Bill
SB 3044
Provides FY2026 funding for the MWCC and the Second Injury Fund, plus payroll controls and performance reporting to tighten oversight and guide cost containment.
Status (procedural)
- Introduced: April 9, 2025. Companion: HB 5675.
- Legislative record contains conflicting entries (shows “Died In Conference” on 2025-03-29), but later entries show final legislative action: enrolled, sent to Governor, and signed by the Governor on May 29, 2025, with immediate effect. The bill text below reflects the House Committee Amendment No. 1 as adopted.
Purpose and intent
- Provide FY2026 appropriations and policy directions for the Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission (MWCC) and to fund the Second Injury Fund for payments required under Section 71-3-73, Mississippi Code of 1972. The bill also establishes administrative, personnel, reporting, procurement, and performance-measure requirements tied to those appropriations.
Key provisions and changes
- Appropriations
- Section 2: Appropriates $6,039,432 to the Second Injury Fund (Fund No. 3352300000) for FY2026 to make payments under §71-3-73.
- Section 1: Appropriates an amount from the State General Fund to defray MWCC expenses for FY2026 (the excerpt provided does not show a specific dollar amount for Section 1).
- Section 3: Shows $25,000 in the text associated with authorized headcount/personal services (the excerpt’s formatting makes exact allocation unclear).
- Personnel and payroll controls
- Authorized headcount statement (permanent/time‑limited shown).
- Directives that personal services for FY2027 may not exceed FY2026 appropriations absent legislative action; limitations on using vacancy funds to increase salaries; requirement that State Personnel Board publish projected annualized payroll costs; Department of Finance & Administration approval required to “escalate” positions/salaries and only if additional funds are available.
- Prohibition on using these general funds to replace federal or special funds previously used for salaries.
- Requirement to comply with IRS Publication 15‑A reporting rules for contract workers as interpreted by the State Auditor.
- Reporting, budgeting, and oversight
- MWCC must maintain accounting and personnel records at the same level of detail as FY2025 and submit the FY2027 budget request in comparable format.
- Performance measures (FY2026 targets) for adjudication timeliness (e.g., numbers of cases resolved within 3, 6, 9 months and 1 year), self‑insurer reviews, and medical cost‑containment goals (fee schedule adjustments and percentage medical cost savings). Agencies must report progress on these targets in the FY2027 budget submission.
- Programmatic actions and procurement preferences
- MWCC directed to contract with the private sector to implement a workplace safety education and training program.
- Procurement preference for Mississippi Industries for the Blind when bids are equal or where purchases are made without competitive bids.
- Compensation governance
- Legislature’s intention that MWCC member salaries be equal and that the chair’s salary exceed members’ as approved by the State Personnel Board.
- Fiscal discipline
- Spending must comply with §27‑104‑25; agencies may not incur obligations beyond appropriations; State Treasurer to pay from appropriate funds.
Who is affected
- Mississippi Workers’ Compensation Commission: funding, staffing constraints, reporting, and performance requirements.
- Second Injury Fund claimants/obligors: benefits/payments funded by the specific appropriation.
- Employers, insurers, and self‑insurers: subject to MWCC oversight, self‑insurer reviews, and medical cost‑containment measures, which may affect costs/claims handling.
- Mississippi Industries for the Blind: benefits from procurement preference.
- State employees and prospective hires at MWCC: affected by personnel rules, hiring/raise restrictions, and payroll oversight.
Potential impact
- Provides explicit funding for the Second Injury Fund and (presumably) MWCC operations for FY2026, while constraining personnel spending growth and requiring performance reporting aimed at improving adjudication timeliness and cost containment.
- Encourages workplace safety training via private‑sector contracts, which may reduce future claims.
- Procurement preference supports social policy goals (employment for the blind), while payroll/approval controls limit agency flexibility to expand staff or raise salaries without additional legislative funding.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
