Mississippi Code Title 57. Planning, Research and Development § 57-121-5

(1) The Legislature facilitates access by Mississippi small businesses to federal relief and recovery funds related to COVID-19. Accordingly, the Back to Business Mississippi Grant Program is established, to be administered by the MDA, for the purpose of making grants to eligible businesses to reimburse them for eligible expenses as defined in this chapter.

(2) From the date of the beginning of the period for applications for grants under this section, the MDA shall for the first twenty-one (21) days of the application period only consider and review applications from eligible businesses that (i) did not receive a United States Small Business Administration-Guaranty Paycheck Protection Program loan and/or a United States Small Business Administration Economic Injury Disaster Loan Emergency Advance, (ii) did not receive and has not been awarded reimbursement under any other federal program for the expenses that will be reimbursed by a grant under this section and (iii) did not receive compensation from an insurance company for the interruption of business. After the completion of such twenty-one-day period, the MDA shall consider and review applications from any eligible businesses. The MDA shall not consider applications filed after September 15, 2020.

(3) The MDA shall develop regulations, procedures and application forms to govern the administration of the program. The MDA may enter into a personal services contract, subject to approval by the Public Procurement Review Board, for the administrative services of the program. The contract shall be let and awarded after receiving at least two (2) bids for time and expense not to exceed Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($900,000.00). The MDA may retain up to Nine Hundred Thousand Dollars ($900,000.00) of monies available under this chapter to pay reasonable expenses incurred in the administration of the program.