Unauthorized aliens; penalize transport into state by any person and prohibit forgery of documents.

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To: Judiciary A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Currie

HOUSE BILL NO. 1028

AN ACT TO PROHIBIT THE KNOWING AND WILLFUL TRANSPORT INTO THE 1
STATE OF AN UNAUTHORIZED ALIEN; TO PROVIDE THAT SUCH CRIME SHALL 2
BE A FELONY AND PRESCRIBE PENALTIES FOR SUCH; TO PROVIDE THAT THE 3
FORGERY OF GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS FOR UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS SHALL BE A 4
CRIME; TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION OF SUCH; TO AMEND 5
SECTION 45-1-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CLARIFY THE 6
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY'S DUTIES TO ASSIST LOCAL LAW 7
ENFORCEMENT IN EFFORTS TO ENFORCE STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS REGARDING 8
UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS; TO AMEND SECTION 71-1-49, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 9
1972, TO CLARIFY THE PROHIBITION AGAINST UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS 10
SERVING AS LABOR REPRESENTATIVES; TO AMEND SECTION 71-11-1, 11
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO CLARIFY THE STATE'S POSITION AGAINST 12
PROVIDING STATE PUBLIC BENEFITS TO UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS; TO AMEND 13
SECTION 71-11-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO INCREASE PENALTIES 14
FOR VIOLATIONS OF E-VERIFICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT; TO AMEND SECTION 15
83-17-407, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE REJECTION OF A 16
LICENSE FROM ANOTHER STATE IF THE HOLDER OF SUCH IS AN 17
UNAUTHORIZED ALIEN; TO AMEND SECTION 41-9-67, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 18
1972, TO PROVIDE THAT STATISTICAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE NUMBER 19
OF UNAUTHORIZED ALIENS SERVED BY HOSPITALS IS A PUBLIC RECORD; TO 20
BRING FORWARD SECTIONS 97-3-54.1 AND 97-3-54.2, MISSISSIPPI CODE 21
OF 1972, WHICH PROVIDE FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FOR PURPOSES OF 22
AMENDMENT; TO BRING FORWARD SECTIONS 63-1-19 AND 63-1-47, 23
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH REGULATE DRIVER'S LICENSES, FOR 24
PURPOSES OF AMENDMENT; TO BRING FORWARD SECTIONS 57-1-371 AND 25
57-1-373, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH PROHIBIT CERTAIN LOANS 26
AND BENEFITS TO EMPLOYERS FOUND GUILTY OF HIRING ILLEGAL 27
IMMIGRANTS, FOR PURPOSES OF AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 28
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 29
SECTION 1. (1) Any person who knowingly and willfully 30
transports into this state an unauthorized alien as defined by 31
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Section 71-11-3, whom the person knows or should have known has 32
entered the United States in violation of law shall be guilty of a 33
felony, and upon conviction, shall be subject to imprisonment in 34
the custody of the Department of Corrections for not less than one 35
(1) year nor more than five (5) years, a fine of not less than One 36
Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) nor more than Ten Thousand Dollars 37
($10,000.00), or both. 38
(2) Any person who shall forge or counterfeit any government 39
document for an unauthorized alien as defined by Section 71-11-3 40
with the intent to help the alien appear as a lawful citizen of 41
the United States or this state shall be guilty of a felony and 42
upon conviction, shall be subject to imprisonment in the custody 43
of the Department of Corrections for not less than one (1) year 44
nor more than five (5) years, a fine of not less than One Thousand 45
Dollars ($1,000.00) nor more than Ten Thousand Dollars 46
($10,000.00), or both. 47
SECTION 2. Section 45-1-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 48
amended as follows: 49
45-1-3. (1) When not otherwise specifically provided, the 50
commissioner is authorized to make and promulgate reasonable rules 51
and regulations to be coordinated, and carry out the general 52
provisions of the Highway Safety Patrol * * *, the Driver's 53
License Law of 1938 and assist local law enforcement efforts to 54
enforce state and federal laws against unauthorized aliens as 55
defined by Section 71-11-3. 56
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(2) The commissioner shall have the authority to administer 57
oaths. 58
(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, with written 59
approval from the Executive Director of the Department of Finance 60
and Administration, the commissioner may enter into a lease or 61
sublease agreement for space in the Department of Public Safety 62
headquarters building with a third party for the purpose of 63
providing services and assistance to the department and its 64
employees. The proceeds received from the lease under this 65
subsection shall be paid to the State Treasurer for deposit into 66
