MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2002 Regular Session
To: Judiciary B
By: Representative Guice
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 31-3-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE SPECIFICATIONS FOR NEW COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS UNDER THE DEFINITION OF CONTRACTOR; TO AMEND SECTION 31-3-13, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF THE BOARD OF PUBLIC CONTRACTORS; TO AMEND SECTIONS 31-3-17 AND 31-3-19, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE LEVY OF THE SPECIAL PRIVILEGE LICENSE TAX; TO AMEND SECTION 31-3-21, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROHIBIT POLITICAL SUBDIVISIONS FROM ISSUING CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPANCY TO CONTRACTORS WHO HAVE NOT PAID CERTAIN PENALTIES; TO AMEND SECTION 73-59-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE POSTING OF A RESIDENTIAL BUILDERS AND REMODELERS LICENSE NUMBERS; TO AMEND SECTION 73-59-13, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE CERTAIN INSPECTORS TO INSPECT BUILDINGS OR STRUCTURES WHICH ARE THE SUBJECT OF A COMPLAINT; TO AMEND SECTION 73-59-21, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CLARIFY THE AUTHORITY OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON RESIDENTIAL BUILDERS AND REMODELERS TO CONDUCT HEARINGS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 31-3-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
31-3-1. The following words, as used in this chapter, shall have the meanings specified below:
"Board": The State Board of Contractors created under this chapter.
"Contractor": Any person contracting or undertaking as prime contractor, subcontractor or sub-subcontractor of any tier to do any erection, building, construction, reconstruction, repair, maintenance or related work on any public or private project; however, "contractor" shall not include any owner of a dwelling or other structure to be constructed, altered, repaired or improved and not for sale, lease, public use or assembly. It is further provided that nothing herein shall apply to:
(a) Any contract or undertaking on a public project by a prime contractor, subcontractor or sub-subcontractor of any tier involving erection, building, construction, reconstruction, repair, maintenance or related work where such contract, subcontract or undertaking is less than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00);
(b) Any contract or undertaking on a private project by a prime contractor, subcontractor or sub-subcontractor of any tier involving erection, building, construction, reconstruction, repair, maintenance or related work where such contract, subcontract or undertaking is less than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00);
(c) Highway construction, highway bridges, overpasses and any other project incidental to the construction of highways which are designated as federal aid projects and in which federal funds are involved;
(d) A residential project to be occupied by fifty (50) or fewer families and not more than three (3) stories in height;
(e) A residential subdivision where the contractor is developing either single-family or multi-family lots;
(f) A new commercial construction project not exceeding five thousand (5,000) square feet and not more than two (2) stories in height;
(g) Erection of a microwave tower built for the purpose of telecommunication transmissions;
(h) Any contract or undertaking on a public project by a prime contractor, subcontractor or sub-subcontractor of any tier involving the construction, reconstruction, repair or maintenance of fire protection systems where such contract, subcontract or undertaking is less than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00);
(i) Any contract or undertaking on a private project by a prime contractor, subcontractor or sub-subcontractor of any tier involving the construction, reconstruction, repair or maintenance of fire protection systems where such contract, subcontract or undertaking is less than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00); or
(j) Any contract or undertaking on a private or public project by a prime contractor, subcontractor or sub-subcontractor of any tier involving the construction, reconstruction, repair or maintenance of technically specialized installations if performed by a Mississippi contractor who has been in the business of installing fire protection sprinkler systems on or before July 1, 2000.
"Certificate of responsibility": A certificate numbered and held by a contractor issued by the board under the provisions of this chapter after payment of the special privilege license tax therefor levied under this chapter.
"Person": Any person, firm, corporation, joint venture or partnership, association or other type of business entity.
"Private project": Any project for erection, building, construction, reconstruction, repair, maintenance or related work which is not funded in whole or in part with public funds.
"Public agency": Any board, commission, council or agency of the State of Mississippi or any district, county or municipality thereof, including school, hospital, airport and all other types of governing agencies created by or operating under the laws of this state.
"Public funds": Monies of public agencies, whether obtained from taxation, donation or otherwise; or monies being expended by public agencies for the purposes for which such public agencies exist.
"Public project": Any project for erection, building, construction, reconstruction, repair, maintenance or related work which is funded in whole or in part with public funds.
