Purple Angels Law; create to require registry of persistent domestic violence offenders.

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To: Judiciary B
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Blackwell, Scoggin,
Varner, Burch, Nelson, McLean

HOUSE BILL NO. 1312

AN ACT TO CREATE "THE PURPLE ANGELS LAW" TO REGULATE THE 1
REGISTRY OF PERSISTENT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENDERS; TO REQUIRE THE 2
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO CREATE THE REGISTRY; TO REQUIRE THE 3
CLERK OF THE CONVICTING COURT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE 4
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY; TO REQUIRE PAYMENT OF A REGISTRATION 5
FEE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF 7
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 8
"Purple Angels Law." 9
SECTION 2. The following words shall have the meanings 10
described herein as follows: 11
(a) "Convicted" or "conviction" means a verdict of 12
guilty by a judge or jury or a plea of guilty, including a plea of 13
nolo contendere or a best interest plea accepted by the court. 14
(b) "Domestic abuse victim" means a person who 15
qualifies as a domestic abuse victim under Section 93-21-1, 16
Mississippi Code of 1972, or any successor provision. 17
(c) "Persistent domestic violence offender means a 18
person who: 19
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(i) Has been convicted in this state of an offense 20
committed against a domestic abuse victim; and 21
(ii) Has at least one (1) prior conviction for an 22
offense committed against a domestic abuse victim. 23
(d) "Prior conviction" means a conviction that occurred 24
before the current qualifying offense, regardless of whether the 25
conviction occurred in this state or another jurisdiction, 26
provided the offense would constitute an offense against a 27
domestic abuse victim under Mississippi law. 28
(e) "Department" means the Mississippi Department of 29
Public Safety. 30
SECTION 3. (1) The Mississippi Department of Public Safety 31
shall create a registry of persistent domestic violence offenders. 32
(2) The Department shall maintain the registry using 33
information provided by clerks of court pursuant to this chapter 34
and information available from the Mississippi Department of 35
Corrections and local law enforcement agencies. 36
(3) The Department shall make the registry available for 37
public on the Internet. 38
SECTION 4. (1) The public registry shall include the 39
following information for each persistent domestic violence 40
offender: 41
(a) Name; 42
(b) Date of birth; 43
(c) Date of conviction; 44
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(d) County or counties of conviction; and 45
(e) A current photograph. 46
(2) When available after reasonable inquiry, the clerk of 47
court shall provide the department with a copy of the offender's 48
driver's license or other state or federal identification and any 49
additional identifying data the department determines is necessary 50
to accurately identify the offender and exclude innocent persons. 51
(3) The registry made available for public inquiry shall not 52
include the offender's Social Security number, driver's license 53
number, or any other state or federal identification number. 54
SECTION 5. (1) If a person is convicted of an offense 55
committed against a domestic abuse victim and has at least one (1) 56
prior conviction for an offense committed against a domestic abuse 57
victim, the court shall, upon proof of the prior conviction, order 58
the defendant to register as a persistent domestic violence 59
offender under this act. 60
(2) When a court orders registration under this act, the 61
clerk of court shall forward to the department a certified copy of 62
the qualifying conviction and the defendant's date of birth within 63
seven (7) days of the date of conviction. 64
SECTION 6. (1) In addition to any other penalty imposed by 65
law, a defendant required to register under this act shall be 66
assessed a registration fee of Two Hundred Fifty Dollars 67
($250.00). 68
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(2) The fee shall be paid to the clerk of the court imposing 69
the sentence, who shall: 70
(a) Retain Fifty Dollars ($50.00) of the fee for 71
administrative costs associated with processing and transmitting 72
registration information under this chapter; 73
(b) Transmit Fifty Dollars ($50.00) of the fee to the 74
Mississippi Department of Public Safety to be retained by the 75
department for administrative costs associated with the 76
establishment, maintenance, and enforcement of the registry and 77
implementation of this act; and 78
(c) Remit the remaining One Hundred Fifty Dollars 79
($150.00) to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety for 80
deposit into the Domestic Violence Fund, to be used exclusively 81
for domestic violence prevention, intervention, and victim support 82
services. 83
(2) Funds remitted under this section shall not revert to 84
the State General Fund at the end of the fiscal year and shall be 85
carried forward for the purposes authorized in this section. 86
SECTION 7. The department shall remove the name and 87
identifying information of a persistent domestic violence offender 88
from the registry,as follows: 89
(a) Five (5) years after the date of the most recent 90
conviction if the offender has one (1) prior conviction; 91
(b) Seven (7) years after the date of the most recent 92
conviction if the offender has two (2) prior convictions; 93
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ST: Purple Angels Law; create to require
registry of persistent domestic violence
offenders.
(c) Ten (10) years after the date of the most recent 94
conviction if the offender has three (3) prior convictions; 95
(d) Twenty (20) years after the date of the most recent 96
conviction if the offender has four (4) or more prior convictions; 97
or 98
(e) Lifetime if the offender has been convicted of a 99
felony against a domestic violence victim. 100
SECTION 8. This act applies only to offenses committed on or 101
after July 1, 2026; however, prior convictions used to establish 102
eligibility for registration are not required to have occurred on 103
or after that date. 104
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from 105
and after July 1, 2026. 106