(1)(a) Contract personnel, whether classified as contract workers or independent contractors shall not be deemed state service or nonstate service employees of the State of Mississippi, and shall not be eligible to participate in the Public Employees' Retirement System, nor be allowed credit for personal and sick leave and other leave benefits as employees of the State of Mississippi, notwithstanding Sections 25-3-91 through 25-3-101; 25-9-101 through 25-9-151; 25-11-1 through 25-11-126; 25-11-128 through 25-11-131; 25-15-1 through 25-15-23 and for the purpose set forth herein. Contract workers, i.e., contract personnel who do not meet the criteria of independent contractors, shall be subject to the provisions of Section 25-11-127.(b) Contract workers for any department, agency or institution of the state government, any school district, community/junior college, public library or university-based program, whether classified as contract workers or independent contractors, may purchase the base plan of the State and School Employees' Health Insurance Plan provided that such person pays the full price of such plan without contribution from their employer.

t contractors, may purchase the base plan of the State and School Employees' Health Insurance Plan provided that such person pays the full price of such plan without contribution from their employer. Such government entities shall offer the base plan to any such personnel who work at least one hundred thirty (130) hours per month. The provisions of this paragraph (b) shall not apply to independent contractors. The State and School Employees' Health Insurance Management Board shall establish the premiums.(2) The Personal Service Contract Review Board is abolished. The Public Procurement Review Board shall be the Personal Service Contract Review Board and shall retain all powers and duties granted by law to the Personal Service Contract Review Board. All equipment, inventories, records, personnel, resources and other property, real or personal, tangible or intangible, of the Personal Service Contract Review Board shall be transferred to the Public Procurement Review Board as provided in Section 27-104-7. The transfer of personnel shall be commensurate with the number and classification of positions (PINS) allocated to the Personal Service Contract Review Board on June 30, 2017.

d in Section 27-104-7. The transfer of personnel shall be commensurate with the number and classification of positions (PINS) allocated to the Personal Service Contract Review Board on June 30, 2017. Wherever the terms 'Personal Service Contract Review Board' or 'board,' when referring to the Personal Service Contract Review Board, appear in any law, rule, regulation or document the same shall be construed to mean the Public Procurement Review Board.Laws, 1994, ch. 401, § 1; Laws, 1997, ch. 609, § 3; Laws, 1999, ch. 421, § 5, eff. 6/1/1999 (the date the United States Attorney General interposed no objection under Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965).Amended by Laws, 2023, ch. 421, SB 2615,§ 2, eff. 7/1/2023.Amended by Laws, 2017, ch. 400, HB 1109, 14, eff. 1/1/2018.Amended by Laws, 2017, ch. 309, HB 342, 1, eff. 3/9/2017.Amended by Laws, 2016, ch. 494, SB 2179, 4, eff. 7/1/2016.Amended by Laws, 2015, ch. 431, HB 825, 1, eff. 7/1/2015.