a nursery for fishes

Phase II 36,000.00

Land Acquisition - Grant Match 300,000.00

Coastal Preserves - Acquisition 170,000.00

Coastal Preserves - Planning

& Development 33,000.00

National Estuarine Reserve Trust:

Grant Match 200,000.00

Artificial Reef Plan for the State of

MS (Part II) 10,000.00

Emergency Response Upgrade 25,000.00

Marine-Related Comprehensive Economic

Activity Database 35,000.00

Impact of Nutrient Inputs on Water Quality

of St. Louis Bay 18,000.00

Mississippi Sound Oyster Reef Survey 10,000.00

Shellfish Growing Waters Management

Plan 40,000.00

Biotechnology Park: Saltwater Bait Shrimp

Culture/Marketing 75,000.00

East Jackson County Oyster Reef 50,000.00

Derelic vessels - Commission on Marine

Resources 100,000.00

Discretionary funds - Commission on Marine

Resources 290,000.00

Jackson County Board of Supervisors

Fort Bayou Parks and Boat Ramp 75,000.00

Gautier Dredging project 100,000.00

Wildlife Rehabilitation and Nature

Preservation Society . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,000.00

Department of Archives and History - study

historical ship in Biloxi Bay 50,000.00

TOTAL $7,000,000.00

Each political subdivision shall be held responsible for complying with Section 29-15-9 of the Mississippi Code and shall be subject to an audit by the State Auditor.

It is the intention of the Legislature that any political subdivision seeking to qualify for Tidelands Funds for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1997, and ending June 30, 1998, shall submit a proposal to the Commission on Marine Resources before January 1, 1997.

It is the intention of the Legislature that if the amount of Tidelands Funds appropriated in Section 2 and allocated in Section 3 are not sufficient, available funds shall be allocated on a pro rata basis between the projects listed in Section 4.

Section 5. The money appropriated under the provisions of Section 1 shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, and the money appropriated under the provisions of Section 2 shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in the proper special funds to the credit of the Department of Marine Resources upon warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law.

Section 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1996.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.