SECTION 2. Section 31-3-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
31-3-13. The board shall have the following powers and responsibilities:
(a) To receive applications for certificates of responsibility, to investigate and examine applicants for same by holding hearings and securing information, to conduct examinations, and to issue certificates of responsibility to such contractors as the board finds to be responsible. * * * No certificate or any renewal thereof shall be issued until the application has been on file with the board for at least thirty (30) days. Application for renewal of certificates of responsibility, together with the payment of a special privilege license tax as provided under this chapter, shall serve to extend the current certificate until the board either renews the certificate or denies the application.
No certificate of responsibility or any renewal thereof shall be issued until the applicant furnishes to the board his Mississippi state sales tax number or Mississippi state use tax number and his state income tax identification numbers.
Additional fees may be required as provided in Section 31-3-14.
The board shall conduct an objective, standardized examination of an applicant for a certificate to ascertain the ability of the applicant to make practical application of his knowledge of the profession or business of construction in the category or categories for which he has applied for a certificate of responsibility. The cost of the test and the cost of administering the test shall be paid for by applicants for certificates of responsibility at the time applications are filed. The board shall investigate thoroughly the past record of all applicants, which will include an effort toward ascertaining the qualifications of applicants in reading plans and specifications, estimating costs, construction ethics, and other similar matters. The board shall take all applicants under consideration after having examined him or them and go thoroughly into the records and examinations, prior to granting any certificate of responsibility. If the applicant is an individual, examination may be taken by his personal appearance for examination or by the appearance for examination of one or more of his responsible managing employees; and if a copartnership or corporation or any other combination or organization, by the examination of one or more of the responsible managing officers or members of the executive staff of the applicant's firm, according to its own designation.
(b) To conduct thorough investigations of all applicants seeking renewal of their licenses and of all complaints filed with the board concerning the performance of a contractor on a public or private project.
(c) To obtain information concerning the responsibility of any applicant for a certificate of responsibility or a holder of a certificate of responsibility under this chapter. Such information may be obtained by investigation, by hearings, or by any other reasonable and lawful means. The board shall keep such information appropriately filed and shall disseminate same to any interested person. The board shall have the power of subpoena.
(d) To maintain a list of contractors to whom certificates of responsibility are issued, refused, revoked or suspended, which list shall be available to any interested person. Such list shall indicate the kind or kinds of works or projects for which a certificate of responsibility was issued, refused, revoked or suspended.
(e) To revoke by order entered on its minutes a certificate of responsibility upon a finding by the board that a particular contractor is not responsible, and to suspend such certificate of responsibility in particular cases pending investigation, upon cause to be stated in the board's order of suspension. No such revocation or suspension shall be ordered without a hearing conducted upon not less than ten (10) days' notice to such certificate holder by certified or registered mail, wherein the holder of the certificate of responsibility shall be given an opportunity to present all lawful evidence which he may offer.
(f) To adopt rules and regulations setting forth the requirements for certificates of responsibility, the revocation or suspension thereof, and all other matters concerning same; rules and regulations governing the conduct of the business of the board and its employees; and such other rules and regulations as the board finds necessary for the proper administration of this chapter, including those for the conduct of its hearings on the revocation or suspension of certificates of responsibility. Such rules and regulations shall not conflict with the provisions of this chapter.
(g) The board shall have the power and responsibility to classify the kind or kinds of works or projects that a contractor is qualified and entitled to perform under the certificate of responsibility issued to him. Such classification shall be specified in the certificate of responsibility.
The powers of the State Board of Contractors shall not extend to fixing a maximum limit in the bid amount of any contractor, or the bonding capacity, or a maximum amount of work which a contractor may have under contract at any time, except as stated in paragraph (a) of this section; and the Board of Contractors shall not have jurisdiction or the power or authority to determine the maximum bond a contractor may be capable of obtaining. The board, in determining the qualifications of any applicant for an original certificate of responsibility or any renewal thereof, shall, among other things, take into consideration the following: (1) experience and ability, (2) character, (3) the manner of performance of previous contracts, (4) financial condition, (5) equipment, (6) personnel, (7) work completed, (8) work on hand, (9) ability to perform satisfactorily work under contract at the time of an application for a certificate of responsibility or a renewal thereof, (10) default in complying with provisions of this law, or any other law of the state, and (11) the results of objective, standardized examinations. A record shall be made and preserved by the board of each examination of an applicant and the findings of the board thereon, and a certified copy of the record and findings shall be furnished to any applicant desiring to appeal from any order or decision of the board.
