SB 2263 Mississippi Senate · 2025 Regular Session

Approval of oyster leases by the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources; clarify authority.

Mississippi's SB 2263 clarifies the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources' authority to approve oyster leases on state-owned waters. The bill specifies that lease applicants must be Mississippi residents or Mississippi-registered businesses, sets a $3 annual per-acre rental rate, and requires leaseholders to actively cultivate oysters while submitting annual reports. It also ensures that unleased oyster areas remain publicly accessible and outlines clear procedures for lease applications, renewals (15-year terms), and penalties for late payments (10% fee or lease termination). The law directly affects oyster leaseholders, the department, and the public by streamlining lease management and protecting public access to unleased waters.

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2025

Committee Review

Apr 2025

Senate Passage

Feb 2025

House Passage

Mar 2025

Signed into Law

Apr 2025

Introduced Feb 6, 2025 Signed Apr 10, 2025

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the upper → Current version · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill clarifies the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources' authority to lease oyster beds and sets clear rules for public access to unleased areas. The changes add discretion to the department in leasing decisions, clarify that public access remains open to areas not leased, and establish a specific effective date of July 1, 2025.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on oyster lease management, but clarifies the department's authority and public access rules.

ELIGIBILITY

Added language allowing the department to use discretion when leasing areas to applicants without oyster cultivation experience.

REQUIREMENT

Reformatted lease area configuration rules to clarify the department's authority to reconfigure requested areas.

DEFINITION

Clarified that permitted areas not subject to a lease must remain open to the public.

TIMELINE

Changed the effective date from passage to July 1, 2025.

TECHNICAL

Minor formatting changes to section numbering and text structure throughout the bill.

As Introduced → Committee Substitute · 7 edits

MODERATE

The bill was significantly rewritten from its original version to clarify authority over oyster leases and public access to state reefs. The Committee Substitute version simplifies the title, focuses specifically on oyster lease authority and public access to state-owned reefs, and removes unrelated provisions about various seafood marketing accounts that were in the original bill.

Scope change

The bill's scope narrowed from a broad seafood fund management act to specifically address oyster lease authority and public access to state-owned reefs. The original bill included multiple special accounts for artificial reefs, coastal preserves, and seafood marketing that were removed in the Committee Substitute.

SCOPE

The bill title and purpose were changed from bringing forward multiple sections about seafood funds to specifically amending sections 49-15-27 and 49-15-36 to clarify oyster lease authority and public access to state reefs.

FISCAL

All provisions establishing special accounts for artificial reefs, coastal preserves, and seafood marketing programs were removed from the bill.

REQUIREMENT

New requirements were added for oyster lease applications including a $50 application fee, prioritization criteria based on experience and financial ability, and specific lease terms of 15 years with renewal options.

ELIGIBILITY

New eligibility requirements were added requiring lessees to be Mississippi residents or Mississippi-organized entities owned by Mississippi residents, with lease size limits of 1-2,500 acres.

ENFORCEMENT

New enforcement provisions were added including penalties for unauthorized oyster taking, lease termination for non-payment, and requirements for marking leased areas with poles or buoys.

DEFINITION

New provisions clarify that permitted areas not subject to a lease shall remain open to the public and that state-owned reefs cannot exceed 20% of permitted areas.

TIMELINE

The bill now applies retroactively to leases issued before April 17, 2023, requiring those leases to be revised to comply with new provisions.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 5, 2025 · House Mar 5, 2025

How they voted

50–0

Passed · 1 other

Total votes 51

Feb 5, 2025

D Democratic16

16 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican35

34 Yea 1

97% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Apr 10, 2025

Signed into law

Approved by Governor

executive

Apr 1, 2025

Lower · Passed

Conference Report Adopted

lower

Mar 31, 2025

Lower · Passed

Conference Report Filed

lower

Mar 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

Passed As Amended

lower

Mar 5, 2025

Lower · Passed

Amended

lower

Feb 27, 2025

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass As Amended

lower

Feb 10, 2025

Committee

Referred To Marine Resources

lower

Feb 6, 2025

Introduced

Transmitted To House

upper

Feb 5, 2025

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

Feb 4, 2025

Upper · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

upper

Jan 20, 2025

Committee

Referred To Ports and Marine Resources

upper

0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

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