MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2007 Regular Session

To: Finance

By: Senator(s) Robertson, Burton, Butler, Chaney, Fillingane, Frazier, Hyde-Smith, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jordan, King, Little, Morgan, Posey, Thomas, Walls, White

Senate Bill 3201

(COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE ISSUANCE OF STATE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING CAPITOL IMPROVEMENTS FOR STATE AGENCIES; TO AMEND SECTION 2, CHAPTER 538, LAWS OF 2006, TO REVISE THE DESIGNATION OF A SPECIAL FUND; TO AMEND SECTIONS 97 THROUGH 118, LAWS OF 2004 THIRD EXTRAORDINARY SESSION, AS AMENDED BY SECTION 13, CHAPTER 538, LAWS OF 2006, TO REVISE THE DESCRIPTION OF A PROJECT AT JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY; TO AMEND SECTIONS 1 THROUGH 24, CHAPTER 522, LAWS OF 2003, AS LAST AMENDED BY SECTION 14, CHAPTER 538, LAWS OF 2006; TO REPEAL SECTIONS 1 THROUGH 14, CHAPTER 589, LAWS OF 1999, AS AMENDED BY CHAPTER 502, LAWS OF 2001, WHICH PROVIDE FOR THE ISSUANCE OF STATE GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS FOR IMPROVEMENT TO THE WALTHALL SCHOOL BUILDING IN HATTIESBURG, MISSISSIPPI; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) As used in this section, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(a) "Accreted value" of any bond means, as of any date of computation, an amount equal to the sum of (i) the stated initial value of such bond, plus (ii) the interest accrued thereon from the issue date to the date of computation at the rate, compounded semiannually, that is necessary to produce the approximate yield to maturity shown for bonds of the same maturity.

(b) "State" means the State of Mississippi.

(2) (a) (i) A special fund, to be designated as the "2007 State Agencies Capital Improvements Fund," is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into such fund.

(ii) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed, in the discretion of the Department of Finance and Administration, to pay the costs of capital improvements, renovation and/or repair of existing facilities, furnishings and/or equipping facilities for public facilities for agencies or their successors as hereinafter described:

Department of Agriculture and Commerce.......... $ 300,000.00

Repair, renovation, demolition,

improvement and upgrade of

facilities and infrastructure

at the Jim Buck Ross

Mississippi Agriculture and

Forestry Museum ............ $ 300,000.00

Department of Archives and History.............. $ 1,500,000.00

Additional Funds for

construction, renovation,

furnishing and equipping of

the State Records Center ... $ 1,000,000.00

General repair and renovation

of buildings and facilities. $ 500,000.00

Department of Finance and Administration........ $ 9,500,000.00

Preplanning of and Phase I of

repairs and renovations to

the New Capitol ............ $ 1,000,000.00

Purchase of a construction

management software system for the

Bureau of Building, Grounds

and Real Property

Management ................. $ 1,000,000.00

Repair and renovation, parking

improvements and building

demolition at the state-owned facility

located at 515 East Amite Street

in Jackson ................. $ 7,500,000.00

Department of Corrections....................... $ 5,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of

buildings and facilities and

repair, renovation and

improvement of infrastructure

at the State Penitentiary

at Parchman ................ $ 2,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of

buildings and facilities and

repair, renovation and

improvement of infrastructure

at the Central Mississippi

Correctional Facility

in Rankin County ........... $ 2,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of

buildings and facilities and

repair, renovation and

improvement of infrastructure

at the South Mississippi

Correctional Institute

at Leaksville .............. $ 1,000,000.00

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks..... $ 3,300,000.00

General repair and renovation

of existing facilities,

repair, renovation and

improvement of dams,

spillways and other

infrastructure ............. $ 2,000,000.00

Repair of the Lake Dockery

Dam in Hinds County ........ $ 1,300,000.00

Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and Blind...... $ 2,900,000.00

Construction of a maintenance

shop and a residence for the

superintendent south of Eastover

Drive, demolition of all buildings

located north of Eastover Drive

and general repair and

renovation of buildings,

facilities and

infrastructure ............. $ 2,900,000.00

Department of Human Services.................... $ 7,500,000.00

General repairs and renovations

of buildings and facilities at

the Columbia Training School

and the Oakley Training

School ..................... $ 7,500,000.00

Mississippi Industries for the Blind............ $ 750,000.00

General repairs and renovations of

buildings and facilities ... $ 250,000.00

Preplanning of a new building.. $ 500,000.00

State Fire Academy.............................. $ 1,500,000.00

General repairs and renovations

of buildings and

facilities ................. $ 400,000.00

Construction, furnishing and

equipping of a classroom

facility ................... $ 1,100,000.00

Mississippi Authority for Educational Television$ 3,000,000.00

Federal match for radio transmitters,

necessary maintenance upgrades

to television and radio system

and television maximization

upgrades ................... $ 3,000,000.00

Department of Public Safety..................... $ 2,400,000.00

Preplanning of a headquarters

building in Rankin County .. $ 400,000.00

General repair, renovation

and upgrades of buildings

and facilities ............. $ 2,000,000.00

Department of Mental Health..................... $ 15,000,000.00

Construction, furnishing and

equipping of a new maintenance

compound and related facilities,

general repair and renovation

of buildings and facilities

at the Mississippi State

Hospital ................... $ 3,000,000.00

Purchase and installation of

a sprinkler system in

buildings at the Mississippi

State Hospital ............. $ 3,000,000.00

Repair, renovation, replacement

and improvement of the water system

and related facilities at

Boswell Regional Center .... $ 1,500,000.00

Construction, furnishing and

equipping of a cafeteria

at East Mississippi

State Hospital ............. $ 5,000,000.00

Demolition, renovation and

replacement of laundry

facilities at East

Mississippi State Hospital.. $ 2,500,000.00

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency......... $ 750,000.00

Completion of furnishing

and equipping of new

headquarters building

and construction of a

warehouse .................. $ 750,000.00

Mississippi Military Department................. $ 2,000,000.00

Construction, equipping

and furnishing of additions

to and the expansion of

the Armed Forces Museum

at Camp Shelby ............. $ 2,000,000.00

Mississippi Fair Commission..................... $ 7,500,000.00

General repair and renovations,

upgrades to infrastructure,

heating, ventilation, air

conditioning and

electrical systems

at the MS Coliseum ......... $ 7,500,000.00

Department of Rehabilitation Services........... $ 5,000,000.00

Renovation, furnishing and

equipping of the addition to

the headquarters building .. $ 5,000,000.00

State Veterans Affairs Board.................... $ 900,000.00

General repair and renovation

of buildings and facilities

to include compliance with

federal regulations and

guidelines ................. $ 900,000.00

Tombigbee Water Management District............. $ 300,000.00

General repair and renovation

of buildings and

facilities ................. $ 300,000.00

TOTAL........................................... $ 69,100,000.00

(b) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in paragraph (a) of this subsection. If any monies in such special fund are not used within four (4) years after the date the proceeds of the bonds authorized under this section are deposited into the special fund, then the agency for which any unused monies are allocated under paragraph (a) of this subsection shall provide an accounting of such unused monies to the commission. Promptly after the commission has certified, by resolution duly adopted, that the projects described in paragraph (a) of this subsection shall have been completed, abandoned, or cannot be completed in a timely fashion, any amounts remaining in such special fund shall be applied to pay debt service on the bonds issued under this section, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds and as directed by the commission.

(c) Monies in the special fund may be used to reimburse reasonable actual and necessary costs incurred by the Department of Finance and Administration, acting through the Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management, in administering or providing assistance directly related to a project described in paragraph (a) of this subsection. An accounting of actual costs incurred for which reimbursement is sought shall be maintained for each project by the Department of Finance and Administration, Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management. Reimbursement of reasonable actual and necessary costs for a project shall not exceed two percent (2%) of the proceeds of bonds issued for such project. Monies authorized for a particular project may not be used to reimburse administrative costs for unrelated projects.

(d) The Department of Finance and Administration, acting through the Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management, is expressly authorized and empowered to receive and expend any local or other source funds in connection with the expenditure of funds provided for in this subsection. The expenditure of monies deposited into the special fund shall be under the direction of the Department of Finance and Administration, and such funds shall be paid by the State Treasurer upon warrants issued by such department, which warrants shall be issued upon requisitions signed by the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, or his designee.

(e) Any amounts allocated to an agency that are in excess of that needed to complete the projects at such agency that are described in paragraph (a) of this subsection may be used for general repairs and renovations at the agency or institution of higher learning to which such amount is allocated.

(3) (a) (i) A special fund, to be designated as the "2007 Bureau of Buildings Discretionary Fund," is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund may not be used or expended for any purpose except as authorized under this section.

(ii) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Finance and Administration, to pay the costs of site improvements, general weatherization, demolition and roofing, environmental, mechanical, electrical and structural repairs required for state-owned facilities, repair and renovation of state-owned facilities necessary for compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act and purchase of necessary furniture and equipment; and

(iii) Completion of previously authorized projects.

(b) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in paragraph (a) of this subsection.

(c) The expenditure of monies deposited into the special fund shall be under the direction of the Department of Finance and Administration, and such funds shall be paid by the State Treasurer upon warrants issued by such department, which warrants shall be issued upon requisitions signed by the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, or his designee.

