MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2017 Regular Session
To: Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency
By: Representatives Turner, Willis, Patterson, Haney
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 47-5-1211 AND 47-4-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT ALL CONTRACTS FOR SERVICES FOR PRIVATE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE PURCHASING LAWS; TO AMEND SECTION 31-7-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REVISE THE DEFINITION OF THE TERM "AGENCY" TO INCLUDE THE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES UNDER THE PUBLIC PURCHASING LAWS; TO AMEND SECTIONS 25-9-120, 25-1-100, 25-61-9 AND 27-104-155, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT SUCH CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES SHALL BE CONSIDERED AN AGENCY FOR PURPOSES OF BEING SUBJECT TO REVIEW BY THE PERSONAL SERVICE CONTRACT REVIEW BOARD; TO AMEND SECTION 5-3-72, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT A CERTAIN PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND EXPENDITURE REVIEW (PEER) EVALUATION SHALL INCLUDE SUCH FACILITIES DURING ITS BIENNIAL REVIEW PERTAINING TO PROCUREMENT PROCESSES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 47-5-1211, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
47-5-1211. (1) A contract for private correctional facilities or services shall not be entered into unless the contractor has demonstrated that it has:
(a) The qualifications, experience and management personnel necessary to carry out the terms of the contract.
(b) The ability to expedite the siting, design and construction of correctional facilities.
(c) The ability to comply with applicable laws, court orders and national correctional standards.
(d) Demonstrated history of successful operation and management of other correctional facilities.
(2) A facility shall at all times comply with all federal and state laws, and all applicable court orders.
(3) (a) No contract for private incarceration shall be entered into unless the cost of the private operation, including the state's cost for monitoring the private operation, offers a cost savings of at least ten percent (10%) to the Department of Corrections for at least the same level and quality of service offered by the Department of Corrections.
(b) Beginning in 2012, and every two (2) years thereafter, the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) shall contract with a certified public accounting firm to establish a state inmate cost per day using financial information of the Department of Corrections for the most recently completed fiscal year. The state inmate cost per day shall be certified as required by this section. The certified cost shall be used as the basis for measuring the validity of the ten percent (10%) savings of the contractor costs.
(c) Prior to engaging a certified public accountant, the PEER Committee, in conjunction with the Department of Corrections, shall develop a current cost-based model that will serve as a basis for the report produced as authorized by this section.
(4) The rates and benefits for correctional services shall be negotiated based upon American Correction Association standards, state law and court orders.
(5) All contracts for private correctional services shall be subject to the purchasing laws.
SECTION 2. Section 47-4-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
47-4-1. (1) It is lawful for there to be located within Wilkinson County and Leflore County a correctional facility operated entirely by a private entity pursuant to a contractual agreement between such private entity and the federal government, any state, or a political subdivision of any state to provide correctional services to any such public entity for the confinement of inmates subject to the jurisdiction of such public entity. Any person confined in such a facility pursuant to the laws of the jurisdiction from which he is sent shall be considered lawfully confined within this state. The private entity shall assume complete responsibility for the inmates and shall be liable to the State of Mississippi for any illegal or tortious actions of such inmates.
(2) The Department of Corrections shall contract with the
Board of Supervisors of Leflore County for the private
incarceration of not more than one thousand (1,000) state inmates at a facility in Leflore County. Any contract must comply with the requirements of Section 47-5-1211 through Section 47-5-1227.
(3) It is lawful for any county to contract with a private entity for the purpose of providing correctional services for the confinement of federal inmates subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Any person confined in such a facility pursuant to the laws of the United States shall be considered lawfully confined within this state. The private entity shall assume complete responsibility for the inmates and shall be liable to the county or the State of Mississippi, as the case may be, for any illegal or tortious actions of the inmates.
(4) It is lawful for there to be located within any county a correctional facility operated entirely by a private entity and the federal government to provide correctional services to the United States for the confinement of federal inmates subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. Any person confined in a facility pursuant to the laws of the United States shall be considered lawfully confined within this state. The private entity shall assume complete responsibility for the inmates and shall be liable to the State of Mississippi for any illegal or tortious actions of the inmates.
