Section 69-15-21 - Animal Disease Response Fund created; use of monies(1) The Animal Disease Response Fund is created as a special fund in the State Treasury. The response fund shall consist of any funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the Legislature for animal disease outbreaks, any income from investment of the funds in the response fund, and federal reimbursement for expenditures made from the response fund. (2) Monies in the response fund shall be expended by the Mississippi Board of Animal Health only upon appropriation by the Legislature or by escalation of the board's budget as authorized in the appropriation bill for the board. Unexpended amounts remaining in the response fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned on amounts in the response fund shall be deposited to the credit of the response fund. (3) The response fund shall be used only for payment of expenses incurred by the Board of Animal Health in responding to animal disease outbreaks, including, but not limited to, purchasing commodities, hiring temporary employees and/or engaging the contractual services of companies that can provide trained emergency response personnel. (4) Before the Board of Animal Health expends funds from the response fund to respond to an animal disease outbreak, the State Veterinarian shall notify the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the respective Chairmen of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Senate Agriculture Committee, the House Appropriations Committee and the House Agriculture Committee, and the Legislative Budget Office, of the proposed expenditure of the funds. Added by Laws, 2023, ch. 549, § 18, eff. 4/21/2023.