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Committee approves bill moving state office leasing authority to finance department; adds board-staff sharing amendment
Summary
Senate Bill 2291 was approved by the committee as amended to transfer authority for signing state office leases to the Department of Finance and Administration and to require occupational licensure boards operating in the same location to pursue staff-sharing strategies.
Senator Blunt told the committee that Senate Bill 2291 would move responsibility for signing leases for state agencies to the Department of Finance and Administration with the goal of consolidating leasing and cutting rental costs in the Metro Jackson area. “The state spends right now a little more than $14,000,000 a year, in rent in the Metro Jackson area,” Blunt said, and the bill’s sponsor described consolidation and coordinated leasing as the core change in the legislation.
Senator Johnson offered and the committee adopted an amendment requiring occupational licensure boards to collaborate on location and staff-sharing strategies. Johnson said the amendment would direct boards operating in the same location to “implement strategies to downsize and share administrative and support staff whenever possible.” The committee approved the amendment by voice vote and then approved the bill as amended; the transcript records the committee carrying the bill and reporting it to the floor.
Blunt described the bill as primarily focused on the first section but noted that the full text contains code-section language because it consolidates multiple statutory references. He framed the change as a way to negotiate leases in totality and seek savings through consolidation of space and common administrative functions. “The bill transfers the responsibility for signing leases for state agencies … to the Department of Finance and Administration, to negotiate the best possible lease and to look at everything, in totality as far as leasing space,” Blunt said.
Committee discussion recorded at least one explicit policy goal: shared common spaces and back-office efficiencies to reduce duplicated costs across smaller agencies. The committee adopted the Johnson amendment and then passed SB 2291 “as amended.” The transcript does not show a roll-call tally; approval was recorded by voice vote and the bill will be reported to the Senate floor.
Details not specified in the committee record include which code sections will be amended, the implementation timeline, and whether the Department of Finance and Administration will issue implementing rules; the committee did not discuss a fiscal note on the record during this excerpt.