A person convicted of simple assault on an employee of a private correctional facility while such employee is acting within the scope of his or her duty or employment shall be punished by a fine of not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than five (5) years, or both.
A person convicted of aggravated assault on an employee of a private correctional facility while such employee is acting within the scope of his or her duty or employment shall be punished by a fine of not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) or by imprisonment for not more than thirty (30) years, or both.
(5) The Department of Corrections may contract with the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility authorized in Chapter 904, Local and Private Laws of 1999, for the private incarceration of not more than one thousand (1,000) state inmates at a facility in Tallahatchie County. Any contract must comply with the requirements of Section 47-5-1211 through Section 47-5-1227. No state inmate shall be assigned to the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility unless the inmate cost per day is at least ten percent (10%) less than the inmate cost per day for housing a state inmate at a state correctional facility.
(6) If a private entity houses state inmates, the private entity shall not displace state inmate beds with federal inmate beds unless the private entity has obtained prior written approval from the Commissioner of Corrections.
(7) It is lawful for there to be located within Leflore County a correctional facility operated entirely by a private entity pursuant to a contractual agreement between such private entity and the federal government, the State of Mississippi, or Leflore County for the incarceration of federal inmates. Such correctional facility may include a separate Leflore County jail which may be located on or adjacent to the correctional facility site. To further the provisions of this subsection:
(a) Any private entity, the State of Mississippi, or Leflore County may enter into any agreement regarding real property or property, including, but not limited to, a lease, a ground lease and leaseback arrangement, a sublease or any other lease agreement or arrangement, as lessor or lessee. Such agreements shall not exceed forty (40) years. The Department of Corrections may enter such agreements or arrangements on behalf of the State of Mississippi;
(b) The powers conferred under this subsection shall be additional and supplemental to the powers conferred by any other law. Where the provisions of this subsection conflict with other law, this subsection shall control; and
(c) The private entity shall assume complete responsibility for the inmates and shall be liable to the State of Mississippi for any illegal or tortious actions of the inmates.
(8) All contracts for private correctional services shall be subject to the purchasing laws.
SECTION 3. Section 31-7-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
31-7-1. The following terms are defined for the purposes of this chapter to have the following meanings:
(a) "Agency" means any state board, commission, committee, council, private correctional facility, university, department or unit thereof created by the Constitution or statutes if such board, commission, committee, council, university, department, unit or the head thereof is authorized to appoint subordinate staff by the Constitution or statute, except a legislative or judicial board, commission, committee, council, department or unit thereof; except a charter school authorized by the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board; and except the Mississippi State Port Authority.
(b) "Governing authority" means boards of supervisors, governing boards of all school districts, all boards of directors of public water supply districts, boards of directors of master public water supply districts, municipal public utility commissions, governing authorities of all municipalities, port authorities, Mississippi State Port Authority, commissioners and boards of trustees of any public hospitals, boards of trustees of public library systems, district attorneys, school attendance officers and any political subdivision of the state supported wholly or in part by public funds of the state or political subdivisions thereof, including commissions, boards and agencies created or operated under the authority of any county or municipality of this state. The term "governing authority" shall not include economic development authorities supported in part by private funds, or commissions appointed to hold title to and oversee the development and management of lands and buildings which are donated by private individuals to the public for the use and benefit of the community and which are supported in part by private funds. The term "governing authority" also shall not include the governing board of a charter school.
(c) "Purchasing agent" means any administrator, superintendent, purchase clerk or other chief officer so designated having general or special authority to negotiate for and make private contract for or purchase for any governing authority or agency, including issue purchase orders, invitations for bid, requests for proposals, and receive and accept bids.
(d) "Public funds" means and includes any appropriated funds, special funds, fees or any other emoluments received by an agency or governing authority.
(e) "Commodities" means and includes the various commodities, goods, merchandise, furniture, equipment, automotive equipment of every kind, and other personal property purchased by the agencies of the state and governing authorities, but not commodities purchased for resale or raw materials converted into products for resale.
(i) "Equipment" shall be construed to include: automobiles, trucks, tractors, office appliances and all other equipment of every kind and description.