(4) (a) The commission, at one time, or from time to time, may declare by resolution the necessity for issuance of general obligation bonds of the State of Mississippi to provide funds for all costs incurred or to be incurred for the purposes described in subsections (2) and (3) of this section. Upon the adoption of a resolution by the Department of Finance and Administration, declaring the necessity for the issuance of any part or all of the general obligation bonds authorized by this section, the Department of Finance and Administration shall deliver a certified copy of its resolution or resolutions to the commission. Upon receipt of such resolution, the commission, in its discretion, may act as the issuing agent, prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. The total amount of bonds issued under this section shall not exceed Ninety Million One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($90,100,000.00). No bonds shall be issued under this section after July 1, 2012.

(b) The proceeds of the bonds issued pursuant to this act shall be deposited into the following special funds in not more than the following amounts:

(i) The 2007 State Agencies Capital Improvements Fund created pursuant to subsection (2) of this

section........................................ $ 69,100,000.00.

(ii) The 2007 Bureau of Buildings Discretionary Fund created pursuant to subsection (3) of this

section........................................ $ 21,000,000.00.

(5) Any investment earnings on amounts deposited into the special funds created in subsections (2) and (3) of this section shall be used to pay debt service on bonds issued under this section, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing issuance of such bonds.

(6) The principal of and interest on the bonds authorized under this section shall be payable in the manner provided in this section. Such bonds shall bear such date or dates, be in such denomination or denominations, bear interest at such rate or rates (not to exceed the limits set forth in Section 75-17-101, Mississippi Code of 1972), be payable at such place or places within or without the State of Mississippi, shall mature absolutely at such time or times not to exceed twenty-five (25) years from date of issue, be redeemable before maturity at such time or times and upon such terms, with or without premium, shall bear such registration privileges, and shall be substantially in such form, all as shall be determined by resolution of the commission.

(7) The bonds authorized by this section shall be signed by the chairman of the commission, or by his facsimile signature, and the official seal of the commission shall be affixed thereto, attested by the secretary of the commission. The interest coupons, if any, to be attached to such bonds may be executed by the facsimile signatures of such officers. Whenever any such bonds shall have been signed by the officials designated to sign the bonds who were in office at the time of such signing but who may have ceased to be such officers before the sale and delivery of such bonds, or who may not have been in office on the date such bonds may bear, the signatures of such officers upon such bonds and coupons shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes and have the same effect as if the person so officially signing such bonds had remained in office until their delivery to the purchaser, or had been in office on the date such bonds may bear. However, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, such bonds may be issued as provided in the Registered Bond Act of the State of Mississippi.

(8) All bonds and interest coupons issued under the provisions of this section have all the qualities and incidents of negotiable instruments under the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code, and in exercising the powers granted by this section, the commission shall not be required to and need not comply with the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code.

(9) The commission shall act as the issuing agent for the bonds authorized under this section, prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold, pay all fees and costs incurred in such issuance and sale, and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. The commission is authorized and empowered to pay the costs that are incident to the sale, issuance and delivery of the bonds authorized under this section from the proceeds derived from the sale of such bonds. The commission shall sell such bonds on sealed bids at public sale, and for such price as it may determine to be for the best interest of the State of Mississippi, but no such sale shall be made at a price less than par plus accrued interest to the date of delivery of the bonds to the purchaser. All interest accruing on such bonds so issued shall be payable semiannually or annually; however, the first interest payment may be for any period of not more than one (1) year.

Notice of the sale of any such bonds shall be published at least one time, not less than ten (10) days before the date of sale, and shall be so published in one or more newspapers published or having a general circulation in the City of Jackson, Mississippi, and in one or more other newspapers or financial journals with a national circulation, to be selected by the commission.

The commission, when issuing any bonds under the authority of this section, may provide that bonds, at the option of the State of Mississippi, may be called in for payment and redemption at the call price named therein and accrued interest on such date or dates named therein.

(10) The bonds issued under the provisions of this section are general obligations of the State of Mississippi, and for the payment thereof the full faith and credit of the State of Mississippi is irrevocably pledged. If the funds appropriated by the Legislature are insufficient to pay the principal of and the interest on such bonds as they become due, then the deficiency shall be paid by the State Treasurer from any funds in the State Treasury not otherwise appropriated. All such bonds shall contain recitals on their faces substantially covering the provisions of this subsection.

(11) Upon the issuance and sale of bonds under the provisions of this section, the commission shall transfer the proceeds of any such sale or sales to the special funds created in subsections (2) and (3) of this section in the amounts provided for in subsection (4)(b) of this section. The proceeds of such bonds shall be disbursed solely upon the order of the Department of Finance and Administration under such restrictions, if any, as may be contained in the resolution providing for the issuance of the bonds.

(12) The bonds authorized under this section may be issued without any other proceedings or the happening of any other conditions or things other than those proceedings, conditions and things which are specified or required by this section. Any resolution providing for the issuance of bonds under the provisions of this section shall become effective immediately upon its adoption by the commission, and any such resolution may be adopted at any regular or special meeting of the commission by a majority of its members.

(13) The bonds authorized under the authority of this section may be validated in the Chancery Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi, in the manner and with the force and effect provided by Chapter 13, Title 31, Mississippi Code of 1972, for the validation of county, municipal, school district and other bonds. The notice to taxpayers required by such statutes shall be published in a newspaper published or having a general circulation in the City of Jackson, Mississippi.

(14) Any holder of bonds issued under the provisions of this section or of any of the interest coupons pertaining thereto may, either at law or in equity, by suit, action, mandamus or other proceeding, protect and enforce any and all rights granted under this section, or under such resolution, and may enforce and compel performance of all duties required by this section to be performed, in order to provide for the payment of bonds and interest thereon.

(15) All bonds issued under the provisions of this section shall be legal investments for trustees and other fiduciaries, and for savings banks, trust companies and insurance companies organized under the laws of the State of Mississippi, and such bonds shall be legal securities which may be deposited with and shall be received by all public officers and bodies of this state and all municipalities and political subdivisions for the purpose of securing the deposit of public funds.

(16) Bonds issued under the provisions of this section and income therefrom shall be exempt from all taxation in the State of Mississippi.

(17) The proceeds of the bonds issued under this section shall be used solely for the purposes herein provided, including the costs incident to the issuance and sale of such bonds.

(18) The State Treasurer is authorized, without further process of law, to certify to the Department of Finance and Administration the necessity for warrants, and the Department of Finance and Administration is authorized and directed to issue such warrants, in such amounts as may be necessary to pay when due the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, or the accreted value of, all bonds issued under this section; and the State Treasurer shall forward the necessary amount to the designated place or places of payment of such bonds in ample time to discharge such bonds, or the interest thereon, on the due dates thereof.

(19) This section shall be deemed to be full and complete authority for the exercise of the powers herein granted, but this section shall not be deemed to repeal or to be in derogation of any existing law of this state.

SECTION 2. Section 2, Chapter 538, Laws of 2006, is amended as follows:

Section 2. (1) As used in this section, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(b) "State" means the State of Mississippi.

(2) (a) (i) A special fund to be designated as the "2006 Mississippi State-Owned Buildings and Community and Junior College Repair and Renovation Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into such fund.

(ii) Money deposited into the fund shall be disbursed, in the discretion of the Department of Finance and Administration, to pay the costs of repair and renovation of state-owned buildings and facilities, repair and renovation of buildings and repair and renovation of buildings and facilities at community and junior colleges; however, of the money deposited into the fund, One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) shall be allocated to the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000.00) shall be allocated to Pearl River Community College, and Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($900,000.00) shall be allocated to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College.

(b) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of the projects described in paragraph (a) of this subsection. If any monies in such special fund are not used within four (4) years after the date the proceeds of the bonds authorized under this section are deposited into the special fund, then the Department of Finance and Administration shall provide an accounting of such unused monies to the commission. Promptly after the commission has certified, by resolution duly adopted, that the projects described in subsection (1) of this section shall have been completed, abandoned, or cannot be completed in a timely fashion, any amounts remaining in such special fund shall be applied to pay debt service on the bonds issued under this section, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds and as directed by the commission.

(c) The Department of Finance and Administration, acting through the Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management, is expressly authorized and empowered to receive and expend any local or other source funds in connection with the expenditure of funds provided for in this section. The expenditure of monies deposited into the special fund shall be under the direction of the Department of Finance and Administration, and such funds shall be paid by the State Treasurer upon warrants issued by such department, which warrants shall be issued upon requisitions signed by the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, or his designee.

(3) (a) (i) A special fund to be designated as the "2006 IHL * * * Repair and Renovation Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into such fund.

(ii) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed, in the discretion of the Department of Finance and Administration, to pay the costs of repair and renovation of buildings and facilities at state institutions of higher learning.

(4) (a) The commission, at one time, or from time to time, may declare by resolution the necessity for issuance of general obligation bonds of the State of Mississippi to provide funds for all costs incurred or to be incurred for the purposes described in subsections (2) and (3) of this section. Upon the adoption of a resolution by the Department of Finance and Administration, declaring the necessity for the issuance of any part or all of the general obligation bonds authorized by this subsection, the Department of Finance and Administration shall deliver a certified copy of its resolution or resolutions to the commission. Upon receipt of such resolution, the commission, in its discretion, may act as the issuing agent, prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. The total amount of bonds issued under this section shall not exceed Thirty-five Million Dollars ($35,000,000.00). No bonds shall be issued under this section from and after July 1, 2010.

(b) The proceeds of the bonds issued under this section shall be deposited into the following special funds in not more than the following amounts:

(i) The 2006 Mississippi State-Owned Buildings and Community and Junior College Repair and Renovation Fund created in subsection (2) of this section.................. $17,500,000.00.

(ii) The 2006 IHL Repair and Renovation Fund created in subsection (3) of this section............... $17,500,000.00.

