Mississippi

An Act To Direct The Governor To Select And Appoint A Private Auditor To Determine The Extent To Which The Mississippi State Department Of Health And The Mississippi State Board Of Medical Licensure Have Complied With Federal And State Abstinence Education Law, The Reap Act And The Women's Health Defense Act Of 2013; To Authorize The Private Auditor To Request Documents, Conduct Interviews And Pose Written Questions To The Department And The Board That Must Be Answered Within 60 Days; To Require Reports; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 23-15-573, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Authorize An Individual To Vote By Affidavit On Election Day If The Individual Registered After The Thirty-day Qualifying Cutoff But Before Election Day; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Enact The Purple Angels Law; To Create A Registry Of Persistent Domestic Violence Offenders Within The Mississippi Department Of Public Safety; To Define Terms; To Require The Court Of Conviction To Order Registration Upon Qualifying Convictions; To Require Clerks Of Court To Transmit Conviction Data; To Provide A Registration Fee Assessed Against Each Qualifying Offender; To Provide For The Distribution Of Funds To Support Domestic Violence Prevention And Intervention Services Through The State Department Of Health; To Establish Timeframes For Removal From The Registry; To Direct Codification Of The Act As A Chapter Within Title 45; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 73-9-5, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Revise Certain Requirements For Dental Hygienists Practicing Under General Supervision; To Update Cpr And Continuing Education Requirements; To Authorize Dental Hygiene Practice Under General Supervision In Licensed Nursing Homes, Institutions For The Aged Or Infirm And Correctional Facilities; To Allow Patients In Licensed Nursing Homes, Institutions For The Aged Or Infirm And Correctional Facilities To Be Seen Four Times Consecutively Under General Supervision; To Limit The Services That May Be Provided In Such Settings To Noninvasive Routine Services; To Revise Limitations On Supervision And Patient Eligibility; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 11-44-7, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Remove The Limitation For Damages When A Person Is Wrongfully Convicted Or Incarcerated; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 97-19-57, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Revise The Amount Of The Service Charge For A Check, Draft, Order, Or Electronically Converted Check That Has Been Dishonored; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Sections 73-25-1, 73-25-3, 73-25-5, 73-25-14, 73-25-17, 73-25-18, 73-25-21, 73-25-23, 73-25-27, 73-25-28, 73-25-29, 73-25-30, 73-25-31, 73-25-32, 73-25-33, 73-25-34, 73-25-53, 73-25-55, 73-25-57, 73-25-59, 73-25-61, 73-25-63, 73-25-65, 73-25-83, 73-25-87 And 73-25-89, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Revise Certain Definitions Under The Medical Practice Act; To Clarify Certain Procedures To Obtain A License To Practice Medicine; To Provide For Electronic Notice Of License Renewal; To Provide Procedures For Physicians To Request Retired Status; To Clarify Procedures For The Issuance Of A Temporary License To Practice Medicine; To Clarify Procedures For Issuance Of A License By Reciprocity; To Revise Certain Procedures For Disciplinary Action Against Licensees, The Issuance Of Subpoenas By The Board Of Medical Licensure, The Grounds For Disciplinary Action, The Options Available To The Board Following Disciplinary Hearings Against Licensees, And Petitions For Reinstatement Of Licenses; To Clarify The Action Of The Unlawful Practice Of Medicine And The Authority Of The Board To Seek Injunctive Relief; To Delete A Certain Exception To Licensure; To Include Behavioral Conduct That Could Be Addressed By Treatment To The List Of Reasons A Licensee Shall Be Subject To Restriction Of His Or Her License; To Clarify Certain Procedures Under The Disabled Physician Law; To Conform To The Provisions Of The Act; To Revise Disciplinary Action That The Board Is Authorized To Take, Including Placing A Licensee On Probation Or Imposing A Punitive Fine; To Provide That A Hearing Must Be Held Within 30 Days If The Board Determines That A Physician's Continuation Of Practice Is An Immediate Danger; To Exclude Individuals Engaged Solely In The Practice Of Midwifery From The Chapter; To Conform To The Provisions Of The Act; To Create New Section 73-43-19, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require The Mississippi Physician Health Program To Provide Performance Statistics To The State Board Of Medical Licensure; To Amend Section 73-43-3, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide For Additional Members Of The Board