the General Fund. 67
SECTION 3. Section 71-1-49, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 68
amended as follows: 69
71-1-49. (1) No person who is an unauthorized alien as 70
defined in Section 71-11-3, or who is or has been a member of the 71
Communist Party, or who has been convicted of or served any part 72
of a prison term resulting from his conviction of robbery, 73
bribery, extortion, embezzlement, grand larceny, burglary, arson, 74
violation of narcotics laws, murder, rape, assault with intent to 75
kill, or conspiracy to commit any such crimes, shall serve: 76
(a) As an officer, director, trustee, member of any 77
executive board or similar governing body, business agent, 78
manager, organizer, or other employee (other than as an employee 79
performing exclusively clerical or custodial duties) of any labor 80
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organization, or as a manager, or any person occupying a 81
bargaining position with industry, or 82
(b) As a labor relations consultant either of a labor 83
organization or of an employer or both, or as an officer, 84
director, agent, or employee (other than as an employee performing 85
exclusively clerical or custodial duties) of any group or 86
association of employers dealing with any labor organization, 87
during or for five (5) years after the termination of his 88
membership in the Communist Party, or for five (5) years after 89
such conviction, or after the end of such imprisonment. No labor 90
organization, group or association of employers, or officer 91
thereof shall knowingly permit any person to assume or hold any 92
office or paid position in violation of this section. 93
(2) Any person who willfully violates this section shall be 94
guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, be fined 95
not * * * less than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), nor more 96
than Five Thousand Hundred Dollars ($5,000.00) or imprisoned for 97
not more than one (1) year, or both. 98
(3) For the purposes of this section, any person shall be 99
deemed to have been "convicted" and under the disability of 100
"conviction" from the date of the judgment of the trial court or 101
the date of the final sustaining of such judgment on appeal, 102
whichever is the later event, regardless of whether such 103
conviction occurred before or after July 1, 1960. 104
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SECTION 4. Section 71-11-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 105
amended as follows: 106
71-11-1. The Legislature finds that when illegal immigrants 107
have been sheltered and harbored in this state and encouraged to 108
reside in this state through the benefit of work without verifying 109
immigration status, these practices impede and obstruct the 110
enforcement of federal immigration law, undermine the security of 111
our borders, and impermissibly restrict the privileges and 112
immunities of the citizens of Mississippi. The Legislature 113
further finds that illegal immigration is encouraged when public 114
agencies within this state provide and support public benefits 115
without verifying immigration status. The Legislature further 116
finds that the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution 117
reserves to the states those powers not delegated to the United 118
States by the Constitution. Therefore, the Legislature declares 119
that it is a compelling public interest of this state to 120
discourage illegal immigration by requiring all agencies within 121
this state to fully cooperate with federal immigration authorities 122
in the enforcement of federal immigration laws. The Legislature 123
also finds that other measures are necessary to ensure the 124
integrity of various governmental programs and services. 125
SECTION 5. Section 71-11-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 126
amended as follows: 127
71-11-3. (1) This chapter shall be known as the 128
"Mississippi Employment Protection Act." 129
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(2) The provisions of this section shall be enforced without 130
regard to race, gender, religion, ethnicity or national origin. 131
(3) For the purpose of this section only, the following 132
words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the content 133
clearly states otherwise: 134
(a) "Employer" is any person or business that is 135
required by federal or state law to issue a United States Internal 136
Revenue Service Form W-2 or Form 1099 to report income paid to 137
employed or contracted personnel in Mississippi, and shall include 138
any public employer as defined by this subsection. 139
(b) "Employee" is any person or entity that is hired to 140
perform work within the State of Mississippi and to whom a United 141
States Internal Revenue Service Form W-2 or Form 1099 must be 142
issued. 143
(c) "Third-party employer" is any person or company 144
that provides workers for another person or company. This 145
includes, but is not limited to, leasing companies and contract 146
