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H. B. No. 1718 *HR43/R2063* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/HR43/R2063
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To: Judiciary B;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026
By: Representative Hall
HOUSE BILL NO. 1718
AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE DESOTO COUNTY REGIONAL FORENSICS 1
LABORATORY AS A REGIONAL FACILITY IN THE MISSISSIPPI FORENSICS 2
LABORATORY SYSTEM; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 45-1-29, MISSISSIPPI 3
CODE OF 1972, FOR THE PURPOSE OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; AND FOR 4
RELATED PURPOSES. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 6
SECTION 1. (1) There is established the DeSoto County 7
Regional Forensics Laboratory in DeSoto County, Mississippi, as a 8
new regional forensic laboratory in the Mississippi Forensics 9
Laboratory system. 10
(2) The Mississippi Forensics Laboratory may coordinate with 11
the DeSoto County Board of Supervisors in the planning, 12
construction, staffing and ongoing operations of the laboratory. 13
(3) The DeSoto County Regional Forensics Laboratory shall be 14
provided with the necessary funding, staff, facilities and 15
equipment to perform its functions and to ensure the laboratory 16
can continuously operate to meet the needs of local law 17
enforcement. 18
H. B. No. 1718 *HR43/R2063* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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SECTION 2. Section 45-1-29, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 19
brought forward as follows: 20
45-1-29. (1) The Mississippi Forensics Laboratory shall be 21
funded separately from the Department of Public Safety. Any 22
appropriated funds shall be maintained in an account separate from 23
any funds of the Department of Public Safety and shall never be 24
commingled with any funds of the department. However, nothing in 25
this section shall be construed to prohibit the utilization of the 26
combined resources of the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory, the 27
Division of Support Services of the Department of Public Safety or 28
the Mississippi Justice Information Center to efficiently carry 29
out the mission of the Department of Public Safety. 30
(2) Grants and donations to the Forensics Laboratory may be 31
accepted from individuals, the federal government, firms, 32
corporations, foundations and other interested organizations and 33
societies. 34
(3) The Commissioner of Public Safety shall establish and 35
the Division of Support Services of the Department of Public 36
Safety shall collect for services rendered proper fees 37
commensurate with the services rendered by the Forensics 38
Laboratory. Those fees shall be deposited into a special fund in 39
the State Treasury to the credit of the Forensics Laboratory and 40
expended in accordance with applicable rules and regulations of 41
the Department of Finance and Administration. Those fees may be 42
H. B. No. 1718 *HR43/R2063* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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ST: DeSoto County Regional Forensics
Laboratory; establish as regional facility in
the Mississippi Forensics Laboratory system.
used for any authorized expenditure of the Forensics Laboratory 43
except expenditures for salaries, wages and fringe benefits. 44
(4) Upon every individual convicted of a felony or 45
misdemeanor, every individual who is nonadjudicated on a felony or 46
misdemeanor case under Section 99-15-26 or 63-11-30(14), and every 47
individual who participates in a pretrial intervention program 48
established under Section 99-15-101 et seq., in a case where the 49
Forensics Laboratory provided forensic science or laboratory 50
services in connection with the case, the court shall impose and 51
collect a separate laboratory analysis fee of Three Hundred 52
Dollars ($300.00), in addition to any other assessments and costs 53
imposed by statutory authority, unless the court finds that undue 54
hardship would result by imposing the fee. All fees collected 55
under this section shall be deposited into the special fund of the 56
Forensics Laboratory created in subsection (3) of this section. 57
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 58
and after July 1, 2026. 59