Who Shall Be Members Of The Public Not Related To The Healthcare Industry; To Repeal Sections 73-25-7, 73-25-9, 73-25-15, 73-25-19, 73-25-25, 73-25-39 And 73-25-81, Mississippi Code Of 1972, Which Require The State Board Of Medical Licensure To Meet At The Capitol At Least Once Each Year For The Purpose Of Examining Applicants; Which Provides For The Fee Charged By The State Board Of Medical Licensure To Apply For A License To Practice; Which Provides For The Procedures For Lost Medical Licenses; Which Provides For Certain Provisions Related To Nonresident Physicians; Which Provides For Certain Procedures For Those Desiring To Practice Osteopathic Medicine In The State; Which Allows The State Board Of Medical Licensure To Contract For The Acquisition Of Books And Other Records; Which Provides A Technical Reference To The Mississippi State Board Of Medical Licensure; To Create New Sections 73-44-1, 73-44-3, 73-44-5, 73-44-7 And 73-44-9, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Set Forth Certain Legislative Findings; To Create The State Board Of Health Professions And To Set Forth The Membership Composition, Appointment Process, Qualifications And Terms For The Board; To Provide That The Chairman Of The State Board Of Health Professions Shall Be Elected By Its Board Members, That The Board Shall Meet At Least Quarterly, That A Majority Of The Board Shall Constitute A Quorum For The Purpose Of Conducting Business And That Members Of The Board Shall Be Entitled To Actual Travel Expenses And Per Diem As Provided In Sections 5-3-41 And 25-3-69; To Set Forth Powers And Duties Of The State Board Of Health Professions; To Provide That The State Department Of Health Shall Request An Annual Budget And Provide A Meeting Space And Administrative Support For The State Board Of Health Professions; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 27-104-7, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Exempt From Public Procurement Review Board Approval Contracts Entered Into By The Office Of State Aid Road Construction (osarc) For Personal Service Contracts; To Amend Section 65-9-7, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Increase The Number Of Passenger Automobiles The Osarc May Own And Operate From Seven To 13; To Amend Section 65-9-17, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Whenever A County Fails To Expend The Monies Allocated To It To Repair And Replace Deficient State Aid System Bridges In Its County Under The State Aid Road Fund For An Uninterrupted Period Of Two Successive Fiscal Years, The County Shall Forfeit And No Longer Be Entitled To The Outstanding Cumulative Balance On Hand Of The Monies That Were Allocated To It Under The Fund Before That Period Of Time; To Require That Such Forfeited Monies Be Reallocated Annually Among Only Those Counties That Are Determined By The State Aid Engineer To Have State Aid Road Fund Projects For Deficient Bridges That Are Ready For Construction But Are Not Being Undertaken Due To Lack Of Funds; To Amend Section 65-37-7, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Enable Reallocation Of Certain Forfeited Monies To Counties That Are Determined By The State Aid Engineer To Have Local System Bridge Replacement And Rehabilitation Program Projects Or Other Deficient Bridge Projects That Are Ready For Construction But Are Not Being Undertaken Due To Lack Of Funds; To Amend Section 65-37-15, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Modify Approved Expenditures For Monies In The Local System Bridge Replacement And Rehabilitation Fund That Are Allocated To A Particular County; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Define "name, Image And Likeness Activity"; Require State Institutions Of Higher Learning To Provide Mandatory Financial Literacy Workshops For Student-athletes Engaged In Name, Image And Likeness Activities; To Allow All Student-athletes To Participate In Such Workshops; To Prescribe Minimum Requirements For Such Workshops; To Allow State Institutions Of Higher Learning To Contract With Certain Organizations To Produce Such Workshops; And For Related Purposes.

A Concurrent Resolution Proposing An Amendment To Section 273, Mississippi Constitution Of 1890, To Reinstate The Initiative Procedure Declared Invalid By The Mississippi Supreme Court; To Base The Number Of Signatures Required For An Initiative Petition On The Number Of Registered Voters; To Conform The Pro Rata Signature Requirements From Each Congressional District For An Initiative Petition To The Number Of Congressional Districts At The Time The Initiative Is Filed; To Specify That Petition Signature Requirements Shall Include Home Address; And To Provide That Only One Proposal Of Law And Matters Properly Connected Therewith Shall Be Contained In An Initiative Petition To Enable The Electors To Vote On That Proposal Separately.