(ii) "Furniture" shall be construed to include: desks, chairs, tables, seats, filing cabinets, bookcases and all other items of a similar nature as well as dormitory furniture, appliances, carpets and all other items of personal property generally referred to as home, office or school furniture.
(f) "Emergency" means any circumstances caused by fire, flood, explosion, storm, earthquake, epidemic, riot, insurrection or caused by any inherent defect due to defective construction, or when the immediate preservation of order or of public health is necessary by reason of unforeseen emergency, or when the immediate restoration of a condition of usefulness of any public building, equipment, road or bridge appears advisable, or in the case of a public utility when there is a failure of any machine or other thing used and useful in the generation, production or distribution of electricity, water or natural gas, or in the transportation or treatment of sewage; or when the delay incident to obtaining competitive bids could cause adverse impact upon the governing authorities or agency, its employees or its citizens; or in the case of a public airport, when the delay incident to publishing an advertisement for competitive bids would endanger public safety in a specific (not general) manner, result in or perpetuate a specific breach of airport security, or prevent the airport from providing specific air transportation services.
(g) "Construction" means the process of building, altering, improving, renovating or demolishing a public structure, public building, or other public real property. It does not include routine operation, routine repair or regularly scheduled maintenance of existing public structures, public buildings or other public real property.
(h) "Purchase" means buying, renting, leasing or otherwise acquiring.
(i) "Certified purchasing office" means any purchasing office in which fifty percent (50%) or more of the purchasing agents hold a certification from the Universal Public Purchasing Certification Council or other nationally recognized purchasing certification, and in which, in the case of a state agency purchasing office, in addition to the national certification, one hundred percent (100%) of the purchasing officials hold a certification from the State of Mississippi's Basic or Advanced Purchasing Certification Program.
(j) "Certified Mississippi Purchasing Agent" means a state agency purchasing official who holds a certification from the Mississippi Basic Purchasing Certification Program as established by the Office of Purchasing, Travel and Fleet Management.
(k) "Certified Mississippi Procurement Manager" means a state agency purchasing official who holds a certification from the Mississippi Advanced Purchasing Certification Program as established by the Office of Purchasing, Travel and Fleet Management.
SECTION 4. Section 25-9-120, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
25-9-120. (1) Contract personnel, whether classified as contract workers or independent contractors shall not be deemed state service or nonstate service employees of the State of Mississippi, and shall not be eligible to participate in the Public Employees' Retirement System, or the State and School Employees' Health Insurance Plan, nor be allowed credit for personal and sick leave and other leave benefits as employees of the State of Mississippi, notwithstanding Sections 25-3-91 through 25-3-101; 25-9-101 through 25-9-151; 25-11-1 through 25-11-126; 25-11-128 through 25-11-131; 25-15-1 through 25-15-23 and for the purpose set forth herein. Contract workers, i.e., contract personnel who do not meet the criteria of independent contractors, shall be subject to the provisions of Section 25-11-127.
(2) (a) There is hereby created the Personal Service Contract Review Board, which shall be composed of the following members:
(i) The State Personnel Director;
(ii) Two (2) individuals appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate;
(iii) Two (2) individuals appointed by the Lieutenant Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate; and
(iv) The Executive Director of the Department of Finance and Administration, serving as an ex officio member;
(b) The initial terms of each appointee shall be as follows:
(i) One (1) member appointed by the Governor to serve for a term ending June 30, 2017;
(ii) One (1) member appointed by the Governor to serve for a term ending June 30, 2020;
(iii) One (1) member appointed by the Lieutenant Governor to serve for a term ending June 30, 2018; and
(iv) One (1) member appointed by the Lieutenant Governor to serve for a term ending June 30, 2019.