(h) The board shall enter upon its minutes an order or decision upon each application filed with it, and it may state in such order or decision the reason or reasons for its order or decision.
(i) To enlist the assistance of the courts in collecting fines and enforcing orders.
Upon failure of the board to enter an order or decision upon its minutes as to any application within one hundred eighty (180) days from the date of filing such application, the applicant shall have the right of appeal as otherwise provided by this chapter.
The holder of any valid certificate of responsibility issued by the Board of Public Contractors prior to January 1, 1986, shall be automatically issued a certificate of responsibility by the State Board of Contractors for the same classification or classifications of work which the holder was entitled to perform under the State Board of Public Contractors Act.
SECTION 3. Section 31-3-17, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
31-3-17. There is hereby levied, in addition to any taxes otherwise provided for by law, a special privilege license tax of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) on each contractor that applies for a certificate of responsibility * * * issued under this chapter; and such tax shall be paid to the executive secretary of the board before making such application in this state. The board may levy an additional special privilege license tax not to exceed Fifty Dollars ($50.00) for each additional classification for which a contractor applies and is found to be qualified. The executive secretary of the board shall promptly deposit all monies received under this chapter in the State Treasury. Except for the civil penalty provided in Section 31-3-21 which shall be deposited into the State General Fund and the fee provided in Section 31-3-14, all monies received under this chapter shall be kept in a special fund in the State Treasury known as the "State Board of Contractors Fund," and shall be used only for the purposes of this chapter. Such monies shall not lapse at the end of each fiscal year, but all monies in such State Board of Contractors Fund in excess of the sum of fifty percent (50%) of the approved budget for the fiscal year shall be paid over into the General Fund of the State Treasury. All expenditures from the Board of Contractors Fund shall be by requisition to the State Auditor, signed by the executive secretary of the board and countersigned by the chairman or vice chairman of the board, and the State Treasurer shall issue his warrants thereon.
SECTION 4. Section 31-3-19, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
31-3-19. All applications for the original issuance of a certificate of responsibility or for any renewal thereof shall be made on a form prescribed by the board, accompanied by the special privilege tax * * *.
SECTION 5. Section 31-3-21, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
31-3-21. (1) It shall be unlawful for any person who does not hold a certificate of responsibility issued under this chapter, or a similar certificate issued by another state recognizing such certificate issued by the State of Mississippi, to submit a bid, enter into a contract, or otherwise engage in or continue in this state in the business of a contractor, as defined in this chapter. Any bid which is submitted without a certificate of responsibility number issued under this chapter and without that number appearing on the exterior of the bid envelope, as and if herein required, at the time designated for the opening of such bid, shall not be considered further, and the person or public agency soliciting bids shall not enter into a contract with a contractor submitting a bid in violation of this section. In addition, any person violating this section by knowingly and willfully submitting a bid for projects without holding a certificate of responsibility number issued under this chapter, as and if herein required, at the time of the submission or opening of such bid shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(2) All bids submitted for public or private projects where said bid is in excess of Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) with respect to public projects and in excess of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) with respect to private projects shall contain on the outside or exterior of the envelope or container of such bid the contractor's current certificate number, and no bid shall be opened or considered unless such contractor's current certificate number appears on the outside or exterior of said envelope or container, or unless there appears a statement on the outside or exterior of such envelope or container to the effect that the bid enclosed therewith did not exceed Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) with respect to public projects or One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) with respect to private projects. Any person violating the provisions of this subsection shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment for not more than six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
(3) In the letting of public contracts preference shall be given to resident contractors, and a nonresident bidder domiciled in a state having laws granting preference to local contractors shall be awarded Mississippi public contracts only on the same basis as the nonresident bidder's state awards contracts to Mississippi contractors bidding under similar circumstances; and resident contractors actually domiciled in Mississippi, be they corporate, individuals, or partnerships, are to be granted preference over nonresidents in awarding of contracts in the same manner and to the same extent as provided by the laws of the state of domicile of the nonresident. When a nonresident contractor submits a bid for a public project, he shall attach thereto a copy of his resident state's current law pertaining to such state's treatment of nonresident contractors. As used in this section, the term "resident contractors" includes a nonresident person, firm or corporation that has been qualified to do business in this state and has maintained a permanent full-time office in the State of Mississippi for two (2) years prior to January 1, 1986, and the subsidiaries and affiliates of such a person, firm or corporation. Any public agency awarding a contract shall promptly report to the State Tax Commission the following information:
(a) The amount of the contract.
