Department of Marine Resources; authorize payment of reserve unit for Special Need Events.

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To: Ports and Marine
Resources
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) DeLano

SENATE BILL NO. 2634

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