Mississippi’s governor signed 37 bills into law yesterday and an additional 17 today, according to a statement from the office. Among the legislation signed was the Attorney General’s appropriation bill, HB 1924, which allocates funds for the AG’s office and includes approximately $30 million from opioid settlement funds.
Last year, the Legislature established an Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Council, which reviewed over 125 applications for funding. The council included Chief Justice Randolph, Attorney General Fitch, members of state agencies, and public health experts. After multiple meetings, the council made recommendations on how to allocate the funds, many of which were approved in HB 1924.
However, three programs — Hope Squad, Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence, and Finally First — received a combined total of $1.55 million but were not subjected to the council’s vetting process. The governor exercised line-item vetoes on these expenditures, citing concerns over the lack of application review and proper evaluation.
The vetoed amounts include $500,000 for Hope Squad, $800,000 for the Gulf Coast Center for Nonviolence, and $250,000 for Finally First. The governor emphasized that the decisions were based on statutory requirements and encouraged the entities to reapply during the 2026 grant cycle for proper consideration.
While these programs did not meet current application procedures, the governor clarified that this does not reflect a judgment on their worthiness for funding, only that proper vetting was not completed. The vetoes are intended to ensure transparency and adherence to established review processes.
