MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2024 Regular Session
To: Appropriations B; Appropriations A
By: Representatives Bounds, Read, Anderson (122nd), Clark, Eure, Hale, Jackson (11th), Paden, Pigott
AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE SUPPORT AND MAINTENANCE OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR 2025.
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 support and maintenance of the Department of Environmental Quality for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025...........................................
............................................ $ 16,759,476.00.
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 Department of Environmental Quality 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 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2025..................................................
............................................ $ 255,174,061.00.
SECTION 3. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of this act, the following positions are authorized:
AUTHORIZED HEADCOUNT:
Permanent: 212
Time-Limited: 165
With the funds herein appropriated, it shall be the agency’s responsibility to make certain that funds required for Personal Services for Fiscal Year 2026 do not exceed Fiscal Year 2025 funds appropriated for that purpose unless programs or positions are added to the agency’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget by the Mississippi Legislature. The Legislature shall determine the agency’s personal services appropriation, which the State Personnel Board shall publish. The agency’s personal services appropriation may consist of restricted funds for approved vacancies for Fiscal Year 2025 that may be utilized to fill vacant Fiscal Year 2024 headcount. It shall be the agency's responsibility to ensure that the funds provided for vacancies are used to increase headcount and not for promotions, title changes, in-range salary adjustments or any other mechanism for increasing salaries for current employees. It is the Legislature’s intention that no employee salary falls below the minimum salary established by the Mississippi State Personnel Board.
Additionally, the State Personnel Board shall determine and publish the projected annualized payroll costs based on current employees. It shall be the responsibility of the agency head to ensure that actual personnel expenditures for Fiscal Year 2025 do not exceed the data provided by the Legislative Budget Office. If the agency’s Fiscal Year 2025 projected cost exceeds the annualized costs, no salary actions shall be processed by the State Personnel Board except for new hires determined to be essential for the agency.
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 used for salaries authorized under the provisions of this act and which are withdrawn and no longer available.
None of the funds herein appropriated shall be used in violation of the Internal Revenue Service’s Publication 15-A relating to the reporting of income paid to contract employees, as interpreted by the Office of the State Auditor.
SECTION 4. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Department of Environmental Quality 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 5. 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:
FY2025
Performance Measures Target
Pollution Control
Percent of Days with Air Advisories 5.00
Percent of Air Permits Modified/Issued
in a Timely Manner 50.00
Percent of Counties That Meet NAAQ Standards 75.00
Percent of Air Facilities Inspected 35.00
Percent of Air Facilities in Compliance
with Regulatory Requirements 85.00
Percent of Waste Permits Issued/Modified
in a Timely Manner 60.00
Percent of Waste Facilities Inspected 60.00
Percent of Inspected Waste Facilities in
Compliance with Regulatory Requirements 65.00
Percent of Citizens who Have Access to
Recycling Programs 55.00
Percent of Underground Storage Tanks in
Compliance with Regulatory Requirements 60.00
Percent of Contaminated Sites That Have
Completed Assessment 50.00
Percent of Contaminated Sites That Have
Completed Remediation 5.00
Percent of Waters That Have Acceptable
Quality for Their Designed Use 56.00
Percent of NPDES Permits Issued/Modified
in a Timely Manner 70.00
Percent of NPDES Majors in Compliance 66.00
Percent of Staff with Expertise in the
National Incident Management System 70.00
Percent of NPDES Majors Inspected per Year 50.00
Construction Grants
Percent of SRF Loan Recipients in
Compliance with Loan Agreements 90.00
Land & Water
Percent of Annual Prioritized Water
Resource Areas Adequately Characterized 80.00
Percent of Groundwater Use Permits
Issued/Modified 90.00
Percent of Surface Water Use Permits
Issued/Modified 90.00
Percent of Water Use Reported 80.00
Percent of High Hazard Dams with
Emergency Action Plans 98.00
Geology
Percent of Mining Facilities Inspected 95.00
Percent of Inspected Mining Facilities
in Compliance with Regulatory
Requirements 85.00
Administrative Services
Administration as a Percent of Total Budget 5.00
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 2026.
SECTION 6. It shall be unlawful for any officer, employee or other person whatsoever to use or permit or authorize the use of any automobile or any other motor vehicle owned by the State of Mississippi or any department, agency or institution thereof for any purpose other than upon the official business of the State of Mississippi or any agency, department or institution thereof.
It is the intent of the Legislature that motor vehicles authorized to be owned and operated by this agency shall comply with Sections 25-1-77 through 25-1-93, Mississippi Code of 1972.
SECTION 7. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, an amount no greater than Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000.00) shall be derived from the Pollution Emergency Fund within the Pollution Operating Fund for transfer to the Department of Environmental Quality - Office of Administrative Services for support of Legal Division environmental protection activities.
SECTION 8. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, an amount no greater than One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00) shall be derived from the Pollution Emergency Fund within the Pollution Operating Fund for transfer to the Department of Environmental Quality - Office of Pollution Control for support of the Household Hazardous Waste Collection Grants Program.
