House Bill 222

AN ACT TO CREATE A SPECIAL FUND IN THE STATE TREASURY TO BE KNOWN AS COASTAL COUNTIES ASSISTANCE FUND, FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO HANCOCK, HARRISON AND JACKSON COUNTIES AND THE MUNICIPALITIES IN THOSE COUNTIES; TO PROVIDE THAT DURING EACH FISCAL YEAR BEGINNING WITH FISCAL YEAR 2008, THE STATE FISCAL OFFICER SHALL TRANSFER INTO THE SPECIAL FUND FROM THE STATE GENERAL FUND AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO ONE PERCENT OF THE SINE DIE GENERAL FUND REVENUE ESTIMATE ADOPTED FOR THAT FISCAL YEAR; TO PROVIDE THAT THE MONIES IN THE SPECIAL FUND SHALL BE APPROPRIATED BY THE LEGISLATURE AND DISTRIBUTED AMONG EACH OF THOSE COUNTIES AND THE MUNICIPALITIES IN THOSE COUNTIES ON A PRO RATA BASIS BASED ON POPULATION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) There is created in the State Treasury a special fund to be known as Coastal Counties Assistance Fund, for the purpose of providing additional funds to Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties and the municipalities in those counties. The special fund shall be comprised of the monies transferred into the fund under subsection (2) of this section and any other monies that may be made available for the fund by the Legislature. All income from the investment of funds in the special fund shall be credited to the fund, and any monies remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund.

(2) During each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2008, the State Fiscal Officer shall transfer into the Coastal Counties Assistance Fund from the State General Fund an amount equal to one percent (1%) of the general fund revenue estimate adopted for that fiscal year by the Joint Legislative Budget Committee as of the date of sine die adjournment of the Legislature.

(3) For each fiscal year beginning with fiscal year 2008, the Legislature shall appropriate the funds in the Coastal Counties Assistance Fund for the purpose of providing additional funds to Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties and the municipalities in those counties. The appropriated funds shall be distributed among each of those counties and the municipalities in those counties on a pro rata basis, in the proportion that the population of the county in the areas outside of the municipalities in the county, or the population of the municipality, as the case may be, bears to the total population of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties, including the municipalities in those counties. The population of the counties and municipalities shall be determined according to the most recent federal decennial census.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2007.