Amendment_Report_for

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 aid and support of the public community and junior colleges for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007..........

............................................. $ 99,322,569.00.

SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Education Enhancement Fund deposited pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972, not otherwise appropriated, for the aid and support of public community and junior colleges for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007$ 31,371,348.00.

SECTION 3. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the Budget Contingency Fund, created in Section 27-103-301, Mississippi Code of 1972, for the aid and support of the public community and junior colleges, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007........................... $ 2,286,240.00.

SECTION 4. It is the intention of the Legislature, that with the funds provided in this act a salary increase in the amount of Six Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($6,500.00) per full-time equivalent shall be awarded to all nursing faculty of the community and junior colleges effective July 1, 2006.

SECTION 5. The funds appropriated in this act for the aid and support of the public and community junior colleges shall be apportioned in accordance with the following assigned weights:

Assigned Weight

1/5 Head Count 4/5 FTE

Formula Section Formula Formula

(1) Aid to Colleges:

Base 5% of prior year 13% prior year

appropriation appropriation

Academic 1.0 1.0

Technical 1.00 1.0

Virtual Comm.

College .55 .50

(2) Vocational 1.0 1.0

(3) Part-time .55

(4) Associate Degree

Nursing 1.0 1.19

(5) Associate Degree

Allied Health 1.19

In the 1/5 Head Count Formula such Academic, Technical, and Vocational funds shall be disbursed to such public community and junior colleges on the basis of the full-time enrollment of each such public community and junior college as of the last day of the sixth week of the fall semester, or its equivalent, of the preceding year, counting only students who reside within the State of Mississippi. Part-time academic, vocational and technical credit courses may qualify on the basis of the prior year full-time equivalency of part-time and summer students, counting only students who reside within the State of Mississippi.

Virtual Community College hosted and provided courses may qualify on the basis of the prior year full-time equivalency of Virtual Community College hours generated during the summer, fall and spring semesters that did not make a student full time in the fall semester.

In the 4/5 FTE Formula, such Academic, Technical, Vocational, Associate Degree Nursing and Associate Degree Allied Health funds shall be disbursed on the basis of prior year full-time equivalency (FTE) of hours generated during the summer, fall and spring semesters for each public community and junior college as of the last day of the sixth week of each semester, or its equivalent, counting only students who reside within the State of Mississippi. However, associate degree nursing students who reside outside the State of Mississippi may be counted for pay purposes.

Virtual Community College hosted and provided courses may qualify on the basis of the prior year full-time equivalency of Virtual Community College hours generated during the summer, fall and spring semesters. Those semester credit hours being hosted and provided by one institution shall receive funding at the weight of 1.0.

Of the funds appropriated in the act for the aid and support of the public community and junior colleges, funds up to Three Million Forty-four Thousand Dollars ($3,044,000.00) are provided to be set aside as a mechanism to hold harmless those colleges that lose funding in the fourth year of a five-year phase-in implementation period to a full-time equivalency (FTE) funding formula.

The Director of the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges, or his designee, shall audit each public community and junior college and shall determine who shall be counted in each college and shall certify the number to the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges.

If, pending determination of the enrollment of students at the public community and junior colleges entitled to participate in this appropriation, as provided for in this subsection, the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges shall find and determine that any such public or community junior college does not have sufficient funds on hand for payment of the necessary expenses of its operation for the period commencing July 1, 2006, until distribution of the funds appropriated hereby, then, in that event, the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges is expressly authorized to make an advance to any such public community or junior college or colleges not having sufficient operating funds for such period from the funds appropriated hereby; provided, however, that the amount of any such advance to any one public community or junior college shall not exceed thirty-three percent (33%) of the amount of state appropriated funds received by such public community or junior college during the preceding fiscal year; and provided, further, that the amount of any such advance shall be deducted from the pro rata part of the funds appropriated hereby accruing to said public community or junior college when enrollment has been ascertained and distribution of funds is made.