(b) The name and address of the contractor reviewing the contract.
(c) The name and location of the project.
(4) In addition to any other penalties provided in this chapter, and upon a finding of a violation of this chapter, the State Board of Contractors may, after notice and hearing, issue an order of abatement directing the contractor to cease all actions constituting violations of this chapter until such time as the contractor complies with Mississippi state law, and to pay to the board a civil penalty to be deposited into the State Board of Contractors' Fund, created in Section 31-3-17, of not more than three percent (3%) of the total contract being performed by the contractor. The funds collected from civil penalty payments shall be used by the State Board of Contractors for enforcement and education. The governing authorities of a municipality or a county shall not issue a certificate of occupancy to any contractor on a project or job against whom a civil penalty has been assessed against the contractor by the State Board of Contractors when notified by the State Board of Contractors that such civil penalty has not been paid or satisfied and shall revoke or suspend any such building or construction permits, certificates of occupancy or any such construction approvals as may be in force as to such contractor on such project or job, until the State Board of Contractors has notified the governing authority that such penalty has been paid or satisfied.
SECTION 6. Section 73-59-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
73-59-3. (1) Except as otherwise provided in Section 73-59-15, persons who perform residential construction or residential improvement shall be licensed by the board annually, and, as a prerequisite to obtaining a license or renewal thereof, each shall submit to the board:
(a) Proof of workers' compensation insurance, if applicable;
(b) A federal employment identification number or social security number.
(2) The board shall not require liability insurance to be licensed under this chapter but if a licensee has liability insurance it shall be reflected on the certificate of licensure.
(3) The board shall issue or renew a license to a residential builder or remodeler upon payment to the board of the license fee. The initial license fee shall be Fifty Dollars ($50.00). The license fee may thereafter be increased or decreased by the board and cannot exceed One Hundred Dollars ($100.00); however, the receipts from fees collected by the board shall be no greater than the amount required to pay all costs and expenses incurred by the board in enforcing the provisions of this chapter. All fees collected under this chapter shall be deposited into the special fund in the State Treasury known as the "State Board of Contractor's Fund" created pursuant to Section 31-3-17 and shall be used only for the administration and enforcement of this chapter. Amounts in such fund shall not lapse into the State General Fund at the end of a fiscal year. Interest accrued to such fund shall remain in the fund. All expenditures from the special fund shall be by requisition to the Department of Finance and Administration, signed by the executive secretary of the board and countersigned by the chairman or vice chairman of the board.
(4) The license shall expire on the last day of the twelfth month following its issuance or renewal and shall become invalid unless renewed. The board shall notify by mail every licensee under this chapter of the date of the expiration of his license and the amount of the fee required for renewal of the license for one (1) year. Such notice shall be mailed within thirty (30) days prior to the expiration date of the license. The failure on the part of any licensee to renew his license annually in such twelfth month shall not deprive such licensee of the right of renewal, provided that renewal is effected within one hundred twenty (120) days after the expiration date of the license by payment of the license fee plus a penalty of one hundred percent (100%) of the license fee. A new license required to replace a revoked, lost, mutilated or destroyed license may be issued, subject to the rules of the board, for a charge of not more than Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00). A copy of such license number shall be posted in plain view at the building project sites.
(5) Any person who is not a resident of the State of Mississippi who desires to perform residential construction or residential improvement shall be licensed to perform such construction or improvement as provided by this chapter.
SECTION 7. Section 73-59-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
73-59-13. (1) The board, upon satisfactory proof and in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and the regulations of the board pertaining thereto, is authorized to take the disciplinary actions provided for in this section against any person for any of the following reasons:
(a) Violating any of the provisions of this chapter or the rules or regulations of the board pertaining to the work of residential building or residential improvement;
(b) Fraud, deceit or misrepresentation in obtaining a license;
(c) Gross negligence or misconduct;
(d) Engaging in work of residential building or residential improvement on an expired license or while under suspension or revocation of license unless the suspension or revocation be abated in accordance with this chapter;
(e) Loaning a license to an unlicensed person;
(f) Failing to maintain workers' compensation insurance, if applicable; or
(g) Failing to pay for goods or services for which the builder is contractually bound.
