Mississippi

An Act To Amend Section 63-3-519, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Authorize The Law Enforcement Officers Within Any Municipality With A Population Of Under 15,000, With The Exception Of Pass Christian, Mississippi, To Utilize Radar Speed Detection Equipment On Federally Designated Highways Lying Within The Corporate Limits Of The Municipality; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Prohibit State, County And Municipal Agencies, Departments, Institutions Or Offices, Or Their Political Subdivisions, From Entering Into Minority Set-aside Contracts Or From Providing Minority Businesses With Preferential Treatment With Public Contracts And Purchases On The Basis Of Race, Ethnicity Or Sex; To Amend Sections 27-104-7, 31-7-13, 57-69-5, 57-69-9, 57-75-9, 57-75-11 And 57-75-21, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform To The Preceding Section; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Provide Procedures By Which Qualified Electors Of This State May Initiate Proposed Amendments To The Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Be Approved By The Electorate At The Next Statewide General Election; To Provide For The Manner And Time For Filing Initiative Petitions With The Secretary Of State; To Prescribe The Duties And Powers Of The Secretary Of State With Regard To Receiving, Filing And Certifying Initiative Measures And Petitions; To Prescribe The Form Of Initiative Petitions And The Form Of Such Measures For The Ballots; To Authorize Appeals From Adverse Findings Of The Secretary Of State Regarding Initiative Measures And Petitions; To Provide Criminal Penalties For Certain Conduct Prescribed As Unlawful Under The Provisions Of This Act; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Sections 21-19-11 And 19-5-105, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Any Municipal Governing Authority And Any County Board Of Supervisors May Determine Whether Property That Has A Riparian Owner Is A Menace To The Public Health, Safety And Welfare Of The Community; To Provide That Such Property May Be Assessed Certain Fees And Penalties, Under Certain Circumstances, For The Cleaning Of Such Property If The Property Is Adjudicated A Menace By The Governing Authority Of A Municipality Or The Board Of Supervisors Of A County; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 37-13-91, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Absences Resulting From Students Disability As Defined By State Statute, Under Idea And Section 504 Of The Rehabilitation Act Of 1973, Shall Be Deemed Excused; To Exempt The Parents Or Legal Guardians Of Children With Disabilities From Prosecution For Absences Related To The Child's Disability; To Require The State Board Of Education To Adopt Rules And Regulations Governing The Implementation Of Procedures To Promote Interventions To Assist Students Vulnerable To Chronic Absenteeism And Schools And Districts With High Rates Of Chronic Absenteeism; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create "the Mississippi Heroes Support Fund Act"; To Authorize Sources Of Money For Deposit Into The Fund; To Authorize The Commissioner Of The Department Of Public Safety To Administer The Fund; To Authorize An Annual Distribution Of The Fund To All Full-time, Certified Law Enforcement Officers Who Have Completed At Least One Year Of Service With A Law Enforcement Agency In The State Of Mississippi; To Require All Municipal, County And State Law Enforcement Officers To Receive Accreditation From The Mississippi Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission By A Certain Date; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Provide That The State Department Of Health Shall Have Authority For Independent Air Traffic Control To Direct Air Traffic From Or Into Any Hospital Within The State During Certain Circumstances; To Provide That If The State Health Officer, Or His Or Her Designee, Determines That An Emergency Exists With Regard To Hospital Bed Availability During Influenza Season Or Due To The Presence Of A Burn Victim, And That Any Delay Associated With A Lack Of Independent Air Traffic Control To Effectuate Necessary Transfers Would Threaten The Health Or Safety Of Any Person, Then The State Health Officer, Or His Or Her Designee, Shall Have General Or Specific Authority To Direct Air Traffic Each Year From October 1 Through March 1 Or During Any Period Designated As Influenza Season When Icu Bed Capacity Falls Below 10%, And Shall Have Such Authority At Any Time With Regard To Burn Victims; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 43-13-117, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Direct