HB 935 extends the expiration date for Mississippi's MAICU Infrastructure Grant Program, which provides ARPA-funded grants to seven specific private colleges: Belhaven University, Blue Mountain College, Millsaps College, Mississippi College, Rust College, Tougaloo College, and William Carey University. Funds are distributed based on each institution's full-time equivalent student enrollment and can be used for water, wastewater, stormwater, broadband, and other eligible infrastructure projects. The program requires projects to comply with federal ARPA guidelines and prioritizes water/wastewater projects before broadband and other eligible investments. This extension ensures continued access to these funds for participating institutions.
HB 684 creates the Mississippi Menhaden Processing Plant Odor Elimination Task Force to address odor and toxic air pollution from Gulf Coast processing plants. The task force, composed of state environmental agency leaders and coastal legislators, will investigate current pollution levels, review existing odor-reduction measures, and recommend solutions and potential policy changes. It must submit a final report with findings and legislative recommendations to the state legislature by December 1, 2026, after meeting monthly and conducting investigations. This bill directly affects Gulf Coast residents impacted by air quality issues and requires state agencies to support the task force's work.
HB 628 prohibits commercial fishing for menhaden (a small fish used for bait and fish oil) within one mile of the southern shoreline of Mississippi's coastal barrier islands. This directly affects commercial fishing operations using purse seines or other gear in that zone, including companies operating near the islands. The bill amends Mississippi law to explicitly ban menhaden catch in this area, with violations punishable under existing fishing penalties. The law takes effect on July 1, 2026, following legislative approval.
HB 1457 forgives utility debt for customers in the Town of Walnut whose gas and water meters weren't read for five years before the bill's effective date. It cancels amounts accrued until July 1, 2026, directly affecting those specific Walnut utility customers. After July 1, 2026, customers become responsible for new charges, and the bill expires on June 30, 2027. The law provides a limited-time debt relief measure for a defined group based on meter-reading history.
SB 2706 merges the licensing of land surveyors into Mississippi’s existing board for professional engineers and surveyors. It revises definitions, increases application and renewal fees for both professions, and creates new rules allowing surveyors to enter land for work without criminal trespass liability (with limited civil liability). The bill also establishes a six-year term for board members, requires four quarterly meetings annually, and repeals separate licensing sections for surveyors. This directly affects current and future licensed engineers and surveyors in Mississippi by changing their regulatory structure and fees.
SB 2715, the Money Transmission Modernization Act, updates Mississippi's regulations for money transmitters (businesses handling money transfers, including virtual currency kiosks) to enhance oversight and consumer protection. It requires license applicants and holders to report all virtual currency kiosk locations in applications, renewals, and quarterly reports, and to provide their contact information to customers for each transaction. The bill also mandates annual training for authorized delegates on recognizing financial abuse of elderly adults and establishes new data security standards for safeguarding customer information. These changes aim to modernize regulatory compliance for emerging money transmission services while strengthening consumer safeguards.
SB 2485 limits exemptions for charter school teachers from standard educational qualification requirements. It requires charter school teachers to meet the same bachelor's degree and coursework standards as public school teachers if their program receives grant funding from Mississippi's Department of Education (MDE). Teachers in charter school programs *not* receiving MDE grants will remain exempt from these requirements. The bill directly affects charter school teachers in state-funded early childhood education programs and takes effect July 1, 2026.
This bill proposes a constitutional amendment to Mississippi's 1890 Constitution. It creates a State Suffrage Restoration Panel to allow eligible people convicted of *nonviolent* disenfranchising crimes (like theft or fraud) to apply for restored voting rights through a panel process, rather than requiring a two-thirds legislative vote. The amendment also adds human trafficking, attempted murder, and sexual battery to the list of crimes that permanently disqualify someone from voting. This directly affects Mississippi residents convicted of these specific nonviolent offenses who wish to regain their voting rights. The amendment must be approved by voters in November 2026.
HB 1593 clarifies that owners of Mississippi "sixteenth section" land (land historically held for public school funding) have superior rights over public access to navigable waterways or oxbow lakes located on their property. The bill amends Section 51-1-4 to declare the Sixteenth Section Trust "superior to the public waters trust," meaning landowners can restrict public use of water bodies on their land. It also updates definitions of "navigable waters" in Sections 1-3-31 and 29-3-1, 29-3-41, and 29-3-54 to align with this change. This directly affects landowners of sixteenth section parcels containing waterways, altering public access rights previously governed by state waterway laws.
HB 1522 revises the information required to be included in mortgage origination agreements for borrowers in Mississippi. It mandates that lenders provide specific statements, including details about bond coverage, protection under Mississippi's S.A.F.E. Mortgage Act, and how to file complaints with the Department of Banking. The bill also specifies documents lenders must retain in borrower and servicer files, such as loan applications, closing statements, and appraisals. These changes clarify that state requirements do not override federal disclosure rules for mortgage loans. The provisions will take effect on July 1, 2026.
SB 2043 allows Mississippi's State Parole Board to reduce an incarcerated person's parole eligibility date by the number of days they earned through good conduct under the existing earned-time program. It specifically applies to nonviolent offenders who have accumulated earned time under current rules (capped at 15% of their sentence). The bill modifies parole eligibility calculations so that earned time can directly shorten the waiting period before parole consideration, effective July 1, 2026. This change builds on the existing earned-time allowance program but shifts how that time is used for parole decisions. It does not alter the earned-time program itself or apply to violent offenses, habitual offenders, or certain other restricted categories.
HB 1272 amends Mississippi law to add vehicle forfeiture as a penalty for illegal drag racing on public roads. Specifically, it requires that any vehicle used in a drag racing violation be seized by law enforcement and sold, in addition to existing fines and potential jail time. This applies only in municipalities, counties, or towns with populations of 25,000 or more. The bill updates Sections 63-3-502 and 63-3-1215 of the Mississippi Code, which define drag racing and set penalties for violations. The forfeiture provision is a new addition to existing criminal penalties for drag racing offenses.
