Bill Text: MS HB1501 | 2014 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Appropriation; Rehabilitation Services, Department of.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2014-04-21 - Approved by Governor [HB1501 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2014-HB1501-Enrolled.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2014 Regular Session
To: Appropriations
By: Representatives Frierson, Warren, Mims, Coleman (65th), Currie, Dickson, Eaton, Howell, Sullivan
House Bill 1501
(As Sent to Governor)
AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION SERVICES FOR FISCAL YEAR 2015.
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 hereby appropriated out of any money in the State General Fund not otherwise appropriated, to the Department of Rehabilitation Services for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014, and ending June 30, 2015 $ 22,037,453.00.
SECTION 2. The following sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in any special fund in the State Treasury to the credit of the Department of Rehabilitation Services which is comprised of special source funds collected by or otherwise available to the department for the support of the various offices of the department, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the department for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2014, and ending June 30, 2015
............................................ $ 194,410,407.00.
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 2, Three Million Six Hundred Eighty-one Thousand Eight Hundred Two Dollars ($3,681,802.00) shall be derived from the Health Care Expendable Fund created in Section 43-13-407, Mississippi Code of 1972. The above funds shall be allocated as follows:
Fully match all available federal
funds............................. $ 2,782,590.00
Independent Living Program which
includes the State Attendant
Care Program....................... $ 854,903.00
Deaf and hard of hearing................ $ 44,309.00
SECTION 4. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Sections 1, 2 and 3, the following positions are authorized:
AUTHORIZED POSITIONS:
Permanent: Full Time........... 988
Part Time........... 8
Time-Limited: Full Time........... 171
Part Time........... 2
The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind shall remain accredited by using not more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) of the funds appropriated along with matching funds for payment of fees to an accreditation agency recommended by the Rehabilitation Services Administration.
Funds are provided herein for a One Thousand Dollar ($1,000.00) salary increase for full-time employees, or pro-rated for part-time employees, which shall be awarded to each employee that has not received a salary increase since July 1, 2010, and that is making an annual salary of less than Thirty Thousand Dollars ($30,000.00) as of June 30, 2014.
The State Personnel Board shall not approve or process personnel action for any employee unless the employee has not received a salary increase since July 1, 2010, and for such an employee the increased amount shall not exceed Five Percent (5%); however, the following conditions are to be exempted: the award of teacher salary increments; the advancement of a trainee/cadet to the next level of a bona fide career ladder; the award of an educational benchmark for the attainment of a Certified Public Accountant License or higher level professional certification; the immediate replacement of a departing employee with an employee from within state service at a salary level of the departing employee or the FY 2015 promotional formula, whichever is less; the emergency appointment of nurses, pharmacists or other health care and child protection professionals at a salary to be determined by the State Personnel Board or any other requested action of the agency that has been specifically authorized by the Legislature.
Any transfers or escalations shall be made in accordance with the terms, conditions and procedures established by law or allowable under the terms set forth within this act. The State Personnel Board shall not escalate positions without written approval from the Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of Finance and Administration shall not provide written approval to escalate any funds for salaries and/or positions without proof of availability of new or additional funds above the appropriated level.
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 5. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Rehabilitation Services 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 2014. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the agency's budget request for Fiscal Year 2016 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 2015 budget request process.
SECTION 6. Of the funds appropriated herein, the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services through the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation for the Blind is authorized to expend an amount not to exceed One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) for the National Federation for the Blind (NFB) News line service to allow blind and visually impaired persons to access newspapers through toll-free telephone calls.
SECTION 7. 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 8. In compliance with the "Mississippi Performance Budget and Strategic Planning Act of 1994," it is the intent of the Legislature that the funds provided herein shall be utilized in the most efficient and effective manner possible to achieve the intended mission of this agency. Based on the funding authorized, this agency shall make every effort to attain the targeted performance measures provided below:
FY2015
Performance Measures Target
Disability Determination Svcs
Dispositions (Number of) 102,000
Processing Time (Days) 99
Voc Rehab For The Blind
Blind & Visually Impaired Served (Persons) 2,390
Persons Rehabilitated (Number of) 576
Number Served, Independent Living 725
Vocational Rehabilitation
Clients Served (Number of) 19,982
Clients Rehabilitated (Number of) 4,000
Spinal Cord & Head Injury Prg
Clients Served (Number of) 1,281
Special Disability Prgs
Clients Served (Number of) 3,654
Administration
Percentage of Total Budget 17.88
A reporting of the degree to which the performance targets set above have been or are being achieved shall be provided in the agency's budget request submitted to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee for Fiscal Year 2016.
SECTION 9. Of the funds appropriated herein, an additional One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) of Special Funds to be transferred from the Division of Medicaid are provided to fund the Independent Living, Home and Community Based Medicaid Waiver Program in the Office of Special Disability Programs.
SECTION 10. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Rehabilitation Services shall have the authority to receive, escalate spending authority, and expend such sums as may be received from the Department of Mental Health, not to exceed Twenty Million Dollars ($20,000,000.00), to expand community services identified by the Mississippi Department of Mental Health that will improve the State of Mississippi's compliance with the Olmstead decision of the United States Supreme Court. Further, it is the intention of the Legislature that any sums received from this source that are not expended during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, by the Department of Rehabilitation Services shall be reappropriated for the same purpose during the fiscal year ending June 30, 2016. Further, it is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Rehabilitation Services shall account for the expenditure of these funds in sufficient detail to clearly show the purposes for which such funds were expended.
SECTION 11. Of the funds herein appropriated, an amount not to exceed One Hundred Eighty-seven Thousand Dollars ($187,000.00) shall fund the AmeriCorp Northtown Family Readiness Program.
SECTION 12. It is the intention of the Legislature that the funds herein appropriated shall be expended in compliance with Section 27-104-25, Mississippi Code of 1972, that no state agency shall incur obligations or indebtedness in excess of their appropriation and that the responsible officers, either personally or upon their official bonds, shall be held responsible for actions contrary to this provision.
SECTION 13. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 2, Six Hundred Thousand Dollars ($600,000.00), or so much thereof, shall be derived out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the Capital Expense Fund, as created in Section 27-103-303, Mississippi Code of 1972, and allocated in a manner as determined by the Treasurer's Office.
SECTION 14. 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 15. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2014.
