For the purposes of this article, the words and phrases used herein shall have the following meanings:
(a) "Employee" means a person who works full time for the State of Mississippi and receives his compensation in a direct payment from a department, agency or institution of the state government and any person who works full time for any school district, community/junior college, public library or university-based program authorized under Section 37-23-31 for deaf, aphasic and emotionally disturbed children or any regular nonstudent bus driver. This shall include legislators, employees of the legislative branch and the judicial branch of the state and "employees" shall include full-time salaried judges and full-time district attorneys and their staff and full-time compulsory school attendance officers. For the purposes of this article, any "employee" making contributions to the State of Mississippi retirement plan shall be considered a full-time employee. For purposes of this article, "employee" shall not mean contract personnel.(b) "Department" means the Department of Finance and Administration.(c) "Plan" means the State and School Employees Life and Health Insurance Plan created under this article.(d) "Fund" means the State and School Employees Insurance Fund set up under this article.(e) "Retiree" means any employee retired under the Mississippi retirement plan.(f) "Board" means the State and School Employees Health Insurance Management Board created under Section 25-15-303. Codes, 1942, § 5834-132; Laws, 1971, ch. 523, § 2; Laws, 1972, ch. 537, § 1; Laws, 1984, ch. 488, § 143; Laws, 1999, ch. 511, § 1; Laws, 2002, ch. 636, § 4, eff. 7/1/2002.Amended by Laws, 2023, ch. 421, SB 2615,§ 1, eff. 7/1/2023.Amended by Laws, 2016, ch. 397, HB 899, 19, eff. 7/1/2016.