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HB 851MISSISSIPPISession 2026State Billdead

Did Not Advance

Mississippi HB 851 authorizes an additional funding round for rural fire trucks and removes county limit caps

Original title: Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program; authorize an additional round for and remove certain limiting language.

Last action · February 3, 2026: 02/03 (H) Died In CommitteeSponsor: Jeff Hale

Bill progressHistory & official text ↓

Introduced

Committee

Floor Vote

Passed

Law

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What This Bill Proposed

House Bill 851 authorizes an additional round of fire truck acquisitions under the , removes the restriction that limited counties to eight funding rounds, and increases the maximum allowable truck allocations and total funding caps for participating local governments beginning July 1, 2026.

Why it matters

Counties and municipalities gain access to higher financial assistance limits and an extra round of grants for purchasing new or used fire apparatus, altering local emergency equipment procurement budgets.

Who It Would Have Affected

Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.

Directly affected

counties

Counties become eligible for an additional round of fire truck acquisition assistance, increased funding caps, and the removal of previous participation limits.

Directly affected

municipalities

Municipalities providing rural fire protection are eligible for matching assistance funds and must document contracts with counties.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the local matching fund requirements to receive monies?

A county or municipality must pledge local funds equal to at least one-tenth of the requested distribution amount each year for up to ten years.

What else do you want to know?

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

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Where This Stands

This bill did not become law - Died in committee.

Procedural history

2 actions

Feb 3, 2026House
02/03 (H) Died In Committee
Jan 16, 2026HouseCommittee
01/16 (H) Referred To Insurance;Appropriations A

Version history

Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.

View official text →

Lobbying Activity

No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.

Full breakdown

Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.

Connected Entities

County Volunteer Fire Department Fund, State Treasury, Department of Insurance and 2 more

OrganizationCounty Volunteer Fire Department Fund“Source of funds excluded from local matching fund calculations”Map →

locationState Treasury“Houses the Rural Fire Truck Fund and Rural Fire Truck Matching Assistance Fund”Map →

OrganizationDepartment of Insurance“Administers the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program”Map →

OrganizationMunicipal Fire Protection Fund“Source of funds excluded from local matching fund calculations”Map →

OrganizationRural Fire Truck Review Committee“Approves fire truck acquisitions under the program”Map →

Sources

Open source document

billstatus.ls.state.ms.us

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance20
Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 45)
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz20
Current news / social attention level

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