Committee approves 'Strength of Mississippi Homes' mitigation fund; sponsors, coastal senators debate scope, funding and administration

Senator Michelle presented the committee substitute for Senate Bill 24-13, retitled the "Strength of Mississippi Homes" program. Sponsor explained the program funds home retrofits to reduce wind and hurricane damage and stated that the substitute avoids diverting money from the state's wind-pool fund. "This committee substitute funds this program with no wind pool diversions," Senator Michelle said, adding that the program is intended to reduce structural failure in wind events by improving roofs, windows and other openings.

Under the substitute, the program would offer up to $15,000 per property for mitigation work (roof reinforcement, stronger windows or shutters and other measures). The program would be funded by increasing the insurance-agent license assessment from $25 to $50 per agent license, with the additional $25 directed to the mitigation fund; sponsor said that change could generate roughly $18 million a year and that the goal would be to fund about 1,000 homes annually at $15,000 per property, with any excess revenue reverting to the general fund.

Sponsor said the initial fund already holds $5 million from earlier appropriations, which would raise first-year available funds to about $20 million. The committee discussed eligibility and prioritization: the sponsor said the program would begin with the Gulf Coast but could be used statewide if coastal demand did not exhaust funding; selection would likely be by lottery where demand exceeds capacity. The insurance commissioner, under the bill, would set standards and oversee implementation, and fortified construction standards (discussed by senators as "Fortified" or similar standards used elsewhere) would guide eligible work.

Several senators raised concerns. Senator Delano urged strict limits on administrative costs for the program and said the program should do more to promote building-code adoption and wider mitigation to affect insurance-market availability; Senator Delano also criticized earlier wind-pool diversions and urged caution. Senator McClendon and others asked whether uninsured homeowners could participate; the sponsor said insurance coverage is not a statutory requirement for participation and that an application/lottery process would be used. Senator Hill asked whether homeowner applications and program criteria would be income-based or lottery-based; sponsor replied the commissioner would set standards and the process would be established administratively.

A motion of "title sufficient, do pass committee substitute" was made and the committee reported the substitute out; the record notes the sponsor expects to work with the commissioner and other stakeholders on operational standards.