HB69 • 2026

Office of Independent State Hearing Officers; create to hear and decide matters for persons as alternative to agency hearing officers.

AN ACT TO CREATE THE OFFICE OF INDEPENDENT STATE HEARING OFFICERS TO PROVIDE HEARING OFFICERS TO CONDUCT HEARINGS, COMPILE EVIDENCE AND RENDER DECISIONS ON MATTERS FOR PERSONS OR ENTITIES THAT HAVE ISSUES BEFORE STATE AGENCIES; TO PROVIDE THAT THE OFFICE SHALL BE HEADED BY A DIRECTOR WHO IS APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR FOR A TERM OF FOUR YEARS AND WHO MAY BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE ONLY FOR CAUSE; TO PROVIDE THAT THE OFFICE SHALL BE HOUSED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION AND SHALL BE FUNDED FROM FUNDS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY APPROPRIATED TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR THAT PURPOSE; TO PROVIDE THAT THE DIRECTOR SHALL CONTRACT WITH AT LEAST FIVE PERSONS TO SERVE AS HEARING OFFICERS; TO PROVIDE THAT WHEN A PERSON OR ENTITY HAS AN ISSUE BEFORE A STATE AGENCY AND THE STATE AGENCY HAS ITS OWN HEARING OFFICER, THE PERSON OR ENTITY MAY ELECT AT ITS OPTION TO HAVE A HEARING OFFICER FROM THE OFFICE OF INDEPENDENT STATE HEARING OFFICERS HEAR AND DECIDE THE MATTERS AT ISSUE, AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO HAVING A HEARING OFFICER OF THE STATE AGENCY; TO PROVIDE THAT IF A PERSON OR ENTITY ELECTS TO HAVE A HEARING OFFICER FROM THE OFFICE, THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE SHALL ASSIGN ONE OF THE HEARING OFFICERS ON A ROTATING BASIS TO HEAR AND DECIDE THE MATTERS AT ISSUE; TO PROVIDE THAT A PERSON OR ENTITY OR STATE AGENCY MAY APPEAL THE DECISION OF A HEARING OFFICER TO A PANEL OF THREE HEARING OFFICERS OF THE OFFICE WHO WERE NOT INVOLVED IN THE HEARING AND DECISION; TO PROVIDE THAT ANY PERSON OR ENTITY OR STATE AGENCY AGGRIEVED BY A FINAL DECISION OF THE APPEALS PANEL SHALL BE ENTITLED TO JUDICIAL REVIEW OF THE DECISION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Budget

Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor: Hines
Last action: 2026-02-03
Official status: Dead
Effective date: July 1, 20

Plain English Breakdown

The candidate explanation accurately reflects the content of the official source material.

Creating an Office for Independent Hearing Officers

This bill creates the Office of Independent State Hearing Officers to provide hearing officers who can conduct hearings and make decisions on issues before state agencies as an alternative to using agency hearing officers.

What This Bill Does

Creates the Office of Independent State Hearing Officers to handle cases involving state agencies.
Appoints a director for this office, chosen by the Governor for four years, with removal only for cause.
Houses the new office within the Department of Finance and Administration and funds it through specific appropriations.
Contracts with at least five hearing officers who have experience in administrative hearings.
Allows people or entities to choose an independent hearing officer instead of one from a state agency if they prefer.
Establishes an appeals process where decisions can be reviewed by a panel of three independent hearing officers and then, if needed, through judicial review.

Who It Names or Affects

People or entities with issues before state agencies who may choose to use the services of the Office of Independent State Hearing Officers.
State agencies that will have their own hearing officers as an alternative option for those seeking a hearing.
The Governor, who appoints the director of the new office.

Terms To Know

Hearing Officer: A person appointed to conduct hearings and make decisions on matters before state agencies.
Appeals Panel: A group of three hearing officers who review and decide appeals from initial hearing officer decisions.

Limits and Unknowns

The bill did not pass in the session it was introduced.
It is unclear how many people or entities will choose to use this new office instead of state agency hearing officers.
There are no details on what happens if funding for the Office of Independent State Hearing Officers is not provided.

Bill History

2026-02-03 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
02/03 (H) Died In Committee
2026-01-07 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
01/07 (H) Referred To Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency;Appropriations A

Official Summary Text

Office of Independent State Hearing Officers; create to hear and decide matters for persons as alternative to agency hearing officers.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

H. B. No. 69 *HR31/R642* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/HR31/R642
PAGE 1 (ELS\JAB)

To: Accountability,
Efficiency, Transparency;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Hines

