MS Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention, Child Safety, and Domestic Violence; create.

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To: Judiciary B
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Hines

HOUSE BILL NO. 1537

AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI TASK FORCE ON GUN VIOLENCE 1
PREVENTION, CHILD SAFETY AND DOMESTIC VIOLENCE; TO PRESCRIBE THE 2
PURPOSE OF THE TASK FORCE; TO PROVIDE THE MEMBERS AND DUTIES OF 3
THE TASK FORCE; TO PROVIDE CERTAIN REPORTING OF THE TASK FORCE 4
REGARDING LEGISLATIVE AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS; AND FOR RELATED 5
PURPOSES. 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 7
SECTION 1. There is established the Mississippi Task Force 8
on Gun Violence Prevention, Child Safety, and Domestic Violence, 9
which may be referred to as "task force" throughout this act. The 10
task force shall operate as a temporary but renewable advisory and 11
action oriented body reporting that shall report to the Governor, 12
Legislature and the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme 13
Court. The task force shall serve in an advisory capacity and 14
shall not exercise regulatory, enforcement or judicial authority. 15
SECTION 2. (1) The purpose of the task force is as follows: 16
(a) To develop Mississippi specific, constitutionally 17
sound strategies to reduce gun violence while protecting lawful 18
firearm ownership; 19
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(b) To address the intersections of gun violence, 20
school age child safety, and domestic violence through 21
coordinated, cross sector solutions; 22
(c) To improve prevention, enforcement, judicial 23
response, and victim protection without unnecessary expansion of 24
criminalization; and 25
(d) To align public safety, family stability, and 26
community trust. 27
(2) The guiding principles of the task force are as follows: 28
(a) Constitutional fidelity as prescribed in the Second 29
Amendment and the Mississippi Constitution; 30
(b) Public safety and prevention first orientation; 31
(c) Child centered and family protective approaches; 32
(d) Victim and survivor informed decision making; 33
(e) Local control with statewide coordination; and 34
(f) Data driven, outcome focused recommendations. 35
(3) The duties of the task force shall be to examine the 36
following: 37
(a) Gun violence prevention and enforcement by: 38
(i) Reviewing patterns of firearm violence in 39
Mississippi by geography, age group and relationship dynamic; 40
(ii) Identifying gaps in enforcement of existing 41
laws; 42
(iii) Examining illegal firearm trafficking and 43
repeat offender patterns; and 44
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(iv) Recommending coordinated interagency 45
responses. 46
(b) School age child safety by: 47
(i) Evaluating threats and risk factors in school 48
and community settings. 49
(ii) Reviewing the effectiveness of: 50
1. Threat assessment teams; and 51
2. School based mental health supports. 52
(iii) Developing firearm safety education 53
strategies for families; and 54
(iv) Preventing youth criminalization while 55
improving safety. 56
(c) Domestic violence and firearm risk by: 57
(i) Examining firearm involvement in domestic 58
violence cases; 59
(ii) Assessing judicial tools related to 60
protective orders and offender monitoring; 61
(iii) Improving coordination between: 62
1. Courts; 63
2. Law enforcement; and 64
3. Victim service providers. 65
(iv) Strengthening survivor safety planning. 66
(d) Judicial and legal review by: 67
(i) Evaluating statutory clarity, judicial 68
discretion, and court processes; 69
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(ii) Identifying training needs for judges and 70
prosecutors; and 71
(iii) Recommending court based best practices. 72
SECTION 3. (a) The task force shall be composed of the 73
following forty-five (45) members: 74
(a) A business or employer association representative 75
and an insurance or risk management representative, appointed by 76
the Governor; 77
(b) A philanthropic foundation or grant making 78
organization appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; 79
(c) A healthcare system representative, appointed by 80
the Speaker of the House; 81
(d) The Chairpersons of the Judiciary B Committees of 82
the House and Senate, or their designees; 83
(e) The Chairpersons of the Judiciary A Committees of 84
the House and Senate, or their designees; 85
(f) The Chairpersons of the Education Committees of the 86
House and Senate, or their designees; 87
(g) The Chairpersons of the Public Health and Human 88
Services Committees of the House and Senate, or their designees; 89
(h) One (1) Mississippi Supreme Court Justice, or his 90
designee; 91
(i) A court of appeals judge, appointed by the 92
Governor; 93
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(j) A circuit court judge, appointed by the Lieutenant 94
Governor; 95
(k) A youth court judge, appointed by Speaker of the 96
