University campus events; require enhanced security measures and collaboration among law enforcement for large events.

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To: Universities and
Colleges; Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Holloway (76th)

HOUSE BILL NO. 1456

AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY AND THE 1
BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING TO 2
COORDINATE TO PROVIDE ENHANCED SECURITY MEASURES AND PROMOTE 3
COLLABORATION AMONG LAW ENFORCEMENT ON UNIVERSITY CAMPUSES FOR 4
LARGE EVENTS; TO PRESCRIBE DUTIES OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC 5
SAFETY UNDER THIS ACT; TO REQUIRE THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF STATE 6
INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING TO REQUIRE EACH INSTITUTION OF 7
HIGHER LEARNING TO POST A PROMINENT LINK TO THE TIP SUBMISSION 8
PLATFORM DEVELOPED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY; TO AMEND 9
SECTION 45-1-2, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE 10
COMMISSIONER OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO APPOINT A STATEWIDE SAFETY 11
TRAINING OFFICER WHOSE DUTY IT SHALL BE TO PERFORM PUBLIC TRAINING 12
FOR CAMPUS LAW ENFORCEMENT; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 45-1-3, 13
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, FOR POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; TO BRING FORWARD 14
SECTION 37-101-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, FOR POSSIBLE 15
AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 16
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 17
SECTION 1. (1) The Department of Public Safety and the 18
Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning shall 19
coordinate to provide enhanced security measures and promote 20
collaboration among law enforcement on university campuses for 21
large events. The Department of Public Safety shall have the 22
ultimate authority for oversight of the administration of this 23
act. 24
(2) The Department of Public Safety shall: 25
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(a) Strengthen campus law enforcement coordination, 26
ensuring that university, municipal, county and state law 27
enforcement operate in a unified command during high-risk events; 28
(b) Formalize intelligence sharing, joint patrols, and 29
rapid response protocols for all law enforcement; 30
(c) Ensure the implementation of stricter access 31
control and screening at large events; 32
(d) Adopt threat assessment and behavioral monitoring 33
to proactively identify individuals or patterns of behavior that 34
signal risk, ensuring opportunities for early intervention; 35
(e) Ensure adequate support for mental health and 36
conflict resolution resources, expanding counseling, mediation, 37
and conflict de-escalation training for law enforcement; 38
(f) Promote community and student engagement, utilizing 39
awareness campaigns, anonymous tip lines, safety ambassadors, and 40
peer-to-peer accountability; and 41
(g) Develop, in coordination with the Department of 42
Information Technology Services, a tip submission platform, with 43
the option of anonymity provided to the submitter. 44
(3) The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher 45
Learning shall require all of the institutions of higher learning 46
to publish a prominent link on their own websites to the tip 47
submission platform developed by the Department of Public Safety. 48
SECTION 2. Section 45-1-2, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 49
amended as follows: 50
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45-1-2. (1) The Executive Director of the Department of 51
Public Safety shall be the Commissioner of Public Safety. 52
(2) The Commissioner of Public Safety shall establish the 53
organizational structure of the Department of Public Safety, which 54
shall include the creation of any units necessary to implement the 55
duties assigned to the department and consistent with specific 56
requirements of law including, but not limited to: 57
(a) Office of Public Safety Planning; 58
(b) Office of Mississippi Highway Safety Patrol; 59
(c) Office of Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (to 60
be directed by a Lieutenant Colonel of the Mississippi Highway 61
Safety Patrol); 62
(d) Office of Forensic Laboratories, which includes the 63
Mississippi Forensics Laboratory and the Office of the State 64
Medical Examiner; 65
(e) Office of Law Enforcement Officers' Training 66
Academy; 67
(f) Office of Support Services; 68
(g) Office of Narcotics, which shall be known as the 69
Bureau of Narcotics; 70
(h) Office of Homeland Security; 71
(i) Office of Capitol Police; 72
(j) Office of Driver Service Bureau; and 73
(k) Office of Commercial Transportation Enforcement 74
Division. 75
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(3) The department shall be headed by a commissioner, who 76
shall be appointed by and serve at the pleasure of the Governor. 77
The appointment of the commissioner shall be made with the advice 78
and consent of the Senate. The commissioner shall have, at a 79
minimum, a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or 80
university. 81
(4) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, 82
the commissioner shall appoint heads of offices, who shall serve 83
at the pleasure of the commissioner. The commissioner shall have 84
the authority to organize the offices established by subsection 85
(2) of this section as deemed appropriate to carry out the 86
responsibilities of the department. The commissioner may assign 87
to the appropriate offices such powers and duties as deemed 88
appropriate to carry out the department's lawful functions. The 89
organization charts of the department shall be presented annually 90
with the budget request of the Governor for review by the 91
Legislature. 92
(5) The commissioner shall appoint, from within the 93
Department of Public Safety, a statewide safety training officer 94
who shall serve at the pleasure of the commissioner and whose duty 95