(2) Any person, including members of the board, may prefer charges against any other person for committing any of the acts set forth in subsection (1) of this section. Such charges shall be sworn to, either upon actual knowledge or upon information and belief, and shall be filed with the board.
The board shall investigate all charges filed with it and, upon finding reasonable cause to believe that the charges are not frivolous, unfounded or filed in bad faith, may, in its discretion, cause a hearing to be held, at a time and place fixed by the board, regarding the charges and may compel the accused by subpoena to appear before the board to respond to such charges.
The board shall send a certified or licensed inspector or an inspector employed as such by a governing authority of a county, a municipality or the federal government to inspect the building or structure which is the subject of a complaint or the board may use a county certified building inspector from the county where the building or structure is located to inspect the building or structure which is the subject of a complaint. The report of the inspector shall be used in the investigation and the determination of the board. The provisions above shall only apply to hearings.
No disciplinary action may be taken until the accused has been furnished both a statement of the charges against him and notice of the time and place of the hearing thereon, which shall be personally served on such accused or mailed by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the last known business or residence address of the accused not less than thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed for the hearing. The complaining party shall be notified of the place and time of the hearing by mail to the last known business or residence address of the complaining party not less than thirty (30) days prior to the date fixed for the hearing.
(3) At any hearing held hereunder, the board shall have the power to subpoena witnesses and compel their attendance and may also require the production of books, papers, documents or other materials which may be pertinent to the proceedings. The board may designate or secure a hearing officer to conduct the hearing. All evidence shall be presented under oath, which may be administered by any member of the board, and thereafter the proceedings may, if necessary, be transcribed in full by a court reporter and filed as part of the record in the case. Copies of such transcriptions may be provided to any party to the proceedings at a price reflecting actual cost, to be fixed by the board.
All witnesses who are subpoenaed and appear in any proceedings before the board shall receive the same fees and mileage as allowed by law to witnesses in county, circuit and chancery court pursuant to Section 25-7-47, Mississippi Code of 1972, and all such fees shall be taxed as part of the costs in the case.
When, in any proceeding before the board, any witness shall fail or refuse to attend upon subpoena issued by the board, shall refuse to testify, or shall refuse to produce any books and papers the production of which is called for by the subpoena, the attendance of such witness and the giving of his testimony and the production of the books and papers shall be enforced by any court of competent jurisdiction of this state in the manner provided for the enforcement of attendance and testimony of witnesses in civil cases in the courts of this state.
The accused and the complaining party shall have the right to be present at the hearing in person, by counsel or other representative, or both. The board is authorized for proper cause to continue or recess the hearing as may be necessary.
(4) At the conclusion of the hearing, the board may either decide the issue at that time or take the case under advisement for further deliberation. The board shall render its decision not more than ninety (90) days after the close of the hearing and shall forward to the last known business or residence address of the accused, by certified mail, return receipt requested, a written statement of the decision of the board.
(5) If a majority of the board finds the accused guilty of the charges filed, the board may:
(a) Issue a public or private reprimand;
(b) Suspend or revoke the license of the accused; or
(c) In lieu of or in addition to any reprimand, suspension or revocation, assess and levy upon the guilty party a monetary penalty of not less than One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) nor more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for each violation.
(6) A monetary penalty assessed and levied under this section shall be paid to the board upon the expiration of the period allowed for appeal of such penalties under this section or may be paid sooner if the guilty party elects. Money collected by the board under this section shall be deposited to the credit of the State Board of Contractors' Fund.
When payment of a monetary penalty assessed and levied by the board in accordance with this section is not paid when due, the board shall have the power to institute and maintain proceedings in its name for enforcement of payment in the chancery court of the county of residence of the delinquent party; however, if the delinquent party is a nonresident of the State of Mississippi, such proceedings shall be in the Chancery Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi.
(7) When the board has taken a disciplinary action under this section, the board may, in its discretion, stay such action and place the guilty party on probation for a period not to exceed one (1) year upon the condition that such party shall not further violate either the laws of the State of Mississippi pertaining to the practice of residential construction or residential remodeling or the bylaws, rules or regulations promulgated by the board.
(8) The board shall not assess any of the costs of disciplinary proceedings conducted pursuant to this section against the prevailing party.
