MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2005 2nd Extraordinary Session

To: Appropriations

By: Representative Frierson, Shows, Barnett, Capps, Davis, Hamilton (109th), Markham, Miles, Peranich, Read, Vince, Weathersby

House Bill 67

AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2006.

     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 appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the support and maintenance of the Department of Marine Resources for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2006..........

 ........................................... $     1,723,977.00.

SECTION 2.  The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Department of Marine Resources for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2006........................ $     8,105,380.00.

     Of the funds appropriated in this section, Three Million Fifty Thousand Dollars ($3,050,000.00) is derived from the state excise taxes upon gasoline, oil and other petroleum products.

     SECTION 3.  With the funds appropriated under the provisions of Sections 1 and 2, not more than the amounts set forth below shall be expended for the respective major objects or purposes of expenditure:

  MAJOR OBJECTS OF EXPENDITURE:

     Personal Services:

Salaries, Wages and Fringe Benefits$     6,310,930.00

Travel and Subsistence..............         79,653.00

Contractual Services.....................      2,158,139.00

Commodities..............................        579,530.00

     Capital Outlay:

Other Than Equipment................        213,760.00

Equipment...........................        187,345.00

Subsidies, Loans and Grants..............        300,000.00

Total.............................. $     9,829,357.00

  FUNDING:

General Funds........................... $     1,723,977.00

Special Funds............................      8,105,380.00

Total.............................. $     9,829,357.00

  AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:

Permanent:    Full Time...........      107

Part Time...........        0

Time-Limited:Full Time...........       33

Part Time...........       3

     Each Marine Conservation Officer and Supervisor shall be furnished an allowance for uniforms not to exceed Four Hundred Fifty Dollars ($450.00) per annum.

     With the funds herein appropriated, it is the intention of the Legislature that it shall be the agency's responsibility to make certain that funds required to be appropriated for "Personal Services" for Fiscal Year 2007 do not exceed Fiscal Year 2006 funds appropriated for that purpose, unless programs or positions are added to the agency's Fiscal Year 2007 budget by the Mississippi Legislature.  Based on data provided by the Legislative Budget Office, the State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the projected annual cost to fully fund all appropriated positions in compliance with the provisions of this act.  It shall be the responsibility of the agency head to insure that no single personnel action increases this projected annual cost and/or the Fiscal Year 2006 appropriation for "Personal Services" when annualized, with the exception of escalated funds.  If, at the time the agency takes any action to change "Personal Services," the State Personnel Board determines that the agency has taken an action which would cause the agency to exceed this projected annual cost or the Fiscal Year 2006 "Personal Services" appropriated level, when annualized, then only those actions which reduce the projected annual cost and/or the appropriation requirement will be processed by the State Personnel Board until such time as the requirements of this provision are met.

     Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with the terms, conditions and procedures established by law or allowable under the terms set forth within this act.  The State Personnel Board shall not escalate positions without written approval from the Department of Finance and Administration.  The Department of Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to escalate any funds for salaries and/or positions without proof of availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated level.

     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.

     The agency shall not take any action to promote or otherwise award salary increases through reallocation, reclassification, realignment, education benchmark, career ladder, or any other means to increase salaries of employees or positions unless specifically exempted by the following conditions:  the award of teacher pay increases, the advancement of a trainee/cadet to the next level of a bona fide career ladder, the award of an educational benchmark for the attainment of Certified Public Accountant License or higher level professional certification as determined by the State Personnel Board, the immediate replacement of a departing employee with an individual from within state service or a new hire at a salary level equivalent to that of the departing employee, and the emergency appointment of nurses, pharmacists or other health care professionals at a salary to be determined by the State Personnel Board, unless otherwise authorized in this act.

     SECTION 4.  It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Marine Resources 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 2005.  It is further the intention of the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2007 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 2006 budget request process.

     SECTION 5.  It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Marine Resources shall have the authority to receive, budget and expend funds from any source that may become available to the department in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Department of Finance and Administration in a manner consistent with the escalation of federal funds.

SECTION 6.  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 Treasury to the credit of the Tidelands Fund No. 3452 to the Department of Marine Resources for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Tidelands projects for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2006     $  8,125,781.00.

     With the funds appropriated in this section, the following projects are authorized:

Public Access Projects:

PROJECT NO.   PUBLIC ACCESS PROJECTS                 AMOUNT

FY06-P04A     Bayou Auguste Reclamation and

              Enhancement -- Biloxi                 100,000.00

FY06-P35A     First Phase Sailing Lugger Construction

              and "Island Bound" Program -                     

                  Mississippi Sound Museum              50,000.00

FY06-P01A     Waterfront Access & Improvements

              - Bay St. Louis                         200,000.00

FY06-P18A     The Point Development Phase II

              - Pascagoula                          100,000.00

FY06-P29A     D'Iberville/Tchouticabouffa Boat Launch    100,000.00

FY06-P30A     Pascagoula River Basin Estuarine

                   Education Center - MGCCC              100,000.00

FY06-P33A     Public Access to Turkey Creek, Phase I

                   of I - Gulf Coast Community

                   Foundation                        85,000.00

FY06-P08A     I-110 Boat Launch Project - Biloxi         150,000.00

FY06-P24A     Biloxi River Park - Harrison County

                   Board of Supervisors                  150,000.00

FY06-P20A     Beach Blvd. Pedestrian Pathway

                   - Waveland                            150,000.00

FY06-P10A     Gulfport Small Craft Harbor

                   Improvements Project

                   (Pier #2-Phase 1A)                200,000.00

FY06-P27A     Lake Mars Boat Launching Parking

                   & Access Improvements, Phase II -                                                   Jackson County Board of

