House Bill 187

AN ACT TO CREATE A SPECIAL FUND IN THE STATE TREASURY TO BE KNOWN AS THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE FUND; TO PROVIDE THAT THE FUND SHALL BE ADMINISTERED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY FOR THE PURPOSE OF MAKING GRANTS TO COUNTIES FOR THE MAINTENANCE AND/OR RESTORATION OF HISTORIC COURTHOUSES IN MISSISSIPPI AS DETERMINED BY THE DEPARTMENT; TO PROVIDE THAT IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A GRANT FROM THE FUND, A COUNTY MUST PROVIDE MATCHING FUNDS IN THE AMOUNT OF TWENTY-FIVE PERCENT OF THE GRANT; TO AUTHORIZE THE DEPARTMENT TO SOLICIT GIFTS AND ACCEPT DONATIONS FOR THE FUND, AND TO SELL DONATED PROPERTY AND DEPOSIT THE PROCEEDS IN THE FUND; TO AUTHORIZE THE LEGISLATURE TO APPROPRIATE, TRANSFER OR OTHERWISE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL FUNDS FOR THE FUND; TO PROVIDE THAT ALL FUNDS DEPOSITED IN THE HISTORIC COURTHOUSE FUND SHALL BE EXPENDED, UPON APPROPRIATION BY THE LEGISLATURE, BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY AS PROVIDED IN THIS ACT; 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 the "Historic Courthouse Fund." The fund shall be administered by the Department of Archives and History for the purpose of making grants to counties for the maintenance and/or restoration of historic courthouses in Mississippi as determined by the department. In order to receive a grant from the fund, a county must provide matching funds in the amount of twenty-five percent (25%) of the grant.

(2) The Department of Archives and History may solicit and accept donations, bequests, devises, gifts and grants of money from individuals, organizations, and corporations to be deposited in the Historic Courthouse Fund. In addition, the department may solicit and accept donations, bequests, devises, gifts and grants of real and personal property, and the board of trustees of the department, in its discretion, may sell the property by public or private sale and shall deposit proceeds derived from the sale into the fund. The Legislature may appropriate, transfer or otherwise provide additional funds for the fund.

(3) The State Treasurer shall invest all monies in the Historic Courthouse Fund as other state funds are authorized to be invested. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned on the unexpended amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund.

(4) All funds deposited in the Historic Courthouse Fund shall be expended, upon appropriation by the Legislature, by the Department of Archives and History for the purpose of making grants to counties for the maintenance and/or restoration of historic courthouses in Mississippi as determined by the department.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2018.