Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that limits the State Fiscal Officer's ability to reduce estimates or allocations of funds.

Highlights:

-Prohibits the State Fiscal Officer from reducing any estimates or allocations of funds for the following (Sec. 1):

-Paying service charges to banks for acting as agents of the state in paying bonds and interest, including maturing bonds, on the full faith and credit bonds of the state, below the amount of funds that necessary to fully fund the payments; -State Department of Education for the annual compensation to the Chickasaw Cession counties for 16th section lands they lost through sale by the state; -State Department of Education for the purpose of paying the annual salary supplements to employees below the amount of funds that are necessary to fully fund the amount for all employees that are eligible; -Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning for the purpose of complying with the court order in the case of Ayers v. Fordice; -Mississippi State Supreme Court for the purpose of paying salaries, wages, fringe benefits and in-state travel expenses of the justices of the Supreme Court, judges of the Court of Appeals, special judges, and chancellors and circuit judges; and -For the purpose of paying the salaries, wages, fringe benefits, in-state travel expenses and office expenses of the district attorneys and assistant attorneys.

-Authorizes the State Fiscal Officer to reduce estimates or allocations of funds made for the Veterans Affairs Board for the purpose of funding the State Veterans Homes or for the Mississippi Department of Corrections (Sec. 1). -Prohibits the State Fiscal Officer from making any additional reductions of estimates or allocations of funds for any special fund or general fund agency or the administration and other expenses budget of Mississippi Department of Transportation after January 18, 2010 until the Governor has transferred $61 million from the funds available through the flexible block grant from the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund to the State General Fund (Sec. 1). -Limits the total amount of fiscal year 2009-2010 reductions of estimates or allocations of funds for any special fund or general fund agency or the administration and other expenses budget of Mississippi Department of Transportation to $347.06 million (Sec. 1). -Requires the State Fiscal Officer to transfer $50 million from the Working Cash-Stabilization Reserve Fund to the State General Fund (Sec. 2).

Full Bill Text