Rural Water Oversight Committee; create and prescribe duties of.

An Act To Create The Mississippi Rural Water Oversight Committee; To Define Terms; To Set Committee Membership; To Require Providers To Obtain A Rate Study And Capacity Study By December 1, 2027, And Every Five Years Thereafter; To Provide Requirements For Rates; To Provide For Modification Of Rates According To Rate Studies; To Require Providers To Develop An Asset Management Plan By December 1, 2027; To Stipulate Minimum Requirements For Such Asset Management Plan; To Allow The Committee To Promulgate Rules And Regulations Concerning The Rate Studies, Capacity Studies And Asset Management Plans; To Require Providers To Set Aside A Portion Of Gross Revenues For Refurbishment And Replacement; To Require The Committee To Maintain An Approved List Of Entities To Conduct Rate Studies; To Provide Guidelines For Approval; To Require A Rate Study Or Amendment Before Commencement Of A Major Development Project; To Require Rate Studies To Be Filed With The State Auditor's Office; To Describe When A Provider Is In Fiscal Distress; To Require The Mississippi State Department Of Health To Maintain A List Of Providers In Fiscal Distress; To Require Providers In Fiscal Distress To File An Improvement Plan; To Stipulate Actions Upon Receipt Of An Improvement Plan; To Prohibit Fiscally Distressed Providers From Receiving Certain State Financial Assistance Until An Improvement Plan Is In Place; To Provide For Removal Of Board Members Upon A Finding Of Fiscal Distress; To Require Providers At 75% Capacity To Take Certain Actions; To Provide That Nothing In This Act Shall Be Construed As Conflicting With Federal Law; To Amend Section 41-3-16, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide For Payment Of New Employees' Annual Salaries Out Of The Local Governments And Rural Water Systems Improvements Revolving Loan Fund; And For Related Purposes.

Status

Passed

Signed or otherwise enacted

Status date

Mar 19, 2026

238 days ago

Current chamber

House of Representatives

Session

2026 Regular Session