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H. B. No. 1485 *HR26/R1981* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
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To: Judiciary B;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representative Turner
HOUSE BILL NO. 1485
AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 25-31-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEYS IN THE FIRST 2
CIRCUIT COURT DISTRICT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 4
SECTION 1. Section 25-31-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 5
amended as follows: 6
25-31-5. (1) The following number of full-time legal 7
assistants are authorized in the following circuit court 8
districts: 9
(a) First Circuit Court District.............. * * * 10
twelve (12) legal assistants. 11
(b) Second Circuit Court District.......... eleven (11) 12
legal assistants. 13
(c) Third Circuit Court District................six (6) 14
legal assistants. 15
(d) Fourth Circuit Court District...............six (6) 16
legal assistants. 17
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(e) Fifth Circuit Court District...............five (5) 18
legal assistants. 19
(f) Sixth Circuit Court District............. three (3) 20
legal assistants. 21
(g) Seventh Circuit Court District....... fourteen (14) 22
legal assistants. 23
(h) Eighth Circuit Court District.............three (3) 24
legal assistants. 25
(i) Ninth Circuit Court District..............three (3) 26
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2027, the Ninth Circuit 27
Court District shall have four (4) legal assistants. 28
(j) Tenth Circuit Court District.............. five (5) 29
legal assistants. 30
(k) Eleventh Circuit Court District............five (5) 31
legal assistants. 32
(l) Twelfth Circuit Court District.............five (5) 33
legal assistants. 34
(m) Thirteenth Circuit Court District..........four (4) 35
legal assistants. 36
(n) Fourteenth Circuit Court District.......... six (6) 37
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2026, the Fourteenth 38
Circuit Court District shall have five (5) legal assistants. 39
(o) Fifteenth Circuit Court District......... seven (7) 40
legal assistants. 41
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(p) Sixteenth Circuit Court District........... six (6) 42
legal assistants. 43
(q) Seventeenth Circuit Court District........ four (4) 44
legal assistants. 45
(r) Eighteenth Circuit Court District...........two (2) 46
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2027, the Eighteenth 47
Circuit Court District shall have four (4) legal assistants. 48
(s) Nineteenth Circuit Court District........ seven (7) 49
legal assistants. 50
(t) Twentieth Circuit Court District......... seven (7) 51
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2027, the Twentieth 52
Circuit Court District shall have ten (10) legal assistants. 53
(u) Twenty-first Circuit Court District...... seven (7) 54
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2027, the Twenty-first 55
Circuit Court District shall have eight (8) legal assistants. 56
(v) Twenty-second Circuit Court District..... four (4) 57
legal assistants. 58
(w) Twenty-third Circuit Court District...... three (3) 59
legal assistants. Effective January 1, 2027, this paragraph (w) 60
shall stand repealed. 61
(2) In addition to any legal assistants authorized pursuant 62
to subsection (1) of this section, the following number of 63
full-time legal assistants are authorized (i) in the following 64
circuit court districts if funds are appropriated by the 65
Legislature to adequately fund the salaries, expenses and fringe 66
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benefits of such legal assistants, or (ii) in any of the following 67
circuit court districts in which the board of supervisors of one 68
or more of the counties in a circuit court district adopts a 69
resolution to pay all of the salaries, supplemental pay, expenses 70
and fringe benefits of legal assistants authorized in such 71
district pursuant to this subsection: 72
(a) First Circuit Court District................two (2) 73
legal assistants. 74
(b) Second Circuit Court District...............two (2) 75
legal assistants. 76
(c) Third Circuit Court District................two (2) 77
legal assistants. 78
(d) Fourth Circuit Court District...............two (2) 79
legal assistants. 80
(e) Fifth Circuit Court District................two (2) 81
legal assistants. 82
(f) Sixth Circuit Court District................two (2) 83
legal assistants. 84
(g) Seventh Circuit Court District..............two (2) 85
legal assistants. 86
(h) Eighth Circuit Court District...............two (2) 87
legal assistants. 88
(i) Ninth Circuit Court District................two (2) 89
legal assistants. 90
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(j) Tenth Circuit Court District................two (2) 91
legal assistants. 92
(k) Eleventh Circuit Court District.............two (2) 93
legal assistants. 94
(l) Twelfth Circuit Court District..............two (2) 95
legal assistants. 96
(m) Thirteenth Circuit Court District...........two (2) 97
legal assistants. 98
(n) Fourteenth Circuit Court District...........two (2) 99
legal assistants. 100
(o) Fifteenth Circuit Court District............two (2) 101
legal assistants. 102
(p) Sixteenth Circuit Court District............two (2) 103
legal assistants. 104
(q) Seventeenth Circuit Court District..........two (2) 105
legal assistants. 106
(r) Eighteenth Circuit Court District...........two (2) 107
legal assistants. 108
(s) Nineteenth Circuit Court District...........two (2) 109
legal assistants. 110
(t) Twentieth Circuit Court District...........five (5) 111
legal assistants. 112
(u) Twenty-first Circuit Court District.........two (2) 113
legal assistants. 114
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(v) Twenty-second Circuit Court District........two (2) 115
legal assistants. From and after January 1, 2031, this paragraph 116
(v) shall stand repealed. 117
(w) Twenty-third Circuit Court District........two (2) 118
legal assistants. From and after January 1, 2027, this paragraph 119
(w) shall stand repealed. 120
(3) The board of supervisors of any county may pay all or a 121
part of the salary, supplemental pay, expenses and fringe benefits 122
of any district attorney or legal assistant authorized in the 123
circuit court district to which such county belongs pursuant to 124
this section. 125
(4) The district attorney of any circuit court district may 126
employ additional legal assistants or criminal investigators, or 127
both, without regard to any limitation on the number of legal 128
assistants authorized in this section or criminal investigators 129
authorized by other provisions of law to the extent that the 130
district attorney's office receives funds from any source. Any 131
source shall include, but is not limited to, office generated 132
funds, funds from a county, a combination of counties, a 133
municipality, a combination of municipalities, federal funds, 134
private grants or foundations, or by means of an Interlocal 135
Cooperative Agreement authorized by Section 17-13-1 which may be 136
expended for those positions in an amount sufficient to pay all of 137
the salary, supplemental pay, expenses and fringe benefits of the 138
positions. Such funds may either be paid out of district attorney 139
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ST: Assistant district attorneys; increase
number for First Judical District.
accounts, transferred by the district attorney to the Department 140
of Finance and Administration or to one or more of the separate 141
counties comprising the circuit court district, and the funds 142
shall be disbursed to such employees in the same manner as 143
state-funded criminal investigators and full-time legal 144
assistants. The district attorney shall report to the board of 145
supervisors of each county comprising the circuit court district 146
the amount and source of the supplemental salary, expenses and 147
fringe benefits, and the board in each county shall spread the 148
same on its minutes. The district attorney shall also report such 149
information to the Department of Finance and Administration which 150
shall make such information available to the Legislative Budget 151
Office. 152
(5) The district attorney shall be authorized to assign the 153
duties of a legal assistant regardless of the source of funding 154
for such legal assistants. 155
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 156
and after July 1, 2026. 157