(c) Any investment earnings on amounts deposited into the special funds created in this section shall be used to pay debt service on bonds issued under this section, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing issuance of such bonds.

(5) The principal of and interest on the bonds authorized under this section shall be payable in the manner provided in this subsection. Such bonds shall bear such date or dates, be in such denomination or denominations, bear interest at such rate or rates (not to exceed the limits set forth in Section 75-17-101, Mississippi Code of 1972), be payable at such place or places within or without the State of Mississippi, shall mature absolutely at such time or times not to exceed twenty-five (25) years from date of issue, be redeemable before maturity at such time or times and upon such terms, with or without premium, shall bear such registration privileges, and shall be substantially in such form, all as shall be determined by resolution of the commission.

(6) The bonds authorized by this section shall be signed by the chairman of the commission, or by his facsimile signature, and the official seal of the commission shall be affixed thereto, attested by the secretary of the commission. The interest coupons, if any, to be attached to such bonds may be executed by the facsimile signatures of such officers. Whenever any such bonds shall have been signed by the officials designated to sign the bonds who were in office at the time of such signing but who may have ceased to be such officers before the sale and delivery of such bonds, or who may not have been in office on the date such bonds may bear, the signatures of such officers upon such bonds and coupons shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes and have the same effect as if the person so officially signing such bonds had remained in office until their delivery to the purchaser, or had been in office on the date such bonds may bear. However, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, such bonds may be issued as provided in the Registered Bond Act of the State of Mississippi.

(7) All bonds and interest coupons issued under the provisions of this section have all the qualities and incidents of negotiable instruments under the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code, and in exercising the powers granted by this section, the commission shall not be required to and need not comply with the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code.

(8) The commission shall act as the issuing agent for the bonds authorized under this section, prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold, pay all fees and costs incurred in such issuance and sale, and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. The commission is authorized and empowered to pay the costs that are incident to the sale, issuance and delivery of the bonds authorized under this section from the proceeds derived from the sale of such bonds. The commission shall sell such bonds on sealed bids at public sale, and for such price as it may determine to be for the best interest of the State of Mississippi, but no such sale shall be made at a price less than par plus accrued interest to the date of delivery of the bonds to the purchaser. All interest accruing on such bonds so issued shall be payable semiannually or annually; however, the first interest payment may be for any period of not more than one (1) year.

(9) The bonds issued under the provisions of this section are general obligations of the State of Mississippi, and for the payment thereof the full faith and credit of the State of Mississippi is irrevocably pledged. If the funds appropriated by the Legislature are insufficient to pay the principal of and the interest on such bonds as they become due, then the deficiency shall be paid by the State Treasurer from any funds in the State Treasury not otherwise appropriated. All such bonds shall contain recitals on their faces substantially covering the provisions of this subsection.

(10) Upon the issuance and sale of bonds under the provisions of this section, the commission shall transfer the proceeds of any such sale or sales to the special funds created in subsections (2) and (3) of this section in the amounts provided for in subsection (4)(b) of this section. The proceeds of such bonds shall be disbursed solely upon the order of the Department of Finance and Administration under such restrictions, if any, as may be contained in the resolution providing for the issuance of the bonds.

(11) The bonds authorized under this section may be issued without any other proceedings or the happening of any other conditions or things other than those proceedings, conditions and things which are specified or required by this section. Any resolution providing for the issuance of bonds under the provisions of this section shall become effective immediately upon its adoption by the commission, and any such resolution may be adopted at any regular or special meeting of the commission by a majority of its members.

(12) The bonds authorized under the authority of this section may be validated in the Chancery Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi, in the manner and with the force and effect provided by Chapter 13, Title 31, Mississippi Code of 1972, for the validation of county, municipal, school district and other bonds. The notice to taxpayers required by such statutes shall be published in a newspaper published or having a general circulation in the City of Jackson, Mississippi.

(13) Any holder of bonds issued under the provisions of this section or of any of the interest coupons pertaining thereto may, either at law or in equity, by suit, action, mandamus or other proceeding, protect and enforce any and all rights granted under this section, or under such resolution, and may enforce and compel performance of all duties required by this section to be performed, in order to provide for the payment of bonds and interest thereon.

(14) All bonds issued under the provisions of this section shall be legal investments for trustees and other fiduciaries, and for savings banks, trust companies and insurance companies organized under the laws of the State of Mississippi, and such bonds shall be legal securities which may be deposited with and shall be received by all public officers and bodies of this state and all municipalities and political subdivisions for the purpose of securing the deposit of public funds.

(15) Bonds issued under the provisions of this section and income therefrom shall be exempt from all taxation in the State of Mississippi.

(16) The proceeds of the bonds issued under this section shall be used solely for the purposes herein provided, including the costs incident to the issuance and sale of such bonds.

(17) The State Treasurer is authorized, without further process of law, to certify to the Department of Finance and Administration the necessity for warrants, and the Department of Finance and Administration is authorized and directed to issue such warrants, in such amounts as may be necessary to pay when due the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, or the accreted value of, all bonds issued under this section; and the State Treasurer shall forward the necessary amount to the designated place or places of payment of such bonds in ample time to discharge such bonds, or the interest thereon, on the due dates thereof.

(18) This section shall be deemed to be full and complete authority for the exercise of the powers herein granted, but this section shall not be deemed to repeal or to be in derogation of any existing law of this state.

SECTION 3. Sections 97 through 118, Laws of 2004 Third Extraordinary Session, as amended by Section 13, Chapter 538, Laws of 2006, are amended as follows:

Section 97. As used in Sections 97 through 118 of this act, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(b) "State" means the State of Mississippi.

Section 98. (1) (a) A special fund, to be designated as the "2004-2005 Institutions of Higher Learning and State Agencies Capital Improvements Fund," is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into such fund.

(b) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed, in the discretion of the Department of Finance and Administration, with the approval of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning on those projects related to the universities under its management and control to pay the costs of capital improvements, renovation and/or repair of existing facilities, furnishings and/or equipping facilities for public facilities for agencies or their successors as hereinafter described:

NAME PROJECT AMOUNT

ALLOCATED

INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING................. $108,810,000.00

Alcorn State University......................... $ 13,600,000.00

Design, construction,

furnishing and equipping of

a new dining facility ...... $12,600,000.00

Construction of a new baseball

stadium and field and related

facilities ................. $ 1,000,000.00

Delta State University.......................... $ 7,480,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities, repair,

renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure and purchase of

furniture and equipment .... $ 2,830,000.00

Repair and renovation of

Bailey, Kethley and

Union Halls ................ $ 4,000,000.00

Furnishing and equipping of

Chadwick Dickson Field House,

construction of visitors

restrooms and concession

stand at Parker Field, repairs

and renovations of Walter

Sillers Coliseum, construction

of the Dave "Boo" Ferris

Baseball Building .......... $ 650,000.00

Jackson State University........................ $ 12,000,000.00

Continuation of Phase II

of the Lynch

Street Corridor

Project to include

utilities, landscaping,

irrigation and plaza

removal, land acquisition,

site improvements and repair

and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities, repair,

renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure and purchase

of furniture and

equipment .................. $ 2,000,000.00

* * *

Demolition and replacement

of the Charles Moore

Building, Dansby Hall and

Johnson Hall ............... $ 7,000,000.00

Phase I of repair, renovation,

construction, furnishing and

equipping of the

E-City Center Building ..... $ 500,000.00

Land acquisition .............. $ 2,500,000.00

Mississippi University for Women................ $ 8,000,000.00

Repair and renovation

of Poindexter Hall ......... $ 7,000,000.00

Furnishing and equipping

of Martin Hall and

South Callaway Hall

and general repair and

renovation ................. $ 1,000,000.00

Mississippi State University.................... $ 17,000,000.00

Phase II of repair and renovation

and furnishing and equipping

of Colvard Student Union ... $ 7,000,000.00

Phase I of repair, renovation,

furnishing and equipping

of Harned Hall ............. $ 5,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities, repair,

renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure ............. $ 5,000,000.00

Mississippi State University/Division of Agriculture,

Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.............. $ 5,300,000.00

Phase II construction and

furnishing and equipping of

a new building for the

Department of Agricultural and

Biological Engineering ..... $ 4,750,000.00

Repair and renovation of

Veterinary Medicine

facilities ................. $ 550,000.00

Mississippi Valley State University............. $ 7,750,000.00

Phase I of design, construction,

furnishing and equipping a

wellness center ............ $ 7,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities, repair,

renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure ............. $ 750,000.00