SECTION 6. No part of the amount herein appropriated shall be used by the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges for administrative or other purposes except in the manner and to the extent authorized in the act making an appropriation for the expenses of the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges.

SECTION 7. The funds disbursed under the provisions of this act shall be accounted for through the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges.

SECTION 8. The following public community and junior colleges which qualify shall participate in the funds provided by Sections 1, 2 and 3 of this act:

Coahoma Community College, Copiah-Lincoln Community College, East Central Community College, East Mississippi Community College, Hinds Community College District, Holmes Community College, Itawamba Community College, Jones County Junior College, Meridian Community College, Mississippi Delta Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College District, Northeast Mississippi Community College, Northwest Mississippi Community College, Pearl River Community College, and Southwest Mississippi Community College.

SECTION 9. It is the intention of the Legislature that none of the General Funds appropriated herein shall be expended for the purpose of paying salaries, wages, and fringe benefits of any public community and junior college employee who is serving as a member of the State of Mississippi Legislature.

SECTION 10. 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 State Board for Community and Junior Colleges for the purposes of hiring nursing and allied health teachers, awarding interest free nursing and allied health student loans and providing instructional support for the Rural Health Corps for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007$ 1,200,000.00.

The funds appropriated in this section shall be allocated as follows:

(1) One-half (1/2) divided equally among the fifteen (15) public community and junior colleges.

(2) One-half (1/2) divided upon the basis of the number of full-time academic, technical and vocational public community and junior college students actually enrolled and in attendance on the last day of the sixth week of the fall semester or its equivalent of the preceding year counting only those students who reside within the State of Mississippi.

The public community and junior colleges shall prepare and make available to the Legislature and the Legislative Budget Office an accounting of expenditures and program accomplishments of the Rural Health Corps Program for each of the individual community and junior colleges in a format and manner prescribed by the Legislative Budget Office.

SECTION 11. 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 aid of the public community and junior colleges, to fund life and health insurance, for all employees of the public community and junior colleges for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007...

............................................ $ 18,820,000.00.

The funds allocated in this section shall only be used to participate in the State and School Employees' Life and Health Insurance Plan. Any funds appropriated in this section which are not expended during the fiscal year shall be carried forward for the same purposes during the next succeeding fiscal year.

SECTION 12. 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 purpose of establishing and operating Workforce Development Centers at each of the public community and junior colleges for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007.......................................

............................................ $ 4,500,000.00.

SECTION 13. 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 State Board for Community and Junior Colleges for the purpose of defraying the cost of Sign Language Interpreter Training at the public community and junior colleges for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007 $ 179,050.00.

SECTION 14. 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 State Board for Community and Junior Colleges for the purpose of defraying the cost of the Education Technology Program at the public community and junior colleges for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007 $ 3,599,160.00.

SECTION 15. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the Education Enhancement Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the State Board for Community and Junior Colleges for the purpose of defraying the cost of servicing the debt on bonds issued for the Education Technology Program at the community and junior colleges for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007...... $ 3,137,015.00.

The funds appropriated in this section shall be derived from Education Enhancement Funds deposited pursuant to Sections 27-65-75 and 27-67-31, Mississippi Code of 1972.

SECTION 16. A Mississippi Prepaid Affordable College Tuition (MPACT) program beneficiary shall be considered a Mississippi resident for the purposes of participating in this appropriation regardless of the beneficiary's residence on the date of enrollment, as set out in Mississippi Code Annotated, Section 37-155-5(d)(iii).