employers. 147
(d) "Status verification system" means the electronic 148
verification of work authorization program of the Illegal 149
Immigration Reform and Immigration Responsibility Act of 1996, 150
Public Law 104-208, Division C, Section 403(a); 8 USC, Section 151
1324a, and operated by the United States Department of Homeland 152
Security, known as the E-Verify Program. 153
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(e) "Unauthorized alien" means an alien as defined in 154
Section 1324a(h)(3) of Title 8 of the United States Code. 155
(f) "Public employer" means every department, agency or 156
instrumentality of the state or a political subdivision of the 157
state. 158
(g) "Subcontractor" means a subcontractor, contract 159
employee, staffing agency or any contractor regardless of its 160
tier. 161
(4) (a) Employers in the State of Mississippi shall only 162
hire employees who are legal citizens of the United States of 163
America or are legal aliens. For purposes of this section, a 164
legal alien is an individual who was lawfully present in the 165
United States at the time of employment and for the duration of 166
employment, or was permanently residing in the United States under 167
color of law at the time of employment and for the duration of 168
employment. 169
(b) (i) Every employer shall register with and utilize 170
the status verification system to verify the federal employment 171
authorization status of all newly hired employees. 172
(ii) No contractor or subcontractor shall hire any 173
employee unless the contractor or subcontractor registers and 174
participates in the status verification system to verify the work 175
eligibility status of all newly hired employees. 176
(iii) No contractor or subcontractor who enters 177
into a contract with a public employer shall enter into such a 178
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contract or subcontract unless the contractor or subcontractor 179
registers and participates in the status verification system to 180
verify information of all newly hired employees. 181
(c) The provision of this section shall not apply to 182
any contracts entered into on or before July 1, 2008. 183
(d) It shall be a discriminatory practice for an 184
employer to discharge an employee working in Mississippi who is a 185
United States citizen or permanent resident alien while retaining 186
an employee who the employing entity knows, or reasonably should 187
have known * * * and who is working in Mississippi in a job 188
category that requires equal skill, effort and responsibility, and 189
which is performed under similar working conditions, as defined by 190
29 USC, Section 206(d)(1), as the job category held by the 191
discharged employee. 192
(e) An employing entity which, on the date of the 193
discharge in question, was enrolled in and used the status 194
verification system to verify the employment eligibility of its 195
employees in Mississippi * * * shall be exempt from liability, 196
investigation or suit arising from any action under this section. 197
Proof of such verification shall be required by the employing 198
entity. 199
(f) No cause of action for a violation of this section 200
shall lie under any other Mississippi law but shall arise solely 201
from the provisions of this section. 202
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(5) Any employer that complies with the requirements of this 203
section shall be held harmless by the Mississippi Department of 204
Employment Security, provided the employer is not directly 205
involved in the creation of any false documents, and provided that 206
the employer did not knowingly and willfully accept false 207
documents from the employee. 208
(6) (a) All third-party employers that conduct business in 209
Mississippi shall register to do business in Mississippi with the 210
Mississippi Department of Employment Security before placing 211
employees into the workforce in Mississippi. 212
(b) Third-party employers shall provide proof of 213
registration and any participation in the status verification 214
system to any Mississippi employer with whom they do business. 215
(7) (a) State of Mississippi agencies and political 216
subdivisions, public contractors * * *, public subcontractors and 217
private employers * * * shall meet verification requirements. 218
( * * *b) (i) Any employer violating the provisions of 219
this section shall be subject to the cancellation of any state or 220
public contract, resulting in ineligibility for any state or 221
public contract for up to three (3) years, the loss of any 222
license, permit, certificate or other document granted to the 223
employer by any agency, department or government entity in the 224
State of Mississippi for the right to do business in Mississippi 225
for up to one (1) year, or both. 226
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(ii) The contractor or employer shall be liable 227
for any additional costs incurred by the agencies and institutions 228
of the State of Mississippi, or any of its political subdivisions, 229
