Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 33 - MILITARY AFFAIRS (§§ 33-1-1 — 33-15-553) › Chapter 15 - EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AND CIVIL DEFENSE (§§ 33-15-1 — 33-15-553) › Article 9 - MISSISSIPPI COUNTY AND MUNICIPALITY EMERGENCY RELIEF PROGRAM (§§ 33-15-501 — 33-15-513) › Section 33-15-503 - Definitions

For purposes of this article, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context otherwise requires:
(a)
"Program" means the Mississippi County and Municipality Emergency Relief Program established in this article.
(b)
"Agency" means the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
©)
"County" means any county within the state.
(d)
"Municipality" means any municipality within the state.
(e)
"COVID-19" means the Coronavirus Disease 2019.
(f)
"CARES Act" means the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
(g)
"Coronavirus Relief Fund" means the fund created by the CARES Act.
(h)
"Eligible expenditure" means a cost incurred that is reimbursable from funds received from the Coronavirus Relief Fund under the guidance and guidelines of the United States Department of the Treasury, including, but not limited to:
(I)
Medical expenses such as:
1.
COVID-19-related expenses of public hospitals, clinics, and similar facilities.
2.
Expenses of establishing temporary public medical facilities and other measures to increase COVID-19 treatment capacity, including related construction costs.
3.
Costs of providing COVID-19 testing, including serological testing.
4.
Emergency medical response expenses, including emergency medical transportation, related to COVID-19.
(ii)
Public health expenses such as:
1.
Expenses for communication and enforcement by territorial, local, and tribal governments of public health orders related to COVID-19.
2.
Expenses for acquisition and distribution of medical and protective supplies, including sanitizing products and personal protective equipment, for medical personnel, police officers, social workers, child protection services, and child welfare officers, direct service providers for older adults and individuals with disabilities in community settings, and other public health or safety workers in connection with the COVID-19 public health emergency.
3.
Expenses for disinfection of public areas and other facilities, e.g., nursing homes, in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
4.
Expenses for technical assistance to local authorities or other entities on mitigation of COVID-19-related threats to public health and safety.
5.
Expenses for public safety measures undertaken in response to COVID-19.
6.
Expenses for quarantining individuals.
(iii)
Payroll expenses for public safety, public health, health care, human services, and similar employees whose services are substantially dedicated to mitigating or responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
(iv)
Expenses of actions to facilitate compliance with COVID-19-related public health measures, such as:
1.
Expenses for food delivery to residents, including, for example, senior citizens and other vulnerable populations, to enable compliance with COVID-19 public health precautions.
2.
Expenses to improve telework capabilities for public employees to enable compliance with COVID-19 public health precautions.
3.
Expenses of providing paid sick and paid family and medical leave to public employees to enable compliance with COVID-19 public health precautions.
4.
COVID-19-related expenses of maintaining state prisons and county jails, including as it relates to sanitation and improvement of social distancing measures, to enable compliance with COVID-19 public health precautions.
5.
Expenses for care for homeless populations provided to mitigate COVID-19 effects and enable compliance with COVID-19 public health precautions.
(v)
Expenses associated with the provision of economic support in connection with the COVID-19 public health emergency, such as:
1.
Expenditures related to a state, territorial, local, or tribal government payroll support program.
2.
Unemployment insurance costs related to the COVID-19 public health emergency if such costs will not be reimbursed by the federal government pursuant to the CARES Act or otherwise.
(vi)
Any other COVID-19-related expenses reasonably necessary to the function of government that satisfy the Coronavirus Relief Fund's eligibility criteria.
"Eligible expenditure" does not include expenses for the state share of Medicaid, damages covered by insurance, payroll or benefits expenses for employees whose work duties are not substantially dedicated to mitigating or responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency, expenses that have been or will be reimbursed under any federal program, such as the reimbursement by the federal government pursuant to the CARES Act of contributions by states to state unemployment funds, reimbursement to donors for donated items or services, workforce bonuses other than hazard pay or overtime, severance pay, legal settlements or any other expenditure determined to be ineligible by the agency.
Added by Laws, 2020, ch. 486, SB 3047,§ 2, (became law without the Governor's signature on July 9, 2020).