House Bill 939, 2026 Regular Session Repeal of the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program; The Rural Fire Truck Matching Assistance Fund; And the Supplementary Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Program

[LOGO] # MISSISSIPPI INSURANCE DEPARTMENT MIKE CHANEY Commissioner of Insurance State Fire Marshal DAVID BROWNING Deputy Commissioner of Insurance 501 N. WEST STREET, SUITE 1001 WOOLFOLK BUILDING JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI 39201 www.mid.ms.gov MAILING ADDRESS Post Office Box 79 Jackson, Mississippi 39205-0079 TELEPHONE: (601) 359-3569 FAX: (601) 359-2474 WATS: 1-800-562-2957 (Incoming-USA) ## BULLETIN 2026-4 MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE ### HOUSE BILL 939, 2026 REGULAR SESSION REPEAL OF THE RURAL FIRE TRUCK ACQUISITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM; THE RURAL FIRE TRUCK MATCHING ASSISTANCE FUND; AND THE SUPPLEMENTARY RURAL FIRE TRUCK ACQUISITION PROGRAM April 15, 2026 ### I. Purpose and Scope. The Mississippi Insurance Department (“MID”) is issuing this Bulletin to provide notice to all counties or municipalities that are currently participating in the Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program (RFTAAP), the Rural Fire Truck Matching Assistance Fund (Matching Program), or the Supplementary Rural Fire Truck Acquisition Assistance Program (Supplementary) regarding the implementation of House Bill 939. ### II. House Bill 939. House Bill 939, as passed during the 2026 Regular Legislative Session, and signed by Governor Reeves on April 13, 2026, repeals Miss. Code Ann. §17-23-1 (RFTAAP and Matching Program), and Miss. Code Ann. §17-23-11 (Supplementary) as of July 1, 2026. As the enabling statutory authority for these programs are to repeal, these programs will also cease as of July 1, 2026, Any grant funds that may be due to a county or municipality from these programs must be issued and received by the county or municipality by June 30, 2026. ### III. Application Deadline. To properly process any pending application prior to the cessation of these programs, all documents regarding pending applications must be submitted to the Division of Fire Services Development by May 15, 2026. Any documents received after that date will not be accepted and the pending application will not be approved. These documents should be submitted via email to rftaap@mid.ms.gov. Any initial application that has not been submitted to the Division of Fire Services before April 16, 2026, shall not be accepted. 1 #### IV. FIRE Grant Funds. In lieu of RFTAAP, Matching Program, or Supplementary, HB 939 creates the FIRE Grant Program which shall provide grants to assist municipalities and counties with fire safety, maintaining or lowering community fire ratings, recruiting and retaining firefighters, and defraying initial costs associated with creating a countywide fire program. FIRE Grants may also be awarded as based on need to municipalities and counties to assist with the purchase of fire trucks and fire equipment. The FIRE Grant Program will be administered by the Department of Finance and Administration; any questions regarding the FIRE Grant Program should be directed to that agency. #### V. Withdrawal of Bulletins. With the cessation of RFTAAP, Matching Program and Supplementary, MID Bulletins 95-7, 97-4, 99-5, 2001-1, 2003-4, 2004-1, 2004-4, and 2005-5 shall be withdrawn and stand repealed on and after July 1, 2026. MIKE CHANEY COMMISSIONER OF INSURANCE 2