because of the cancellation of the contract or the loss of any 230
license or permit to do business in the state. 231
(iii) Any person or entity penalized under this 232
section shall have the right to appeal to the appropriate entity 233
bringing charges or to the circuit court of competent 234
jurisdiction. 235
( * * *c) The Department of Employment Security, State 236
Tax Commission, Secretary of State, Department of Human Services 237
and the Attorney General shall have the authority to seek 238
penalties under this section and to bring charges for 239
noncompliance against any employer or employee. 240
(8) (a) There shall be no liability under this section in 241
the following circumstances: 242
(i) An employer who hires an employee through a 243
state or federal work program that requires verification of the 244
employee's social security number and provides for verification of 245
the employee's lawful presence in the United States in an 246
employment-authorized immigration status; 247
(ii) Any candidate for employment referred by the 248
Mississippi Department of Employment Security, if the Mississippi 249
Department of Employment Security has verified the social security 250
number and provides for verification of the candidate's lawful 251
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presence in the United States in an employment-authorized 252
immigration status; or 253
(iii) Individual homeowners who hire workers on 254
their private property for noncommercial purposes, unless required 255
by federal law to do so. 256
(b) (i) Compliance with the sections of this statute 257
shall not exempt the employer from regulations and requirements 258
related to any federal laws or procedures related to employers. 259
(ii) This section shall not be construed as an 260
attempt to preempt federal law. 261
(c) (i) It shall be a felony for any person to accept 262
or perform employment for compensation knowing or in reckless 263
disregard that the person is an unauthorized alien with respect to 264
employment during the period in which the unauthorized employment 265
occurred. Upon conviction, a violator shall be subject to 266
imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for 267
not less than one (1) year nor more than five (5) years, a fine of 268
not less than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) nor more than Ten 269
Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or both. 270
(ii) For purposes of determining bail for persons 271
who are charged under this section, it shall be a rebuttable 272
presumption that a defendant who has entered and remains in the 273
United States unlawfully is deemed at risk of flight for purposes 274
of bail determination. 275
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SECTION 6. Section 83-17-407, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 276
amended as follows: 277
83-17-407. The commissioner may waive any license 278
requirement for an applicant with a valid license from another 279
state having license requirements substantially equivalent to 280
those of this state, or an applicant with a certification from a 281
person or entity approved by the commissioner that provides 282
adjuster education and training and has met the standards as set 283
forth by the commissioner regarding pre-licensing coursework and 284
examination. No applicant with a valid license from another state 285
shall be rejected solely on the basis that the individual is not a 286
resident of the United States of America; however, any applicant 287
who is an unauthorized alien as defined by Section 71-11-3 shall 288
be rejected. 289
SECTION 7. Section 41-9-67, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 290
amended as follows: 291
41-9-67. (1) Except as otherwise provided by law, hospital 292
records shall not constitute public records, and nothing contained 293
in Sections 41-9-61 through 41-9-83 shall be deemed to impair any 294
privilege of confidence conferred by law or the Mississippi Rules 295
of Evidence on patients, their personal representatives or heirs, 296
by Section 13-1-21, Mississippi Code of 1972. 297
(2) Hospitals shall maintain a record of the number of 298
unauthorized aliens it serves. Such record shall be a public 299
record. 300
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SECTION 8. Section 97-3-54.1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 301
brought forward as follows: 302
97-3-54.1. (1) (a) A person who coerces, recruits, 303
entices, harbors, transports, provides or obtains by any means, or 304
attempts to coerce, recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide or 305
obtain by any means, another person, intending or knowing that the 306
person will be subjected to forced labor or services, or who 307
benefits, whether financially or by receiving anything of value 308
from participating in an enterprise that he knows or reasonably 309
should have known has engaged in such acts, shall be guilty of the 310
crime of human trafficking. 311
