REPORT OF CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

S.B. No. 3125: Appropriation; Finance & Admin. Consol.

SECTION 1. The following sum of money, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to defray the expenses of the Department of Finance and Administration for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999 and ending June 30, 2000

$ 15,011,470.00.

SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the Department of Finance and Administration for the purpose of defraying the expenses incurred in the operation of the various offices of the department for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999 and ending June 30, 2000

$ 15,629,646.00.

SECTION 3. With the funds appropriated under the provisions of Sections 1 and 2, the following positions are authorized:

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time. . . . . . . . . 367

Part Time. . . . . . . . . 5

Time-Limited: Full Time. . . . . . . . . 0

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

Provided that a report based on expenditures incurred during the current and immediate-past fiscal years shall be provided to each regularly scheduled legislative session. This report should reflect expenditures as a result of the operation of the Robert E. Lee Building, the Woolfolk State Office Building, the Gartin and Sillers Buildings, the Capitol Buildings, the Central High School Building, the 301 Building and other state buildings, and this report should contain any steps taken to reduce operating costs.

It is also the intention of the Legislature that no state-owned aircraft shall be utilized by any person except for official business only.

SECTION 4. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 2, the amount of Sixty Thousand Dollars ($60,000.00), or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be expended for premium payments for flood insurance on state-owned facilities. However, no such premium shall be paid until reviewed and approved by the Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management. Said payments are to be made from accrued interest earnings from loans under the Disaster Assistance Program.

SECTION 5. In addition to all other sums herein appropriated, the following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Tort Claims Fund for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Tort Claims Board in the administration of the Tort Claims Act for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1999, and ending June 30, 2000

$ 11,104,004.00.

SECTION 6. With the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 5, the following positions are authorized:

AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent: Full Time. . . . . . . . . 6

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

Time-Limited: Full Time. . . . . . . . . 0

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

SECTION 7. From the funds provided in this act, 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 within each specific budget 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 8. The Bureau of Building, Grounds and Real Property Management of the Office of General Services is hereby expressly authorized and empowered to receive, budget and expend any state, local or other source funds designated for supplemental funding of construction and/or repairs and renovation projects.

SECTION 9. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, the following amounts are authorized to be spent out of the Statewide Cost Allocation Fund No. 3143 by the Department of Finance and Administration:

(a) One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00) for the purpose of defraying computer expenses.

(b) Five Hundred Sixty Thousand Eight Hundred Thirty-nine Dollars ($560,839.00) for the purpose of defraying the cost of the acquisition, development and implementation of the Statewide Automated Accounting System.

(c) One Hundred Fifty-three Thousand Four Hundred Dollars ($153,400.00) for an imaging/electronic processing feasibility study and initial phase of implementation.

SECTION 10. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, Two Hundred Seventy-five Thousand Dollars ($275,000.00) is authorized to be spent out of the Local Disaster Loan Fund No. 3144 by the Department of Finance and Administration for the purpose of defraying the cost of the Air Transport Services.

SECTION 11. The Office of Capitol Facilities, Department of Finance and Administration, is hereby expressly authorized and empowered to receive funds from state agencies for the rent of office space in the Eldon Bolton Office Building in Biloxi, Mississippi, and the State Service Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The Office of Capitol Facilities is further authorized and empowered to budget and expend any such funds received to operate and maintain, and up to Five Dollars ($5.00) per square foot of rental receipts to finish tenant space, in the Eldon Bolton Office Building in Biloxi, Mississippi, and the State Service Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, as state office buildings. Monies received for rent of such office space are to be deposited in a special fund in the State Treasury. Any funds on hand at the end of the fiscal year shall lapse into the State General Fund.

SECTION 12. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Finance and Administration shall maintain complete accounting and personnel records related to the expenditure of all funds appropriated under this act and that such records shall be in the same format and level of detail as maintained for Fiscal Year 1999. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2001 shall be submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee in a format and level of detail comparable to the format and level of detail provided during the Fiscal Year 2000 budget request process.

SECTION 13. It is the intention of the Legislature that positions currently assigned to the Department of Information Technology Services for operation of the Mississippi Management and Reporting System and paid by funds of the Department of Finance and Administration be transferred to the Department of Finance and Administration. The Executive Director of the Department of Information Technology Services and the Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration are hereby authorized to effect such transfers as of July 1, 1999. The Department of Finance and Administration is further authorized to escalate the number of positions herein authorized up to but not to exceed fifteen (15) positions for such transfers.

This is a transfer of positions with no funds involved.

SECTION 14. Of the funds provided herein, Two Hundred Ninety-eight Thousand Thirty-three Dollars ($298,033.00) in State General Funds and ten (10) positions are provided to Capitol Facilities to improve and maintain the grounds of the Capitol Complex.

SECTION 15. Of the funds appropriated in this act, funds in the amount of Thirty-eight Thousand Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($38,250.00) are included to defray the cost of realigning the DFA - Budget Analyst IV positions (PIN 1772, 1778, 1773, and 1776) at an annualized cost not to exceed Six Thousand Nine Hundred Dollars ($6,900.00) for each position, and the DFA - Budget Analyst Senior position (PIN 1771) at an annualized cost not to exceed Ten Thousand Six Hundred Fifty Dollars ($10,650.00).

SECTION 16. Of the funds appropriated in this act, funds in the amount of One Hundred Thirty-six Thousand Four Hundred Twenty-two Dollars ($136,422.00) are included to defray the cost of realigning the General Services - Architect positions (PIN 1753, 1757, 1764, 1766 and 9008), the General Services - Building Inspector positions (PIN 1754, 1758, 1761, 1765, and 9036) and the Buildings, Grounds, Real Property Management Bureau Assistant Director position (PIN 1767) at an annualized cost not to exceed Twelve Thousand Four Hundred Two Dollars ($12,402.00) for each position.

SECTION 17. In addition to all other sums herein appropriated, the following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Department of Finance and Administration for the purpose of completing the construction of the Dr. Eldon Langston Bolton State Office Building in Biloxi, Mississippi, for the period beginning upon passage and through June 30, 2000 $ 536,000.00.

SECTION 18. With the funds appropriated in this act, the Department of Finance and Administration shall spend not more than Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00) to conduct and prepare a study to determine whether there is a significant statistical disparity between the qualified minority contractors in the State of Mississippi and the number of minority contractors actually engaged by the State of Mississippi or the prime contractors of the state.

SECTION 19. 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 20. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1999, except for Section 17 which shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO DEFRAY THE EXPENSES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION FOR FISCAL YEARS 1999 AND 2000.