Motor vehicles; require proof of liability insurance before license tag or decal may be issued or renewed.

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To: Finance
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Thompson

SENATE BILL NO. 2829

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 27-19-43, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO PROVIDE THAT NO TAG OR DECAL SHALL BE ISSUED OR RENEWED UNLESS 2
THE OWNER OR OPERATOR OF THE MOTOR VEHICLE FIRST PRESENTS PROOF OF 3
COVERAGE BY A MOTOR VEHICLE LIABILITY POLICY; AND FOR RELATED 4
PURPOSES. 5
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 6
SECTION 1. Section 27-19-43, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 7
amended as follows: 8
27-19-43. (1) License tags, substitute tags and decals for 9
individual fleets and for private carriers of passengers, school 10
buses (excluding school buses owned by a school district in the 11
state), church buses, taxicabs, ambulances, hearses, motorcycles 12
and private carriers of property, and private commercial carriers 13
of property of a gross weight of ten thousand (10,000) pounds and 14
less, shall be sold and issued by the tax collectors of the 15
several counties. 16
(2) Applications for license tags for motor vehicles in a 17
corporate fleet registered under Section 27-19-66, trailers in a 18
fleet registered under Section 27-19-66.1, motor vehicles in a 19
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rental fleet registered under Section 27-19-66.2, and applications 20
for all other license tags, substitute tags and decals shall be 21
filed with the department or the local tax collector of the 22
respective counties and forwarded to the department for issuance 23
to the applicant. All tags and decals for vehicles owned by the 24
state or any agency or instrumentality thereof, and vehicles owned 25
by a fire protection district, school district or a county or 26
municipality, and all vehicles owned by a road, drainage or levee 27
district shall be issued by the department. 28
(3) In addition to the privilege taxes levied herein, there 29
shall be collected the following registration or tag fee: 30
(a) For the issuance of both a license tag and two (2) 31
decals, a fee of Five Dollars ($5.00). 32
(b) For the issuance of up to two (2) decals only, a 33
fee of Three Dollars and Seventy-five Cents ($3.75). 34
(c) Additionally, the tax collector or the department, 35
as the case may be, shall assess and collect a fee of Four Dollars 36
($4.00) upon each set of license tags and two (2) decals issued, 37
or upon each set of two (2) decals issued, and that sum shall be 38
deposited in the Mississippi Trauma Care Systems Fund established 39
in Section 41-59-75, to be used for the purposes set out in that 40
section. 41
No tag or decal shall be issued either by a tax collector or 42
by the department without the collection of such registration fee 43
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ST: Motor vehicles; require proof of liability
insurance before license tag or decal may be
issued or renewed.
except substitute tags and decals and license tags for vehicles 44
owned by the State of Mississippi. 45
Beginning July 1, 1987, and until the date specified in 46
Section 65-39-35, there shall be levied a registration fee of Five 47
Dollars ($5.00) in addition to the regular registration fee 48
imposed in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection. Such 49
additional registration fee shall be levied in the same manner as 50
the regular registration fee. 51
No tag or decal shall be issued or renewed under this chapter 52
unless the owner or operator of the motor vehicle first presents 53
proof of coverage by a motor vehicle liability policy, as defined 54
in Section 63-15-43. 55
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 56
and after July 1, 2026. 57