it shall be to perform public training for both law enforcement 96
and private persons throughout the state concerning proper 97
emergency response to the mentally ill, terroristic threats or 98
acts, domestic conflict, other conflict resolution, and such other 99
matters as the commissioner may direct. 100
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(6) The commissioner shall appoint, from within the 101
Department of Public Safety, a statewide higher education events 102
safety coordinator and training officer who shall serve at the 103
pleasure of the commissioner and whose duty it shall be to perform 104
public training for campus law enforcement to effectuate the 105
purposes of Section 1 of this act. 106
( * * *7) The commissioner, after consultation with the 107
Mississippi Association of Chiefs of Police and the Mississippi 108
Sheriffs' Association, shall be responsible for establishing 109
guidelines for response to active shooter situations and any 110
related jurisdictional issues. 111
( * * *8) The commissioner shall establish within the 112
department the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security for the 113
purpose of seeing that the laws are faithfully executed and for 114
the purpose of investigating cyber-related crimes and suppressing 115
crimes of violence and acts of intimidation and terror. The 116
commissioner is hereby authorized to employ within the Office of 117
Homeland Security a director, investigators and other qualified 118
personnel as he may deem necessary to make investigation of 119
cyber-related crimes, crimes of violence and acts of terrorism or 120
intimidation, to aid in the arrest and prosecution of persons 121
charged with such cyber-related crimes, crimes of violence, acts 122
of terrorism or intimidation, or threats of violence and to 123
perform other duties as necessary to accomplish these purposes. 124
Investigators and other law enforcement personnel employed by the 125
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commissioner shall have full power to investigate, apprehend, and 126
arrest persons committing cyber-related crimes, acts of violence, 127
intimidation, or terrorism anywhere in the state, and shall be 128
vested with the power of police officers in the performance of 129
such duties as provided herein. Such investigators and other 130
personnel shall perform their duties under the direction of the 131
commissioner, or his designee. The commissioner shall be 132
authorized to offer and pay suitable rewards to other persons for 133
aiding in such investigation and in the apprehension and 134
conviction of persons charged with cyber-related crimes, acts of 135
violence, or threats of violence, or intimidation, or acts of 136
terrorism. 137
( * * *9) The commissioner shall establish within the Office 138
of Homeland Security a Mississippi Analysis and Information Center 139
(MSAIC Fusion Center) which shall be the highest priority for the 140
allocation of available federal resources for statewide 141
information sharing, including the deployment of personnel and 142
connectivity with federal data systems. Subject to appropriation 143
therefor, the Mississippi Fusion Center shall employ three (3) 144
regional analysts dedicated to analyzing and resolving potential 145
threats identified by the agency's statewide social media 146
intelligence platform and the dissemination of school safety 147
information. 148
SECTION 3. Section 45-1-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 149
brought forward as follows: 150
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45-1-3. (1) When not otherwise specifically provided, the 151
commissioner is authorized to make and promulgate reasonable rules 152
and regulations to be coordinated, and carry out the general 153
provisions of the Highway Safety Patrol and Driver's License Law 154
of 1938. 155
(2) The commissioner shall have the authority to administer 156
oaths. 157
(3) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, with written 158
approval from the Executive Director of the Department of Finance 159
and Administration, the commissioner may enter into a lease or 160
sublease agreement for space in the Department of Public Safety 161
headquarters building with a third party for the purpose of 162
providing services and assistance to the department and its 163
employees. The proceeds received from the lease under this 164
subsection shall be paid to the State Treasurer for deposit into 165
the General Fund. 166
SECTION 4. Section 37-101-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 167
brought forward as follows: 168
37-101-15. (a) The Board of Trustees of State Institutions 169
of Higher Learning shall succeed to and continue to exercise 170
control of all records, books, papers, equipment, and supplies, 171
and all lands, buildings, and other real and personal property 172
belonging to or assigned to the use and benefit of the board of 173
trustees formerly supervising and controlling the institutions of 174
higher learning named in Section 37-101-1. The board shall have 175
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and exercise control of the use, distribution and disbursement of 176
all funds, appropriations and taxes, now and hereafter in 177
possession, levied and collected, received, or appropriated for 178
the use, benefit, support, and maintenance or capital outlay 179
expenditures of the institutions of higher learning, including the 180
authorization of employees to sign vouchers for the disbursement 181
of funds for the various institutions, except where otherwise 182
specifically provided by law. 183
(b) The board shall have general supervision of the affairs 184
of all the institutions of higher learning, including the 185
departments and the schools thereof. The board shall have the 186
power in its discretion to determine who shall be privileged to 187
enter, to remain in, or to graduate therefrom. The board shall 188
have general supervision of the conduct of libraries and 189