SECTION 17. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided below:

FY07

Performance Measures Target

Instruction

Cumulative grade point average of community

college transfer students attending State

Institutions of Higher Learning will equal

or exceed the Grade Point Average earned

by native students in the same university

system (GPA based on a 4.0 scale) 2.80

Average Class Size (Students/Class) 21

Percentage of community & junior college

associate degree nursing graduates who

pass the state board nursing exam on

the first write (%) 92

Percentage of full-time & adjunct

(part-time) faculty who met the

criteria for academic & professional

preparation (%) 100

Percentage of vocational-technical

students who complete or exit a program

& are considered positively placed (%) 92

Total cost per full-time equivalent

student ($) 4,806.00

Physical Plant Operation

Percentage of community & junior colleges

with a written comprehensive safety &

health program implemented to ensure safe

working conditions & practices (%) 100

Number of student injuries on community

& junior colleges grounds (Students) 64

Number of employee injuries on community

& junior colleges grounds (Employees) 90

A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee for Fiscal Year 2008.

SECTION 18. 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 State Board for Community and Junior Colleges for the purpose of defraying the cost of Advanced Training Centers at each of the Public Community and Junior Colleges, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2006, and ending June 30, 2007........................$ 2,250,000.00.

SECTION 19. It is the intention of the Legislature that whenever two (2) or more bids are received by this agency for the purchase of commodities or equipment, and whenever all things stated in such received bids are equal with respect to price, quality and service, the Mississippi Industries for the Blind shall be given preference. A similar preference shall be given to the Mississippi Industries for the Blind whenever purchases are made without competitive bids.

SECTION 20. All expenditures of funds appropriated by this act for the purposes of advertising through the media shall comply with the provisions of this section. All notices, advertisements, or announcements designed to accomplish distribution of vital information paid for wholly or in part through funds appropriated by this act and distributed through the media shall be placed according to a formula based upon the following criteria:

(a) Outlets of the Mississippi Public Broadcasting System shall receive twenty percent (20%) of all expenditures allotted for any advertising campaign undertaken by the agency to which funds are appropriated by this act. All distribution of information undertaken by the Mississippi Broadcasting System under these requirements shall conform to the accepted standards of information distribution common to public media.

(b) Media outlets, other than outlets of the Mississippi Public Broadcasting System, shall receive placement of such notices through the following method of distribution and based upon commonly accepted boundaries of distribution:

(i) Newspapers. Newspapers demonstrating established market reach through verifiable and auditable circulation numbers shall receive twenty-five percent (25%) of all expenditures allotted for distribution of vital information, and such expenditures to the individual newspapers shall be determined and prorated based upon the verifiable and auditable share of total circulation within the individual counties. This requirement does not replace the requirements and systems currently in place regarding legal notices in the newspapers.

(ii) Radio. Radio stations demonstrating established market reach through verifiable and auditable market share information as recorded through reputable and established rating services shall receive twenty percent (20%) of all expenditures allotted for such distribution of vital information, and such expenditures to the individual stations shall be determined and prorated based upon the verifiable and auditable share of total market reach within the individual counties.

(iii) Television. Television stations and television cable outlets demonstrating established market reach through verifiable and auditable market share information as recorded through reputable and established rating services shall receive twenty percent (20%) of all expenditures allotted for such distribution of vital information, and such expenditures to the individual stations shall be determined and prorated based upon the verifiable and auditable share of total market reach within the individual demonstrated market reach area of the station or cable outlet.

(iv) Magazines. Magazines demonstrating established market reach through verifiable and auditable circulation numbers shall receive ten percent (10%) of all expenditures allotted for such distribution of vital information, and such expenditures to the individual magazines shall be determined and prorated based upon the verifiable and auditable circulation numbers within the counties. If no magazine exists which meets the criteria stated above, the portion of those funds so allotted shall be distributed among the other media outlets equally.

(v) Electronic media. Electronic media demonstrating established market reach through verifiable and auditable circulation numbers shall receive five percent (5%) of all expenditures allotted for such distribution of vital information, and such expenditures to the individual electronic media outlets shall be determined and prorated based upon the verifiable and auditable circulation numbers within the counties. If no electronic media exists which meets the criteria stated above, the portion of those funds so allotted shall be distributed equally among the other media outlets.

Provisions of this section do not apply to the placement of advertisements in national media outlets to recruit economic development or to promote tourism in the state.

SECTION 21. 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 22. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2006.