University of Mississippi....................... $ 13,250,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities,

repair, renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure and purchase of

furniture and equipment .... $ 9,000,000.00

Repair, renovation, furnishing

and equipping of the

Old Chemistry Building ..... $ 4,000,000.00

Purchase of furniture and equipment

at the Institutions of Higher

Learning Center at

Southaven, Mississippi ..... $ 250,000.00

University Medical Center....................... $ 1,980,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities,

repair, renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure and purchase of

furniture and equipment .... $ 1,980,000.00

University of Southern Mississippi.............. $ 12,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities; repair,

renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure; purchase of

furniture and equipment;

provide matching funds

for projects funded

through private donations

and federal grants; construction

of buildings and facilities;

and land acquisition ....... $ 7,000,000.00

Phase III of repair and renovation

of Reed Green Coliseum ..... $ 3,000,000.00

Design, construction, furnishing

and equipping of an oceanographic

support facility ........... $ 2,000,000.00

University of Southern Mississippi/

Gulf Coast Campuses........................... $ 6,500,000.00

Facility repairs,

replacements and upgrades

at Gulf Coast Campuses ..... $ 6,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities,

repair, renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure and purchase

of furniture and equipment

at Gulf Park Campus ........ $ 500,000.00

University of Southern Mississippi/

Gulf Coast Research Laboratory................ $ 3,950,000.00

Design, construction, furnishing

and equipping of a

research office/laboratory

facility at the Cedar

Point Campus ............... $ 3,700,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities, repair,

renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure and purchase of

furniture and equipment .... $ 250,000.00

STATE AGENCIES.................................. $ 80,350,000.00

Department of Agriculture and Commerce.......... $ 4,070,000.00

Repair, renovation, demolition,

improvement and upgrade of

facilities and

infrastructure ............. $ 2,000,000.00

Phase II of the relocation

of the Mississippi Farmers

Central Market to the State

Fairgrounds ................ $ 1,600,000.00

Roof repairs and necessary heating

and air conditioning system

modifications to the Heritage

Building at the Jim Buck Ross

Mississippi Agriculture and

Forestry Museum ............ $ 470,000.00

Department of Finance and Administration........ $ 45,600,000.00

Construction, furnishing and

equipping of a parking facility

and cafeteria adjacent to

the Sillers Building ....... $16,000,000.00

Tenant build-out, information

technology and furnishing and

equipping of the Sillers

Building ................... $ 3,000,000.00

Plazas, demolition, landscaping,

furnishing and equipping and

related items for occupancy of

the new Gartin justice facility

and the pedestrian mall and

green space located in the Sillers

Building block ............. $ 6,000,000.00

Property acquisition, demolition

and site improvement in

the vicinity of

the Capitol Complex ........ $ 2,000,000.00

Planning and acquisition of property,

construction of facilities,

furnishing, equipping and

relocation of the State Tax

Commission and/or Mississippi

Department of Environmental

Quality .................... $ 8,000,000.00

Roofing repairs, repair and/or

replacement of windows and

weatherization at the

Robert E. Lee Building or

other Capitol Complex

facilities ................. $ 3,000,000.00

General repairs and renovations

at the 101 Capitol

Centre Building ............ $ 2,000,000.00

Construction of additions to,

and general repairs and

renovations of, the Department

of Rehabilitation Services

Building ................... $ 3,000,000.00

Preplanning for projects listed

in subsection (5) of this

section .................... $ 2,600,000.00

Department of Corrections....................... $ 2,500,000.00

Repair and renovation of existing

facilities, infrastructure

repair and expansions and

furnishing and equipping

of facilities .............. $ 2,500,000.00

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks..... $ 3,000,000.00

Construction of minor new facilities,

additions to, and repair and

renovation of existing facilities

and furnishing and equipping

of facilities, repair to

dams, spillways and

other infrastructure ....... $ 3,000,000.00

Mississippi Schools for the Deaf and Blind...... $ 1,500,000.00

Continuation of renovations to

the Mississippi School for

the Deaf, Dormitory A

including furniture and

equipment; enhancements to

Phases II and III to include

audio and video communication,

furniture, equipment, lockers

and signage ................ $ 1,500,000.00

Department of Information and Technology

Services...................................... $ 1,800,000.00

Phase II of installation of

communications infrastructure

and related equipment at the

Capitol Complex, the Education

and Research Center campus

and other state buildings

and connections between such

locations; preplanning for

a cooperative data center;

and delivery system and data

warehouse infrastructure for

geographic information/remote

sensing data ............... $ 1,800,000.00

Department of Human Services.................... $ 7,000,000.00

Repair of existing academic

center, repair or replacement

of gymnasium at Columbia and

other projects at Columbia

and Oakley to satisfy facility

requirements requested by

the Department of Justice .. $ 4,000,000.00

General repairs and renovations,

furnishing and equipping of

facilities and site work at

the Columbia Training School

and the Oakley Training

School ..................... $ 3,000,000.00

Mississippi Industries for the Blind............ $ 2,000,000.00

Phase I of a complete reuse plan

and construction, furnishing

and equipping of the Mississippi

Industries for the Blind Facility

and State Records Center at

the old Farmers' Market

location in Jackson ........ $ 2,000,000.00

Mississippi National Guard...................... $ 1,430,000.00

Provide matching funds to the

National Guard for

construction of readiness

center in Monticello,

Mississippi ................ $ 1,430,000.00

State Fire Academy.............................. $ 200,000.00

Repair of control tower, general

repairs and renovations and

additions to the classroom

building ................... $ 200,000.00

Mississippi Authority for Educational Television$ 2,500,000.00

Necessary upgrades to television

and radio system ........... $ 2,500,000.00

Department of Public Safety..................... $ 2,350,000.00

Phase I of design, construction,

furnishing and equipping

of Highway Safety Patrol

substations at New Albany,

Greenwood and Meridian

Districts .................. $ 2,000,000.00

Phase II of construction,

furnishing and equipping of

a Bureau of Narcotics

headquarters building

in the Starkville

District ................... $ 350,000.00

Mississippi Department of Transportation........ $ 400,000.00

Construction, equipping and

furnishing of a new

maintenance facility in

Itawamba County ............ $ 400,000.00

Department of Mental Health..................... $ 6,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of

buildings, facilities

and infrastructure ......... $ 6,000,000.00

TOTAL........................................... $189,160,000.00

(2) (a) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section. If any monies in such special fund are not used within four (4) years after the date the proceeds of the bonds authorized under Sections 97 through 118 of this act are deposited into the special fund, then the agency or institution of higher learning for which any unused monies are allocated under subsection (1) of this section shall provide an accounting of such unused monies to the commission. Promptly after the commission has certified, by resolution duly adopted, that the projects described in subsection (1) of this section shall have been completed, abandoned, or cannot be completed in a timely fashion, any amounts remaining in such special fund shall be applied to pay debt service on the bonds issued under Sections 97 through 118 of this act, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds and as directed by the commission.

(b) Monies in the special fund may be used to reimburse reasonable actual and necessary costs incurred by the Department of Finance and Administration, acting through the Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management, in administering or providing assistance directly related to a project described in subsection (1) of this section. An accounting of actual costs incurred for which reimbursement is sought shall be maintained for each project by the Department of Finance and Administration, Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management. Reimbursement of reasonable actual and necessary costs for a project shall not exceed two percent (2%) of the proceeds of bonds issued for such project. Monies authorized for a particular project may not be used to reimburse administrative costs for unrelated projects.

(3) The Department of Finance and Administration, acting through the Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management, is expressly authorized and empowered to receive and expend any local or other source funds in connection with the expenditure of funds provided for in this section. The expenditure of monies deposited into the special fund shall be under the direction of the Department of Finance and Administration, and such funds shall be paid by the State Treasurer upon warrants issued by such department, which warrants shall be issued upon requisitions signed by the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, or his designee.

(4) Any amounts allocated to an agency or institution of higher learning that are in excess of that needed to complete the projects at such agency or institution of higher learning that are described in subsection (1) of this section may be used for general repairs and renovations at the agency or institution of higher learning to which such amount is allocated.

(5) The Department of Finance and Administration, acting through the Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management, is authorized to preplan the following projects:

(a) Psychiatric receiving units at the Mississippi State Hospital;

(b) Additions to the client bed facility at the South Mississippi State Hospital;

(d) Repair and renovation of the Wise Center at Mississippi State University/Division of Agriculture,

Forestry and Veterinary Medicine;

(e) Repair and renovation of the Carpenter Administration Building at Mississippi Valley State University;

(f) A new College of Business Facility at the University of Southern Mississippi;

(g) Repair and renovation of Hardy Hall at the University of Southern Mississippi/Gulf Park Campus; and

(h) Mechanical loop system and central plant at Delta State University.

The projects authorized in this subsection shall be in addition to the projects authorized in subsection (1) of this section.

Section 99. (1) (a) A special fund to be designated as the "2004-2005 Community and Junior Colleges Capital Improvements Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund may not be used or expended for any purpose except as authorized under this act.

(b) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed, in the discretion of the Department of Finance and Administration, to pay the costs of acquisition of real property, construction of new facilities, equipping and furnishing facilities, including furniture and technology equipment and infrastructure, and addition to or renovation of existing facilities for community and junior college campuses as recommended by the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges. The amount to be expended at each community and junior college is as follows:

Coahoma..................................... $ 2,429,419.00

Copiah-Lincoln.............................. 2,855,078.00

East Central................................ 2,622,534.00

East Mississippi............................ 3,096,334.00

Hinds....................................... 5,281,200.00

Holmes...................................... 3,092,806.00

Itawamba.................................... 3,384,549.00

Jones....................................... 3,797,671.00

Meridian.................................... 3,004,719.00

Mississippi Delta........................... 3,011,572.00

Mississippi Gulf Coast...................... 5,072,211.00

Northeast Mississippi....................... 3,003,704.00

Northwest Mississippi....................... 3,916,749.00

Pearl River................................. 3,001,116.00

Southwest Mississippi....................... 2,430,338.00

GRAND TOTAL................................. $50,000,000.00

(2) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section. If any monies in such special fund are not used within four (4) years after the date the proceeds of the bonds authorized under Sections 97 through 118 of this act are deposited into the special fund, then the community college or junior college for which any such monies are allocated under subsection (1) of this section shall provide an accounting of such unused monies to the commission. Promptly after the commission has certified, by resolution duly adopted, that the projects described in subsection (1) shall have been completed, abandoned, or cannot be completed in a timely fashion, any amounts remaining in such special fund shall be applied to pay debt service on the bonds issued under Sections 97 through 118 of this act, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds and as directed by the commission.