(b) A person who knowingly purchases the forced labor 312
or services of a trafficked person or who otherwise knowingly 313
subjects, or attempts to subject, another person to forced labor 314
or services or who benefits, whether financially or by receiving 315
anything of value from participating in an enterprise that he 316
knows or reasonably should have known has engaged in such acts, 317
shall be guilty of the crime of procuring involuntary servitude. 318
(c) A person who knowingly subjects, or attempts to 319
subject, or who recruits, entices, harbors, transports, provides 320
or obtains by any means, or attempts to recruit, entice, harbor, 321
transport, provide or obtain by any means, a minor, knowing that 322
the minor will engage in commercial sexual activity, sexually 323
explicit performance, or the production of sexually oriented 324
material, or causes or attempts to cause a minor to engage in 325
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commercial sexual activity, sexually explicit performance, or the 326
production of sexually oriented material, shall be guilty of 327
procuring sexual servitude of a minor and shall be punished by 328
commitment to the custody of the Department of Corrections for not 329
less than twenty (20) years nor more than life in prison, or by a 330
fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00) nor more 331
than Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00), or both. It is 332
not a defense in a prosecution under this section that a minor 333
consented to engage in the commercial sexual activity, sexually 334
explicit performance, or the production of sexually oriented 335
material, or that the defendant reasonably believed that the minor 336
was eighteen (18) years of age or older. 337
(2) If the victim is not a minor, a person who is convicted 338
of an offense set forth in subsection (1)(a) or (b) of this 339
section shall be committed to the custody of the Department of 340
Corrections for not less than two (2) years nor more than twenty 341
(20) years, or by a fine of not less than Ten Thousand Dollars 342
($10,000.00) nor more than One Hundred Thousand Dollars 343
($100,000.00), or both. If the victim of the offense is a minor, 344
a person who is convicted of an offense set forth in subsection 345
(1)(a) or (b) of this section shall be committed to the custody of 346
the Department of Corrections for not less than twenty (20) years 347
nor more than life in prison, or by a fine of not less than Twenty 348
Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00) nor more than One Hundred Thousand 349
Dollars ($100,000.00), or both. 350
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(3) An enterprise may be prosecuted for an offense under 351
this chapter if: 352
(a) An agent of the enterprise knowingly engages in 353
conduct that constitutes an offense under this chapter while 354
acting within the scope of employment and for the benefit of the 355
entity. 356
(b) An employee of the enterprise engages in conduct 357
that constitutes an offense under this chapter and the commission 358
of the offense was part of a pattern of illegal activity for the 359
benefit of the enterprise, which an agent of the enterprise either 360
knew was occurring or recklessly disregarded, and the agent failed 361
to take effective action to stop the illegal activity. 362
(c) It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution of an 363
enterprise that the enterprise had in place adequate procedures, 364
including an effective complaint procedure, designed to prevent 365
persons associated with the enterprise from engaging in the 366
unlawful conduct and to promptly correct any violations of this 367
chapter. 368
(d) The court may consider the severity of the 369
enterprise's offense and order penalties, including: (i) a fine 370
of not more than One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00); (ii) 371
disgorgement of profit; and (iii) debarment from government 372
contracts. Additionally, the court may order any of the relief 373
provided in Section 97-3-54.7. 374
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(4) In addition to the mandatory reporting provisions 375
contained in Sections 43-21-353 and 97-5-51, any person who has 376
reasonable cause to suspect that a minor under the age of eighteen 377
(18) is a trafficked person shall immediately make a report of the 378
suspected child abuse or neglect to the Department of Child 379
Protection Services and to the Statewide Human Trafficking 380
Coordinator. The Department of Child Protection Services or the 381
Statewide Human Trafficking Coordinator, whichever is applicable, 382
shall then immediately notify the law enforcement agency in the 383
jurisdiction where the suspected child abuse, neglect or 384
trafficking occurred as required in Section 43-21-353, and the 385
department that received the report shall also commence an initial 386
investigation into the suspected abuse or neglect as required in 387
Section 43-21-353. The department that received such report shall 388