After the expiration of the initial terms, all appointed members' terms shall be for a period of four (4) years from the expiration date of the previous term, and until such time as the member's successor is duly appointed and qualified;
(c) When appointing members to the Personal Service Contract Review Board, the Governor and Lieutenant Governor shall take into consideration persons who possess at least five (5) years of management experience in general business, health care, or finance for an organization, corporation, or other public or private entity. Any person, or any employee or owner of a company, who receives any grants, procurements or contracts that are subject to approval under this section shall not be appointed to the Personal Service Contract Review Board. Any person, or any employee or owner of a company, who is a principal of the source providing the personal or professional service shall not be appointed to the Personal Service Contract Review Board if the principal owns or controls a greater than five percent (5%) interest or has an ownership value of One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) in the source's business, whichever is smaller;
(d) Members of the Personal Service Contract Review Board shall be entitled to per diem as authorized by Section 25-3-69 and travel reimbursement as authorized by Section 25-3-41;
(e) The State Personnel Director shall be chairman and shall preside over the meetings of the board. The board shall annually elect a vice chairman, who shall serve in the absence of the chairman. No business shall be transacted, including adoption of rules of procedure, without the presence of a quorum of the board. Three (3) members shall be a quorum. No action shall be valid unless approved by the chairman and two (2) other of those members present and voting, entered upon the minutes of the board and signed by the chairman. Necessary clerical and administrative support for the board shall be provided by the State Personnel Board. Minutes shall be kept of the proceedings of each meeting, copies of which shall be filed on a monthly basis with the Chairmen of the Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives.
(3) The Personal Service Contract Review Board shall have the following powers and responsibilities:
(a) Promulgate rules and regulations governing the solicitation and selection of contractual services personnel including personal and professional services contracts for any form of consulting, policy analysis, public relations, marketing, public affairs, legislative advocacy services or any other contract that the board deems appropriate for oversight, with the exception of any personal service contracts entered into for computer or information technology-related services governed by the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services, any personal service contracts entered into by the Mississippi Department of Transportation, any personal service contracts entered into by the Department of Human Services through June 30, 2019, which the Executive Director of the Department of Human Services determines would be useful in establishing and operating the Department of Child Protection Services, any personal service contracts entered into by the Department of Child Protection Services through June 30, 2019, and any contract for attorney, accountant, auditor, architect, engineer, and utility rate expert services. Any such rules and regulations shall provide for maintaining continuous internal audit covering the activities of such agency affecting its revenue and expenditures as required under Section 7-7-3(6)(d). Any rules and regulation changes related to personal and professional services contracts that may be proposed by the Personal Service Contract Review Board shall be submitted to the Chairmen of the Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committees of the Senate and House of Representatives at least fifteen (15) days prior to the board voting on the proposed changes, and such rules and regulation changes, if adopted, shall be promulgated in accordance with the Mississippi Administrative Procedures Act;
(b) Approve all personal and professional services contracts involving the expenditures of funds in excess of Seventy-five Thousand Dollars ($75,000.00);
(c) Develop mandatory standards with respect to contractual services personnel which require invitations for public bid, requests for proposals, record keeping and financial responsibility of contractors. The Personal Service Contract Review Board shall, unless exempted under this paragraph (c) or under paragraph (d) or (j) of this subsection (3), require the agency involved to advertise such contract for public bid, and may reserve the right to reject any or all bids;
(i) Any agency that seeks to procure personal or professional service contracts that are required to be approved by the Personal Service Contract Review Board may petition for relief from any requirement that the agency use competitive bidding as a procurement method. The agency shall be required to show to the Personal Service Contract Review Board's satisfaction one (1) of the following:
1. Federal law or federal court order has established limitations on the use of competitive bidding for the personal or professional contracts the agency is seeking to procure; or
2. The agency is required to hire professionals whose members are prohibited from bidding by the rules of professional conduct promulgated by the regulating agency or agencies for that professional; or
