The Senate advanced legislation Monday to increase the maximum award under the Mississippi Development Authority’s small municipality and limited-population county grant program from $250,000 to $1,000,000 per grant.

Senator Johnson explained Senate Bill 2857 to the chamber, saying the increase aligns the program with rising local project costs. Johnson described “small counties” as those under 30,000 residents and “small municipalities” as municipalities under 10,000 (as drafted in the bill). The change raises the per-grant cap but does not itself appropriate funds; any award would be subject to legislative appropriation.

Senator Turner asked whether the program had been funded in the last budget year; Johnson said she believed it was not funded and that the per-grant cap refers to the maximum award a local government could receive when the program is funded. Senator McMahon spoke in favor on the floor, urging appropriators to fund the program and proposing a significant statewide allocation to help municipalities with cleanup and economic projects.

The committee substitute was adopted and the bill passed by use of the morning roll call; the transcript records no numeric roll-call tally on the floor.

Why it matters: raising the per-grant cap would allow single municipal projects with higher costs to tap the small-muni grant program when the legislature funds it, potentially enabling more substantial infrastructure or economic-development investments in small communities.

Actions: Committee substitute adopted; bill passed by morning roll call.

Speakers: Senator Johnson (explanation), Senator Turner (questions), Senator McMahon (floor remarks).