laboratories, the care of dormitories, buildings, and grounds; the 190
business methods and arrangement of accounts and records; the 191
organization of the administrative plan of each institution; and 192
all other matters incident to the proper functioning of the 193
institutions. The board shall have the authority to establish 194
minimum standards of achievement as a prerequisite for entrance 195
into any of the institutions under its jurisdiction, which 196
standards need not be uniform between the various institutions and 197
which may be based upon such criteria as the board may establish. 198
(c) The board shall exercise all the powers and prerogatives 199
conferred upon it under the laws establishing and providing for 200
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the operation of the several institutions herein specified. The 201
board shall adopt such bylaws and regulations from time to time as 202
it deems expedient for the proper supervision and control of the 203
several institutions of higher learning, insofar as such bylaws 204
and regulations are not repugnant to the Constitution and laws, 205
and not inconsistent with the object for which these institutions 206
were established. The board shall have power and authority to 207
prescribe rules and regulations for policing the campuses and all 208
buildings of the respective institutions, to authorize the arrest 209
of all persons violating on any campus any criminal law of the 210
state, and to have such law violators turned over to the civil 211
authorities. 212
(d) For all institutions specified herein, the board shall 213
provide a uniform system of recording and of accounting approved 214
by the State Department of Audit. The board shall annually 215
prepare, or cause to be prepared, a budget for each institution of 216
higher learning for the succeeding year which must be prepared and 217
in readiness for at least thirty (30) days before the convening of 218
the regular session of the Legislature. All relationships and 219
negotiations between the State Legislature and its various 220
committees and the institutions named herein shall be carried on 221
through the board of trustees. No official, employee or agent 222
representing any of the separate institutions shall appear before 223
the Legislature or any committee thereof except upon the written 224
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order of the board or upon the request of the Legislature or a 225
committee thereof. 226
(e) For all institutions specified herein, the board shall 227
prepare an annual report to the Legislature setting forth the 228
disbursements of all monies appropriated to the respective 229
institutions. Each report to the Legislature shall show how the 230
money appropriated to the several institutions has been expended, 231
beginning and ending with the fiscal years of the institutions, 232
showing the name of each teacher, officer, and employee, and the 233
salary paid each, and an itemized statement of each and every item 234
of receipts and expenditures. Each report must be balanced, and 235
must begin with the former balance. If any property belonging to 236
the state or the institution is used for profit, the reports shall 237
show the expense incurred in managing the property and the amount 238
received therefrom. The reports shall also show a summary of the 239
gross receipts and gross disbursements for each year and shall 240
show the money on hand at the beginning of the fiscal period of 241
the institution next preceding each session of the Legislature and 242
the necessary amount of expense to be incurred from said date to 243
January 1 following. The board shall keep the annual expenditures 244
of each institution herein mentioned within the income derived 245
from legislative appropriations and other sources, but in case of 246
emergency arising from acts of providence, epidemics, fire or 247
storm with the written approval of the Governor and by written 248
consent of a majority of the senators and of the representatives 249
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it may exceed the income. The board shall require a surety bond 250
in a surety company authorized to do business in this state of 251
every employee who is the custodian of funds belonging to one or 252
more of the institutions mentioned herein, which bond shall be in 253
a sum to be fixed by the board in an amount that will properly 254
safeguard the said funds, the premium for which shall be paid out 255
of the funds appropriated for said institutions. 256
(f) The board shall have the power and authority to elect 257
the heads of the various institutions of higher learning and to 258
contract with all deans, professors, and other members of the 259
teaching staff, and all administrative employees of said 260
institutions for a term not exceeding four (4) years. The board 261
shall have the power and authority to terminate any such contract 262
at any time for malfeasance, inefficiency, or contumacious 263
conduct, but never for political reasons. It shall be the policy 264
of the board to permit the executive head of each institution to 265
nominate for election by the board all subordinate employees of 266
the institution over which he presides. It shall be the policy of 267
the board to elect all officials for a definite tenure of service 268
and to reelect during the period of satisfactory service. The 269
board shall have the power to make any adjustments it thinks 270
necessary between the various departments and schools of any 271
institution or between the different institutions. 272
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(g) The board shall keep complete minutes and records of all 273
proceedings which shall be open for inspection by any citizen of 274
the state. 275
(h) The board shall have the power to enter into an energy 276
performance contract, energy services contract, on a 277
shared-savings, lease or lease-purchase basis, for energy 278
efficiency services and/or equipment as prescribed in Section 279
