Veterans; allow free admission to state parks and museums.

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To: Wildlife, Fisheries and
Parks
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) DuPree

SENATE BILL NO. 2663

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 55-3-33, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
PROVIDE THAT MILITARY VETERANS HOLDING VALID IDENTIFICATION SHALL 2
BE ALLOWED ADMITTANCE INTO ANY STATE PARK OR MUSEUM OPERATED OR 3
FUNDED BY THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI AT NO CHARGE; AND FOR RELATED 4
PURPOSES. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 6
SECTION 1. Any military veteran holding valid identification 7
of his or her service shall be allowed admittance into any state 8
park or museum funded by the State of Mississippi at no charge to 9
the veteran. 10
SECTION 2. Section 55-3-33, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 11
amended as follows: 12
55-3-33. (1) The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, 13
Fisheries and Parks may: 14
(a) Take charge and have full jurisdiction and control 15
over all state parks, which parks shall be operated for the 16
purpose of providing outdoor recreational activities and enjoyment 17
for the citizens of the State of Mississippi and for the purpose 18
of attracting visitors to the state. 19
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(b) Set up a uniform accounting procedure for the state 20
parks and prescribe the manner in which books, records and 21
accounts shall be kept, which procedure shall account for all 22
monies taken in and expended by the various parks and shall 23
provide for periodic audits of such books. 24
(c) Accept gifts, bequests of money or other property, 25
real or personal, to be used for the purpose of advancing the 26
recreation and conservation interests in state parks. The 27
department is authorized, subject to approval by the State 28
Legislature, to purchase property, real or personal, to be used 29
for state park purposes. 30
(d) Contract with the State Transportation Commission, 31
any municipality or board of supervisors of the state for 32
locating, constructing and maintaining roads and other 33
improvements in state parks and for payment of a part of the costs 34
thereof; however, no county or municipality more than twenty-five 35
(25) miles distant from a state park may contract for, or do, or 36
pay for any such work for a state park other than the 37
International Gardens of Mississippi. Any county or municipality 38
authorized to assist financially under the provisions of Sections 39
55-3-31 through 55-3-51 is authorized, in the discretion of its 40
respective governing authority, to set aside, appropriate and 41
expend monies from the General Fund for the purpose of defraying 42
such expense after a mandatory election is held on the question 43
within the county or municipality. 44
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(e) Designate employees as peace officers with power to 45
make arrests for infraction of the rules and regulations of the 46
department. Such officers are authorized to carry weapons and to 47
enforce the laws of the State of Mississippi within the confines 48
of a state park. 49
(f) Enforce and delegate the responsibility to enforce 50
all reasonable rules and regulations governing the occupancy and 51
use of lands and waters in state parks under its jurisdiction, 52
supply recreational and conservation facilities and charge fees 53
for the use of same; review all rates and charges for facilities 54
and accommodations furnished at the various state parks annually, 55
making such charges as are justified; and establish fees for 56
entrance to state parks. 57
(g) To periodically establish a discounted fee or fees 58
for the entry and use of selected state parks and recreational 59
facilities. The discounted fee or fees shall only be used for the 60
purpose or purposes of marketing and promotion to increase the 61
patronage and revenue of those selected parks and facilities. The 62
discounted fee or fees shall not be considered a donation of state 63
property. 64
Each park shall retain from revenues generated therein, a sum 65
sufficient to pay necessary expenses of operation, but in no event 66
to be less than seventy-five percent (75%) of such revenues. 67
(2) The department shall have the authority to lease to any 68
entity, sell and convey or otherwise transfer to any county or 69
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municipality, or close any state park or historical site within 70
its jurisdiction which received a general fund subsidy in fiscal 71
year 1985 in excess of Two Dollars ($2.00) per visitor to such 72
state park or historical site; provided, however, that this 73
authority shall not include the authority to sell, lease or convey 74
any park that was not in operation under the jurisdiction of the 75
department for a full fiscal year prior to fiscal year 1986. 76
(3) The department may execute agreements with 77
rails-to-trails and recreational districts by which the department 78
will assume responsibility for the operation and maintenance of 79
trails developed under Sections 55-25-1 through 55-25-15. 80
(4) (a) The department may contract with the electric 81
public utility with a certificate of public convenience and 82
necessity to serve the area where a state park is located for the 83
transfer of ownership of the electrical infrastructure in the 84
state park to that electric public utility. 85
(b) If the electric public utility enters into an 86
agreement for the operation and maintenance of electrical 87
facilities in a state park, the electric public utility may 88
perform any upgrades to the electrical infrastructure of the park 89
that are necessary for the electrical infrastructure to be in 90
compliance with the electric public utility standards. The 91
electric public utility may assess the costs of the upgrades to 92
the department upon the terms and conditions agreed to by the 93
department and the electric public utility. 94
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ST: Veterans; allow free admission to state
parks and museums.
(c) The department may contract with the electric 95
public utility with the certificate of public convenience and 96
necessity to serve the area for the erection, construction, 97
maintenance, operation and control of electric distribution 98
substations, electric transmission lines, electrical 99
appurtenances, electrical appliances or electrical equipment 100
necessary or useful in the operation or distribution of electric 101
power or energy in the state park. 102
(d) Any agreement entered into by the department and an 103
electric public utility under this subsection is exempt from the 104
public purchasing requirements under Section 31-7-13. 105
(5) The department may issue regulations providing that any 106
military veteran holding valid identification of his or her 107
service shall be allowed admittance into any state park or museum 108
funded by the State of Mississippi at no charge to the veteran. 109
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 110
and after July 1, 2026. 111