MS HB1801

Appropriates $2,500,000 from the Budget Contingency Fund to the Administrative Office of Courts for COVID-19-related purposes, covering the period from July 1, 2020, through December 30, 2020

Allocates $2,171,480 for appointing senior trial judges to eliminate a backlog of 30,000 cases, purchasing telework technology, and providing paid leave for displaced employees — the largest share of the funding

Distributes $116,915 to the Mississippi Supreme Court and $87,790 to the Mississippi Court of Appeals for case backlog elimination and paid leave for displaced employees

Provides $100,015 for additional telework technology purchases and paid leave, $18,800 to the Board of Bar Admissions, and $5,000 to the Commission on Continuing Legal Education for employee paid leave

Requires all expenditures to comply with U.S. Department of the Treasury guidelines for the CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund, prohibits duplicate reimbursement from other funding sources, and mandates that any entity found to have misspent funds must repay the amount to the State of Mississippi for return to the federal government