(9) The power and authority of the board to assess and levy the monetary penalties provided for in this section shall not be affected or diminished by any other proceedings, civil or criminal, concerning the same violation or violations except as provided in this section.
(10) The board, for sufficient cause, may reissue a revoked license whenever a majority of the board members vote to do so.
(11) Any person aggrieved by any order or decision of the board may appeal within ten (10) days from the date of adjournment of the session at which the board rendered such order or decision, and may embody the facts, order and decision in a bill of exceptions which shall be signed by the person acting as chairman of the board. The board shall transmit the bill of exceptions to either the chancery court of the county of residence of the appellant, or the Chancery Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, at the election of the appellant, and the court or chancellor shall hear and determine the same either in termtime or in vacation, on the case as presented by the bill of exceptions, as an appellant court, and shall affirm or reverse the judgment. If the judgment be reversed, the chancery court or chancellor shall render such order or judgment as the board ought to have rendered, and certify the same to the board; and costs shall be awarded as in other cases. The board may employ counsel to defend such appeals, to be paid out of the funds in the State Board of Contractors' Fund.
The remedies provided under this chapter for any aggrieved applicant shall not be exclusive, but shall be cumulative of and supplemental to any other remedies which he may otherwise have in law or in equity, whether by injunction or otherwise.
(12) Any political subdivision or agency of this state which receives a complaint against a residential builder or remodeler shall, in addition to exercising whatever authority such political subdivision or agency has been given over such complaint, forward the complaint to the board.
(13) In addition to the reasons specified in subsection (1) of this section, the board shall be authorized to suspend the license of any licensee for being out of compliance with an order for support, as defined in Section 93-11-153. The procedure for suspension of a license for being out of compliance with an order for support, and the procedure for the reissuance or reinstatement of a license suspended for that purpose, and the payment of any fees for the reissuance or reinstatement of a license suspended for that purpose, shall be governed by Section 93-11-157 or 93-11-163, as the case may be. Actions taken by the board in suspending a license when required by Section 93-11-157 or 93-11-163 are not actions from which an appeal may be taken under this section. Any appeal of a license suspension that is required by Section 93-11-157 or 93-11-163 shall be taken in accordance with the appeal procedure specified in Section 93-11-157 or 93-11-163, as the case may be, rather than the procedure specified in this section. If there is any conflict between any provision of Section 93-11-157 or 93-11-163 and any provision of this chapter, the provisions of Section 93-11-157 or 93-11-163, as the case may be, shall control.
SECTION 8. Section 73-59-21, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
73-59-21. (1) There is hereby created the Standing Committee on Residential Builders and Remodelers which shall be subordinate to the State Board of Contractors as set forth in Section 31-3-3. The standing committee shall be composed of the two (2) residential builders who serve as members of the State Board of Contractors and three (3) additional residential builders as defined in Section 73-59-1 to be appointed by the Governor. The terms of the ex officio members shall be concurrent with their terms as members of the State Board of Contractors. The initial terms of the three (3) additional residential builders on the Standing Committee on Residential Builders and Remodelers shall be one (1), three (3) and five (5) years, respectively, beginning July 1, 2000. Upon the expiration of the initial term of any member not serving ex officio, his or her successor shall be appointed for a term of five (5) years.
(2) The Governor shall appoint one (1) of the two (2) ex officio members as Chairman of the Standing Committee on Residential Builders and Remodelers. The Executive Secretary of the State Board of Contractors as set forth in Section 31-3-11 shall serve as secretary of the standing committee. The standing committee shall meet no less than once per quarter of each year at a date and time to be set by its chairman upon at least five (5) business days notice by regular mail. The members of the standing committee shall be entitled to receive a per diem as provided in Section 31-3-9.
(3) Three (3) members of the Standing Committee on Residential Builders and Remodelers shall constitute a quorum and a majority vote of those present and voting at any meeting shall be necessary to transact business.
(4) The Standing Committee on Residential Builders and Remodelers shall have the power to make recommendations to the State Board of Contractors pertaining to all duties set forth in Sections 73-59-11 and 73-59-13. The standing committee shall have only the power to make recommendations to the State Board of Contractors and the State Board of Contractors shall have the power and authority to accept or reject any recommendation made by the standing committee. * * * The Standing Committee on Residential Builders and Remodelers shall have the authority to conduct hearings regarding residential builders and remodelers.
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2002.