Section 100. (1) (a) A special fund, to be designated as the "2004-2005 Ayers Settlement Agreement Capital Improvements Fund," is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund may not be used or expended for any purpose except as authorized under this section.

(b) Monies deposited into the fund shall constitute Ayers bond revenues to be disbursed by the Department of Finance and Administration to pay the costs of capital improvements at Alcorn State University, Jackson State University and Mississippi Valley State University as recommended by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning in consultation with the presidents of Alcorn State University, Jackson State University and Mississippi Valley State University, in order to comply with the Settlement Agreement in the case of Ayers v. Musgrove. Projects shall be managed by the Department of Finance and Administration in accordance with the recommendations of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.

(2) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section.

(4) It is the intent of the Legislature that not less than ten percent (10%) of the amounts authorized to be expended in this section shall be expended with small business concerns owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. The term "socially and economically disadvantaged individuals" shall have the meaning ascribed to such term under Section 8(d) of the Small Business Act (15 USCS, Section 637(d)) and relevant subcontracting regulations promulgated pursuant thereto; except that women shall be presumed to be socially and economically disadvantaged individuals for the purposes of this subsection.

Section 101. (1) (a) A special fund, to be designated as the "2004-2005 Bureau of Buildings Discretionary Fund," is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund may not be used or expended for any purpose except as authorized under this section.

(b) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Finance and Administration, to pay the costs of:

(i) Correction of structural, environmental and weatherization problems, required site protection, repair of finishes, completion of furnishing and equipping of the Mississippi Valley State University Administration Building and the Greenville Higher Education Center and temporary relocation of occupants of such buildings;

(ii) Site improvements, general weatherization, demolition and roofing, environmental, mechanical, electrical and structural repairs required for state-owned facilities, and repair and renovation of state-owned facilities necessary for compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act; and

(iii) Completion of previously authorized projects.

(c) In addition to other amounts required to be deposited into the fund, any settlement or award of damages paid to the state as a result of disputes arising out of the construction of Mississippi Valley State University Administration Building or the Greenville Higher Education Center, shall be deposited into the fund.

(2) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section.

(3) The expenditure of monies deposited into the special fund shall be under the direction of the Department of Finance and Administration, and such funds shall be paid by the State Treasurer upon warrants issued by such department, which warrants shall be issued upon requisitions signed by the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, or his designee.

Section 102. (1) (a) A special fund to be designated as the "2004-2005 Hillcrest Cemetery Repair Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund may not be used or expended for any purpose except as authorized under this section.

(b) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Finance and Administration to the City of Holly Springs, Mississippi, to pay the costs of repairs to the historical portion of the Hillcrest Cemetery.

(2) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Finance and Administration to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section.

(3) Such funds shall be paid by the State Treasurer to the City of Holly Springs, Mississippi, upon warrants issued by the Department of Finance and Administration, which warrants shall be issued upon requisitions signed by the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, or his designee.

Section 103. (1) The commission, at one time, or from time to time, may declare by resolution the necessity for issuance of general obligation bonds of the State of Mississippi to provide funds for all costs incurred or to be incurred for the purposes described in Sections 98, 99, 101 and 102 of this act. Upon the adoption of a resolution by the Department of Finance and Administration, declaring the necessity for the issuance of any part or all of the general obligation bonds authorized by this section, the Department of Finance and Administration shall deliver a certified copy of its resolution or resolutions to the commission. Upon receipt of such resolution, the commission, in its discretion, may act as the issuing agent, prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. Except as otherwise provided in Section 104 of this act, the total amount of bonds issued under Sections 97 through 118 of this act shall not exceed Two Hundred Fifty-three Million Three Hundred Sixty Thousand Dollars ($253,360,000.00). No bonds shall be issued under this section after July 1, 2008.

(2) The proceeds of the bonds issued pursuant to this act shall be deposited into the following special funds in not more than the following amounts:

(a) The 2004-2005 Institutions of Higher Learning Capital and State Agencies Improvements Fund created pursuant

to Section 98 of this act..................... $ 189,160,000.00.

(b) The 2004-2005 Community and Junior Colleges Capital Improvements Fund created pursuant to Section 99

of this act................................... $ 50,000,000.00.

act........................................... $ 14,000,000.00.

(d) The 2004-2005 Hillcrest Cemetery Repair Fund created pursuant to Section 102 of this act........... $ 200,000.00.

(3) Any investment earnings on amounts deposited into the special funds created in Sections 98, 99, 101 and 102 of this act shall be used to pay debt service on bonds issued under Sections 97 through 118 of this act, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing issuance of such bonds.

Section 104. (1) The United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi having approved the Settlement Agreement in the case of Ayers v. Musgrove and on notification that such agreement has become final and effective according to its terms, including, but not limited to, the exhaustion of all rights to appeal, the commission, at one time, or from time to time, shall declare by resolution the necessity for issuance of general obligation bonds of the State of Mississippi to provide funds for all costs incurred or to be incurred for the purposes described in Section 100 of this act. Upon the adoption of a resolution by the Department of Finance and Administration declaring the necessity for the issuance of any part or all of the general obligation bonds authorized by this section, the Department of Finance and Administration shall deliver a certified copy of its resolution or resolutions to the commission. Upon receipt of such resolution, the commission, in its discretion, may act as the issuing agent, prescribe the form of the bonds so authorized to be sold and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. The total amount of bonds issued pursuant to this section shall not exceed Thirty Million Dollars ($30,000,000.00).

(2) The proceeds of the bonds issued pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the special fund created in Section 100 of this act. Any investment earnings on amounts deposited into the special fund created in Section 100 of this act shall be used to pay debt service on bonds issued under Sections 97 through 118 of this act, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds.

Section 105. The principal of and interest on the bonds authorized under Sections 97 through 118 of this act shall be payable in the manner provided in this section. Such bonds shall bear such date or dates, be in such denomination or denominations, bear interest at such rate or rates (not to exceed the limits set forth in Section 75-17-101, Mississippi Code of 1972), be payable at such place or places within or without the State of Mississippi, shall mature absolutely at such time or times not to exceed twenty-five (25) years from date of issue, be redeemable before maturity at such time or times and upon such terms, with or without premium, shall bear such registration privileges, and shall be substantially in such form, all as shall be determined by resolution of the commission.

Section 106. The bonds authorized by Sections 97 through 118 of this act shall be signed by the chairman of the commission, or by his facsimile signature, and the official seal of the commission shall be affixed thereto, attested by the secretary of the commission. The interest coupons, if any, to be attached to such bonds may be executed by the facsimile signatures of such officers. Whenever any such bonds shall have been signed by the officials designated to sign the bonds who were in office at the time of such signing but who may have ceased to be such officers before the sale and delivery of such bonds, or who may not have been in office on the date such bonds may bear, the signatures of such officers upon such bonds and coupons shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes and have the same effect as if the person so officially signing such bonds had remained in office until their delivery to the purchaser, or had been in office on the date such bonds may bear. However, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, such bonds may be issued as provided in the Registered Bond Act of the State of Mississippi.

Section 107. All bonds and interest coupons issued under the provisions of Sections 97 through 118 of this act have all the qualities and incidents of negotiable instruments under the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code, and in exercising the powers granted by Sections 97 through 118 of this act, the commission shall not be required to and need not comply with the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Section 108. The commission shall act as the issuing agent for the bonds authorized under Sections 97 through 118 of this act, prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold, pay all fees and costs incurred in such issuance and sale, and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. The commission is authorized and empowered to pay the costs that are incident to the sale, issuance and delivery of the bonds authorized under Sections 97 through 118 of this act from the proceeds derived from the sale of such bonds. The commission shall sell such bonds on sealed bids at public sale, and for such price as it may determine to be for the best interest of the State of Mississippi, but no such sale shall be made at a price less than par plus accrued interest to the date of delivery of the bonds to the purchaser. All interest accruing on such bonds so issued shall be payable semiannually or annually; however, the first interest payment may be for any period of not more than one (1) year.

The commission, when issuing any bonds under the authority of Sections 97 through 118 of this act, may provide that bonds, at the option of the State of Mississippi, may be called in for payment and redemption at the call price named therein and accrued interest on such date or dates named therein.

Section 109. The bonds issued under the provisions of Sections 97 through 118 of this act are general obligations of the State of Mississippi, and for the payment thereof the full faith and credit of the State of Mississippi is irrevocably pledged. If the funds appropriated by the Legislature are insufficient to pay the principal of and the interest on such bonds as they become due, then the deficiency shall be paid by the State Treasurer from any funds in the State Treasury not otherwise appropriated. All such bonds shall contain recitals on their faces substantially covering the provisions of this section.

Section 110. Upon the issuance and sale of bonds under the provisions of Sections 97 through 118 of this act, the commission shall transfer the proceeds of any such sale or sales to the special funds created in Sections 98, 99, 100, 101 and 102 of this act in the amounts provided for in Sections 103(2) and 104 of this act. The proceeds of such bonds shall be disbursed solely upon the order of the Department of Finance and Administration under such restrictions, if any, as may be contained in the resolution providing for the issuance of the bonds.

Section 111. The bonds authorized under Sections 97 through 118 of this act may be issued without any other proceedings or the happening of any other conditions or things other than those proceedings, conditions and things which are specified or required by Sections 97 through 118 of this act. Any resolution providing for the issuance of bonds under the provisions of Sections 97 through 118 of this act shall become effective immediately upon its adoption by the commission, and any such resolution may be adopted at any regular or special meeting of the commission by a majority of its members.

