Rep. Kevin Horan

Maddy summaryHB 1402 designates a one-mile segment of Mississippi Highway 537 in Yazoo County as the "Colonel Donnell Berry Memorial Highway" to honor Colonel Donnell Berry. The Mississippi Department of Transportation will install and maintain signage along this highway segment. The bill takes effect on July 1, 2026. This is a commemorative designation with no policy or funding changes.

Maddy summaryHB 1609 reorganizes existing Mississippi DUI laws by moving specific sections (63-11-30 through 63-11-32) to a new position in the state code. It does not change any penalties, blood alcohol limits, or requirements - such as the .08% limit for adults, .02% for minors, or fines for first-time offenses ($250-$1,000). The bill solely updates the code structure to clarify where these regulations appear, affecting all drivers subject to DUI laws, courts handling DUI cases, and the Department of Motor Vehicles. No new policies or enforcement changes are introduced.

Maddy summaryHB 1583 amends Mississippi law to require a two-year waiting period before a person convicted of drug trafficking (under Section 41-29-139(f)) can file a new parole eligibility petition after a previous one is denied by a circuit court. This applies specifically to offenders whose parole petitions are rejected, directly affecting those serving sentences for drug trafficking offenses who were previously eligible for parole after 25% of their sentence or 10 years. The bill adds this mandatory waiting period to Section 47-7-3 of the Mississippi Code, which governs parole eligibility for various offenses. It does not change the initial parole eligibility requirements for drug trafficking cases (25% of sentence or 10 years served), only the process for re-filing after a denial. The change is limited to parole petition re-filing and does not apply to other offense categories.

Maddy summaryHB 1611 allows justice court judges in Mississippi to set bail for defendants charged with capital offenses (serious crimes punishable by death), which they could not previously do. The bill amends existing law to authorize these judges to establish bail amounts while maintaining current requirements, such as considering public safety, the defendant’s ability to pay, and the need for appearance in court. It does not change bail amounts or procedures but expands the authority of justice courts to handle bail settings for these high-level cases. The law would take effect July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows Mississippi courts to revoke probation, post-release supervision, or suspended sentences *before* they begin if a person commits a new felony crime *before* their supervision period starts. Currently, revocation typically requires violations after supervision has commenced. The law maintains the existing "clear and convincing evidence" standard for revocation but extends the timeframe to include new felonies committed prior to the start date of supervision. It directly affects individuals sentenced to probation or supervision who commit new crimes while awaiting their supervision period to begin. The bill takes effect July 1, 2026, though its stated repeal date (June 30, 2026) appears contradictory.

Maddy summaryHB 580 revises judicial district boundaries and judge assignments for Mississippi's Fourth and Seventh Circuit Courts. For the Fourth Circuit, it adds Holmes and Humphreys counties starting January 2031, reorganizing the district into two subdistricts (one covering Washington/Sunflower, the other Leflore/Holmes/Humphreys) and changing judge elections from one per subdistrict to two per subdistrict. For the Seventh Circuit, it expands the district to include Claiborne and Jefferson counties effective January 2027, adding new subdistricts and adjusting precinct boundaries within Hinds County. The bill takes effect at specific dates (2027 for the Seventh Circuit, 2031 for the Fourth) and includes conditional deadlines for judicial candidates. These changes directly affect counties and judicial candidates in these districts.

Maddy summaryHB 4068 creates a property tax exemption for certain natural lands in Mississippi. If land is appraised at a higher value than it would be under agricultural valuation rules, the difference between those values is exempt from taxes. This applies to qualifying land including natural areas, waterways, trees, ditches, and harvestable sod, excluding commercial or residential structures. The exemption takes effect January 1, 2027.

Maddy summaryHB 1610 removes an automatic expiration date from Mississippi's 2021 Earned Parole Eligibility Act, ensuring the existing parole rules remain in effect. This bill does not change parole eligibility requirements (such as the 25% or 50% sentence served for nonviolent or violent offenses) but prevents the law from ending on its own. It directly affects Mississippi inmates currently subject to these parole standards under Section 47-7-3 of state code. The bill is procedural, preserving the current framework without altering policy.

Maddy summaryHB 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.

Maddy summaryHB 1077 authorizes Mississippi county boards of supervisors to hire special assistant counsel to support the county board attorney. The special assistant counsel would work under the main attorney with a salary capped at half the maximum annual salary for the primary board attorney. Before hiring, the board must formally document in its minutes that the position is necessary and in the county's best interest, including the specific duties assigned. This change modifies county legal staffing procedures without altering the main attorney's responsibilities or creating new substantive law.