3. The agency can establish that the use of competitive bidding will be counterproductive to the business of the agency.
(ii) If the Personal Service Contract Review Board determines that competitive bidding shall not be required for the particular personal or professional service the agency seeks to procure, then the Personal Service Contract Review Board shall direct the agency to establish a competitive procurement procedure for selecting the personal or professional service contract that ensures open, transparent procedures for making a selection. Such procedures shall include, but not be limited to, qualifications based selection or requests for qualifications. The Personal Service Contract Review Board shall also have the authority to audit the records of any agency to ensure it has used competitive procedures to contract for the personal or professional service;
(d) Prescribe certain circumstances whereby agency heads may enter into contracts for personal and professional services without receiving prior approval from the Personal Service Contract Review Board. The Personal Service Contract Review Board may establish a preapproved list of providers of various personal and professional services for set prices with which state agencies may contract without bidding or prior approval from the board;
(e) To provide standards for the issuance of requests for proposals, the evaluation of proposals received, consideration of costs and quality of services proposed, contract negotiations, the administrative monitoring of contract performance by the agency and successful steps in terminating a contract;
(f) To present recommendations for governmental privatization and to evaluate privatization proposals submitted by any state agency;
(g) To authorize personal and professional service contracts to be effective for more than one (1) year provided a funding condition is included in any such multiple year contract, except the State Board of Education, which shall have the authority to enter into contractual agreements for student assessment for a period up to ten (10) years. The State Board of Education shall procure these services in accordance with the Personal Service Contract Review Board procurement regulations;
(h) To request the State Auditor to conduct a performance audit on any personal or professional service contract;
(i) Prepare an annual report to the Legislature concerning the issuance of personal service contracts during the previous year, collecting any necessary information from state agencies in making such report;
(j) Develop and implement the following standards and procedures for the approval of any sole source contract for personal and professional services regardless of the value of the procurement:
(i) For the purposes of this paragraph (j), the term "sole source" means only one (1) source is available that can provide the required personal or professional service.
(ii) An agency that has been issued a binding, valid court order mandating that a particular source or provider must be used for the required service must include a copy of the applicable court order in all future sole source contract reviews for the particular personal or professional service referenced in the court order.
(iii) Any agency alleging to have a sole source for any personal or professional service shall have published on the procurement portal website established by Sections 25-53-151 and 27-104-165, for at least fourteen (14) days, the terms of the proposed contract for those services. In addition, the publication shall include, but is not limited to, the following information:
1. The personal or professional service offered in the contract;
2. An explanation of why the personal or professional service is the only one that can meet the needs of the agency;
3. An explanation of why the source is the only person or entity that can provide the required personal or professional service;
4. An explanation of why the amount to be expended for the personal or professional service is reasonable; and
5. The efforts that the agency went through to obtain the best possible price for the personal or professional service.
(iv) If any person or entity objects and proposes that the personal or professional service published under subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph (j) is not a sole source service and can be provided by another person or entity, then the objecting person or entity shall notify the Personal Service Contract Review Board and the agency that published the proposed sole source contract with a detailed explanation of why the personal or professional service is not a sole source service.
(v) 1. If the agency determines after review that the personal or professional service in the proposed sole source contract can be provided by another person or entity, then the agency must withdraw the sole source contract publication from the procurement portal website and submit the procurement of the personal or professional service to an advertised competitive bid or selection process.
2. If the agency determines after review that there is only one (1) source for the required personal or professional service, then the agency may appeal to the Personal Service Contract Review Board. The agency has the burden of proving that the personal or professional service is only provided by one (1) source.
3. If the Personal Service Contract Review Board has any reasonable doubt as to whether the personal or professional service can only be provided by one (1) source, then the agency must submit the procurement of the personal or professional service to an advertised competitive bid or selection process. No action taken by the Personal Service Contract Review Board in this appeal process shall be valid unless approved by the chairman and two (2) other members of the Personal Service Contract Review Board present and voting.
(vi) The Personal Service Contract Review Board shall prepare and submit a quarterly report to the House of Representatives and Senate Committees on Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency that details the sole source contracts presented to the Personal Service Contract Review Board and the reasons that the Personal Service Contract Review Board approved or rejected each contract. Such quarterly reports shall also include the documentation and memoranda required in subsection (5) of this section. An agency that submitted a sole source contract shall be prepared to explain the sole source contract to each committee by December 15 of each year upon request by the committee.
(4) Any contract submitted to the Personal Service Contract Review Board for review and approval shall be presumed to be approved if the Personal Service Contract Review Board does not object to the contract within thirty (30) days of the agency's submission of the contract. All submissions shall be made thirty (30) days before the monthly meeting of the Personal Service Contract Review Board or as prescribed by the Personal Service Contract Review Board. If the Personal Service Contract Review Board rejects any contract submitted for review or approval, the Personal Service Contract Review Board shall clearly set out the reasons for its action, including, but not limited to, the policy that the agency has violated in its submitted contract and any corrective actions that the agency may take to amend the contract to comply with the rules and regulations of the Personal Service Contract Review Board.