Section 112. The bonds authorized under the authority of Sections 97 through 118 of this act may be validated in the Chancery Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi, in the manner and with the force and effect provided by Chapter 13, Title 31, Mississippi Code of 1972, for the validation of county, municipal, school district and other bonds. The notice to taxpayers required by such statutes shall be published in a newspaper published or having a general circulation in the City of Jackson, Mississippi.

Section 113. Any holder of bonds issued under the provisions of Sections 97 through 118 of this act or of any of the interest coupons pertaining thereto may, either at law or in equity, by suit, action, mandamus or other proceeding, protect and enforce any and all rights granted under Sections 97 through 118 of this act, or under such resolution, and may enforce and compel performance of all duties required by Sections 97 through 118 of this act to be performed, in order to provide for the payment of bonds and interest thereon.

Section 114. All bonds issued under the provisions of Sections 97 through 118 of this act shall be legal investments for trustees and other fiduciaries, and for savings banks, trust companies and insurance companies organized under the laws of the State of Mississippi, and such bonds shall be legal securities which may be deposited with and shall be received by all public officers and bodies of this state and all municipalities and political subdivisions for the purpose of securing the deposit of public funds.

Section 115. Bonds issued under the provisions of Sections 97 through 118 of this act and income therefrom shall be exempt from all taxation in the State of Mississippi.

Section 116. The proceeds of the bonds issued under Sections 97 through 118 of this act shall be used solely for the purposes herein provided, including the costs incident to the issuance and sale of such bonds.

Section 117. The State Treasurer is authorized, without further process of law, to certify to the Department of Finance and Administration the necessity for warrants, and the Department of Finance and Administration is authorized and directed to issue such warrants, in such amounts as may be necessary to pay when due the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, or the accreted value of, all bonds issued under Sections 97 through 118 of this act; and the State Treasurer shall forward the necessary amount to the designated place or places of payment of such bonds in ample time to discharge such bonds, or the interest thereon, on the due dates thereof.

Section 118. Sections 97 through 118 of this act shall be deemed to be full and complete authority for the exercise of the powers herein granted, but Sections 97 through 118 of this act shall not be deemed to repeal or to be in derogation of any existing law of this state.

SECTION 4. Sections 1 through 24, Chapter 522, Laws of 2003, as amended by Chapter 411, Laws of 2004, as amended by Section 186, Chapter 1, Laws of 2004 Third Extraordinary Session, as amended by Section 14, Chapter 538, Laws of 2006, are amended as follows:

Section 1. As used in Sections 1 through 24 of this act, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(b) "State" means the State of Mississippi.

Section 2. (1) (a) A special fund to be designated as the "2003 IHL and State Agencies Capital Improvements Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into such fund.

(b) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed, in the discretion of the Department of Finance and Administration, with the approval of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning on those projects related to the universities under its management and control, to pay the costs of capital improvements, renovation and/or repair of existing facilities, furnishings and/or equipping facilities for public facilities for agencies or their successors as hereinafter described:

NAME PROJECT AMOUNT

ALLOCATED

INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING................. $ 63,760,000.00

Alcorn State University......................... $ 2,500,000.00

Complete renovation of the baseball

field, to include dugouts, bleachers,

concession stands, backstops

and fencing ................ $ 500,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities and repair,

renovation, replacement and improvement

of campus infrastructure ... $ 2,000,000.00

Delta State University.......................... $ 6,200,000.00

Construction of new campus

buildings and facilities, and

repair, renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure, including

repairs and renovations of

the Chadwick-Dickson

Building ................... $ 3,000,000.00

Repair, renovation and

restoration of the

Cutrer House at the

Clarksdale Center and

repair, renovation and

restoration of the Coahoma

Community College - Delta

State University Education

Center ..................... $ 2,500,000.00

Purchase of two (2) airplanes

and three (3) flight

simulators or refurbishing

flight simulators for the

Gibson-Gunn Aviation

School ..................... $ 700,000.00

Jackson State University........................ $ 6,400,000.00

Acquisition of land adjacent

to campus in the surrounding

neighborhood ............... $ 500,000.00

Parking construction, paving and

repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities ... $ 1,500,000.00

Acquisition and installation

of any equipment necessary

in establishing and maintaining

a digital transmission system

for TV23 ................... $ 1,000,000.00

Construction of a new

baseball stadium and field

and related facilities ..... $ 1,500,000.00

Work necessary to correct

drainage problems on the

west side of the campus .... $ 400,000.00

Phase II of construction of

the Lynch Street Corridor

Project, including landscaping

and irrigation for the

project .................... $ 1,500,000.00

Mississippi University for Women................ $ 4,500,000.00

Repair and renovation of

Martin Hall for

purpose of housing the

School of Nursing .......... $ 4,500,000.00

Mississippi State University.................... $ 8,960,000.00

Phase I of repair and renovation

of Colvard Student

Union ...................... $ 8,000,000.00

Expansion of the North

Mississippi Research

and Extension Center ....... $ 960,000.00

Mississippi State University/Division of Agriculture,

Forestry and Veterinary Medicine.............. $ 4,750,000.00

Phase I construction of

a new building for the

Department of

Agricultural and

Biological Engineering ..... $ 4,750,000.00

Mississippi Valley State University............. $ 5,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities and

repair, renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure ............. $ 4,000,000.00

Design through construction

documents and Phase I of

construction of a wellness

center ..................... $ 1,000,000.00

University of Mississippi....................... $ 9,000,000.00

Renovation of Farley Hall ..... $ 5,000,000.00

Final phase of renovation

of Bryant Hall ............. $ 2,500,000.00

Final phase of relocation

of the Physical Plant ...... $ 1,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities and

repair, renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure ............. $ 500,000.00

University Medical Center....................... $ 4,000,000.00

To aid in the purchase or,

to construct, furnish and

equip a clinical/teaching

facility as determined by

the Vice Chancellor for

Health Affairs for the

University Medical Center

to be in the best interest of

the University Medical Center

and approved by the Board

of Trustees of State

Institutions of

Higher Learning ............ $ 4,000,000.00

University of Southern Mississippi.............. $ 8,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of the

Reed Green Multipurpose

Facility ................... $ 3,000,000.00

Completion of construction

of the Polymer Institute

Product Process Unit/Building

to house donated equipment

from industry .............. $ 2,000,000.00

Repair and renovation of

campus buildings, facilities

and infrastructure ......... $ 3,000,000.00

University of Southern Mississippi/

Gulf Coast Campuses........................... $ 2,000,000.00

Facility repairs, replacements

and upgrades ............... $ 2,000,000.00

University of Southern Mississippi/

Gulf Coast Research Laboratory................ $ 750,000.00

Repair and renovation of campus

buildings and facilities and

repair, renovation, replacement

and improvement of campus

infrastructure ............. $ 750,000.00

University of Southern Mississippi/

Stennis Space Center.......................... $ 1,000,000.00

Completion of expansion,

furnishing and equipping

of the High Performance

Visualization Center ....... $ 1,000,000.00

Education and Research Center................... $ 700,000.00

Repair, renovation, furnishing

and equipping of

buildings, facilities

and infrastructure ......... $ 700,000.00

STATE AGENCIES.................................. $ 55,434,000.00

Department of Human Services.................... $ 2,000,000.00

Renovation of cottages

and construction of a visitors

center and staff housing at

Columbia and Oakley

Training Schools ........... $ 2,000,000.00

Department of Public Safety..................... $ 1,000,000.00

Construction of a vehicle

maintenance facility ....... $ 1,000,000.00

Department of Agriculture and Commerce.......... $ 4,000,000.00

Repair, renovation, replacement,

demolition, improvement and

upgrade of facilities and

infrastructure at the State

Fairgrounds and construction

of facilities necessary to relocate

the retail portion of the

Mississippi Farmers Central Market

to the State Fairgrounds ... $ 4,000,000.00

Department of Education......................... $ 2,984,000.00

Renovation, furnishing and

equipping of Dobyns Hall and a

physical education facility

at the Mississippi Schools

for the Blind and Deaf ..... $ 1,984,000.00

Equipping, furnishing and other

start-up costs for the

Mississippi School for the

Arts, including,

but not limited to, computer

equipment; visual art, music

and theater supplies; cafeteria

equipment and supplies;

textbooks; classroom supplies;

infirmary and residential

life supplies ............ $ 1,000,000.00

Department of Mental Health..................... $ 6,200,000.00

Completion of construction

of mental health crisis

intervention centers first

authorized by Chapter 463,

Laws of 1999 ............... $ 2,400,000.00

Construction of a

maintenance/warehouse

building at the Mississippi

State Hospital ............. $ 1,400,000.00

Completion of furnishing and

equipping of nursing

home facilities at

the East Mississippi

State Hospital ............. $ 1,000,000.00

Construction, furnishing and

equipping of two (2)

