MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1999 Regular Session

To: Appropriations

By: Senator(s) Hall, Burton, Woodfield, Carter, Gollott, Ross, Stogner, Walls, White (5th)

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES OF THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2000.

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

SECTION 1. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby authorized for expenditure out of any special source funds which are collected by or otherwise become available for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999, and ending June 30, 2000

$ 31,122,568.00.

SECTION 2. With the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 1, the following positions are authorized:

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time. . . . . . . . . 138

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

Time-Limited: Full Time. . . . . . . . . 17

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

From the funds provided herein, funds may be expended for the following purposes, in compliance with the policies established by the State Personnel Board and any conditions placed on such expenditures:

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

(b) Funds are provided to adjust the Variable Compensation Plan, including realignment, to ensure that all full-time employees with at least six (6) months of continuous current service, as of June 30, 1999, receive an increase of One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00). Funds are provided to adjust critical job classes up to an additional One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00).

(c) If an employee is currently at or above the end salary for his or her job classification, then the increase shall be built into the employee's base salary. To be eligible for any increase authorized in this section, employees may not have a current performance rating below "meets expectations" as of the effective date of the increase. Employees who subsequently receive a performance rating of "meets expectations" or above during Fiscal Year 2000 shall receive the salary increase effective the date of the rating.

It is the agency's responsibility to make certain that funds required to be appropriated for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2001 do not exceed Fiscal Year 2000 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or positions are added to the agency's budget by the Mississippi Legislature.

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

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

SECTION 3. In order to offset the cost of publishing the annual Mississippi Official Telephone Directory, the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services is hereby authorized, empowered and directed, in its discretion, to offer for advertising purposes, pages to be included in said Directory, to accept bids, and to let contracts for said pages. The contracts for said advertising purposes shall be let for definite periods not to exceed two (2) years.

It shall be the duty of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, if it is desired that advertising shall be used, to approve all proposed advertising submitted for use within such annual Mississippi Official Telephone Directory. The department is hereby authorized, empowered and directed, in its discretion, to reject any and all bids submitted, and if all bids are rejected, the authority may negotiate a contract within the limitations of the specifications so long as the terms of any such negotiated contract are equal to or better than the comparable terms submitted by the lowest and best bidder. No sectarian, un-American, political, partisan or immoral advertisement, as determined solely by the authority or its successor, shall be accepted.

All moneys derived from sale of such advertising shall be deposited in the appropriate special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services.

SECTION 4. The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services is hereby authorized to receive additional funds from any state agency or other source, including one hundred percent (100%) general-fund agencies, for the purpose of providing data processing or telecommunications services to any governmental organization contracting with the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services for such services. The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services is further authorized to escalate an amount not to exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) and to increase, up to a maximum of twenty (20) additional positions, the number of authorized positions listed in this act in order to provide the required data processing or telecommunications services for such governmental organizations, under the rules and regulations of the Department of Finance and Administration.

SECTION 5. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 1, and authorized for expenditure in Section 2, funds in the amount of One Hundred Forty Thousand Dollars ($140,000.00) are included to defray the annualized costs of agency specific realignments or reallocations for positions within the Department of Information Technology Services.

The realignments or reallocations referenced within this section are applicable only to the Department of Information Technology Services and said salary adjustments shall not be construed to apply to any other positions under the purview of the State Personnel Board.

SECTION 6. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby reappropriated out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the Department of Information Technology Services for the purpose of reauthorizing the use of Education Enhancement Funds previously authorized, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999, and ending June 30, 2000

$ 300,000.00.

Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under the provisions of this section, in no event shall the amount expended exceed the unexpended balance as of June 30, 1999.

SECTION 7. The money herein appropriated shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the proper fund or funds as set forth in this act, upon warrants issued by the State Fiscal Officer; and the State Fiscal Officer shall issue his warrants upon requisitions signed by the proper person, officer or officers, in the manner provided by law.

SECTION 8. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1999.