31-7-14. 280
(i) The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher 281
Learning, for and on behalf of Jackson State University, is hereby 282
authorized to convey by donation or otherwise easements across 283
portions of certain real estate located in the City of Jackson, 284
Hinds County, Mississippi, for right-of-way required for the Metro 285
Parkway Project. 286
(j) In connection with any international contract between 287
the board or one (1) of the state's institutions of higher 288
learning and any party outside of the United States, the board or 289
institution that is the party to the international contract is 290
hereby authorized and empowered to include in the contract a 291
provision for the resolution by arbitration of any controversy 292
between the parties to the contract relating to such contract or 293
the failure or refusal to perform any part of the contract. Such 294
provision shall be valid, enforceable and irrevocable without 295
regard to the justiciable character of the controversy. Provided, 296
however, that in the event either party to such contract initiates 297
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litigation against the other with respect to the contract, the 298
arbitration provision shall be deemed waived unless asserted as a 299
defense on or before the responding party is required to answer 300
such litigation. 301
(k) The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher 302
Learning ("board"), on behalf of any institution under its 303
jurisdiction, shall purchase and maintain business property 304
insurance and business personal property insurance on all 305
university-owned buildings and/or contents as required by federal 306
law and regulations of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 307
(FEMA) as is necessary for receiving public assistance or 308
reimbursement for repair, reconstruction, replacement or other 309
damage to those buildings and/or contents caused by the Hurricane 310
Katrina Disaster of 2005 or subsequent disasters. The board is 311
authorized to expend funds from any available source for the 312
purpose of obtaining and maintaining that property insurance. The 313
board is authorized to enter into agreements with the Department 314
of Finance and Administration, local school districts, 315
community/junior college districts, community hospitals and/or 316
other state agencies to pool their liabilities to participate in a 317
group business property and/or business personal property 318
insurance program, subject to uniform rules and regulations as may 319
be adopted by the Department of Finance and Administration. 320
(l) The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher 321
Learning, or its designee, may approve the payment or 322
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reimbursement of reasonable travel expenses incurred by candidates 323
for open positions at the board's executive office or at any of 324
the state institutions of higher learning, when the job candidate 325
has incurred expenses in traveling to a job interview at the 326
request of the board, the Commissioner of Higher Education or a 327
state institution of higher learning administrator. 328
(m) (i) The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of 329
Higher Learning is authorized to administer and approve contracts 330
for the construction and maintenance of buildings and other 331
facilities of the state institutions of higher learning, including 332
related contracts for architectural and engineering services, 333
which are paid for with self-generated funds. 334
(ii) Additionally, the board is authorized to oversee, 335
administer and approve contracts for the construction and 336
maintenance of buildings and other facilities of the state 337
institutions of higher learning, including related contracts for 338
architectural and engineering services, which are funded in whole 339
or in part by general obligation bonds of the State of Mississippi 340
at institutions designated annually by the board as being capable 341
to procure and administer all such contracts. Prior to the 342
disbursement of funds, an agreement for each project between the 343
institution and the Department of Finance and Administration shall 344
be executed. The approval and execution of the agreement shall 345
not be withheld by either party unless the withholding party 346
provides a written, detailed explanation of the basis for 347
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ST: University campus events; require enhanced
security measures and collaboration among law
enforcement for large events.
withholding to the other party. The agreement shall stipulate the 348
responsibilities of each party, applicable procurement 349
regulations, documentation and reporting requirements, conditions 350
prior to, and schedule of, disbursement of general obligation bond 351
funds to the institution and provisions concerning handling any 352
remaining general obligation bonds at the completion of the 353
project. Such agreement shall not include provisions that 354
constitute additional qualifications or criteria that act to 355
invalidate the designation of an institution as capable of 356
procuring and administering such project. Inclusion of any such 357
provisions may be appealed to the Public Procurement Review Board. 358
(n) The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher 359
Learning ("board") shall require all on-campus faculty and staff 360
employed by, and all students attending, any of the state 361
institutions of higher learning identified in Section 37-101-1 to 362
be issued an identification badge in physical or electronic 363
format. Any identification card issued or renewed pursuant to 364
this section, whether physical or in an electronic format, shall 365
include the words "Crisis Lifeline - Dial or Text 988, or chat 366
988lifeline.org" or like language for formatting purposes. 367
SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from 368
and after July 1, 2026. 369