(The Center Square) — The Mississippi Legislature’s session ended Saturday, but not before lawmakers passed a $702 million bond bill filled with lots of election-year projects.
House Bill 603 was authored by Appropriations Chairman and state Rep. John Read, R-Gautier. The bill’s conference report was passed by big majorities in both chambers.
The bill was passed after it was recommitted to conference for a second time after a continuing resolution was approved by both chambers to modify legislative deadlines and allow HB603 to be sent to Gov. Tate Reeves.
The bill will create a $371.9 million Local Improvements Projects Fund that will funnel money to various projects statewide.
Also receiving money will be the state’s universities ($193.3 million) and the state’s system of community colleges ($40 million).
A new headquarters for the state Department of Public Safety to be built in Rankin County will receive $32 million, while a new trooper substation in Starkville will receive $6 million.
Here are some of the larger projects in the bill:
- The city of Clinton will receive $8 million for infrastructure work and $20 million for a water and sewer plant expansion project.
- Philadelphia will receive $10 million to build the second phase of the Marty Stuart Congress of Country Music Museum.
- Tupelo will receive $4.6 million for downtown railroad improvements and the Chickasaw Inkana Foundation will receive $4.95 million to build the Chickasaw Heritage Center in the city.
- The Gloster Southern Railroad, which was a 35-mile short line railroad connecting southwest Mississippi and northeastern Louisiana, will receive $8 million to help restore service that was ended in 2013.
- The Scenic Rivers Alliance will receive $8 million for the Okhissa Lake Development Project, which will build a 200-room lodge, 1,000-person conference center on 150 acres of the Homochitto National Forest in southwest Mississippi in Franklin County.
- The Mississippi Songwriters Performing Arts Center in Gautier was allocated $2 million for construction of an amphitheater and $2 million for infrastructure work for the park where it will be located.
- Oxford was allocated $4 million to build a new police station.
- Also appropriated was $3.6 million for a new Attala County Fire Station, an emergency operations center and E-911 call center.
- The Jackson Planetarium will receive $1 million while the city’s Thalia Mara Hall performing arts center will receive $1.5 million.
- An appropriation of $2 million was for Senatobia for downtown improvements.
- Louisville was allocated $2 million for an industrial park road.
- Pascagoula will receive $2 million for improvements to its city hall.
- George County was allocated $1.8 million to pay for the construction of a multipurpose facility.
- The bill will provide the city of Waynesboro $1.5 million to pay for infrastructure improvements.
- Olive Branch will receive $1.5 million for new aircraft hangars at its airport, misspelled in the bill as “hangers.”
- Marshall County was allocated $1.5 million for the Chickasaw Trail Emergency Response Center.
- An appropriation of $1.5 million was made for renovations to the Itawamba County Courthouse.
- The city of Columbus will receive $1.425 million for renovations for its city hall.