provide an annual report to the Speaker of the Mississippi House 389
of Representatives, the Lieutenant Governor, the Chairpersons of 390
the House and Senate Judiciary Committees that includes the number 391
of reports received, the number of cases screened in or out, the 392
number of cases in which care and services were provided as a 393
result of the report, and the type of care and services that were 394
provided. A minor who has been identified as a victim of 395
trafficking shall not be liable for criminal activity in violation 396
of this section. 397
(5) It is an affirmative defense in a prosecution under this 398
act that the defendant: 399
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(a) Is a victim; and 400
(b) Committed the offense under a reasonable 401
apprehension created by a person that, if the defendant did not 402
commit the act, the person would inflict serious harm on the 403
defendant, a member of the defendant's family, or a close 404
associate. 405
SECTION 9. Section 97-3-54.2, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 406
brought forward as follows: 407
97-3-54.2. Anyone who knowingly destroys, conceals, removes, 408
confiscates or possesses, or attempts to destroy, conceal, remove, 409
confiscate or possess, any actual or purported passport or other 410
immigration document, or any other actual or purported government 411
identification document of any person to prevent or restrict, or 412
attempt to prevent or restrict, without lawful authority, the 413
person's liberty to move or travel in order to maintain the labor 414
or services of that person, when the person is or has been a 415
victim of a violation set out in Section 97-3-54.1, shall be 416
punished by commitment to the custody of the Department of 417
Corrections for not more than five (5) years. 418
SECTION 10. Section 63-1-19, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 419
brought forward as follows: 420
63-1-19. (1) (a) Every applicant for a license or permit 421
issued pursuant to this article, or for renewal of such license or 422
permit, shall file an application for such license, permit or 423
renewal, on a form provided by the Department of Public Safety, 424
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with the commissioner or an official license examiner of the 425
department. All persons not holding valid, unexpired licenses 426
issued in this state shall be required to secure an original 427
license, except those specifically exempted from licensing under 428
Section 63-1-7. The application shall state the name, date of 429
birth, the social security number of the applicant unless the 430
applicant is not a United States citizen and does not possess a 431
social security number issued by the United States government, 432
sex, race, color of eyes, color of hair, weight, height and 433
residence address, and whether or not the applicant's privilege to 434
drive has been suspended or revoked at any time, and, if so, when, 435
by whom, and for what cause, and whether any previous application 436
by him has been denied, and whether he has any physical defects 437
which would interfere with his operating a motor vehicle safely 438
upon the highways. 439
(b) Every applicant for an original license shall show 440
proof of domicile in this state. The commissioner shall 441
promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to enforce this 442
requirement and shall prescribe the means by which an applicant 443
for an original license may show domicile in this state. Proof of 444
domicile shall not be required of applicants under eighteen (18) 445
years of age. 446
(c) Unless the applicant is not a United States citizen 447
and does not possess a social security number issued by the United 448
States government, each application or filing made under this 449
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section shall include the social security number(s) of the 450
applicant in accordance with Section 93-11-64, Mississippi Code of 451
1972. 452
(2) No person who is illegally in the United States or 453
Mississippi shall be issued a license. The application of a 454
person who is not a United States citizen and who does not possess 455
a social security number issued by the United States government 456
shall state the name, date of birth, sex, race, color of eyes, 457
color of hair, weight, height and residence address, and whether 458
or not the applicant's privilege to drive has been suspended or 459
revoked at any time, and, if so, when, by whom, and for what 460
cause, and whether any previous application by him has been 461
denied, and whether he has any physical defects which would 462
interfere with his operating a motor vehicle safely upon the 463
highways. The commissioner shall adopt and promulgate such rules 464
and regulations as he deems appropriate requiring additional 465
documents, materials, information or physical evidence to be 466
provided by the applicant as may be necessary to establish the 467