SECTION 9. Of the funds provided under the provisions of this act, Five Million Five Hundred Forty-one Thousand Forty-eight Dollars ($5,541,048.00) is provided for the support of the Clean Water Grant Program match.
Of the funds in this section, Two Million Six Hundred Thirty-five Thousand Dollars ($2,635,000.00) is provided in Section 1 of this act, and Two Million Nine Hundred Six Thousand Forty-eight Dollars ($2,906,048.00) is provided in Section 2 of this act.
SECTION 10. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 2, Two Million Nine Hundred Six Thousand Forty-eight Dollars ($2,906,048.00), or so much thereof as may be necessary, 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. These funds are provided for the Clean Water Grant Program match referenced in Section 9 of this act.
SECTION 11. The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) may request that the Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) staff shall provide an economic viability assessment for any complete application or group of related complete applications submitted to DEQ after July 1, 1999, for which DEQ estimates that DEQ will be required to devote extraordinary effort to process the application or group of related applications within the one hundred eighty (180) days required by Section 49-17-29(3)(c). For purposes of this paragraph, "extraordinary effort" means the constant dedication of more than three (3) full-time equivalent positions for a period of at least one hundred eighty (180) days. The economic viability assessment shall include, but not be limited to: (i) an analysis of the current and future market viability of the project concerning which application(s) has been made to DEQ; and (ii) an analysis of the applicant's economic ability to construct, develop, maintain and operate the project as described in the application(s) submitted to DEQ. If the economic viability assessment concludes that the project is not economically viable for any reason, DEQ shall suspend processing the permit application(s), notwithstanding the provisions of Section 49-17-29(3)(c). Within thirty (30) days of the decision of MDA staff, the permit applicant may present any additional information on its behalf to the Executive Director of MDA, and the Executive Director shall review the MDA staff assessment. If additional information is received in writing from the applicant, the Executive Director of MDA shall make a decision in review of the MDA staff decision within sixty (60) days of the staff decision, and the decision of the Executive Director of MDA shall be the final administrative action of MDA in the matter.
SECTION 12. It is the intention of the Legislature that the Executive Director of the Department of Environmental Quality shall have authority to transfer cash from one special fund treasury fund to another special fund treasury fund under the control of the Department of Environmental Quality. The purpose of this authority is to more efficiently use available cash reserves. It is further the intention of the Legislature that the Executive Director of the Department of Environmental Quality shall submit written justification for the transfer to the Legislative Budget Office and the Department of Finance and Administration on or before the fifteenth of the month prior to the effective date of the transfer.
SECTION 13. 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 14. Of the funds appropriated herein, it is the intent of the Legislature that the Department of Environmental Quality shall pay debt service on bonds issued to provide state matching funds for the State Revolving Loan Fund with interest earnings derived from the fund.
SECTION 15. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, an amount not greater than Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) shall be derived from the Pollution Emergency Fund within the Pollution Operating Fund for transfer to the Department of Environmental Quality to be used for dam and reservoir inspections, inventory, and reporting.
SECTION 16. It is the intention of the Legislature for the Department of Environmental Quality to continue with any agreements with Mississippi state agencies, including grant agreements, that provide environmental projects to restore Mississippi’s natural resources in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.
SECTION 17. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) is provided for the purpose of assessment, remediation, operation and maintenance, cost-sharing, oversight, and administration of water, land, and air contamination projects within the State of Mississippi pursuant to the 2020 settlement in The State of Mississippi ex rel. Lynn Fitch, Attorney General vs. EnPro, Inc., et.al.; Cause No. CV-2017-19-JMY2.
SECTION 18. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, Two Million Dollars ($2,000,000.00) is provided for the Dam Safety Grant Program.
SECTION 19. Of the funds appropriated in Section 2, One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00), or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be derived out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the Project Poppy Fund, as created in Senate Bill 2001, 1st Extraordinary Session of 2024, and allocated in a manner as determined by the Treasurer's Office and One Hundred Twenty Thousand Dollars ($120,000.00), or so much thereof as may be necessary, shall be derived out of any money in the State Treasury to the credit of the Project Atlas Fund, as created in House Bill 1, 2nd Extraordinary Session of 2024, and allocated in a manner as determined by the Treasurer's Office. These funds are provided for expediting services needed for Project Poppy and Project Atlas.
SECTION 20. Of the funds appropriated under the provisions of Section 2, Sixty Thousand Dollars ($60,000.00), or so much thereof as may be necessary, 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. These funds are provided for the replacement of IT servers for the agency.
SECTION 21. 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 22. Notwithstanding any other provision, the Department of Environmental Quality shall have the authority to escalate its headcount for any additional operational needs related to Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds, upon approval of the Department of Finance and Administration and the State Personnel Board.
SECTION 23. With the funds appropriated herein, the Department of Environmental Quality is authorized to make payment to certain vendors for expenses incurred during 2021 and 2022 to certain vendors in the total amount................................... $ 843,890.00.
SECTION 24. 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 25. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024.