(5) All sole source contracts for personal and professional services awarded by state agencies, whether approved by an agency head or the Personal Service Contract Review Board, shall contain in the procurement file a written determination for the approval, using a request form furnished by the Personal Service Contract Review Board. The written determination shall document the basis for the determination, including any market analysis conducted in order to ensure that the service required was practicably available from only one (1) source. A memorandum shall accompany the request form and address the following four (4) points:
(a) Explanation of why this service is the only service that can meet the needs of the purchasing agency;
(b) Explanation of why this vendor is the only practicably available source from which to obtain this service;
(c) Explanation of why the price is considered reasonable; and
(d) Description of the efforts that were made to conduct a noncompetitive negotiation to get the best possible price for the taxpayers.
(6) The Personal Service Contract Review Board shall develop and promulgate rules and regulations to define the allowable legal relationship between contract employees and the contracting departments, agencies and institutions of state government under the jurisdiction of the State Personnel Board, in compliance with the applicable rules and regulations of the federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for federal employment tax purposes. Under these regulations, the usual common law rules are applicable to determine and require that such worker is an independent contractor and not an employee, requiring evidence of lawful behavioral control, lawful financial control and lawful relationship of the parties. Any state department, agency or institution shall only be authorized to contract for personnel services in compliance with those regulations.
(7) No member of the Personal Service Contract Review Board shall use his official authority or influence to coerce, by threat of discharge from employment, or otherwise, the purchase of commodities or the contracting for personal or professional services under this section.
(8) Nothing in this section shall impair or limit the authority of the Board of Trustees of the Public Employees' Retirement System to enter into any personal or professional services contracts directly related to their constitutional obligation to manage the trust funds, including, but not limited to, actuarial, custodial banks, cash management, investment consultant, and investment management contracts.
(9) Notwithstanding the exemption of personal service contracts entered into by the Department of Human Services and personal service contracts entered into by the Department of Child Protection Services from the provisions of this section under subsection (3)(a), before the Department of Human Services or the Department of Child Protection Services may enter into a personal service contract, the department(s) shall give notice of the proposed personal service contract to the Personal Service Contract Review Board for any recommendations by the board. Upon receipt of the notice, the board shall post the notice on its website and on the procurement portal website established by Sections 25-53-151 and 27-104-165. If the board does not respond to the department(s) within seven (7) calendar days after receiving the notice, the department(s) may enter the proposed personal service contract. If the board responds to the department(s) within seven (7) calendar days, then the board has seven (7) calendar days from the date of its initial response to provide any additional recommendations. After the end of the second seven-day period, the department(s) may enter the proposed personal service contract. The board is not authorized to disapprove any proposed personal service contracts. This subsection shall stand repealed on July 1, 2019.
(10) As used under this section, the term "agency" shall include private correctional facilities.
SECTION 5. Section 25-1-100, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
25-1-100. (1) Personnel records and applications for employment in the possession of a public body, as defined by paragraph (a) of Section 25-61-3, except those which may be released to the person who made the application or with the prior written consent of the person who made the application, shall be exempt from the provisions of the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983.
(2) Test questions and answers in the possession of a public body, as defined by paragraph (a) of Section 25-61-3, which are to be used in employment examinations, shall be exempt from the provisions of the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983.
(3) Letters of recommendation in the possession of a public body, as defined by paragraph (a) of Section 25-61-3, respecting any application for employment, shall be exempt from the provisions of the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983.
(4) Documents relating to contract authorization under Section 25-9-120 shall not be exempt from the provisions of Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983.
(5) Contracts for personal and professional services that are awarded or executed by any state agency, including, but not limited to, the Department of Information Technology Services and the Department of Transportation, shall not be exempt from the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983.
(6) As used under this section, the term "agency" shall include private correctional facilities.