The Division Of Medicaid To Apply For A Federal Waiver To Allow Coverage For An Additional Pair Of Eyeglasses Within A Five-year Period For Beneficiaries Who Are Twenty-one Years Of Age Or Older Whose Refraction Has Changed Within The Five-year Period And A Physician Skilled In Diseases Of The Eye Or An Optometrist Has Determined That A New Pair Of Eyeglasses Is Needed To Correct The Change In Refraction; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create The Strengthen Mississippi Homes Act; To Amend Section 83-1-191, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Rename The Comprehensive Hurricane Damage Program As The "strengthen Mississippi Homes Program"; To Require The Program To Provide For Hurricane, Tornado And Other Catastrophic Windstorm Damage Mitigation; To Delete Requirements For A Cost-benefit Study On Wind Hazard Mitigation Construction Measures, Wind Certification And Hurricane Mitigation Inspections, And An Advisory Council; To Increase The Maximum Amount Of Financial Grants, Per Home, Offered By The Program; To Require The Commissioner Of Insurance To Promulgate Rules For Issuing Grants Under The Program; To Rename The Comprehensive Hurricane Damage Mitigation Program Fund The "strengthen Mississippi Homes Program Fund"; To Delete The Repealer On The Program; To Require The Commissioner Of Insurance To Submit An Annual Report To The Governor, Lieutenant Governor And Chairs Of The House And Senate Insurance Committees On The Program; To Amend Section 83-5-73, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Increase The Fee Charged By The Commissioner Of Insurance For Filing And Processing An Agent's Certificate Of Authority; To Require Half Of The Fee To Be Deposited Into The Strengthen Mississippi Homes Program Fund And Half Into The State General Fund; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 67-1-81, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That, In Addition To Other Penalties Authorized Against A Permittee Under The Local Option Alcoholic Beverage Control Law For The Unlawful Sale, Furnishing, Giving Or Causing To Be Sold Of Alcoholic Beverages To Persons Under The Age Of 21, The Commissioner Of Revenue May Require, After A Third Or Subsequent Offense, That The Permittee Have And Use An Independent, Third-party Age-verification App On The Licensed Premises For The Purpose Of Determining Whether A Person To Whom Alcoholic Beverages Are Sold, Furnished, Given Or Caused To Be Sold Is 21 Years Of Age Or Older; To Authorize The Commissioner To Promulgate Rules And Regulations; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Require All Prospective Employees To Pass A Drug Test As A Condition Of Being Employed By The State Of Mississippi; To Require The State Personnel Board To Adopt Rules And Regulations Governing The Drug Testing Of Prospective State Employees; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Provide That The Odor Of Marijuana Alone Shall Not Provide A Law Enforcement Officer With Probable Cause To Conduct A Warrantless Search Of A Motor Vehicle, Home Or Other Private Property; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create The Statewide Information Technology Optimization Program To Provide For The Coordinated Planning, Development, Implementation And Oversight Of Enterprise Information Technology Architecture For All State Agencies; To Authorize The Mississippi Department Of Information Technology Services With Certain Powers And Duties To Implement The Program; To Require Agencies To Comply With The Phased Implementation Of The Program; To Create The It Optimization Fund In The State Treasury For Funds Made Available For The Purposes Of The Program; To Amend Sections 25-41-17 And 25-61-11.2, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Records Created And Meetings Occurring Pursuant To The Provisions Of This Act That Contain Sensitive Information Are Not Subject To The Open Meetings And Public Records Requirements Of This State; To Bring Forward Section 25-53-5, Mississippi Code Of 1972, For The Purpose Of Possible Amendment; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Be Known As The Mississippi Farm And Food Security Act Of 2026; To Amend Sections 37-13-131 Through 37-13-137, Mississippi Code Of 1972, Which Provide For The Comprehensive School Health Education Program, To Enhance Nutrition Education And Program Requirements; To Create New Section 43-1-42, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Establish The Mississippi Farm To Food Bank Program To Support The Procurement And Distribution Of Local Foods By Mississippi Food Banks; To Amend Section 