identity of the applicant and that the applicant is not present in 468
the United States or the State of Mississippi illegally. 469
(3) Whenever a person who has applied for or who has been 470
issued a license or permit under this article moves from the 471
address listed in the application or on the permit or license, or 472
whenever the name of a licensee changes by marriage or otherwise, 473
such person, within thirty (30) days thereafter, shall notify, in 474
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writing, the Department of Public Safety, Driver Services 475
Division, and inform the department of his or her previous address 476
and new address and of his or her former name and new name. The 477
department shall not change the name of a licensee or permittee on 478
his or her license or permit unless the applicant appears in 479
person at an office of the department and provides a certified 480
copy of his or her marriage license, court order, birth 481
certificate or divorce decree changing the licensee's or 482
permittee's name. 483
(4) (a) Any male who is at least eighteen (18) years of age 484
but less than twenty-six (26) years of age and who applies for a 485
permit or license or a renewal of a permit or license under this 486
chapter shall be registered in compliance with the requirements of 487
Section 3 of the Military Selective Service Act, 50 USCS Section 488
3802, as amended. 489
(b) The department shall forward in an electronic 490
format the necessary personal information of the applicant to the 491
Selective Service System. The applicant's submission of the 492
application shall serve as an indication that the applicant either 493
has already registered with the Selective Service System or that 494
he is authorizing the department to forward to the Selective 495
Service System the necessary information for registration. The 496
commissioner shall notify the applicant on, or as a part of, the 497
application that his submission of the application will serve as 498
his consent to registration with the Selective Service System, if 499
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so required. The commissioner also shall notify any male 500
applicant under the age of eighteen (18) that he will be 501
registered upon turning age eighteen (18) as required by federal 502
law. 503
SECTION 11. Section 63-1-47, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 504
brought forward as follows: 505
63-1-47. (1) (a) Except as otherwise provided in this 506
section, each applicant for an original or renewal Class R or 507
Class D license issued pursuant to this article, who is entitled 508
to issuance of same, shall be issued a four-year license or an 509
eight-year license, at the option of the applicant, which will 510
expire at midnight on the licensee's birthday and may be renewed 511
any time within six (6) months before the expiration of the 512
license upon application and payment of the required fee, unless 513
required to be reexamined. 514
(b) The term of an ignition-interlock-restricted 515
license issued under this article shall be four (4) years. 516
(2) Any commercial driver's license issued under Article 5 517
of this chapter shall be issued for a five-year term to expire at 518
midnight on the licensee's birthday. 519
(3) (a) All applications by an operator under eighteen (18) 520
years of age must be accompanied by documentation that the 521
applicant is in compliance with the education requirements of 522
Section 63-1-9(1)(g), and the documentation used in establishing 523
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compliance must be dated no more than thirty (30) days before the 524
date of application. 525
(b) All applications by an operator under eighteen (18) 526
years of age, if applicable, must be accompanied by documentation 527
signed and notarized by the parent or guardian of the applicant 528
and the appropriate school official, authorizing the release of 529
the applicant's attendance records to the Department of Public 530
Safety as required under Section 63-1-10. 531
(c) The commissioner shall suspend the driver's license 532
or learner's permit of a student under eighteen (18) years of age 533
who has been reported by the Department of Education as required 534
by Section 63-1-10.1, and shall give notice of the suspension to 535
the licensee as provided in Section 63-1-52(4). A school 536
superintendent or designee may request that the driver's license 537
or learner's permit that has been suspended under the provisions 538
of this subsection be reinstated after the student has 539
successfully completed nine (9) weeks of school attendance without 540
an unlawful absence. 541
(4) (a) Any original or renewal license issued under this 542
chapter to a person who is not a United States citizen shall 543
expire four (4) years from the date of issuance or on the 544
expiration date of the applicant's authorized stay in the United 545
States, whichever is the lesser period of time, and may be 546
renewed, if the person is otherwise qualified to renew the 547
