MS HB17

Appropriates $136,486,724.00 from the State General Fund and $177,899,292.00 from special funds to the Department of Child Protection Services for fiscal year 2026 (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026).

Allocates $124,889,578.00 for personal services including employee salaries, wages, and fringe benefits, with authorized headcount of 1,507 permanent and 412 time-limited positions, plus 6 new attorney positions.

Designates $93,601.00 for the Mississippi Children's Trust Fund, $250,000.00 for a 24-hour human trafficking hotline, $5,431,692.00 for kinship care payments, and $12,798,198.00 for adoption assistance and foster home maintenance payments.

Reappropriates $2,500,000.00 from the Capital Expense Fund for information technology system development, contingent on unexpended balances from the previous fiscal year.

Authorizes the department to escalate headcount for operational needs related to Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds with approval from the Department of Finance and Administration and State Personnel Board.