Sen. Dennis DeBar

Maddy summarySB 2004 allocates $24.5 million in state general funds and $10.5 million from special sources (including $1.35 million from the Education Enhancement Fund) to support Mississippi State University's Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station for fiscal year 2025-2026. The bill directly funds the station's operations, including research activities, and requires reporting on performance targets like researcher staffing levels and publications. It mandates efficient use of funds to meet specific annual goals and includes provisions for purchasing preferences for Mississippi Industries for the Blind. This is a routine appropriations bill focused on sustaining agricultural research, not a policy change.

Maddy summarySB 2008 allocates $47.3 million from state funds and $11 million from federal sources to support Mississippi's student financial aid programs for fiscal year 2026. It prioritizes aid for students from families earning under $42,500 annually (based on income thresholds in Section 11) and prohibits funding for specific loan programs like the Southeast Asia POW/MIA Grant. The bill requires detailed annual reports tracking recipients, award amounts, repayment status, and institutional distribution of funds. It also restricts students from receiving multiple state grant awards simultaneously in the same enrollment term.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $73.47 million total for Mississippi State University's College of Veterinary Medicine for fiscal year 2026. It allocates $20.57 million from general funds for operations and $52.90 million from special sources (including $750,000 from the Education Enhancement Fund), specifically funding the Wise Center construction ($17.5 million), rural veterinarian scholarships ($120,000), and Chronic Wasting Disease testing ($125,000). The bill requires the college to track performance metrics like 95% graduation pass rates on vet licensing exams and 40,000 annual animal clinic visits. It mandates efficient spending and reporting to the legislature on these targets.

Maddy summarySB 2002 is a funding bill that allocates $86.1 million (from state general and special funds) to support 15 specific research centers and programs at Mississippi's public universities for fiscal year 2026. It directly affects institutions like the Mississippi State Chemical Laboratory, Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Mississippi Law Research Institute, and Jackson State University's Urban Research Center. The bill specifies exact dollar amounts for each program, such as $8.6 million for the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and $5.4 million for the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. This is a routine appropriations bill that provides operating funds for existing university research initiatives, not a policy change.

Maddy summarySB 2003 appropriates $7,887,984 from the State General Fund and $335,000 from the Education Enhancement Fund to support Alcorn State University's agricultural research, extension, and land-grant programs for fiscal year 2026 (July 2025-June 2026). The funds directly support specific programs, including $165,000 for the Poultry Sciences Research Center and $715,000 for broader agricultural research (covering poultry, animal, and environmental science). The bill specifies that general funds cannot replace withdrawn federal or special funds and requires compliance with state budgeting rules. It was signed into law by the governor on June 4, 2025, and takes effect July 1, 2025.

Maddy summarySB 2006 appropriates $6,262,007 from the State General Fund and $1,369,899 from special sources (including $450,000 from the Education Enhancement Fund) to cover the operating and maintenance costs of Mississippi State University's Forest and Wildlife Research Center for fiscal year 2026 (July 2025-June 2026). The bill specifies that general funds cannot replace withdrawn federal or special funds and requires that any matching federal grants be accounted for under the special source funds. It also reappropriates $1,000,000 from the Capital Expense Fund for Deer Lab renovations, subject to prior unexpended balances. This is a straightforward funding measure with no policy changes, directly affecting the research center’s operations.

Maddy summarySB 2181 exempts school district test security plans used for administering Mississippi's statewide student assessments from public disclosure under the Mississippi Public Records Act. This means school districts will no longer be required to share detailed security procedures for these exams with the public or through public records requests. The bill specifically targets security plans (not the test questions themselves, which were already exempt), directly affecting school districts managing statewide assessments. The exemption takes effect July 1, 2025, aligning with existing exemptions for test questions and academic research materials under the same law.

Maddy summarySB 2730 requires the Mississippi State Board of Health to fairly divide funds from the Mississippi Burn Care Fund among all certified health centers providing burn care services. This bill amends existing law to specify that the Board must distribute these funds equitably, rather than using prior discretionary allocation methods. The funding supports burn care services for Mississippi residents, including reimbursement for travel and lodging expenses for patients and caregivers. The bill ensures consistent funding distribution across all qualified health centers participating in the state's burn care system.

Maddy summarySB 2606 handles the final financial steps for Mississippi's Educational Facilities Revolving Loan Fund Program. It directs the Department of Finance and Administration to collect repayments from school districts that borrowed for facility projects, deposit those funds into the Education Enhancement Fund, and withhold future state payments from districts with late loan repayments. The bill also requires transferring all remaining funds from the old loan program into the Education Enhancement Fund and sets a sunset date of July 1, 2034, for its key provisions. This bill directly affects school districts that used the program to finance educational facilities.

Maddy summarySB 3014 appropriates $754,389 from the state General Fund to cover the Mississippi Ethics Commission's operating expenses for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026). The bill authorizes six permanent staff positions and requires the Commission to maintain detailed financial records matching its 2025 reporting standards. It also directs the Commission to prioritize purchasing from the Mississippi Industries for the Blind and permits using funds for vehicle insurance. This is a routine funding measure for an existing agency, not a policy change affecting citizens or businesses. The bill was pending in conference committee as of March 29, 2025, and did not become law.