69-1-353, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Clarify Terms And Definitions; To Create New Section 69-1-355, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Establish The Mississippi Farm, Food, And Nutrition Commission To Better Facilitate The Procurement, Purchase And Use Of Locally Grown And Locally Raised Agricultural Products Throughout The State, To Support The State Economy By Broadening Market Opportunities For Local Farmers And Producers, And To Increase Availability Of Locally Grown Or Raised Fresh Fruits And Vegetables And Agricultural Products; To Amend Section 73-25-14, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require Continuing Medical Education Relating To Nutrition And Metabolic Health For Renewal Of Physicians' Licenses; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 27-65-231, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Revise The Distribution Of State Sales Tax Revenue Collected From Persons Engaging Or Continuing In This State In The Business Of Renting Motor Vehicles Under Rental Agreements With A Term Of Not More Than Thirty Continuous Days Each; To Provide That A Portion Of Such Tax Revenue Shall Be Deposited Into The Mississippi Economic Development And Infrastructure Fund; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Authorize The Secretary Of State To Establish A Secure Website To Enable Student Voters To Submit Electronic Absentee Ballot Applications; To Establish The Documents Which Must Be Submitted By The Student To Approve Such Applications; To Provide That Upon Approval, Student Absentee Voters May Be Automatically Mailed Absentee Ballots For All Elections That Occur For A Certain Period Of Time; To Amend Sections 23-15-627, 23-15-631, 23-15-715 And 23-15-721, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create The Missing Persons Reporting And Identification Act; To Require Local Law Enforcement Agencies To Accept A Report Of A Missing Person; To Permit Local Law Enforcement Agencies To Attempt To Obtain Dna Of The Missing Person Or A Reference Sample From A Family Member's Dna To Be Submitted To The National Missing And Unidentified Persons System (namus) And The Mississippi Forensic Dna Identification System Or The National Dna Identification System; To Prohibit A Local Law Enforcement Agency From Accepting A Missing Person Report; To Require Local Law Enforcement Agencies To Accept Missing Person Reports In Person; To Provide For The Information The Local Law Enforcement Agency Shall Attempt To Gather Regarding The Missing Person's Disappearance; To Require The Local Law Enforcement Agency To Generate A Report Of The Missing Person Within The National Missing And Unidentified Persons System (namus) If The Person Identified Report Remains Missing After Five Days, But Not More Than Fifteen Days; To Define The Term "high-risk Missing Person" And The Procedures To Be Followed By Local Law Enforcement Agencies To Ensure That Those Persons Are Input In The National Missing And Unidentified Persons System (namus); To Require The Mississippi Department Of Public Safety To Establish Procedures For Determining How To Prioritize Analysis Of The Samples Relating To Missing Person Cases; To Require The Mississippi Department Of Public Safety To Immediately Notify All Local Law Enforcement Agencies Within This State And The Surrounding Region Of Information That Will Aid In The Prompt Location And Safe Return Of High-risk Missing Persons; To Bring Forward Sections 43-15-401 And 45-41-1, Mississippi Code Of 1972, For The Purpose Of Possible Amendments; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Reenact And Amend Section 43-13-405, Mississippi Code Of 1972, Which Was Repealed By Operation Of Law In 2017, To Establish The Health Care Trust Fund In The State Treasury, Into Which Shall Be Deposited All Tobacco Settlement Installment Payments Made To The State Except As Otherwise Provided In Section 41-113-11; To Provide That The Trust Fund Shall Remain Inviolate And Shall Never Be Expended, Except As Otherwise Provided By Law; To Amend Section 43-13-407, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform To The Preceding Section; To Bring Forward Section 41-113-11, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Which Created The Tobacco Control Program Fund, For The Purpose Of Possible Amendment; To Direct The State Treasurer, In Conjunction With The State Fiscal Officer, To Transfer The Sum Of One Billion Dollars From The Capital Expense Fund To The Health Care Trust Fund; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Establish A Youth Employment Grant Program To Be Administered By The Department Of Employment Security For The Purpose Of