Mississippi Authorizes Electric Utility Storm Damage Revenue Bonds

Mississippi Legislative Events

Published April 6th, 2026

Detected April 7th, 2026

Summary

Mississippi Governor signed SB3229 into law on April 6, 2026, establishing the Mississippi 2026 Severe Winter Storm Electric Utility Customer Relief and Electric Utility System Restoration Act. The law authorizes the Mississippi Public Service Commission to issue financing orders allowing electric utilities to issue revenue bonds to cover costs of repairing damage caused by the 2026 winter storm, with utilities recovering costs through system restoration charges collected from retail customers.

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What changed

The Mississippi Legislature enacted SB3229, creating a new financing mechanism for electric utilities to recover costs associated with 2026 winter storm damage. The Mississippi Public Service Commission is now authorized to certify financing orders upon petition by electric utilities, which will allow the State Bond Commission to issue bonds to cover system restoration expenses. The law specifies petition content requirements, authorizes independent investigations by the Public Utilities Staff, and mandates that financing orders include provisions for system restoration charges sufficient to cover bond debt service with annual adjustments.

Electric utilities seeking storm damage recovery must petition the Mississippi Public Service Commission for a financing order. Upon PSC approval, utilities transmit the order to the State Bond Commission to authorize bond issuance. Utilities will collect system restoration charges from retail customers to service the debt. Decisions by the Public Service Commission may be appealed, and financing orders have a defined duration. The bond amount cannot exceed the amount specified in the applicable financing order.

What to do next

Review SB3229 provisions and assess eligibility for financing order petition
Prepare petition documentation for submission to Mississippi Public Service Commission
Establish system restoration charge collection mechanisms upon PSC approval

Source document (simplified)

ChangeBridge / Mississippi / SB3229 Signed by Governor SB3229 Senate Bill Signed by Governor 2026-04-06

Bonds; authorize revenue bonds to be issued to pay for damage to electric utilities caused by the 2026 winter storm.

An Act To Enact The Mississippi 2026 Severe Winter Storm Electric Utility Customer Relief And Electric Utility System Restoration Act; To Establish A Mechanism By Which The Mississippi Public Service Commission May Authorize And Certify An Electric Utility Financing Order And The State May Issue Bonds To Pay The Costs Of Repairing Damage To The Systems Of Electric Utilities Caused By The 2026 Winter Storm; To Authorize Electric Utilities To Petition The Public Service Commission For The Issuance Of A Financing Order Which, When Transmitted To The State Bond Commission By An Electric Utility, Authorizes The Issuance Of Bonds To Pay The Costs Associated With Restoring The System Of The Electric Utility; To Provide The Contents Of Such A Petition; To Authorize The Public Utilities Staff To Conduct An Independent Investigation Of The Petition; To Establish The Duties Of The Public Service Commission With Regard To Such Petitions; To Provide For The Contents Of Financing Orders; To Provide That The Financing Order Shall Require The Electric Utility To Collect A System Restoration Charge From Its Retail Customers Sufficient To Pay The Debt Service On Any Bonds Issued Pursuant To The Financing Order; To Provide For Annual Adjustments To The System Restoration Charges To Ensure That The Charges Are Sufficient To Pay The Debt Service On Any Bonds Issued Pursuant To This Act; To Provide The Method For Appealing Decisions Of The Public Service Commission With Respect To A Financing Order; To Provide For The Duration Of A Financing Order; To Authorize The Issuance Of Bonds In An Amount Not To Exceed The Amount Specified In The Financing Order To Be Utilized By An Electric Utility To Pay The Cost Of Repairs Necessitated By The 2026 Winter Storm; To Authorize The Creation Of Sinking Funds Into Which System Restoration Charges Collected By The Electric Utility Shall Be Deposited And To Provide That Money In The Sinking Funds Shall Be Utilized To Pay The Debt Service On Bonds Issued Pursuant To A Financing Order; And For Related Purposes.

Bill Details

State Mississippi

Session 2026 Regular Session

Chamber Senate

Official Source billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history...

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Action History

2026-04-06 H Enrolled Bill Signed 2026-04-06 S Enrolled Bill Signed 2026-03-29 S Conference Report Adopted 2026-03-29 H Conference Report Adopted 2026-03-27 H Conference Report Filed 2026-03-27 S Conference Report Filed 2026-03-25 H Conferees Named Lamar,Steverson,Powell 2026-03-24 S Conferees Named Harkins,Sparks,Whaley 2026-03-19 S Decline to Concur/Invite Conf 2026-03-18 H Returned For Concurrence 2026-03-17 H Passed As Amended 2026-03-17 H Amended 2026-03-03 H Title Suff Do Pass As Amended 2026-02-26 H Referred To Ways and Means 2026-02-26 S Transmitted To House 2026-02-25 S Passed 2026-02-24 S Title Suff Do Pass 2026-02-24 S Referred To Finance

Votes

2026-02-25 Senate Passed Yea: 49 Nay: 0 2026-03-17 House Passed As Amended Yea: 115 Nay: 0 2026-03-29 House Conference Report Adopted Yea: 121 Nay: 0 2026-03-29 Senate Conference Report Adopted Yea: 50 Nay: 0

Committee Referrals

2026-02-24 S Finance 2026-02-26 H Ways and Means

Amendments

0000-00-00 House Committee Amendment No 1

Bill Text Versions

2026-02-24 Introduced 2026-02-26 Engrossed 2026-04-06 Enrolled Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)

Named provisions

Mississippi 2026 Severe Winter Storm Electric Utility Customer Relief And Electric Utility System Restoration Act System Restoration Charge Financing Order Sinking Funds