HB 1645 - Mississippi Library Commission Appropriation (FY 2017)

• Appropriates $10,502,824.00 from the State General Fund and $2,946,759.00 from special funds to the Mississippi Library Commission for fiscal year 2017 (July 1, 2016 - June 30, 2017).

• Authorizes 48 permanent full-time positions for the commission with restrictions on salary increases unless new programs or positions are added by the legislature.

• Allocates $3,409,056.00 specifically for health insurance costs for full-time library staff members at public libraries throughout Mississippi.

• Requires minimum expenditure of $1,000,000.00 for the Magnolia Database and establishes performance targets including 50,000,000 searches on MAGNOLIA and 35,000 children participating in summer library programs.

• Includes $493,847.00 derived from the Education Enhancement Fund and mandates quarterly advance payments to eligible public library systems under the Personnel Incentive Grants Program by September 30, December 31, March 31, and June 30.