***Adopted***

AMENDMENT No. 1 PROPOSED TO

                             Committee Sub. for SB NO. 2327

                             By Senator(s) Gordon, Little

     Amend by striking all after the enacting clause and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

    

     SECTION 1.  In addition to all other sums heretofore 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 defray the expenses of the Department of Human Services for the period beginning upon passage and ending June 30, 2003$650,000.00.

     SECTION 2.  This additional appropriation is made for the purpose of authorizing state funds to match federal funds for the hiring of additional social workers at the Department of Human Services.  The State General Funds appropriated herein represent funds transferred into the State General Fund by Attorney General Mike Moore resulting from a settlement in a multistate investigation of Bridgestone/Firestone.  Not less than One Hundred Eighty-seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($187,500.00) of the funds appropriated herein shall be allocated to counties in which social worker case loads are in excess of one hundred (100) cases per social worker as reported by the most recent survey of the Mississippi Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.  The department is authorized to establish up to forty-two (42) new full-time, permanent DHS-social-worker positions as necessary to ensure that average case loads per social worker do not exceed fifty (50) cases.  The department is authorized to escalate budget and expend special funds received from any source to carry out the provisions of this act.  In the event that funds made available through this act are not adequate to ensure that average case loads per social worker do not exceed fifty (50) cases, the department may maintain case loads above this level provided that funds are allocated to counties with the greatest need as determined by the most recent survey of case loads per social worker.

     SECTION 3.  The money herein appropriated shall be paid by the State Treasurer out of any money in 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 4.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and through June 30, 2003.

     Further, amend by striking the title in its entirety and inserting in lieu thereof the following:

 

     AN ACT MAKING AN ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATION OF STATE GENERAL FUNDS TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES FOR THE PURPOSE OF MATCHING FEDERAL FUNDS TO MAXIMIZE FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR THE HIRING OF ADDITIONAL SOCIAL WORKERS, FOR FISCAL YEAR 2003.