State park fee; authorize MDWFP to provide discount to senior citizens age 65 and older.

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To: Wildlife, Fisheries and
Parks; Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Crawford

HOUSE BILL NO. 1247

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 55-3-33, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
AUTHORIZE THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES AND 2
PARKS TO PROVIDE A DISCOUNT ON ADMISSIONS TO STATE PARKS TO SENIOR 3
CITIZENS AGE 65 YEARS AND OLDER; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 4
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 5
SECTION 1. Section 55-3-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 6
amended as follows: 7
55-3-33. (1) The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, 8
Fisheries and Parks may: 9
(a) Take charge and have full jurisdiction and control 10
over all state parks, which parks shall be operated for the 11
purpose of providing outdoor recreational activities and enjoyment 12
for the citizens of the State of Mississippi and for the purpose 13
of attracting visitors to the state. 14
(b) Set up a uniform accounting procedure for the state 15
parks and prescribe the manner in which books, records and 16
accounts shall be kept, which procedure shall account for all 17
monies taken in and expended by the various parks and shall 18
provide for periodic audits of such books. 19
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(c) Accept gifts, bequests of money or other property, 20
real or personal, to be used for the purpose of advancing the 21
recreation and conservation interests in state parks. The 22
department is authorized, subject to approval by the State 23
Legislature, to purchase property, real or personal, to be used 24
for state park purposes. 25
(d) Contract with the State Transportation Commission, 26
any municipality or board of supervisors of the state for 27
locating, constructing and maintaining roads and other 28
improvements in state parks and for payment of a part of the costs 29
thereof; however, no county or municipality more than twenty-five 30
(25) miles distant from a state park may contract for, or do, or 31
pay for any such work for a state park other than the 32
International Gardens of Mississippi. Any county or municipality 33
authorized to assist financially under the provisions of Sections 34
55-3-31 through 55-3-51 is authorized, in the discretion of its 35
respective governing authority, to set aside, appropriate and 36
expend monies from the General Fund for the purpose of defraying 37
such expense after a mandatory election is held on the question 38
within the county or municipality. 39
(e) Designate employees as peace officers with power to 40
make arrests for infraction of the rules and regulations of the 41
department. Such officers are authorized to carry weapons and to 42
enforce the laws of the State of Mississippi within the confines 43
of a state park. 44
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(f) Enforce and delegate the responsibility to enforce 45
all reasonable rules and regulations governing the occupancy and 46
use of lands and waters in state parks under its jurisdiction, 47
supply recreational and conservation facilities and charge fees 48
for the use of same; review all rates and charges for facilities 49
and accommodations furnished at the various state parks annually, 50
making such charges as are justified; and establish fees for 51
entrance to state parks. 52
(g) To periodically establish a discounted fee or fees 53
for the entry and use of selected state parks and recreational 54
facilities. The discounted fee or fees shall only be used for the 55
purpose or purposes of marketing and promotion to increase the 56
patronage and revenue of those selected parks and facilities. The 57
discounted fee or fees shall not be considered a donation of state 58
property. However, in providing discounted rates, the department 59
shall provide a permanent discount to senior citizens who are age 60
sixty-five (65) years and older in the amount of ten percent (10%) 61
of the fees established for admission to state parks. The 62
discount provided to senior citizens shall be in addition to any 63
marketing and promotional discount provided at selected parks and 64
facilities. 65
Each park shall retain from revenues generated therein, a sum 66
sufficient to pay necessary expenses of operation, but in no event 67
to be less than seventy-five percent (75%) of such revenues. 68
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(2) The department shall have the authority to lease to any 69
entity, sell and convey or otherwise transfer to any county or 70
municipality, or close any state park or historical site within 71
its jurisdiction which received a general fund subsidy in fiscal 72
year 1985 in excess of Two Dollars ($2.00) per visitor to such 73
state park or historical site; provided, however, that this 74
authority shall not include the authority to sell, lease or convey 75
any park that was not in operation under the jurisdiction of the 76
department for a full fiscal year prior to fiscal year 1986. 77
(3) The department may execute agreements with 78
rails-to-trails and recreational districts by which the department 79
will assume responsibility for the operation and maintenance of 80
trails developed under Sections 55-25-1 through 55-25-15. 81
(4) (a) The department may contract with the electric 82
public utility with a certificate of public convenience and 83
necessity to serve the area where a state park is located for the 84
transfer of ownership of the electrical infrastructure in the 85
state park to that electric public utility. 86
(b) If the electric public utility enters into an 87
agreement for the operation and maintenance of electrical 88
facilities in a state park, the electric public utility may 89
perform any upgrades to the electrical infrastructure of the park 90
that are necessary for the electrical infrastructure to be in 91
compliance with the electric public utility standards. The 92
electric public utility may assess the costs of the upgrades to 93
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ST: State park fee; authorize MDWFP to provide
discount to senior citizens age 65 and older.
the department upon the terms and conditions agreed to by the 94
department and the electric public utility. 95
(c) The department may contract with the electric 96
public utility with the certificate of public convenience and 97
necessity to serve the area for the erection, construction, 98
maintenance, operation and control of electric distribution 99
substations, electric transmission lines, electrical 100
appurtenances, electrical appliances or electrical equipment 101
necessary or useful in the operation or distribution of electric 102
power or energy in the state park. 103
(d) Any agreement entered into by the department and an 104
electric public utility under this subsection is exempt from the 105
public purchasing requirements under Section 31-7-13. 106
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 107
and after July 1, 2026. 108