HB 1449 Mississippi House · 2025 Regular Session

Twentieth Circuit Court District; increase assistant district attorneys and criminal investigators.

HB 1449 increases staffing in Mississippi's Twentieth Circuit Court District by amending two statutes. It raises the authorized number of assistant district attorneys from 11 to 13 (under Section 25-31-5) and adds one criminal investigator position, increasing the total to three (under Section 25-31-10). The bill directly affects the Twentieth Circuit Court District's prosecution office, which covers counties including Hinds, Rankin, and Madison. These changes would allow the district attorney's office to hire additional staff for criminal prosecutions, subject to available funding. The bill was referred to committee but died there on March 4, 2025.

Bill status died 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Feb 2025

House Passage

Feb 2025

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 11, 2025 Last action Mar 4, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

As Introduced → Current version · 6 edits

MODERATE

This bill increases the number of legal assistants and criminal investigators in Mississippi's Twentieth Circuit Court District from 13 to 13 legal assistants and 2 additional criminal investigators. It also expands the ability of district attorneys to hire additional staff using outside funding sources and clarifies reporting requirements for supplemental salaries.

Scope change

The bill now explicitly allows district attorneys to employ additional legal assistants and criminal investigators without regard to statutory limits when funded by external sources, including federal funds, private grants, and interlocal agreements.

FISCAL

Expanded authority for district attorneys to hire additional staff using non-state funds from counties, municipalities, federal sources, private grants, or interlocal cooperative agreements.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement for district attorneys to report supplemental salary amounts and funding sources to county boards of supervisors and the Department of Finance and Administration.

New provision authorizing district attorneys to assign duties of legal assistants regardless of funding source.

New provision authorizing district attorneys to assign duties of criminal investigators regardless of funding source.

ELIGIBILITY

Increased the number of legal assistants in the Twentieth Circuit Court District from 13 to 13 (clarified) and added provisions for additional criminal investigators in specific circuit court districts.

TIMELINE

Effective date changed to July 1, 2025 for the new provisions regarding additional staff and funding flexibility.

Floor votes · House Feb 5, 2025

How they voted

94–9

Passed · 16 other

Total votes 119

Feb 5, 2025

D Democratic39

19 Yea 9 Nay 11

48% Yea

I Independent2

1 Yea 1

50% Yea

R Republican78

74 Yea 4

94% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 17, 2025

Committee

Referred To Judiciary, Division A;Appropriations

upper

Feb 11, 2025

Introduced

Transmitted To Senate

lower

Feb 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed

lower

Jan 30, 2025

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass

lower

Jan 20, 2025

Committee

Referred To Judiciary B

lower

1 primary · 6 co-sponsors