Mississippi funds operations at its forest and wildlife research center

The law sets aside up to $6,482,062 from the State General Fund and allows spending up to $1,487,504 from special funds. The state’s higher education trustees receive the money to operate and maintain Mississippi State University’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center. Only as much as needed may be spent, and the special funds must be collected or otherwise available for the center. The Education Enhancement Fund supplies $561,804 of the special-fund amount. The funding covers July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027. The law took effect July 1, 2026.

The law reserves up to $111,804 for the equivalent of a $2,000 salary increase for each covered professor. The salary provision covers all professors and adjunct professors at Mississippi State University’s Forest and Wildlife Research Center. The money comes from the Education Enhancement Fund amount already included in the center’s budget. The university’s executive officer has discretion over the increases. The salary funding is part of the budget for July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.

The center cannot use this law’s general state funds to replace federal or other special funds used for covered salaries. These safeguards cover the center’s spending under this law. The salary restriction applies when those federal or special funds are withdrawn and no longer available. The Legislature also states that the agency must not take on debts beyond its funding limit and that responsible officers can be held personally accountable. The safeguards apply to the funding for July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2027.

The Legislature calls for the center to favor Mississippi Industries for the Blind in certain purchases. The preference concerns the center’s purchases of supplies or equipment. For purchases with at least two bids, the preference applies when price, quality, and service are equal. The Legislature calls for a similar preference when purchases are made without competitive bids.

The Legislature calls for the center to account for certain grants and donations and keep its next budget request comparably detailed. These expectations concern the center’s grant accounting and budget requests. The grant accounting applies when this law’s general funds directly or indirectly help secure grants or donations that are not classified as restricted funds. Those funds are to be counted under the special-fund budget and included in reports and requests for the 2027 legislative session. The budget-format expectation applies to the fiscal year 2028 request, using the fiscal year 2027 request as the comparison.