Bill Text: MS HB939 | 2026 | Regular Session | Engrossed
Bill Title: MS Length-of-Service Award Program; extend repealer and create Fire Grant Fund and Fire Equipment Grant Fund.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 3)
Status: (Passed) 2026-04-08 - Approved by Governor [HB939 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2026-HB939-Engrossed.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2026 Regular Session
To: Insurance
By: Representatives Shanks, Carpenter, Scoggin
House Bill 939
(As Passed the House)
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 45-11-271, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXTEND THE DATE OF THE REPEALER ON THE MISSISSIPPI LENGTH-OF-SERVICE AWARD PROGRAM (LOSAP) CREATED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE FOR THE PURPOSE OF RECRUITING AND RETAINING VOLUNTEER FIREFIGHTERS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. Section 45-11-271, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
45-11-271. (1) The
Mississippi Department of Insurance * * * shall establish the Mississippi
Length-of-Service Award Program (LOSAP) for the recruitment and the retention
of volunteer firefighters. Such program shall provide paid Length-of-Service
Awards to eligible volunteer firefighters and shall be open to all Mississippi
volunteer fire department members.
(2) The following words and phrases shall have the meanings as defined in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(a) "Length-of-Service Award Program" means a program to provide paid length-of-service awards to eligible volunteer firefighters.
(b) "Eligible
volunteer firefighter" means a bona fide volunteer firefighter who is
registered with the State of Mississippi or a political subdivision thereof and
is an active part-time or on-call member of a volunteer fire department or a
volunteer firefighter. "Eligible volunteer firefighter"
shall not include full-time firefighters or career firefighters unless such
firefighters are also active eligible volunteer firefighters when they are not
acting as full-time or career firefighters and meet all other required
qualifications as provided by the Mississippi Length-of-Service Award Program
Board of Trustees in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of
Insurance * * *.
(c) "Defined
contribution" means the predefined contribution that the Mississippi
Length-of-Service Award Program Board of Trustees, in collaboration with
the Mississippi Department of Insurance * * *, establishes as a yearly
contribution to an eligible volunteer firefighter's LOSAP account.
(3) (a) The LOSAP shall be administered by the Mississippi Length-of-Service Award Program Board of Trustees, which shall be comprised of the following members:
(i) The Commissioner of Insurance, or his or her designee;
(ii) The State Fire Coordinator, or his or her designee;
(iii) The State Treasurer, or his or her designee;
(iv) One (1) member from the state at large appointed by the Governor; and
(v) One (1) member from the state at large appointed by the Lieutenant Governor.
(b) The LOSAP Board of
Trustees, in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of Insurance * * *, shall have the following powers
and duties:
(i) Establish a points system to be awarded to volunteer firefighters for their performance of certain activities, as determined by the board, and award LOSAP service credit based upon that points system;
(ii) Create a list
of the activities that points will be awarded for. Such list shall include, at
a minimum * * *:
the number of emergency and nonemergency calls responded to by the volunteer
member; the activities and training of each member as determined on an annual
basis; and the volunteer fire department members eligible time to be considered
as an active member of the department before the establishment of the LOSAP on
July 1, 2023;
(iii) Determine the annual contribution to each volunteer's LOSAP account; and
(iv) Promulgate any rules and regulations as necessary to implement the provisions of this section. All such rules and regulations shall be in compliance with Section 457(e)(11) of the United States Internal Revenue Code.
(4) There is * * * created in the State Treasury a special
fund to be known as the "Mississippi Volunteer Firefighter Length-of-Service
Awards Program Fund" (LOSAP Fund) to be maintained by the State
Treasurer. The Treasurer of the State of Mississippi may invest the monies
deposited in the special fund. The amounts to be invested shall be determined
by the Treasurer and shall be in the approximate amount of the total monies
deposited in * * *
the special fund less the anticipated withdrawals and disbursements from
the Mississippi Length-of-Service Award Program to be made within the following
ninety-day period. Such funds shall be invested by * * * the Treasurer in short-term bonds,
Treasury Bills, or other direct obligations of the United States of America, or
any national or state banks in the State of Mississippi. Monies in the fund shall
first be used for the purpose of providing retirement benefits as a defined
contribution to volunteer firefighters for the purpose of recruiting and
retaining volunteer firefighters as provided in this section. Any other
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 amounts in the
fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund.
(5) The Mississippi Department
of Insurance * * * shall notify the Mississippi Length-of-Service Award
Program Board of Trustees and the State Fire Marshal of any volunteer fire
department member that is ineligible to receive LOSAP funds due to the member
or department's failure to file required documentation or financial reports or
failure to comply with an audit or review by the Mississippi Department of
Insurance * * *.
A volunteer fire department member or department reported by the Mississippi Department
of Insurance * * * shall be ineligible to receive funds under this section
until the Mississippi Insurance Department notifies the Mississippi Length-of-Service
Award Program Board of Trustees and the State Fire Marshal that the volunteer
member or department has come into compliance.
(6) A member of the Mississippi Length-of-Service Award Program may receive the funds allocated on their behalf to the program upon their withdrawal from the program.
(7) The Mississippi Length-of-Service Award Program may allocate a maximum of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) in yearly defined contributions to each member's LOSAP account.
(8) * * * This section shall stand
repealed on July 1, * * *
2029.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2026.