SECTION 6. Section 25-61-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
25-61-9. (1) Records furnished to public bodies by third parties which contain trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information shall not be subject to inspection, examination, copying or reproduction under this chapter until notice to third parties has been given, but the records shall be released no later than twenty-one (21) days from the date the third parties are given notice by the public body unless the third parties have filed in chancery court a petition seeking a protective order on or before the expiration of the twenty-one-day time period. Any party seeking the protective order shall give notice to the party requesting the information in accordance with the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure.
(2) If any public record which is held to be exempt from disclosure pursuant to this chapter contains material which is not exempt pursuant to this chapter, the public body shall separate the exempt material and make the nonexempt material available for examination or copying, or both, as provided for in this chapter.
(3) Trade secrets and confidential commercial and financial information of a proprietary nature developed by a college, university or public hospital under contract with a firm, business, partnership, association, corporation, individual or other like entity shall not be subject to inspection, examination, copying or reproduction under this chapter.
(4) Misappropriation of a trade secret shall be governed by the provisions of the Mississippi Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Sections 75-26-1 through 75-26-19.
(5) A waste minimization plan and any updates developed by generators and facility operators under the Mississippi Comprehensive Multimedia Waste Minimization Act of 1990 shall be retained at the facility and shall not be subject to inspection, examination, copying or reproduction under this chapter.
(6) Data processing software obtained by an agency under a licensing agreement that prohibits its disclosure and which software is a trade secret, as defined in Section 75-26-3, and data processing software produced by a public body which is sensitive must not be subject to inspection, copying or reproduction under this chapter.
As used in this subsection, "sensitive" means only those portions of data processing software, including the specifications and documentation, used to:
(a) Collect, process, store, and retrieve information which is exempt under this chapter.
(b) Control and direct access authorizations and security measures for automated systems.
(c) Collect, process, store, and retrieve information, disclosure of which would require a significant intrusion into the business of the public body.
(7) For all procurement contracts awarded by state agencies, the provisions of the contract which contain the commodities purchased or the personal or professional services provided, the price to be paid, and the term of the contract shall not be deemed to be a trade secret or confidential commercial or financial information under this section, and shall be available for examination, copying or reproduction as provided for in this chapter.
(8) As used under this section, the term "state agencies" shall include private correctional facilities.
SECTION 7. Section 27-104-155, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
27-104-155. (1) The Department of Finance and Administration shall develop and operate a searchable website that includes information on expenditures of state funds from all funding sources. The website shall have a unique and simplified website address, and the department shall require each agency that maintains a generally accessible Internet site or for which a generally accessible Internet site is maintained to include a link on the front page of the agency's Internet site to the searchable website required under this section.
(a) With regard to disbursement of funds, the website shall include, but not be limited to:
(i) The name and principal location of the entity or recipients of the funds, excluding release of information relating to an individual's place of residence, the identity of recipients of state or federal assistance payments, and any other information deemed confidential by state or federal law relating to privacy rights;
(ii) The amount of state funds expended;
(iii) A descriptive purpose of the funding action or expenditure;
(iv) The funding source of the expenditure;
(v) The budget program or activity of the expenditure;
(vi) The specific source of authority and descriptive purpose of the expenditure, to include a link to the funding authorization document(s) in a searchable PDF form;
(vii) The specific source of authority for the expenditure including, but not limited to, a grant, subgrant, contract, or the general discretion of the agency director, provided that if the authority is a grant, subgrant or contract, the website entry shall include a grant, subgrant or contract number or similar information that clearly identifies the specific source of authority. The information required under this paragraph includes data relative to tax exemptions and credits;
(viii) The expending agency;
(ix) The type of transaction;
(x) The expected performance outcomes achieved for the funding action or expenditure;
(xi) Links to any state audit or report relating to the entity or recipient of funds or the budget program or activity or agency; and
(xii) Any other information deemed relevant by the Department of Finance and Administration.
(b) When the expenditure of state funds involves the expenditure of bond proceeds, the searchable website must include a clear, detailed description of the purpose of the bonds, a current status report on the project or projects being financed by the bonds, and a current status report on the payment of the principal and interest on the bonds.
(c) The searchable website must include access to an electronic summary of each grant, including amendments; subgrant, including amendments; contract, including amendments; and payment voucher that includes, wherever possible, a hyperlink to the actual document in a searchable PDF format, subject to the restrictions in paragraph (d) of this subsection. The Department of Finance and Administration may cooperate with other agencies to accomplish the requirements of this paragraph.