license, within thirty (30) days of expiration. The fee for any 548
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such license and for renewal shall be as prescribed in Section 549
63-1-43. 550
(b) Any applicant for an original or renewal license 551
under this subsection (4) must present valid documentary evidence 552
documenting that the applicant: 553
(i) Is a citizen or national of the United States; 554
(ii) Is an alien lawfully admitted for permanent 555
or temporary residence in the United States; 556
(iii) Has conditional permanent residence status 557
in the United States; 558
(iv) Has an approved application for asylum in the 559
United States or has entered into the United States in refugee 560
status; 561
(v) Has a valid, unexpired nonimmigrant visa or 562
nonimmigrant visa status for entry into or lawful presence in the 563
United States; 564
(vi) Has a pending application for asylum in the 565
United States; 566
(vii) Has a pending or approved application for 567
temporary protected status in the United States; 568
(viii) Has approved deferred-action status; 569
(ix) Has a pending application for adjustment of 570
status to that of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent 571
residence in the United States or conditional permanent resident 572
status in the United States; or 573
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(x) Has a valid employment authorization card 574
issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security. 575
(5) For any driver's license issued under this chapter, the 576
Department of Public Safety shall send an email and text message 577
notification of an upcoming driver's license expiration date to 578
the known emails and phone numbers authorized by license holders 579
for such notices not less than thirty (30) days before the 580
expiration date of that license. 581
SECTION 12. Section 57-1-371, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 582
brought forward as follows: 583
57-1-371. Any business, enterprise or other entity that is 584
criminally convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of 585
intentionally hiring illegal immigrants shall be ineligible to 586
receive any loan, grant or other form of assistance made available 587
under Section 57-93-1, Sections 2 through 37, Sections 57-1-10 and 588
57-95-1, Sections 40 through 55 and Sections 27-7-22.28 and 589
27-7-22.29 of Chapter 1, Laws of Third Extraordinary Session of 590
2005. Any business, enterprise or other entity that receives any 591
loan, grant or other form of assistance made available under 592
Section 57-93-1, Sections 2 through 37, Sections 57-1-10 and 593
57-95-1, Sections 40 through 55 and Sections 27-7-22.28 and 594
27-7-22.29 of Chapter 1, Laws of Third Extraordinary Session of 595
2005, and is criminally convicted by a court of competent 596
jurisdiction of intentionally hiring illegal immigrants shall 597
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repay the full amount of such loan, grant or other form of 598
assistance. 599
SECTION 13. Section 57-1-373, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 600
brought forward as follows: 601
57-1-373. (1) No business, enterprise or other entity that 602
is, or has ever been, criminally convicted by a court of competent 603
jurisdiction of intentionally hiring illegal immigrants that 604
develops or is located in a "project" as defined in Section 605
57-75-5(f)(xx) shall be eligible to receive: 606
(a) Any funds provided or derived from the issuance of 607
any bonds under Sections 1 through 7, Chapter 2, Laws of First 608
Extraordinary Session of 2006; 609
(b) Any loan, grant or other form of assistance that 610
may be made available under Sections 1 through 7, Chapter 2, Laws 611
of First Extraordinary Session of 2006; or 612
(c) Any funds, tax credit or other form of assistance 613
that may be made available as an incentive payment under Sections 614
1 through 7, Chapter 2, Laws of First Extraordinary Session of 615
2006. 616
(2) If a business, enterprise or other entity that develops 617
or is located in a "project" as defined in Section 57-75-5(f)(xx) 618
has received funds or assistance as described in paragraphs (a) 619
through (c) of subsection (1) of this section, and thereafter is 620
convicted by a court of competent jurisdiction of intentionally 621
hiring illegal immigrants, then the business, enterprise or other 622
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ST: Unauthorized aliens; penalize transport
into state by any person and prohibit forgery of
documents.
entity shall repay the full amount of the funds or assistance 623
received. The repayment shall be certified by the State 624
Treasurer, who shall deposit such amounts into the specific 625
special fund in the State Treasury from which the funds were 626
awarded, or, in the case of incentive payments under Sections 627
57-28-1 through 57-28-5, into the State General Fund. 628
SECTION 14. This act shall take effect and be in force from 629
and after July 1, 2026. 630