Department of Marine Resources; create Special Need Events Marine Patrol Reserve Officers.

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To: Marine Resources
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Anderson (122nd)

HOUSE BILL NO. 735

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 49-15-21, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO CREATE SPECIAL NEED EVENTS MARINE PATROL RESERVE OFFICERS 2
WITHIN THE ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS' RESERVE UNIT OF THE MISSISSIPPI 3
DEPARTMENT OF MARINE RESOURCES; TO ESTABLISH QUALIFICATIONS FOR 4
RESERVE OFFICERS TO WORK CRITICAL NEED EVENTS; TO AUTHORIZE 5
SPECIAL NEED EVENTS MARINE PATROL RESERVE OFFICERS TO BE PAID; AND 6
FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 8
SECTION 1. Section 49-15-21, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 9
amended as follows: 10
49-15-21. (1) The executive director shall appoint the 11
necessary enforcement officers for the administration of this 12
chapter. The salary of all enforcement officers employed shall be 13
as determined by the State Personnel Board. * * * Except as 14
otherwise provided in paragraph (c) of subsection (4), the members 15
of the Enforcement Officers' Reserve Unit created in subsection 16
(4) shall serve without pay * * *. In addition, the members of 17
the Enforcement Officers' Reserve Unit shall not be employees of 18
the State of Mississippi for purposes of the State Personnel 19
System, the Workers' Compensation Law, the Public Employees' 20
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Retirement System or the State Employees Life and Health Insurance 21
Plan. 22
(2) All enforcement officers shall be experienced and 23
qualified persons thoroughly familiar with the seafood business 24
and shall be at least twenty-one (21) years of age and be a high 25
school graduate or its equivalent. The enforcement officers shall 26
diligently enforce all laws and regulations for the protection, 27
propagation, preservation or conservation of all saltwater aquatic 28
life of the State of Mississippi, and they are hereby constituted 29
peace officers of the State of Mississippi, with full police power 30
and jurisdiction to enforce all laws of the State of Mississippi, 31
inclusive of all federal laws within the jurisdiction of the State 32
of Mississippi and waters and resources under management of the 33
state, and all regulations adopted and promulgated by the 34
department. Enforcement officers may exercise such powers in any 35
county of the State of Mississippi and on any waters of the state, 36
and they are hereby authorized to carry firearms or other weapons, 37
concealed or otherwise, and they shall investigate all persons, 38
corporations and otherwise who are alleged to have violated any 39
laws, and make affidavits, arrests and serve papers of any court 40
of competent jurisdiction, in like manner as is provided for 41
sheriffs and deputy sheriffs, when the same shall be in connection 42
with the enforcement of the seafood laws of the State of 43
Mississippi and such other laws and regulations of this state as 44
the department may designate. The enforcement officers may seize 45
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at any time aquatic life caught, taken or transported in a manner 46
contrary to the laws of this state, and may confiscate and dispose 47
of the same. Any net or other paraphernalia used or employed in 48
connection with a violation may be seized, and forfeiture 49
proceedings may be instituted. Enforcement officers may draft the 50
aid of captains, crews and boats or licensed vessels to enforce 51
this chapter and may, without warrant, board and search vessels or 52
vehicles. The application for any license or permit from the 53
department to catch, fish, take, transport or handle or process 54
any form of aquatic life, or the taking, catching, transporting or 55
handling or processing of any and all aquatic life in this state 56
shall constitute acquiescence and agreement upon the part of the 57
owners, captains and crews, employers and dealers to the 58
provisions of this chapter and the agreement that enforcement 59
officers may exercise the authority granted under the provisions 60
hereof. 61
(3) Prior to entering into performance of their duties or 62
delegations or as soon after appointment as possible, each 63
enforcement officer, at the expense of the department, shall 64
attend and complete an appropriate curriculum in the field of law 65
enforcement at the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training 66
Academy or other law enforcement training program approved under 67
Section 45-6-7. However, members of the Enforcement Officers' 68
Reserve Unit created in subsection (4) of this section may attend 69
the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy at the 70
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expense of the department if it deems the training necessary or 71
desirable. No enforcement officer shall be entitled to payment of 72
salary after the first twelve (12) months in office if he has 73
either failed to attend the academy or has failed to comply with 74
other qualifications or successfully complete any law enforcement 75
qualification examinations as the director deems necessary. The 76
enforcement officers shall, on a periodic basis, be required to 77
attend additional advanced courses in law enforcement in order 78
that they will be properly improved and trained in the modern, 79
technical advances of law enforcement. 80
(4) (a) There is hereby created an Enforcement Officers' 81
Reserve Unit, hereinafter termed "the reserve," to assist the 82
enforcement officers in the performance of their duties under this 83
chapter. The reserve shall consist of volunteers who are approved 84
by the Executive Director of the Department of Marine Resources or 85