An Act To Create The Mississippi On-farm Sales And Food Freedom Act; To Define Certain Terms; To Prohibit Any County, Municipality Or Other Political Subdivision Of This State From Regulating Certain Practices Involved In The Production Of Agricultural Or Farm Products On Any Private Property; To Prohibit Any County, Municipality Or Other Political Subdivision From Restricting The Retail Sale Or Distribution Of Unprocessed Agricultural Or Farm Products Grown Or Raised In This State Directly From The Producer To The Consumer; To Prohibit Any County, Municipality Or Other Political Subdivision From Requiring Any Permit For The Growing Or Raising Of Agricultural Products On Certain Properties When Those Products Are Used For Noncommercial Purposes; To Clarify That This Act May Not Be Construed To Give Individual Rights That Supersede Any Local Zoning Ordinance Or Nuisance Law; To Require Agricultural Or Farm Products Sold Under This Act To Be Clearly Marked And Labeled With A "buyers Beware" Label Outlining The Inherent Risk Associated With Consuming Unprocessed Products; To Amend Section 75-31-65, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Revise The Provisions Relating To The Incidental Sales Of Raw Goat Milk Or Raw Milk Products To Include Milk Produced From Cows; To Amend Section 69-3-11, Mississippi Code Of 1972, In Conformity To The Preceding Provisions; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create The No Patient Left Alone Act; To Provide That Minor And Adult Patients In Health Care Facilities Shall Have The Right To Designate A Visitor With Visitation Rights; To Authorize Health Care Facilities To Establish Certain Visitation Policies; To Authorize Health Care Facilities To Mandate Certain Safety Protocols And To Revoke Visitation Rights For Failure To Comply; To Prohibit The Termination, Suspension Or Waiver Of Visitation Rights By Certain Parties; To Provide Certain Limitations To These Rights; To Prohibit Health Care Facilities From Requiring Patients To Waive Certain Rights; To Require The Department Of Health To Develop Certain Informational Materials; To Authorize The Department To Fine Health Care Facilities For Violations Of This Act; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create A Separate Retirement System For First Responders, Including Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, Emergency Medical Services Providers, Emergency Management Personnel, And Public Safety Telecommunicators; To Define Eligibility For Membership In The System; To Provide For Employee And Employer Contributions To Fund The System; To Establish Benefits For Disability And Superannuation Retirement And Establish Death Benefits; To Establish A Cost-of-living Adjustment (cola) Tied To The Consumer Price Index For Urban Wage Earners And Clerical Workers(cpi-w); To Establish An Administrative Board To Assist With The Operation Of The System; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Require A Foreign Third-party Litigation Funder To Disclose Certain Information To The Attorney General; To Require Such Disclosure In Writing To The Attorney General; To Require The Disclosure No More Than 30 Days After Execution Of The Agreement; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create The Domestic Violence Registry Act; To Require The Department Of Public Safety To Create A Registry That Includes Identifying Information For Any Person Convicted One Or More Times For Domestic Violence; To Require Any Person With More Than One Conviction For Domestic Violence To Register With The Department Of Public Safety; To Require The Applicable Court Clerk To Send The Required Information To The Department Of Public Safety Upon Conviction Or Release; To Provide Conditions And Time Periods For Which The Registrant's Information Must Be Removed; To Provide That This Act Applies To Persons Convicted For Domestic Violence On Or After July 1, 2026; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 28 Of Chapter 549, Laws Of 2023, As Amended By Section 1 Of Chapter 510, Laws Of 2024, To Authorize The Funds Provided To The Town Of D'lo For Certain Road Projects To Be Used For Other Streets; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Establish A Mentorship Program For School Business Officials In Mississippi To Facilitate Knowledge Exchange, Improve Problem-solving Skills, And Enhance The Efficiency And Effectiveness Of School Financial And Operational Management; To Provide For The Administration Of The Program By The Mississippi Department Of Education In Partnership With The Mississippi Association Of School Business Officials; To Set Eligibility Requirements And Guidelines For Mentors And Mentees; To Provide For Program Evaluation And Annual Reporting; To Require The Mississippi Association Of School Business Officials To Conduct Annual Workshops For All Mentors To Define The Objectives Of The Mentoring Program; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 63-3-809, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require Drivers To Exercise Cautionary Driving When Approaching Disabled Vehicles On Or Adjacent To The Roadway, By Slowing Down Or Moving Into A Lane Not Adjacent To The Lane Occupied By The Disabled Vehicle; To Define The Term "disabled Vehicle"; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Provide For The Establishment Of Portable Benefit Accounts For Independent Contractors; To Authorize A Hiring Party To Contribute Funds To The Portable Benefit Account For An Independent Contractor; To Provide That A Hiring Party May Withhold A Percentage Of Funds From The Compensation Owed To An Independent Contractor If Both Parties Agree To The Withholding In Writing; To Bring Forward Sections 27-7-16, 27-7-17 And 71-9-5, Mississippi Code Of 1972, For The Purpose Of Possible Amendment; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Enact The "uniform