intermediate care facilities

for the mentally retarded

(community group homes) .... $ 1,400,000.00

Department of Finance and Administration........ $ 19,500,000.00

Completion of construction, equipping

and furnishing of a justice

facility to accommodate the

Supreme Court, Court of Appeals

and State Law Library ...... $16,000,000.00

Acquisition of real property

and improvements located

thereon in the vicinity of the

New Capitol for use as

part of the Capitol

Complex .................... $ 1,000,000.00

To continue an ongoing program for

repair and renovation of state-owned

facilities necessary for

compliance with the Americans

With Disabilities Act ...... $ 1,000,000.00

To continue an ongoing program for

repair and renovation of state

institutions of higher learning

necessary for compliance with

the Americans With Disabilities

Act ........................ $ 1,000,000.00

Development of requirements

and Phase I of the

implementation of a

construction and property

management information

system ..................... $ 500,000.00

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks..... $ 750,000.00

Construction, furnishing and

equipping of two (2) duplex

cabins at Trace State Park

and utility connections,

road extensions and

parking areas for

such cabins ................ $ 325,000.00

Construction, furnishing and

equipping of two (2) duplex

cabins at Lake Lowndes State

Park and utility connections,

road extensions and parking

areas for such cabins ...... $ 325,000.00

A proposed plan which the Department

of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

shall provide not later than

December 1, 2003, for an eighty-

to one-hundred-fifty-acre general

purpose lake located in, adjacent

to or in close proximity to the

Tuscumbia Wildlife Management

Area located in Alcorn County,

Mississippi. This plan shall

consist of an exact location

for the proposed lake with

detailed property descriptions,

preliminary plans and specifications

for the lake and shall be made

available not later than

December 1, 2003 ........... $ 100,000.00

Mississippi Forestry Commission................. $ 1,000,000.00

Repair, renovation of equipment

storage facilities and

equipping of facilities

and construction of new

storage facilities

and related costs .......... $ 1,000,000.00

State Veterans Affairs Board.................... $ 900,000.00

Repair and renovation of the

state veterans homes ....... $ 900,000.00

Mississippi Library Commission.................. $ 3,500,000.00

Furnishing and equipping

of the new Mississippi

Library Commission

Building and moving/relocation

expenses and other necessary

expenses associated with

such facility .............. $ 3,000,000.00

Acquiring and implementing a

statewide, technology

standards-compliant

interlibrary loan/booksharing

system ..................... $ 500,000.00

Mississippi National Guard...................... $ 1,900,000.00

Provide matching funds to the

National Guard for construction

of an armory in Kosciusko,

Mississippi ................ $ 1,400,000.00

Provide matching funds to the

National Guard for armory

maintenance and repair

projects ................... $ 500,000.00

Department of Archives and History.............. $ 1,500,000.00

Finalization of architectural and

exhibit design through

construction documents and

limited site preparation/

improvement for the new

State Historical Museum

authorized by Chapter 560,

Laws of 1998 ............... $ 1,500,000.00

Department of Information Technology Services... $ 1,900,000.00

Phase I of installation of

communications infrastructure

and related equipment at the

Capitol Complex, the Education

and Research Center Campus

and other state buildings

and connections between such

locations .................. $ 1,900,000.00

Mississippi Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.... $ 6,000,000.00

Phase II of construction,

furnishing and equipping and

moving and relocation of the

Mississippi Veterinary Diagnostic

Laboratory in Jackson

and related expenses ....... $ 6,000,000.00

State Fire Academy.............................. $ 2,300,000.00

Construction, equipping and

furnishing a new burn building

with gas fire simulators

and other related facilities

at State Fire Academy

in Rankin County ........... $ 2,300,000.00

TOTAL........................................... $119,194,000.00

(2) (a) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section. If any monies in such special fund are not used within four (4) years after the date the proceeds of the bonds authorized under Sections 1 through 24 of this act are deposited into the special fund, then the agency or institution of higher learning for which any unused monies are allocated under subsection (1) of this section shall provide an accounting of such unused monies to the commission. Promptly after the commission has certified, by resolution duly adopted, that the projects described in subsection (1) of this section shall have been completed, abandoned, or cannot be completed in a timely fashion, any amounts remaining in such special fund shall be applied to pay debt service on the bonds issued under Sections 1 through 24 of this act, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds and as directed by the commission.

(b) Monies in the special fund may be used to reimburse reasonable actual and necessary costs incurred by the Department of Finance and Administration, acting through the Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management, in administering or providing assistance directly related to a project described in subsection (1) of this section. Reimbursement may be made only until such time as the project is completed. An accounting of actual costs incurred for which reimbursement is sought shall be maintained for each project by the Department of Finance and Administration, Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management. Reimbursement of reasonable actual and necessary costs for a project shall not exceed three percent (3%) of the proceeds of bonds issued for such project. Monies authorized for a particular project may not be used to reimburse administrative costs for unrelated projects.

(4) Any amounts allocated to an agency or institution of higher learning that are in excess of that needed to complete the projects at such agency or institution of higher learning that are described in subsection (1) of this section may be used for general repairs and renovations or previously authorized capital projects at the agency or institution of higher learning to which such amount is allocated.

(5) The Department of Finance and Administration, acting through the Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management, is authorized to preplan or continue planning of the following projects:

(a) Continuation of preplanning of Phase I of repair and renovation or construction of dining facilities at Alcorn State University;

(b) Construction of a new men's dormitory at Alcorn State University;

(d) Renovation of Poindexter Hall at the Mississippi University for Women; and

(e) Relocation of State Records Center.

The projects authorized in this subsection shall be in addition to the projects authorized in subsection (1) of this section.

(6) The use of monies allocated to Delta State University under subsection (1) of this section for use at the Coahoma Community College - Delta State University Education Center shall be conditioned upon Coahoma County, Mississippi, providing matching funds in an amount not less than the monies allocated to such center under subsection (1) of this section.

Section 3. (1) (a) A special fund to be designated as the "2003 Community and Junior Colleges Capital Improvements Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund may not be used or expended for any purpose except as authorized under Sections 1 through 24 of this act.

Coahoma..................................... $ 578,799.00

Copiah-Lincoln.............................. 683,117.00

East Central................................ 614,715.00

East Mississippi............................ 709,527.00

Hinds....................................... 1,341,127.00

Holmes...................................... 738,315.00

Itawamba.................................... 776,873.00

Jones....................................... 930,845.00

Meridian.................................... 710,056.00

Mississippi Delta........................... 747,822.00

Mississippi Gulf Coast...................... 1,185,439.00

Northeast Mississippi....................... 742,672.00

Northwest Mississippi....................... 949,992.00

Pearl River................................. 716,262.00

Southwest Mississippi....................... 574,439.00

GRAND TOTAL................................. $12,000,000.00

(2) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section. If any monies in such special fund are not used within four (4) years after the date the proceeds of the bonds authorized under Sections 1 through 24 of this act are deposited into the special fund, then the community college or junior college for which any such monies are allocated under subsection (1) of this section shall provide an accounting of such unused monies to the commission. Promptly after the commission has certified, by resolution duly adopted, that the projects described in subsection (1) of this section shall have been completed, abandoned, or cannot be completed in a timely fashion, any amounts remaining in such special fund shall be applied to pay debt service on the bonds issued under Sections 1 through 24 of this act, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds and as directed by the commission.

Section 4. (1) (a) A special fund to be designated as the "2003 Mississippi State-Owned Buildings and IHL Repair and Renovation Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into such fund.

(b) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed, in the discretion of the Department of Finance and Administration, to pay the costs of repair and renovation of state-owned buildings and facilities, and repair and renovation of state institutions of higher learning, including having environmental studies or other studies performed for the purpose of determining, assessing and/or correcting problems regarding black mold and other hazardous substances; however, Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) shall be disbursed by the Department of Finance and Administration to pay the cost of repairs and renovations at the Mississippi School for the Deaf and the Mississippi School for the Blind.

(2) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of the projects described in subsection (1) of this section. If any monies in such special fund are not used within four (4) years after the date the proceeds of the bonds authorized under Sections 1 through 24 of this act are deposited into the special fund, then the Department of Finance and Administration shall provide an accounting of such unused monies to the commission. Promptly after the commission has certified, by resolution duly adopted, that the projects described in subsection (1) of this section shall have been completed, abandoned, or cannot be completed in a timely fashion, any amounts remaining in such special fund shall be applied to pay debt service on the bonds issued under Sections 1 through 24 of this act, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds and as directed by the commission.

Section 5. (1) (a) A special fund to be designated as the "2003 Ayers Settlement Agreement Capital Improvements Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund may not be used or expended for any purpose except as authorized under this section.

(2) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section.

Section 6. (1) (a) A special fund to be designated as the "2003 Mississippi EDNET Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund may not be used or expended for any purpose except as authorized under this section.

(b) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Finance and Administration to the Mississippi EDNET Institute, to pay the costs of engineering, procuring and installing equipment and facilities consisting of digital microwave interconnect and support equipment, digital video encoding and decoding equipment, digital ITFS transmission equipment, antennas and transmission lines and/or any equipment useful in establishing or maintaining a digital or analog transmission or origination system in order to complete the existing but incomplete EDNET ITFS statewide network.

(2) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to the Mississippi EDNET Institute to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section.

(3) The expenditure of monies deposited into the special fund shall be under the direction of the Department of Finance and Administration, and such funds shall be paid by the State Treasurer to the Mississippi EDNET Institute upon warrants issued by such department, which warrants shall be issued upon requisitions signed by the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, or his designee.

Section 7. (1) (a) A special fund to be designated as the "2003 Chalmers Institute Repair and Renovation Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund may not be used or expended for any purpose except as authorized under this section.

(b) Monies deposited into the fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Finance and Administration, to pay the costs of repairs and renovations of the Chalmers Institute in Holly Springs, Mississippi.

(2) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section.

Section 8. (1) (a) A special fund to be designated as the "2003 Hillcrest Cemetery Repair Fund" is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund may not be used or expended for any purpose except as authorized under this section.

(2) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed by the Department of Finance and Administration to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section.