House of Representatives; 97
(l) President of the Mississippi Court Administrators 98
Association; 99
(m) President of the Mississippi Prosecutors 100
Association; 101
(n) President of the Mississippi Public Defenders 102
Association; 103
(o) Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety; 104
(p) Director of the Mississippi Bureau of 105
Investigation; 106
(q) President of the Mississippi Sheriffs' 107
Association; 108
(r) President of the Mississippi Association of Chiefs 109
of Police; 110
(s) President of the Mississippi Association of School 111
Resource Officers; 112
(t) A probation and parole officer, appointed by the 113
Commissioner of the Department of Corrections; 114
(u) Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of 115
Education; 116
(v) A school district superintendent from a rural area 117
of the state and a school district superintendent from an urban 118
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area of the state, both appointed by the State Superintendent of 119
Education; 120
(w) President of the Magnolia State School Counselor 121
Association; 122
(x) Executive Director of the Mississippi Community 123
College Board; 124
(y) A youth representative, who shall serve in a 125
nonvoting advisory role and who is appointed by Lieutenant 126
Governor; 127
(z) A state domestic violence coalition representative, 128
appointed by the Governor; 129
(aa) A shelter or crisis center director, appointed by 130
the Speaker of the House of Representatives; 131
(bb) A survivor advocate, appointed by the Lieutenant 132
Governor; 133
(cc) A legal aid or victim services attorney, appointed 134
by the Governor; 135
(dd) Executive Director of the Mississippi State 136
Department of Health; 137
(ee) President of the Mental Health Association of 138
South Mississippi; 139
(ff) A substance abuse prevention representative, 140
appointed by the Speaker of the House; 141
(gg) The president of the Mississippi Trauma Care 142
System Foundation; 143
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(hh) A faith based leader, appointed by the Lieutenant 144
Governor; 145
(ii) A representative of a community based violence 146
prevention organization, appointed by the Speaker of the House of 147
Representatives; 148
(jj) A rural community representative, appointed by the 149
Governor; 150
(kk) An urban community representative, appointed by 151
the Lieutenant Governor; 152
(ll) A firearm safety instructor, appointed by the 153
Speaker of the House of Representatives; 154
(mm) A lawful gun owner or sportsmen's association 155
representative, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor; and 156
(nn) A firearm storage safety advocate, appointed by 157
the Governor. 158
SECTION 4. (a) Appointments to the task force must be made 159
within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this act. 160
Within fifteen (15) days thereafter, the task force shall meet and 161
organize and shall elect two (2) co-chairs, one (1) of whom shall 162
be a youth or lived experience member. Task force members shall 163
select from its membership a vice chair. The vice chair shall 164
serve as the secretary and is responsible for keeping all records 165
of the task force. A majority of the members of the task force 166
constitutes a quorum. In the selection of its officers and the 167
adoption of rules, resolutions and reports, an affirmative vote of 168
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a majority of the task force is required. Written notice of task 169
force meetings shall be sent electronically to all members at 170
least fifteen (15) days before the date on which a meeting is to 171
be held. 172
(b) The task force shall meet at least once monthly. 173
(c) Members of the task force may not receive 174
compensation for their service on the task force. 175
SECTION 5. To effectuate the purposes of this act, the 176
Department of Public Safety shall provide administrative and 177
logistical support and shall provide the facilities, assistance, 178
information and data needed to enable the task force to carry out 179
its duties. 180
SECTION 6. The task force shall submit an interim report 181
every six months beginning December 1, 2027, to the Governor, 182
Legislature and Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court 183
with a final task report submitted on December 1, 2029, that 184
provides the following: 185
(a) Policy and legislative recommendations; 186
(b) Model protocols for courts, schools, and law 187
enforcement; 188
(c) Prevention and education strategies; 189
(d) Funding and sustainability options; and 190
(e) A public facing executive summary. 191
SECTION 7. This act shall be repealed from and after 192
December 1, 2029. 193
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ST: MS Task Force on Gun Violence Prevention,
Child Safety, and Domestic Violence; create.
SECTION 8. This act shall take effect from and after its 194
passage. 195