(d) Nothing in Sections 27-104-151 through 27-104-159 shall permit or require the disclosure of trade secrets or other proprietary information, including confidential vendor information, or any other information that is required to be confidential by state or federal law.
(e) The information available from the searchable website must be updated no later than fourteen (14) days after the receipt of data from an agency, and the Department of Finance and Administration shall require each agency to provide to the department access to all data that is required to be accessible from the searchable website within fourteen (14) days of each expenditure, grant award, including amendments; subgrant, including amendments; or contract, including amendments; executed by the agency.
(f) The searchable website must include all information required by this section for all transactions that are initiated in fiscal year 2015 or later. In addition, all information that is included on the searchable website from the date of the inception of the website until July 1, 2014, must be maintained on the website according to the requirements of this section before July 1, 2014, and remain accessible for ten (10) years from the date it was originally made available. All data on the searchable website must remain accessible to the public for a minimum of ten (10) years.
(g) For the purposes of this subsection (1), the term "contract" includes, but is not limited to, personal and professional services contracts.
(2) The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning shall create the IHL Accountability and Transparency website to include its executive office and the institutions of higher learning no later than July 1, 2012. This website shall:
(a) Provide access to existing financial reports, financial audits, budgets and other financial documents that are used to allocate, appropriate, spend and account for appropriated funds;
(b) Have a unique and simplified website address;
(c) Be directly accessible via a link from the main page of the Department of Finance and Administration website, as well as the IHL website and the main page of the website of each institution of higher learning;
(d) Include other links, features or functionality that will assist the public in obtaining and reviewing public financial information;
(e) Report expenditure information currently available within these enterprise resource planning (ERP) computer systems; and
(f) Design the reporting format using the existing capabilities of these ERP computer systems.
(3) The Mississippi Community College Board shall create the Community and Junior Colleges Accountability and Transparency website to include its executive office and the community and junior colleges no later than July 1, 2012. This website shall:
(a) Provide access to existing financial reports, financial audits, budgets and other financial documents that are used to allocate, appropriate, spend and account for appropriated funds;
(b) Have a unique and simplified website address;
(c) Be directly accessible via a link from the main page of the Department of Finance and Administration website, as well as the Mississippi Community College Board website and the main page of the website of each community and junior college;
(d) Include other links, features or functionality that will assist the public in obtaining and reviewing public financial information;
(e) Report expenditure information currently available within the computer system of each community and junior college; and
(f) Design the reporting format using the existing capabilities of the computer system of each community and junior college.
(4) Not later than January 1, 2016, the owner or owners of a community hospital, as defined in Section 41-13-10, shall create and maintain an accountability and transparency website for the community hospital or set up a separate section for the community hospital on the current website of the owner or owners. This website of the community hospital or section of the website of the owner or owners shall:
(a) Provide access to existing financial reports, financial audits, budgets and other financial documents of the community hospital that are used to allocate, appropriate, spend and account for public funds;
(b) Have a unique and simplified website address if it is a new website for the community hospital, or be an easily accessible section of the website of the owner or owners;
(c) Include links, features or functionality that will assist the public in obtaining and reviewing public financial information of the community hospital;
(d) Report expenditure information of the community hospital in functional expenditure categories that is currently available within the computer system of the community hospital; and
(e) Design the reporting format using the existing capabilities of the computer system or systems of the owner or owners of the community hospital.
(5) As used under this section, the term "agency" shall include private correctional facilities.
SECTION 8. Section 5-3-72, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
5-3-72. The Joint Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) shall evaluate on a biennial basis the procurement process utilized by all state agencies, including, but not limited to, the contract review, reporting and recordkeeping requirements in Section 25-9-120, and the bid requirements in Section 31-7-13. Upon completion of its evaluation, the PEER Committee shall submit a report to the Legislature with recommendations for improving the procurement process. The Department of Finance and Administration and the Personal Service Contract Review Board shall cooperate with the PEER Committee to carry out the provisions of this section.
As used under this section the term "agencies" shall include private correctional facilities.
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2017.