Dept. of Ag.and Commerce; authorize DPS to provide security personnel at certain facilities and respond to secuirty system alarms.

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To: State Affairs
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Pigott, Carpenter, Keen,
Mangold, Mattox

HOUSE BILL NO. 1070

d AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 45-1-19, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
DELETE THE PROVISION PROHIBITING POSTING OF SECURITY PERSONNEL AT 2
THE PROPERTY OF THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE LOCATED 3
AT 121 NORTH JEFFERSON STREET AND THE NEW FARMERS MARKET BUILDING 4
LOCATED AT THE CORNER OF HIGH AND JEFFERSON STREETS IN THE CITY OF 5
JACKSON, HINDS COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, AND PERMIT POSTING OF SECURITY 6
PERSONNEL AND REGULAR VEHICLE PATROLS AND RESPONSES TO SECURITY 7
SYSTEM ALARMS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 8
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 9
SECTION 1. Section 45-1-19, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 10
amended as follows: 11
45-1-19. (1) The Department of Public Safety, through the 12
Office of Capitol Police, shall have jurisdiction relative to the 13
enforcement of all laws of the State of Mississippi on the 14
properties, from curb to curb, including adjoining streets, 15
sidewalks and leased parking lots within the Capitol Complex, set 16
forth in Section 29-5-2, the Governor's mansion, the Supreme Court 17
Building, the Mississippi Department of Transportation Building 18
and the Public Employees' Retirement System Building, and any 19
property purchased, constructed or otherwise acquired by the State 20
of Mississippi for conducting state business and not specifically 21
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under the supervision and care by any other state entity, but 22
which is reasonably assumed the Department of Public Safety would 23
be responsible for such. The Department of Public Safety shall, 24
through any person or persons appointed by the commissioner, make 25
arrests for any violation of any law of the State of Mississippi 26
on the grounds of or within those properties. The Department of 27
Public Safety shall, in addition, enforce the provisions of this 28
section and Sections 29-5-57 through 29-5-67, 29-5-73 through 29
29-5-75, and 29-5-81 through 29-5-95, and prescribe such rules and 30
regulations as are necessary therefor. The powers and duties 31
related to the administration of Sections 29-5-57 through 29-5-67, 32
29-5-73 through 29-5-75, and 29-5-81 through 29-5-95 shall remain 33
with the Department of Finance and Administration. 34
(2) Subject to the approval of the Board of Trustees of 35
State Institutions of Higher Learning, the Board of Trustees and 36
the Department of Public Safety shall be authorized to enter into 37
a contract for the Department of Public Safety to supply the 38
security personnel with jurisdiction to enforce all laws of the 39
State of Mississippi on the property of the Board of Trustees 40
located at the corner of Ridgewood Road and Lakeland Drive in the 41
City of Jackson. 42
(3) The Department of Public Safety and the Department of 43
Agriculture are authorized to enter into a contract for the 44
Department of Public Safety to have jurisdiction and enforce all 45
laws of the State of Mississippi on the property of the Department 46
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of Agriculture located at 121 North Jefferson Street and the new 47
Farmers Market Building located at the corner of High and 48
Jefferson Streets in the City of Jackson, Hinds County, 49
Mississippi. * * * In addition, the Department of Public 50
Safety * * * may post any security personnel at such 51
buildings, * * * and can provide regular vehicle patrols and 52
responses to security system alarms. 53
(4) The Department of Public Safety and the Department of 54
Agriculture are authorized to enter into a contract for the 55
Department of Public Safety to have jurisdiction and enforce all 56
laws of the State of Mississippi on the property of the Department 57
of Agriculture known as the "Mississippi State Fairgrounds 58
Complex" and any and all of its outlying buildings and property. 59
The Department of Public Safety and the Department of Agriculture 60
are authorized to enter into a contract for the Department of 61
Public Safety to supply the security personnel to the Department 62
of Agriculture with jurisdiction to enforce all laws of the State 63
of Mississippi on this property and any and all buildings on this 64
property. The Department of Public Safety is authorized to charge 65
the Department of Agriculture a fee for security services provided 66
for special events at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds Complex. 67
The fee charged will be commensurate with the cost associated with 68
the Department of Public Safety providing those services. 69
(5) The Department of Public Safety and the Department of 70
Revenue are authorized to enter into a contract for the Department 71
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of Public Safety to supply the security personnel with 72
jurisdiction to enforce all laws of the State of Mississippi at 73