HOUSE BILL NO. 69

AN ACT TO CREATE THE OFFICE OF INDEPENDENT STATE HEARING 1
OFFICERS TO PROVIDE HEARING OFFICERS TO CONDUCT HEARINGS, COMPILE 2
EVIDENCE AND RENDER DECISIONS ON MATTERS FOR PERSONS OR ENTITIES 3
THAT HAVE ISSUES BEFORE STATE AGENCIES; TO PROVIDE THAT THE OFFICE 4
SHALL BE HEADED BY A DIRECTOR WHO IS APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR FOR 5
A TERM OF FOUR YEARS AND WHO MAY BE REMOVED FROM OFFICE ONLY FOR 6
CAUSE; TO PROVIDE THAT THE OFFICE SHALL BE HOUSED AT THE 7
DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION AND SHALL BE FUNDED FROM 8
FUNDS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY APPROPRIATED TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR 9
THAT PURPOSE; TO PROVIDE THAT THE DIRECTOR SHALL CONTRACT WITH AT 10
LEAST FIVE PERSONS TO SERVE AS HEARING OFFICERS; TO PROVIDE THAT 11
WHEN A PERSON OR ENTITY HAS AN ISSUE BEFORE A STATE AGENCY AND THE 12
STATE AGENCY HAS ITS OWN HEARING OFFICER, THE PERSON OR ENTITY MAY 13
ELECT AT ITS OPTION TO HAVE A HEARING OFFICER FROM THE OFFICE OF 14
INDEPENDENT STATE HEARING OFFICERS HEAR AND DECIDE THE MATTERS AT 15
ISSUE, AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO HAVING A HEARING OFFICER OF THE STATE 16
AGENCY; TO PROVIDE THAT IF A PERSON OR ENTITY ELECTS TO HAVE A 17
HEARING OFFICER FROM THE OFFICE, THE DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE SHALL 18
ASSIGN ONE OF THE HEARING OFFICERS ON A ROTATING BASIS TO HEAR AND 19
DECIDE THE MATTERS AT ISSUE; TO PROVIDE THAT A PERSON OR ENTITY OR 20
STATE AGENCY MAY APPEAL THE DECISION OF A HEARING OFFICER TO A 21
PANEL OF THREE HEARING OFFICERS OF THE OFFICE WHO WERE NOT 22
INVOLVED IN THE HEARING AND DECISION; TO PROVIDE THAT ANY PERSON 23
OR ENTITY OR STATE AGENCY AGGRIEVED BY A FINAL DECISION OF THE 24
APPEALS PANEL SHALL BE ENTITLED TO JUDICIAL REVIEW OF THE 25
DECISION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 26
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 27
SECTION 1. (1) There is created the Office of Independent 28
State Hearing Officers, which shall provide hearing officers to 29
conduct hearings, compile evidence and render decisions on matters 30
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for persons or entities that have issues before state agencies. 31
The office shall be headed by a director who is appointed by the 32
Governor for a term of four (4) years and who may be removed from 33
office only for cause. The office shall be housed at the 34
Department of Finance and Administration and shall be funded from 35
funds that are specifically appropriated to the department for 36
that purpose. 37
(2) The director shall contract with at least five (5) 38
persons to serve as hearing officers. Those persons must be 39
experienced in conducting administrative hearings for governmental 40
entities or participating in administrative hearings of 41
governmental entities. 42
(3) When a person or entity has an issue before a state 43
agency and the state agency has its own hearing officer or has the 44
authority to appoint its own hearing officer, the state agency 45
shall inform the person or entity that the person or entity may 46
elect at its option to have a hearing officer from the Office of 47
Independent State Hearing Officers hear and decide the matters at 48
issue, as an alternative to having a hearing officer of the state 49
agency. If a person or entity elects to have a hearing officer 50
from the office, the director of the office shall assign one of 51
the hearing officers to hear and decide the matters at issue. The 52
director shall assign hearing officers on a rotating basis instead 53
of assigning the same hearing officer to regularly hear and decide 54
matters for a particular state agency. 55
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(4) A person or entity or state agency may appeal the 56
decision of a hearing officer of the office. The appeal shall be 57
made to a panel of three (3) hearing officers of the office who 58
were not involved in the hearing and decision. The proceedings 59
before the appeals panel shall be de novo. The person or entity 60
and the state agency are bound by and shall comply with the 61
decision of the hearing officer, or if that decision is appealed, 62
with the decision of the appeals panel, unless the person or 63
entity or state agency appeals the decision as provided in 64
subsection (5) of this section and the decision of the appeals 65
panel is overturned after judicial review. 66
(5) Any person or entity or state agency aggrieved by a 67
final decision of the appeals panel shall be entitled to judicial 68
review of the decision in the manner provided in this subsection. 69
(a) An appeal may be taken by such person or entity or 70
state agency to the Circuit Court of the First Judicial District 71
of Hinds County, by filing a petition with the clerk of the court 72
and executing and filing bond payable to the State of Mississippi 73
with sufficient sureties to be approved by the clerk of the court, 74
in the penalty of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), conditioned upon 75
the payment of all costs of appeal, including the cost of 76
preparing the transcript of the hearing before the appeals panel. 77
The petition and bond shall be filed within thirty (30) days of 78
the receipt of the final decision of the appeals panel. Upon 79
approval of the bond, the clerk of the court shall notify the 80
H. B. No. 69 *HR31/R642* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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ST: Office of Independent State Hearing
Officers; create to hear and decide matters for
persons as alternative to agency hearing
officers.
appeals panel, which shall prepare its record in the matter and 81
transmit it to the circuit court. 82
(b) The scope of review of the circuit court in such 83
cases shall be limited to a review of the record made before the 84
appeals panel to determine if the action of the appeals panel is 85
unlawful for the reason that it was: 86
(i) Not supported by any substantial evidence; 87
(ii) Arbitrary or capricious; or 88
(iii) In violation of some statutory or 89
constitutional right of the employee. 90
(c) Any party aggrieved by action of the circuit court 91
may appeal to the Supreme Court in the manner provided by law. 92
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 93
and after July 1, 2026. 94