his designee. * * * Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (c) 86
of this subsection, the members of the reserve shall serve without 87
pay. Reserve officers shall be in such numbers as determined by 88
the enforcement needs, with the maximum strength of reserve 89
officers limited to the same number as enforcement officers. 90
(b) To be eligible for membership in the reserve, an 91
applicant must be twenty-one (21) years of age, be a high school 92
graduate or its equivalent, be in good physical condition, have a 93
Mississippi driver's license, be in good standing with the 94
community, be available for training and duty, not be a member of 95
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any police, auxiliary police, civil defense, or private security 96
agency, have never been convicted of a felony, and have one (1) of 97
the following: 98
(i) An honorable discharge or honorable separation 99
certificate from one (1) of the United States military services; 100
(ii) Three (3) years of responsible post-high 101
school work experience that required the ability to deal 102
effectively with individuals and groups of persons; 103
(iii) Successful completion of sixty (60) semester 104
hours at an accredited college or university; or 105
(iv) The qualifications as are outlined in this 106
section for enforcement officers. 107
Members of the immediate family of enforcement officers shall 108
not be eligible for the reserve unless a special waiver is 109
granted. 110
Upon acceptance into the reserve, members shall receive a 111
temporary appointment for one (1) year. During this year of 112
temporary status, members must successfully complete the required 113
training and must qualify on the same firearms course as 114
enforcement officers. 115
(c) There is created within the reserve Special Need 116
Events Marine Patrol Reserve Officers. The Chief of Marine 117
Patrol, subject to the approval of the executive director, shall 118
determine what constitutes special need events having a critical 119
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shortage of manpower. To qualify for work at critical need 120
events, a reserve officer must: 121
(i) Be in good standing; and 122
(ii) 1. Have successfully completed and possess a 123
board of minimum standards certification, either part-time or 124
full-time; or 125
2. Have completed an academy in another state 126
which is recognized by the Board on Law Enforcement Officers 127
Standards and Training. 128
Notwithstanding the prohibitions in subsection (1) and 129
paragraph (a) of this subsection, Special Need Events Marine 130
Patrol Reserve Officers shall receive payment, as determined by 131
the executive director, for work at special need events. 132
( * * *d) The reserve shall be under the leadership and 133
direction of the executive director or his designee. The training 134
of the reserve shall be conducted by an enforcement officer. The 135
reserve shall meet at least once each month for the purpose of 136
training and transacting any business as may come before it. The 137
executive director shall be notified in writing of all meetings of 138
the reserve and the time and place of the meetings shall be 139
recorded with the executive director. The executive director 140
shall prepare a reserve officer's manual with the advice and 141
consent of the department. The manual shall include, but is not 142
limited to, the following: activities and operations, training, 143
administration and duties. During active service, the reserve 144
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shall be under the direction of the executive director or his 145
designated representative. When a reserve officer is on active 146
duty and assigned to a specific enforcement officer, he shall be 147
under the direct supervision of that officer. Reserve officers 148
serve at the discretion of the executive director and may be 149
dismissed by him. Reserve officers shall furnish their own 150
uniforms and other personal equipment if the executive director 151
does not provide such items. 152
( * * *e) The executive director may require members of 153
the Enforcement Officers' Reserve Unit to attend officer reserve 154
training programs conducted by county or municipal agencies. 155
( * * *f) The executive director may issue uniforms to 156
such reserve officers and may authorize the issuance of any state 157
equipment necessary for the reserve officers to adequately assist 158
law enforcement officers. The executive director may develop a 159
reserve officer identification system to accomplish the issuance 160
of such items in accordance with the State Auditor guidelines. 161
( * * *g) If the executive director determines that a 162
member of the Enforcement Officers' Reserve Unit may attend a 163
training program as authorized under this section, it shall 164
require that reserve officer to sign an agreement, prior to 165
attending a training program, which shall stipulate that if the 166
reserve officer accepts employment from any other public or 167
private law enforcement agency within three (3) years after 168
completion of his training program, the reserve officer or the 169
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ST: Department of Marine Resources; create
Special Need Events Marine Patrol Reserve
Officers.
respective hiring law enforcement agency shall reimburse the 170
department for the total cost of his training program. By October 171
1 of each year, the department shall provide the Conservation and 172
Water Resources Committee of the Mississippi House of 173
Representatives and the Ports and Marine Resources Committee of 174
the Mississippi Senate a listing which contains each name and the 175
respective cost of training each reserve officer received during 176
the previous year. 177
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 178
and after July 1, 2026. 179