Persistent Domestic Violence Offender Registry Act; enact.

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To: Judiciary, Division B
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Hill, McLendon

SENATE BILL NO. 2113

AN ACT TO ENACT THE PERSISTENT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENDER 1
REGISTRY ACT; TO DEFINE TERMS; TO CREATE THE PERSISTENT DOMESTIC 2
VIOLENCE REGISTRY WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO 3
REGISTER PERSISTENT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OFFENDERS; TO REQUIRE THE 4
DEPARTMENT TO MAINTAIN THE REGISTRY; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO 5
MAKE THE REGISTRY AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC INQUIRY ON THE INTERNET; TO 6
REQUIRE CERTAIN OFFENDERS WITH AT LEAST ONE PRIOR CONVICTION OF 7
ABUSE TO REGISTER; TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT TO REMOVE THE NAME AND 8
OTHER IDENTIFYING INFORMATION OF A PERSISTENT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 9
OFFENDER FROM THE REGISTRY WITHIN A CERTAIN TIMEFRAME; TO REQUIRE 10
THE DEPARTMENT TO PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO EFFECTUATE 11
THE PURPOSES OF THIS CHAPTER; TO PROVIDE FOR A FEE TO BE ASSESSED 12
AGAINST THE DEFENDANT WHO IS REQUIRED TO REGISTER UNDER THIS 13
CHAPTER; TO DIRECT A PORTION OF THE FEE TO BE DEPOSITED INTO THE 14
VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FUND; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 15
93-21-117, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH IS THE VICTIMS OF 16
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FUND, FOR POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED 17
PURPOSES. 18
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 19
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 20
"Persistent Domestic Violence Offender Registry Act." 21
SECTION 2. As used in this act: 22
(a) "Abuse" has the meaning assigned under Section 23
93-21-3(a). 24
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(b) "Convicted" and "conviction" mean a verdict of 25
guilty by a judge or jury or a plea of guilty and includes 26
adjudication by the court. 27
(c) "Department" means the Department of Public Safety. 28
(d) "Domestic abuse victim" mean any person who is the 29
victim of abuse. 30
(e) "Persistent domestic violence offender" means a 31
person who: 32
(i) Has been convicted in this state of an offense 33
committed against a domestic abuse victim; and 34
(ii) Has at least one (1) prior conviction for an 35
offense committed against a domestic abuse victim. 36
(f) "Prior conviction" means a conviction for an 37
offense occurring prior to the commission of the offense which 38
triggers the defendant's eligibility for registry under this 39
section. 40
(g) "Registry" means the Persistent Domestic Violence 41
Registry created in Section 3(1) of this act. 42
SECTION 3. (1) The Persistent Domestic Violence Registry is 43
created within the department to register persistent domestic 44
violence offenders. 45
(2) The department shall maintain this registry based upon 46
information supplied to the department by the court clerks 47
pursuant to subsections (3) and (4) of this section and 48
information available to the department from the Department of 49
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Corrections and local law enforcement agencies. The department 50
shall make the registry available for public inquiry on the 51
internet. 52
(3) The registry must consist of the persistent domestic 53
violence offender's name, date of birth, conviction date, county 54
or counties of convictions, and a current photograph of the 55
persistent domestic violence offender. If available after 56
reasonable inquiry, the court clerk shall provide the department 57
with a copy of the persistent domestic violence offender's driver 58
license, or other state or federal identification, and such other 59
identifying data as the department determines is necessary to 60
properly identify the persistent domestic violence offender and 61
exclude innocent persons. However, the registry available for 62
public inquiry must not include the persistent domestic violence 63
offender's address, social security number, driver license number, 64
or any other state or federal identification number. 65
(4) (a) If a person is convicted of an offense committed 66
against a domestic abuse victim and the person convicted has at 67
least one (1) prior conviction for an offense committed against a 68
domestic abuse victim, then the court shall, upon proof of any 69
prior convictions committed against a domestic abuse victim, order 70
the defendant to register as a persistent domestic violence 71
offender under this act. 72
(b) If a court orders a defendant to register under 73
this act, then the court clerk shall forward to the department a 74
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certified copy of the qualifying conviction and the date of birth 75
of the defendant. The court clerk shall forward the information 76
to the department within seven (7) days of the date of the 77
conviction. 78
(5) The department shall remove from the registry the name 79
and other identifying information of a persistent domestic 80
violence offender required to register under this chapter: 81
(a) Five (5) years after the date of the most recent 82