Public Expression Protection Act"; To Provide Definitions For The Act; To Provide The Circumstances For Which This Act Applies; To Provide That This Act Does Not Apply To Any Cause Of Action Asserted Against A Governmental Unit Or Employee Of Said Unit Acting Or Purporting To Act In An Official Capacity; To Provide That This Act Does Not Apply To Any Cause Of Action Asserted By A Governmental Unit Or Employee Of Said Unit Acting Or Purporting To Act In An Official Capacity To Enforce A Law To Protect Against An Imminent Threat To Public Health Or Safety; To Provide That This Act Does Not Apply To Any Cause Of Action Asserted Against A Person Primarily Engaged In The Selling Or Leasing Of Goods If The Cause Of Action Arises Out Of A Communication Related To The Person's Sale Or Lease Of The Goods Or Services; To Provide For The Timeline To Respond To A Pleading That Asserts A Cause Of Action For Which This Act Applies; To Provide The Circumstances When Proceedings Between A Moving Party And A Responding Party Are Stayed Upon The Filing Of A Special Motion For Expedited Relief To Dismiss A Cause Of Action Or Part Of The Cause Of Action; And For Related Purposes; To Provide That A Court Shall Hear A Motion Brought Under This Act Within Sixty Days After The Filing Of The Motion Unless Discovery Is Allowed Or For Other Good Cause; To Clarify That In Ruling On A Motion Under Section 3 Of This Act That A Court Shall Consider Any Evidence That It Could Consider In Ruling On A Motion For Summary Judgment Under The Mississippi Rules Of Civil Procedure; To Provide The Grounds Upon Which A Court Shall Dismiss A Cause Of Action Subject To This Act; To Provide For The Effect Of A Prejudicial Or Non-prejudicial Voluntary Dismissal By A Responding Party On The Right Of A Moving Party To Obtain Costs And Attorney's Fees; To Provide That A Court Shall Rule On A Motion Under Section 3 Of This Act Not Later Than Sixty Days After A Hearing On Said Motion; To Authorize A Moving Party To Appeal From An Order Denying A Motion In Whole Or In Part Which Must Be Filed Not Later Than Thirty Days After Entry Of The Order; To Provide The Requirements For When A Court Shall Award Costs, Reasonable Attorney Fees, And Reasonable Litigation Expenses Related To A Motion Under Section Three Of This Act; To Provide That This Act Shall Be Broadly Construed And Applied To Protect First Amendment Rights Guaranteed By The United States Constitution And The Mississippi Constitution; To Provide That In Applying And Construing This Act Consideration Shall Be Given To The Need To Promote Uniformity Of The Law With Respect To Its Subject Matter Among States That Enact It; To Direct Codification; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Provide That No County, Municipality Or School District Of This State Shall Enforce A Foreign Law If Doing So Would Violate A Right Guaranteed To A Natural Person By The United States Constitution Or The Mississippi Constitution; To Provide That, If A County, Municipality Or School District Is Found To Be In Violation Of This Section, The School District Associated With The Noncompliant Local Government Unit Shall Not Be Entitled To The Funding Provided To Transferee School Districts Under Section 37-151-93 For The Following School Year; To Amend Section 37-151-93, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Authorize The Division Of Medicaid To Make Payments To A Border City University-affiliated Pediatric Teaching Hospital If The Centers For Medicare And Medicaid Services Approve An Increase In The Annual Request For The Provider Payment Initiative Authorized Under Federal Regulations In An Amount Equal To Or Greater Than The Estimated Annual Payment To Be Made To The Border City University Affiliated Pediatric Teaching Hospital; To Bring Forward Section 43-13-117, Mississippi Code Of 1972, For The Purpose Of Possible Amendment; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 9-21-43, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require Monies Remitted By The Clerks Of Each Chancery And Circuit Court To The Civil Legal Assistance Fund To Be Allocated To The Mississippi Center For Legal Services; To Amend Sections 25-7-9 And 25-7-13, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Increase The Fee Collected By The Clerk Of Each Chancery And Circuit Court For Deposit Into The Fund To Fifteen Dollars; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 23-15-11, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That A Person Who Is Otherwise A Qualified Elector And Has Been Convicted Of Voter Fraud, Of Any Crime Listed In Section 241, Mississippi Constitution Of 1890, Or Of Any Crime Interpreted As Disenfranchising In Later Attorney General Opinions, Shall Have His Or Her Right To Vote Suspended Upon Conviction But Shall Have His Or Her Right To Vote Automatically Restored Once He Or She Has Satisfied All Of The Sentencing Requirements Of The Conviction; To Amend Sections 23-15-19, 23-15-125, 23-15-151, 23-15-153 And 23-15-165, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform To The Preceding Section; To Bring Forward Sections 97-39-3 And 99-19-37, Mississippi Code Of 1972, For The Purpose Of Possible Amendment; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Allow A Qualified Heavy Equipment Rental Business To Charge To A Renter A Recovery Fee In An Amount Not To Exceed 2% Of The Rental Charge For Each Item Of Heavy Equipment Rented In This State; To Provide That Such A Fee Shall Be Used To Pay Or As A Reimbursement For The Payment Of Any Ad Valorem Taxes Levied Or Assessed On The Qualified Rental Business's Heavy Equipment In The State; To Provide That Any Recovery Fees Collected That Exceed The Ad Valorem Taxes Levied Upon A Qualified Heavy Equipment Rental Business In Any Year May Be Held And Applied To Taxes Levied Or Assessed In Any Subsequent Year; And For Related Purposes.