Marine resources agency asks for salary authority and requests funding to align marine patrol pay with state officers

An agency representative told the Appropriations Subcommittee that the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources’ (DMR) 2026 budget request is largely level but includes salary authority that would allow raises if state approval follows.

The representative said the agency’s requested salary authority totals $567,116, a figure framed as the maximum the agency would need “in case the state wants to allow us to give raise[s] next year.” The representative told senators the $567,116 is included in the draft figures for general fund appropriations and would only be used if state personnel rules allow the pay adjustments.

The request also contains a $280,412 line item described as funding for marine patrol salaries. The agency representative said that item would let the agency “align our marine patrol officers with the state capital officers” and that if the state personnel board approves a realignment, the agency would not need the separate $280,412 request. “If I get that done, I will not need this 280,000,” the agency representative said.

Committee members pressed the agency on how raises would be distributed. Senator Thompson asked whether the authority to give up to 7% meant every DMR employee would receive 7%. The agency representative replied it would provide authority “to give up to 7%,” and later described plans to target increases to lower-paid positions first, and to use a graduated scale rather than a flat percentage for all staff.

The agency representative described turnover pressures and private-sector competition for law enforcement officers, citing an example of a former DMR employee leaving for higher pay at a municipal agency. The representative said realigning starting pay to about $46,000–$47,000 under the proposed personnel changes would “help us…hire new officers coming in off the street.”

Beyond salaries, the representative summarized the agency’s other appropriations: titling operations and bond payments were described as stable, and travel, contractual services, commodities, and equipment were largely unchanged from the prior year. The representative noted the agency is repaying a bond obligation and said appropriations language and line-item presentation to the Legislative Budget Office (LBO) could be clearer to separate one-time projects from recurring funds.

Committee members asked for more detail on the salary progression requests. Senator Thompson asked for an itemized SPB (state personnel board) sheet showing the positions and dollar amounts for the $742,000 experience-based equity adjustment noted in one submission; the committee requested the agency supply position-level data to clarify which jobs would receive increases.

The agency representative said vacancy funding fluctuates and that the agency uses vacancy savings and progression funding in different ways; he acknowledged past use of vacancy money for raises and said the agency would provide more detail to the committee.

The agency did not request language changes in the appropriation bill, the representative said, and committee members agreed to work with the agency to clarify the project-level presentation on LBO documents.

Ending: The committee did not take a formal vote during this hearing. Members asked the agency to provide a more detailed SPB sheet listing positions and requested clarifications about project fiscal years in the LBO presentation.