Assisting Municipalities With The Costs Of Providing Employment For Youth; To Provide That In Order For A Municipality To Be Eligible For A Grant Under The Provisions Of This Act, The Municipality Must Present To The Department Of Employment Security A Plan For Employing Youth In The Municipality And Must Agree To Provide Matching Funds Equal To Twenty Percent Of The Amount Of The Grant; To Create In The State Treasury A Special Fund To Be Known As The Youth Employment Grant Program Fund; To Provide That The Fund Will Consist Of Monies Appropriated By The Legislature For Funding The Program, And Any Other Monies That The Legislature May Designate For Deposit Into The Fund; To Provide That Monies In The Fund May Be Expended Upon Legislative Appropriation For Making Grants To Municipalities For The Purposes Specified In This Act; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 73-35-3, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Revise The Definition Of Real Estate Broker To Include Persons, Partnerships, Associations, Companies And Corporations Who Engage In The Practice Or Process Of Wholesaling; To Define Wholesaler; To Provide That Exemptions From Licensing Requirements Do Not Apply To Wholesalers; To Require Wholesalers To Provide Certain Written Disclosures To Homeowners; To Render Invalid Any Contract That Does Not Include The Required Disclosures; To Provide That The Disclosure Requirements Shall Only Apply To Transactions Involving Residential Real Estate; To Authorize The Mississippi Real Estate Commission To Promulgate Any Rules Necessary To Implement The Provisions Of This Act; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Sections 63-2-7 And 63-7-309, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Increase The Fines For Seatbelt And Child Safety Restraint Violations To $100.00 For Each Violation; To Provide For The Equal Distribution Of Fines Collected For Such Violation Between The State Department Of Education And The Mississippi Department Of Public Safety For Purposes Of Funding Driver's Education And Training; To Bring Forward Sections 63-2-1 And 63-7-301, Mississippi Code Of 1972, For The Purpose Of Possible Amendment; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Require A Comprehensive Course In Mississippi History To Be Taught To All Students In Grade 9 In Public Schools; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Amend Section 25-43-3.103, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require That The Notice Of A State Agency's Proposed Rule Adoption Include How Much The Proposed Rule Will Cost The State; To Require That A Copy Of The Notice Of Proposed Rule Adoption Be Provided To Each Member Of The Mississippi Legislature If The Estimated Cost Of The Proposed Rule Is $200,000.00 Or More Per Year Or $600,000.00 Or More Over Three Years; To Amend Section 25-43-3.105, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require That A Summary Of The Economic Impact Statement And The Proposed Rule Shall Be Forwarded To Each Member Of The Legislature At No Cost To The Member If The Estimated Cost Of The Proposed Rule Is $200,000.00 Or More Per Year Or $600,000.00 Or More Over Three Years; To Authorize The Legislature To Review, Make Objections To, And Make Written Recommendations For Changes To A Proposed Rule; To Provide That Such A Rule Will Not Become Effective Unless Approved By The Governor; To Amend Section 25-43-3.106, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require The Agency To Consider Any Objection Or Recommendation Made By The Legislature Before A Proposed Rule Is Adopted; To Amend Section 25-43-3.110, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Require The Agency To Include The Governor's Approval Or Objection To The Rule In The Rule-making Record; To Amend Section 25-43-3.111, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That A Rule Is Invalid Unless Adopted In Substantial Compliance With The Administrative Procedures Act As It Existed On The Date That The Rule Was Adopted; To Amend Sections 25-43-3.112 And 25-43-3.113, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Conform To The Provisions Of This Act; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Create The "mississippi State Special Schools Partnership And Autonomy Act Of 2026"; To Create New Section 37-142-1, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Set Forth Legislative Findings Recognizing The Statewide Public Purpose And Mission-driven Autonomy Of Mississippi's State Special Schools, Including The Mississippi School For Mathematics And Science, The Mississippi School Of The Arts, And The Mississippi Schools For The Deaf And The