MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2024 Regular Session
To: Appropriations D; Appropriations A
By: Representatives Mims, Read, Barton, Cockerham, Faulkner, Hood, McKnight, Rushing, Watson
AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES OF THE MISSISSIPPI STATE SUPREME COURT WHICH IS COMPRISED OF THE SUPREME COURT, THE OFFICE OF THE SUPREME COURT CLERK AND THE STATE LAW LIBRARY AND TO PAY EXPENSES OF SPECIAL JUDGES, CHANCELLORS AND CIRCUIT JUDGES, AND FOR THE PURPOSE OF DEFRAYING THE EXPENSES OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF COURTS AND CERTIFIED COURT REPORTERS, CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION, COURT OF APPEALS AND THE BOARD OF BAR ADMISSIONS, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2025; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
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 appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi State Supreme Court for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025..........................
............................................ $ 7,415,985.00.
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Mississippi State Supreme Court which is comprised of special source funds collected by or otherwise available to the Mississippi State Supreme Court, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi State Supreme Court for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025 $ 964,021.00.
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of this act for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Mississippi State Supreme Court, the following positions are authorized:
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT:
Permanent: 70
Time-Limited: 0
SECTION 4. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated to the Mississippi State Supreme Court for the purpose of defraying the expenses of special judges, chancellors and circuit judges for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025................................. $ 32,363,429.00.
SECTION 5. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the trial judges, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of special judges, chancellors and circuit judges for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025 $ 4,192,368.00.
SECTION 6. Of the funds appropriated under Sections 4 and 5 of this act for the purpose of defraying the expenses of special judges, chancellors and circuit judges, the following positions are authorized:
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT:
Permanent: 109
Time-Limited: 0
SECTION 7. Of the funds appropriated under Sections 4 and 5 of this act, Ten Million Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($10,900,000.00) is provided for the purpose of employing support staff in an amount not to exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) per fiscal year per judge.
SECTION 8. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund, not otherwise appropriated, for the purpose of funding the Administrative Office of Courts for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025................................ $ 16,852,868.00.
SECTION 9. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Administrative Office of Courts for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Administrative Office of Courts and the Board of Certified Court Reporters for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025 $ 27,461,955.00.
SECTION 10. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of this act for the purpose of funding the Administrative Office of Courts, the following positions are authorized:
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT:
Permanent: 48
Time-Limited: 0
SECTION 11. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the Continuing Legal Education Fund, a special fund hereby created in the State Treasury, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of providing continuing legal education programs to lawyers in Mississippi, for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025................
................................................ $ 159,397.00.
SECTION 12. It is the intention of the Legislature that interest earned from any investment or deposit to the Continuing Legal Education Fund made pursuant to Section 27-105-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, shall be credited by the State Treasurer to the Continuing Legal Education Fund and shall not be paid into the General Fund of Mississippi.
SECTION 13. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of this act for the purpose of providing continuing legal education programs, the following positions are authorized:
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT:
Permanent: 2
Time-Limited: 0
SECTION 14. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated to the Mississippi State Supreme Court for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Court of Appeals for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025 $ 5,237,619.00.
SECTION 15. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Mississippi State Supreme Court, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Court of Appeals for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025.... $ 1,615,045.00.
SECTION 16. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of this act for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Court of Appeals, the following positions are authorized:
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT:
Permanent: 58
Time-Limited: 0
SECTION 17. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated out of any money in the special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Board of Bar Admissions, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the board for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025................
.............................................. $ 359,694.00.
SECTION 18. It is the intention of the Legislature that interest earned from any investment or deposit to the Board of Bar Admissions Fund made pursuant to Section 27-105-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, shall be credited by the State Treasurer to the Board of Bar Admissions Fund and shall not be paid into the General Fund of Mississippi.
SECTION 19. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of this act for the purpose of funding the Board of Bar Admissions, the following positions are authorized:
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT:
Permanent: 3
Time-Limited: 0
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with the terms, conditions and procedures established by law.
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.
SECTION 20. No part of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in the payment of attorney's fees, nor shall any of such funds be used, either directly or indirectly, for the purpose of paying any clerk, stenographer, assistant, deputy or other person who may be related by blood or marriage within the third degree, computed by the rules of civil law, to the official employing or having the right of employment or selection thereof; and in the event of any such payment, then the official or person approving and making or receiving such payment shall be jointly and severally liable to return to the State of Mississippi and to pay into the State Treasury three (3) times any such amount so paid or received, to be recovered at suit of the Attorney General; however, when the relationship is by affinity and the person through whom the relationship was established is dead, this provision shall not apply.
