House Bill 1427

(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO CREATE THE "MISSISSIPPI LAW ENFORCEMENT AND FIRE FIGHTERS PREMIUM PAY PROGRAM" TO BE ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING FUNDS TO LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND FIRE FIGHTERS AS PREMIUM PAY FOR THEIR EFFORTS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. The federal COVID-19 public health emergency continues to create significant exposure and risk to law enforcement officers and fire fighters in the State of Mississippi. American Rescue Plan Act funds are specifically targeted toward assisting with premium pay for such public safety workers. The program created in this act provides for necessary expenditures related to COVID-19, the purpose of which is to provide law enforcement officers and fire fighters with premium pay for their heightened risk during the ongoing federal COVID-19 public health emergency.

SECTION 2. (1) There is created the "Mississippi Law Enforcement and Fire Fighters Premium Pay Program," which shall be administered by the Department of Public Safety to provide premium pay to those law enforcement officers and fire fighters in the State of Mississippi as provided for in subsection (2) of this section. Monies disbursed by the Department of Public Safety under this section shall be disbursed in compliance with all requirements and/or conditions on funds appropriated from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund for the program established under this section.

(2) The program shall be funded from monies appropriated by the Legislature from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund for that purpose. The Department of Public Safety shall distribute the monies for the program in accordance with the following:

(a) One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) of premium pay shall be paid to each eligible individual.

(b) Eligible individuals are all certified, full-time and part-time law enforcement officers and certified, full-time and part-time fire fighters who are serving in the State of Mississippi on the effective date of this act, except those excluded under paragraph (c) of this subsection (2). If a person is an eligible individual in more than one (1) position covered under this paragraph, that person shall only be eligible for one (1) payment of premium pay under paragraph (a) of this subsection.

(c) Any law enforcement officer who received hazard pay from the Governor's discretionary funds authorized by the Legislature from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act is not eligible to receive monies under this act.

(d) The department also shall distribute monies to counties, municipalities and other governmental entities that, before the effective date of this act, paid premium pay to law enforcement officers and fire fighters employed by them from funds received under the federal American Rescue Plan Act, to reimburse those governmental entities for not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) of the amount of premium pay that the governmental entity paid to each recipient.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2022.