Section 9. (1) The commission, at one time, or from time to time, may declare by resolution the necessity for issuance of general obligation bonds of the State of Mississippi to provide funds for all costs incurred or to be incurred for the purposes described in Sections 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 of this act. Upon the adoption of a resolution by the Department of Finance and Administration, declaring the necessity for the issuance of any part or all of the general obligation bonds authorized by this section, the Department of Finance and Administration shall deliver a certified copy of its resolution or resolutions to the commission. Upon receipt of such resolution, the commission, in its discretion, may act as the issuing agent, prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. Except as otherwise provided in Section 10 of this act, the total amount of bonds issued under Sections 1 through 24 of this act shall not exceed One Hundred Thirty-nine Million Four Hundred Eighty-four Thousand Dollars ($139,484,000.00). No bonds shall be issued under this section after July 1, 2008.

(2) The proceeds of the bonds issued pursuant to Sections 1 through 24 of this act shall be deposited into the following special funds in not more than the following amounts:

(a) The 2003 IHL Capital and State Agencies Improvements Fund created pursuant to Section 2 of this

act............................................ $119,194,000.00.

(b) The 2003 Community and Junior College Capital Improvements Fund created pursuant to Section 3 of this

act............................................ $ 12,000,000.00.

of this act.................................... $ 3,000,000.00.

(d) The 2003 Mississippi EDNET Fund created pursuant to

Section 6 of this act.......................... $ 900,000.00.

(e) The 2003 Chalmers Institute Repair and Renovation

Fund created pursuant to Section 7 of this act. $ 90,000.00.

(f) The 2003 Hillcrest Cemetery Fund created pursuant

to Section 8 of this act....................... $ 300,000.00.

(g) The Rural Fire Truck Fund created pursuant to Section 17-23-1 for the rural fire truck acquisition assistance

program........................................ $ 4,000,000.00.

(3) Any investment earnings on amounts deposited into the special funds created in Sections 2, 3, 4, 6, 7 and 8 of this act shall be used to pay debt service on bonds issued under Sections 1 through 24 of this act, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing issuance of such bonds.

Section 10. (1) The United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi having approved the Settlement Agreement in the case of Ayers v. Musgrove and on notification that such agreement has become final and effective according to its terms, including, but not limited to, the exhaustion of all rights to appeal, the commission, at one time, or from time to time, shall declare by resolution the necessity for issuance of general obligation bonds of the State of Mississippi to provide funds for all costs incurred or to be incurred for the purposes described in Section 5 of this act. Upon the adoption of a resolution by the Department of Finance and Administration declaring the necessity for the issuance of any part or all of the general obligation bonds authorized by this section, the Department of Finance and Administration shall deliver a certified copy of its resolution or resolutions to the commission. Upon receipt of such resolution, the commission, in its discretion, may act as the issuing agent, prescribe the form of the bonds so authorized to be sold and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. The total amount of bonds issued pursuant to this section shall not exceed Fifteen Million Dollars ($15,000,000.00).

(2) The proceeds of the bonds issued pursuant to this section shall be deposited into the special fund created in Section 6 of this act. Any investment earnings on amounts deposited into the special fund created in Section 5 of this act shall be used to pay debt service on bonds issued under Sections 1 through 24 of this act, in accordance with the proceedings authorizing the issuance of such bonds.

Section 11. The principal of and interest on the bonds authorized under Sections 1 through 24 of this act shall be payable in the manner provided in this section. Such bonds shall bear such date or dates, be in such denomination or denominations, bear interest at such rate or rates (not to exceed the limits set forth in Section 75-17-101, Mississippi Code of 1972), be payable at such place or places within or without the State of Mississippi, shall mature absolutely at such time or times not to exceed twenty-five (25) years from date of issue, be redeemable before maturity at such time or times and upon such terms, with or without premium, shall bear such registration privileges, and shall be substantially in such form, all as shall be determined by resolution of the commission.

Section 12. The bonds authorized by Sections 1 through 24 of this act shall be signed by the chairman of the commission, or by his facsimile signature, and the official seal of the commission shall be affixed thereto, attested by the secretary of the commission. The interest coupons, if any, to be attached to such bonds may be executed by the facsimile signatures of such officers. Whenever any such bonds shall have been signed by the officials designated to sign the bonds who were in office at the time of such signing but who may have ceased to be such officers before the sale and delivery of such bonds, or who may not have been in office on the date such bonds may bear, the signatures of such officers upon such bonds and coupons shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes and have the same effect as if the person so officially signing such bonds had remained in office until their delivery to the purchaser, or had been in office on the date such bonds may bear. However, notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, such bonds may be issued as provided in the Registered Bond Act of the State of Mississippi.

Section 13. All bonds and interest coupons issued under the provisions of Sections 1 through 24 of this act have all the qualities and incidents of negotiable instruments under the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code, and in exercising the powers granted by Sections 1 through 24 of this act, the commission shall not be required to and need not comply with the provisions of the Uniform Commercial Code.

Section 14. The commission shall act as the issuing agent for the bonds authorized under Sections 1 through 24 of this act, prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold, pay all fees and costs incurred in such issuance and sale, and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. The commission is authorized and empowered to pay the costs that are incident to the sale, issuance and delivery of the bonds authorized under Sections 1 through 24 of this act from the proceeds derived from the sale of such bonds. The commission shall sell such bonds on sealed bids at public sale, and for such price as it may determine to be for the best interest of the State of Mississippi, but no such sale shall be made at a price less than par plus accrued interest to the date of delivery of the bonds to the purchaser. All interest accruing on such bonds so issued shall be payable semiannually or annually; however, the first interest payment may be for any period of not more than one (1) year.

The commission, when issuing any bonds under the authority of Sections 1 through 24 of this act, may provide that bonds, at the option of the State of Mississippi, may be called in for payment and redemption at the call price named therein and accrued interest on such date or dates named therein.

Section 15. The bonds issued under the provisions of Sections 1 through 24 of this act are general obligations of the State of Mississippi, and for the payment thereof the full faith and credit of the State of Mississippi is irrevocably pledged. If the funds appropriated by the Legislature are insufficient to pay the principal of and the interest on such bonds as they become due, then the deficiency shall be paid by the State Treasurer from any funds in the State Treasury not otherwise appropriated. All such bonds shall contain recitals on their faces substantially covering the provisions of this section.

Section 16. Upon the issuance and sale of bonds under the provisions of Sections 1 through 24 of this act, the commission shall transfer the proceeds of any such sale or sales to the special funds created in Sections 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 of this act in the amounts provided for in Sections 9(2) and 10 of this act. The proceeds of such bonds shall be disbursed solely upon the order of the Department of Finance and Administration under such restrictions, if any, as may be contained in the resolution providing for the issuance of the bonds.

Section 17. The bonds authorized under Sections 1 through 24 of this act may be issued without any other proceedings or the happening of any other conditions or things other than those proceedings, conditions and things which are specified or required by Sections 1 through 24 of this act. Any resolution providing for the issuance of bonds under the provisions of Sections 1 through 24 of this act shall become effective immediately upon its adoption by the commission, and any such resolution may be adopted at any regular or special meeting of the commission by a majority of its members.

Section 18. The bonds authorized under the authority of Sections 1 through 24 of this act may be validated in the Chancery Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, Mississippi, in the manner and with the force and effect provided by Chapter 13, Title 31, Mississippi Code of 1972, for the validation of county, municipal, school district and other bonds. The notice to taxpayers required by such statutes shall be published in a newspaper published or having a general circulation in the City of Jackson, Mississippi.

Section 19. Any holder of bonds issued under the provisions of Sections 1 through 24 of this act or of any of the interest coupons pertaining thereto may, either at law or in equity, by suit, action, mandamus or other proceeding, protect and enforce any and all rights granted under Sections 1 through 24 of this act, or under such resolution, and may enforce and compel performance of all duties required by Sections 1 through 24 of this act to be performed, in order to provide for the payment of bonds and interest thereon.

Section 20. All bonds issued under the provisions of Sections 1 through 24 of this act shall be legal investments for trustees and other fiduciaries, and for savings banks, trust companies and insurance companies organized under the laws of the State of Mississippi, and such bonds shall be legal securities which may be deposited with and shall be received by all public officers and bodies of this state and all municipalities and political subdivisions for the purpose of securing the deposit of public funds.

Section 21. Bonds issued under the provisions of Sections 1 through 24 of this act and income therefrom shall be exempt from all taxation in the State of Mississippi.

Section 22. The proceeds of the bonds issued under Sections 1 through 24 of this act shall be used solely for the purposes herein provided, including the costs incident to the issuance and sale of such bonds.

Section 23. The State Treasurer is authorized, without further process of law, to certify to the Department of Finance and Administration the necessity for warrants, and the Department of Finance and Administration is authorized and directed to issue such warrants, in such amounts as may be necessary to pay when due the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, or the accreted value of, all bonds issued under Sections 1 through 24 of this act; and the State Treasurer shall forward the necessary amount to the designated place or places of payment of such bonds in ample time to discharge such bonds, or the interest thereon, on the due dates thereof.

Section 24. Sections 1 through 24 of this act shall be deemed to be full and complete authority for the exercise of the powers herein granted, but this act shall not be deemed to repeal or to be in derogation of any existing law of this state.

SECTION 5. Sections 1 through 14, Chapter 589, Laws of 1999, as amended by Chapter 502, Laws of 2001, which provide for the issuance of state general obligation bonds for improvement to the Walthall School building in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, are repealed.

SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2007, and shall stand repealed from and after June 30, 2007.