conviction for an offense committed against a domestic abuse 83
victim if the defendant has one (1) prior conviction for an 84
offense committed against a domestic abuse victim; 85
(b) Seven (7) years after the date of the most recent 86
conviction for an offense committed against a domestic abuse 87
victim if the defendant has two (2) prior convictions for an 88
offense committed against a domestic abuse victim; 89
(c) Ten (10) years after the date of the most recent 90
conviction for an offense committed against a domestic abuse 91
victim if the defendant has three (3) prior convictions for an 92
offense committed against a domestic abuse victim; or 93
(d) Twenty (20) years after the date of the most recent 94
conviction for an offense committed against a domestic abuse 95
victim if the defendant has four (4) or more prior convictions for 96
an offense committed against a domestic abuse victim. 97
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(6) (a) This section applies only to persons convicted of 98
an offense committed against a domestic abuse victim that occurred 99
on or after January 1, 2027. 100
(b) Notwithstanding subsection (6)(a) of this section, 101
a prior conviction is not required to occur on or after January 1, 102
2027. 103
(7) The department shall promulgate rules and regulations to 104
effectuate the purposes of this chapter. 105
SECTION 4. (1) In addition to any other criminal penalty 106
that may be imposed for a conviction of the offense, a defendant 107
required to register under this chapter shall be assessed a fee in 108
the amount of One Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($150.00). 109
(2) The fee must be paid by the registrant under this 110
chapter to the clerk of the court imposing the sentence which 111
requires the registration under this chapter. The clerk shall: 112
(a) Retain no more than Fifty Dollars ($50.00) of the 113
fee paid for the administration of this chapter, which must be 114
reserved for the purposes authorized by this chapter; and 115
(b) Remit the remainder of the fee to the Victims of 116
Domestic Violence Fund created under Section 93-21-117. 117
SECTION 5. Section 93-21-117, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 118
brought forward as follows: 119
93-21-117. (1) There is hereby created in the State 120
Treasury a special fund to be known as the "Victims of Domestic 121
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Violence Fund." The fund shall be a continuing fund, not subject 122
to fiscal-year limitations, and shall consist of: 123
(a) Monies appropriated by the Legislature; 124
(b) The interest accruing to the fund; 125
(c) Monies received under the provisions of Section 126
99-19-73; 127
(d) Monies received from the federal government; 128
(e) Donations to the Victims of Domestic Violence Fund; 129
(f) Assessments collected pursuant to Section 83-39-31; 130
and 131
(g) Monies received from such other sources as may be 132
provided by law. 133
(2) The circuit clerks of the state shall deposit in the 134
fund on a monthly basis the additional fee charged and collected 135
for marriage licenses under the provisions of Section 25-7-13, 136
Mississippi Code of 1972. 137
(3) All other monies received by the state from every source 138
for the support of the program for victims of domestic violence, 139
established by Sections 93-21-101 through 93-21-113, shall be 140
deposited in the "Victims of Domestic Violence Fund." The monies 141
in the fund shall be used by the State Department of Health solely 142
for funding and administering domestic violence shelters under the 143
provisions of Sections 93-21-101 through 93-21-113, in such 144
amounts as the Legislature may appropriate to the department for 145
the program for victims of domestic violence established by 146
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ST: Persistent Domestic Violence Offender
Registry Act; enact.
Sections 93-21-101 through 93-21-113. Not more than ten percent 147
(10%) of the monies in the "Victims of Domestic Violence Fund" 148
shall be appropriated to the State Department of Health for the 149
administration of domestic violence shelters. 150
(4) From and after July 1, 2014, the Office Against 151
Interpersonal Violence is granted all powers and duties with 152
respect to the management of funds in the Victims of Domestic 153
Violence Fund. Any reference to the Department of Health in this 154
article pertaining to the management of the Victims of Domestic 155
Violence Fund means the Office Against Interpersonal Violence 156
within the Department of Health. In addition to the ten percent 157
(10%) set aside in subsection (3), from and after July 1, 2014, 158
the OAIV is authorized to utilize no more than an additional five 159
percent (5%) of the monies in the Victims of Domestic Violence 160
Fund at its discretion for transition expenses and expense related 161
to statewide projects of the OAIV. 162
(5) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to limit the 163
ability of a domestic violence shelter or other domestic violence 164
program to solicit private donations or community support. Any 165
funds raised by a shelter or program from private donations or 166
community support are not subject to the provisions of this 167
chapter. 168
SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from 169
and after July 1, 2026. 170