27-105-25 - Failure to pay treasurer's check.
§ 27-105-25. Failure to pay treasurer's check.
(1) In the event of the failure of any public funds depository to pay any check lawfully issued by the State of Mississippi or any agency or department of the state or any county, municipality or other governmental unit on any funds on deposit belonging to the State of Mississippi or any agency or department of the state or any county, municipality or other governmental unit in the depository, the State Treasurer is empowered to sell such securities as are placed with him by the depository, or so much of them as is necessary to cover back into the Treasury of the State of Mississippi or any agency or department of the state or any county, municipality or other governmental unit the amount of state funds on deposit with the depository with accrued interest thereon in excess of applicable deposit insurance, and the sale of the securities shall be made by the State Treasurer at the best price that he can obtain at either public or private sale, and in the event of the failure of the depository to pay any check when the depository has placed as security surety bonds, the Treasurer shall notify the Attorney General and that officer shall take such immediate action as he may deem most expedient for covering back into the Treasury of the State of Mississippi or any agency or department of the state or any county, municipality or other governmental unit all state money on deposit in the depository. In addition, the Attorney General is authorized to employ counsel, if necessary, to more speedily enforce the payment and expense of that collection, including counsel fees, to be charged against the depository, and, in addition thereto, the depository will be liable for damages at the rate of one percent (1%) per month for any delay in paying over any state funds when demanded, and the bond of any depository shall be liable for those expenses and damages.
(2) If the loss to the State of Mississippi or any agency or department of the state or any county, municipality or other governmental unit (hereinafter "public depositors") of the depository that is also a public funds guaranty pool member is not covered by deposit insurance or the proceeds of the sale of securities, the State Treasurer shall provide coverage of the remaining loss by assessment against the other public funds guaranty pool members. The assessment shall be determined by multiplying the total amount of the loss to all public depositors by a percentage that represents the share of public fund deposits held by the depository divided by the total public deposits held by all public funds guaranty pool members, excluding the public deposits of the defaulting depository, as determined by the State Treasurer from the average of the six (6) most recent month-end reports of the public funds guaranty pool members provided under Section 27-105-6. Each public funds guaranty pool member shall pay its assessment to the State Treasurer within seven (7) business days after it receives notice of the assessment. If a public funds guaranty pool member fails to pay its assessment when due, the State Treasurer shall satisfy the assessment by selling securities pledged by any depository failing to pay the assessment.
(3) The State Treasurer shall distribute the funds to the public depositors of the public funds depository in default according to their validated claims.
(4) Public depositors receiving payment under the provisions of this section shall assign to the State Treasurer any interest they may have in funds that may subsequently be made available to the depository in default, if the depository in default or its receiver provides funds to the State Treasurer, the State Treasurer shall distribute the funds, plus all accrued interest that has accumulated from the investment of the funds, if any, to the public funds guaranty pool members that paid assessments on the same pro rata basis as the assessments were paid.
Sources: Codes, Hemingway's 1917, § 4201; 1930, § 4334; 1942, § 9137; Laws, 1908, ch. 96; Laws, 2000, ch. 408, § 5, eff from and after July 1, 2001.