SECTION 21. It is the intent of the Legislature that the Mississippi State Supreme Court shall charge the maximum amount allowable by law for services rendered where charges for such services are provided for by statute, and for any other services rendered, shall charge an amount consistent with the cost of providing such services. The funds derived from these charges shall be deposited into a special fund account in the State Treasury to the credit of the Office of the Mississippi State Supreme Court.
SECTION 22. It is the intent of the Legislature that no part of the funds herein appropriated shall be required to be used for the payment of rent for the public space in the Law Library.
SECTION 23. In accordance with Section 9-21-13, Mississippi Code of 1972, the Director of the Administrative Office of Courts is authorized to direct expenditures of state monies appropriated to the Administrative Office of Courts or any courts of the state for any and all functions or projects directly or indirectly affecting the operation of any court and may transfer monies appropriated for the office or any account to any one or more other accounts or office. The Director of the Administrative Office of Courts shall notify, in writing, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Chairman of the House Appropriations A Committee, and the Legislative Budget Office of any transfer. The written notification shall include the justification for the transfer of funds, an explanation of need, the amount, and where the funds will be used. This written notification shall be sent on or before the fifteenth day of the month prior to the effective date of the transfer.
SECTION 24. Of the funds provided in Section 8, Three Hundred Eighty-Nine Thousand Six Hundred Sixty-Five Dollars ($389,665.00) or so much thereof as may be necessary, is provided for costs associated with the Capitol Complex Improvement District established in Section 29-5-203, Mississippi Code of 1972.
SECTION 25. 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 26. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of this act, an amount not to exceed Two Million Four Hundred Sixty Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,460,500.00) may be provided for the Comprehensive Electronic Court Systems Fund administered by the Administrative Office of Courts.
SECTION 27. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Mississippi State Supreme Court 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 2024. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2026 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 2025 budget request process.
SECTION 28. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of this act, Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000.00) shall be provided for the Youth Court Support Fund administered by the Administrative Office of Courts.
SECTION 29. Of the funds appropriated in Section 8, Nine Million Dollars ($9,000,000.00) is provided to defray the costs of the Drug Court Program.
SECTION 30. It is the intention of the Legislature that in the event there are not sufficient funds in the Judicial System Operation Fund created under Section 9-21-45, Mississippi Code of 1972, in any given year with which to pay the annual salary supplements set forth in Section 25-3-35, Mississippi Code of 1972, then the county treasury shall not be obligated to fund such salary supplements and the salary of county court judges shall be that in place prior to the passage of Section 9-9-11, Mississippi Code of 1972.
SECTION 31. Of the funds appropriated in Section 8, it is the intention of the Legislature that an amount of Six Million Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($6,700,000.00) may be allocated for the programs supported from General Fund court assessments as follows:
Drug Courts.............................. $ 6,500,000.00
Civil Legal Assistance................... $ 200,000.00
SECTION 32. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the Supreme Court – Administrative Office of Courts, for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of Capital Expense Funds, as authorized in HB 1640, 2023 Regular Session, for programmers, trainers and operations for the Mississippi Electronic Courts (MEC) System to meet the mandate to bring all the courts into the MEC System for the Supreme Court – Administrative Office of Courts for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025.
.............................................. $ 362,686.00.
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, the amount that may be expended under the authority of this section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds remaining as of June 30, 2024, from the amount authorized for the previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized.
SECTION 33. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the Supreme Court – Administrative Office of Courts, for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of Capital Expense Funds, as authorized in HB 1640, 2023 Regular Session, for IT equipment and Youth Court computers for the Supreme Court – Administrative Office of Courts for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025................. $ 310,000.00.
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, the amount that may be expended under the authority of this section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds remaining as of June 30, 2024, from the amount authorized for the previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized.
SECTION 34. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is reappropriated out of any money in the Capital Expense Fund not otherwise appropriated, for the Supreme Court – Administrative Office of Courts, for the purpose of reauthorizing the expenditure of Capital Expense Funds, as authorized in HB 1640, 2023 Regular Session, for temporary Intake Officers for the Supreme Court – Administrative Office of Courts for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025...........................................................
.............................................. $ 500,000.00.
Notwithstanding the amount reappropriated under this section, the amount that may be expended under the authority of this section shall not exceed the unexpended balance of the funds remaining as of June 30, 2024, from the amount authorized for the previous fiscal year. In addition, this reappropriation shall not change the purpose for which the funds were originally authorized.
SECTION 35. 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 36. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024, and shall stand repealed June 30, 2024.