                   Supervisors                       150,000.00

FY06-P14A     2006 Harbor Improvements - Long Beach200,000.00

FY06-P22A     Hancock County Seawall Restoration

                   - Hancock County Board of

                   Supervisors                       200,000.00

FY06-P19A     FY2006 Harbor Improvements

                   - Pass Christian                      200,000.00

FY06-P09A     City Park Community Center - 

                   Gautier Phase II                      150,000.00

FY06-P34A     Schooner Restoration Project

                   - Maritime and Seafood Museum         200,000.00

FY06-P31A     Golden Fisherman Park -

                   Biloxi Bay Chamber                  50,000.00

FY06-P32A     Boat Launch Renovation Project        50,000.00

FY06-P05A     Improvements to Parker Creek Landing

                   Boat Launch                       50,000.00

FY06-P02A     Beach Boardwalk & Pedestrian Pathway  150,000.00

FY06-P03A     Hiller Park Piers Phase II            150,000.00

FY06-P21A     Waveland Pier/Marina Improvements,

                   Phase V                           100,000.00

FY06-P28A     Racetrack Road Boat Launching &

                   Recreational Park, Phase III      100,000.00

FY06-P15A     Audubon Interpretative Center, Phase I100,000.00

FY06-M16A     Mississippi Seafood Marketing Program 100,000.00

FY06-M57A     WRANPS                                  25,000.00

FY06-M19A     Federal Match for Construction

                   at N.E.R.R.                           270,000.00

FY06-M19A     Federal Match, Habitat Creation       600,000.00

Various       USM College of Science and

                   Technology                       300,000.00

FY06-M52A     Land Trust Acquisition, 12-Oaks Project

                   - Land Trust, Ocean Springs           100,000.00

FY06-M15A     Derelict Vessel Program, DMR          100,000.00

FY06-M36A     USM College of Science and

                   Technology Speckled Trout

                   Management                        250,000.00

FY06-M55A     Mississippi Sound Welcome Center -

                   Phase II -- Ohr Museum                200,000.00

Total  Public Access Projects                          $5,180,000.00                                        

Total Management Projects                         $1,900,000.00                                           

Deer Island Payment                               $1,045,781.00                                                                                                                                                                                    

Total Tidelands Funds:                              $8,125,781.00

Each political subdivision receiving funds authorized in this section shall be held responsible for complying with Section 29-15-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, and shall be subject to an audit by the State Auditor and shall submit detailed reports beginning June 30, and every six (6) months thereafter for the duration of the project to the Department of Marine Resources on how funds authorized in this section were expended.

     It is the intention of the Legislature that any political subdivision seeking to qualify for tidelands funds for the subsequent fiscal year shall submit a proposal to the Department of Marine Resources no later than July 1, 2005.  All proposals submitted will be reviewed and evaluated by the Department of Marine Resources in accordance to department plans and procedures. Multiphased projects, multiyear projects, proposed projects with high dollar value and projects that have a record of stacking funds shall be considered as low priority projects when evaluated.

     It is the intention of the Legislature that if the amount of the Tidelands funds appropriated in this act exceed the actual amount of Tidelands funds available, the available funds shall be allocated on a pro rata basis between projects listed in this section, except for FY06-P14A  FY2006 Harbor Improvements - Long Beach, FY06-P19A  FY2006 Harbor Improvements - Pass Christian, FY06-M55A  Mississippi Sound Welcome Center - Phase II - Ohr Museum, and Deer Island Payment.

It is the intention of the Legislature that the Tidelands funds appropriated in this act for Tidelands Project No. FY06-M19A Federal Grant Matching Funds - Mississippi Coastal Habitat Creation and Restoration and Tidelands Project No. FY06-M19A Federal Grant Matching Funds - Grand Bay NERR Construction be reallocated on a pro rata basis between projects listed in this section if the federal funds are not awarded for these two (2) projects.

SECTION 7.  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 Marine Resources, Tidelands Fund, which is comprised of special source funds available to the department, for expenditures pursuant to House Bill No. 1733, 2004 Regular Session, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2005, and ending June 30, 2006.................................................. $6,600,000.00

SECTION 8.  It is the intention of the Legislature that the commission shall place any special trust funds appropriated to the department in a special trust fund and the interest earned on the principal shall be credited to the special trust fund.  Monies in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall be retained in the special trust fund for use in the next succeeding fiscal year.  The department may use the interest earned on the fund to pay reasonable costs for administering the fund and related projects.

     SECTION 9.  It is the intention of the Legislature that Tidelands Funds not otherwise appropriated shall be used for additional funding of tideland projects and the administration thereof by the Department of Marine Resources.  Expenditures of excess Tidelands Funds by the Department of Marine Resources for supplemental and additional funding and administration of tidelands projects heretofore or hereafter proposed is authorized and approved.  The Department of Marine Resources may escalate the Tidelands Fund in an amount not to exceed Eight Hundred Thousand Dollars ($800,000.00) for the purposes outlined in this section.

     It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Marine Resources be allowed to make necessary transfers from the Subsidies, Loans and Grants category of expenditures to any other categories of expenditures for the purpose of expending Tidelands funds.

     SECTION 10.  It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Marine Resources has the authorization to move Tidelands funds between approved projects upon request from entity and proper completion of Form TTF-6 documentation.

     SECTION 11.  Of the funds provided herein, the sum of Three Hundred Six Thousand One Hundred Eighty-five Dollars ($306,185.00) is hereby assessed on any nonfederal special funds and shall be deposited to the Budget Contingency Fund created in Section 27-103-301, Mississippi Code of 1972, on or before October 1, 2005, for the purpose of reimbursing the State of Mississippi for administrative costs.

     SECTION 12.  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 13.  This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2005.