the Alcoholic Beverage Control facility and the Department of 74
Revenue main office. 75
(6) (a) The Department of Public Safety shall have primary 76
jurisdiction relative to any other state or municipal law 77
enforcement agency to enforce all laws of the State of Mississippi 78
within the boundaries of the Capitol Complex Improvement District 79
created in Section 29-5-203; such enforcement shall be its primary 80
function. The Department of Public Safety may, through any person 81
or persons appointed by the Department of Public Safety, make 82
arrests for any violation of any law of the State of Mississippi 83
and violations of the City of Jackson's traffic ordinances or 84
ordinances related to the disturbance of the public peace which 85
occurs within the boundaries of the district and within the 86
boundaries of the City of Jackson. The Department of Public 87
Safety may choose to present cases to either the District Attorney 88
or the prosecuting attorneys designated by the Attorney General 89
for prosecution of any violation of law that accrues or occurs, in 90
whole or in part, within the boundaries established by Section 91
29-5-203. The jurisdiction of the Department of Public Safety 92
granted under this subsection (6) shall be concurrent with the 93
jurisdiction of the City of Jackson, Mississippi, and that of 94
Hinds County, Mississippi, within the boundaries of the Capitol 95
Complex Improvement District created in Section 29-5-203. At any 96
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time and/or during any event necessitating the coordination of 97
and/or utilization at multiple jurisdictions, as determined by the 98
Chief of Capitol Police or the Commissioner of the Department of 99
Public Safety shall be the lead agency when the event occurs on 100
property as defined herein that is owned or leased by the state as 101
provided in subsection (1) of this section. The jurisdiction and 102
authority of the Department of Public Safety under this subsection 103
(6) shall be in addition to any other jurisdiction and authority 104
provided to the department under this section or any other law. 105
(b) The Department of Public Safety shall have 106
jurisdiction relative to the enforcement of all laws of the State 107
of Mississippi within the boundaries of the City of Jackson, 108
Mississippi. The Department of Public Safety may, through any 109
person or persons appointed by the Department of Public Safety, 110
make arrests for any violation of any law of the State of 111
Mississippi which occurs within the boundaries of the City of 112
Jackson. The jurisdiction of the Department of Public Safety 113
granted under this paragraph (b) shall not be primary and shall be 114
concurrent with the jurisdiction of the City of Jackson, 115
Mississippi, and that of Hinds County, Mississippi. 116
(c) (i) Written approval from the Chief of the Capitol 117
Police or the Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety 118
shall be required before any event occurs which will take place on 119
any street or sidewalk immediately adjacent to any building or 120
property owned or occupied by any official, agency, board, 121
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commission, office or other entity of the State of Mississippi, or 122
which can reasonably be expected to block, impede or otherwise 123
hinder ingress thereto and/or egress therefrom. The Department of 124
Public Safety shall promulgate rules and regulations to effectuate 125
the provisions of this paragraph (c). 126
(ii) The Chief of the Capitol Police is authorized 127
to issue solicitation permits in conformity with the Safe 128
Solicitation Act, Sections 17-31-1 through 17-31-11, within the 129
boundaries of the Capitol Complex Improvement District. 130
(d) The Chief of the Capitol Police and/or the 131
Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety, the Chief of the 132
Jackson Police Department, and the Sheriff of Hinds County shall 133
hold a regular meeting within the boundaries of the Capitol 134
Complex Improvement District to address the concerns of the 135
public. Each meeting shall be called by the Chief of the Capitol 136
Police; and the first meeting shall be called by October 15, 2023. 137
(7) The Department of Public Safety is authorized to enter 138
into a contract with any county for the county to take custody of 139
the misdemeanor offenders arrested under the authority granted 140
under this section. 141
(8) All accrued personal leave earned pursuant to Section 142
25-3-93, accrued major medical leave earned pursuant to Section 143
25-3-95, accrued state compensatory leave earned pursuant to 144
Section 25-3-92, and compensatory leave earned pursuant to the 145
Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) shall transfer from the Department 146
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ST: Dept. of Ag.and Commerce; authorize DPS to
provide security personnel at certain facilities
and respond to secuirty system alarms.
of Finance and Administration to the Department of Public Safety 147
for all employees transferred under this section. 148
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 149
and after July 1, 2026. 150