Blind; To Declare That Any Collaborative Relationships With Public Universities Must Not Diminish Institutional, Administrative, Fiscal Or Operational Independence; To Create New Section 37-142-3, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Define "state Special School" And "university Partner"; To Authorize The State Board Of Education, Acting Through The Administration Of A State Special School, To Enter Into Memoranda Of Understanding, Cooperative Agreements And Contracts With A University Partner For Academic Enrichment, Instruction, Shared Facilities, Joint Research And Professional Development, Dual Enrollment Or Early College Programming And Related Activities That Advance Student Learning And Institutional Missions, Subject To Approval By The State Board Of Education; To Authorize State Special Schools, On A Voluntary And Renewable Basis, To Contract With University Partners For Noninstructional Shared Services, Including Information Technology, Safety And Security, Maintenance, Custodial Services, Transportation Support, Food Service And Other Operational Functions; To Prohibit Any Partnership Agreement From Conferring Administrative, Supervisory, Policy-setting, Personnel, Budgetary Or Decision-making Authority Over A State Special School To A University Partner Or To The Board Of Trustees Of State Institutions Of Higher Learning; To Preserve Governance Exclusively In The State Board Of Education Unless Altered By Explicit Act Of The Legislature; To Require Public Posting Of All Agreements, Submission To The Senate And House Education Committees Within Thirty Days Of Execution, And Inclusion Of A Sunset, Termination, Or Mandatory Review Clause Not To Exceed Five Years; To Authorize Public Universities To Submit Proposals To The State Department Of Education For The Creation Of New State Special Schools Serving Grades 6 Through 12 Addressing Unmet Populations Or Specialty Areas, Subject To Approval By The State Board Of Education And Contingent Upon Subsequent Legislative Authorization Or Specific Appropriation; To Require That Any State Special School Established Thereafter Operate Under Exclusive State Board Of Education Governance, Function As Its Own Fiscal Agent, And Independently Manage Its Budget, Staffing, Contracts, Operations, Curriculum, Admissions, Instructional Methods And Student Supports, With University Involvement Limited To Advisory Roles Or Contractual Partnerships Expressly Permitted; To Require That Agreements Preserve The School's Fiscal And Operational Authorities And To Establish Facility And Service Expectations When A State Special School Operates On A University Campus, Including Responsibilities For Major Building Systems, Utilities, Maintenance Standards, Continuity Of Historically Provided Services, Access To Operational Records During Transition And Terms For Student Course Enrollment At The Partnering University; To Create New Section 37-142-5, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That Beginning In Fiscal Year 2027 Each State Special School Shall Be Additionally Funded Through The Mississippi Student Funding Formula As An Independent Public School Under Exclusive State Board Of Education Governance; To Provide That Formula Funding Shall Be Generated Based On Enrollment, Programmatic Weights, And Categorical Allocations Without Local Contribution Requirements; To Require Direct Allocation Of Formula Funds To Each State Special School As Its Own Fiscal Agent Without Routing Through A School District, Public University, Or The Institutions Of Higher Learning; To Clarify That The Legislature May Provide Additional Appropriations Or Capital Support Outside The Formula; And For Related Purposes.

An Act To Establish The Mississippi Community Solar Act Of 2026; To Define Terms; To Require The Public Service Commission To Establish A Program That Affords Consumers The Opportunity To Participate In Community Solar Projects; To Establish Guidelines For Such Program; To Prescribe Rights And Privileges Of Community Solar Organizations; To Allow The Commission To Establish Certain Rules And Regulations Concerning Community Solar Facilities; To Require Electric Utilities To Accept Interconnection Applications For Community Solar Facilities; To Require The Commission To Establish An Interconnection Study Group; To Require Each Electric Utility To Submit A Standard Interconnection Agreement For Community Solar Facilities For Commission Review And Approval; To Establish Requirements For Such Interconnection Agreement; To Require Each Electric Utility To File A Data Access Program For Commission Review; To Prescribe Requirements For Such Program; And For Related Purposes.