Miss. Code Ann. § 39-27-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 19 / Section 27-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-27-1
Status: in_force

(1) There is created the Mississippi Blues Commission, hereinafter referred to as the “commission.” The commission may accept and expend grants and private donations from any source, including federal, state, public and private entities, to assist it to carry out its functions.

(2) For purposes of this chapter, the term “ blues ” shall mean African-American roots music and the culture that created it.

(3) The powers, functions and duties of the commission shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

(a) To study, deliberate and report to the Governor and the Legislature on the best method or plan to market and foster an appreciation of the blues, to include tourism, academic study and blues archives, blues historical preservation, blues cultural education and the support of performing artists. The marketing plan shall be designed to attract tourists, conferences, music performances, filmmakers and others for the purpose of economic development of all geographic areas of the state, through the promotion of the blues and the heritage and culture that produced the blues, and to analyze the tourism potential of the blues for Mississippi.

(b) To make an inventory of blues “assets” that make up the blues and blues culture that could be developed into a program for domestic and international tourism, and opportunities for investment.

(c) To establish a statewide Mississippi “Blues Trail” infrastructure to offer to tourists and targeted groups a structured tour of Mississippi blues historical sites and performance venues.

(d) To coordinate with the Division of Tourism of the Mississippi Development Authority, the Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the Mississippi Educational Television Authority, the State Institutions of Higher Learning, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, the University Center for Economic Development at Mississippi Valley State University, the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University, the Delta Blues Museum, the Delta Music Institute, the Mississippi Arts Commission and similar organizations in the sharing of resources and information in order to ensure a comprehensive approach to marketing the blues and blues culture in Mississippi.

(e) To make recommendations regarding the establishment of, and budgeting for, a permanent Mississippi Office of the Blues as an agency of state government with an executive director and appropriate staff to carry out the marketing plan developed by the commission. To the extent practical, any office shall be located at an existing public or private location which is appropriate to the blues or blues culture in Mississippi, with minimal cost to the state.

(f) To coordinate the blues marketing plan with any existing state historic preservation programs, in order to:

(i) Identify and preserve blues historic properties or sites;

(ii) Determine the eligibility of those properties or sites for listing on the National Register;

(iii) Prepare nominations of those properties or sites for inclusion on the National Register;

(iv) Maintain blues historical and archaeological data bases; and

(v) Evaluate those properties and sites for eligibility for state and federal preservation incentives.

(g) To raise and expend grant funds to provide assistance to any blues musicians in need.

(4) The commission shall be composed of the following members:

(a) The Director of the Division of Tourism of the Mississippi Development Authority;

(b) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, or his designee;

(c) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, or his designee;

(d) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Educational Television Authority, or his designee;

(e) The Director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi;

(f) Until April 10, 2008, the Director of the University Center for Economic Development at Mississippi Valley State University, and after April 10, 2008, a person designated by the President of Mississippi Valley State University;

(g) The Director of the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University;

(h) The President of the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center;

(i) The State Director of the USDA Rural Development Agency;

(j) Two (2) members of the Mississippi Senate designated by the Lieutenant Governor, who shall serve on a nonvoting basis;

(k) Two (2) members of the Mississippi House of Representatives designated by the Speaker of the House, who shall serve on a nonvoting basis;

(l) Two (2) members appointed by the Governor, who shall have experience in cultural affairs or tourism development in the Mississippi Delta; and

(m) Four (4) members appointed by the Governor from the state at large, who shall have demonstrated a commitment to the understanding and promotion of the blues.

(5) The Governor shall designate one (1) commission member to serve as chairman for a term concurrent with that of the Governor. The commission shall meet upon the call of the chairman not later than August 1, 2004, and shall organize for business by adopting internal organizational procedures necessary for efficient operation of the commission, including officers, quorum requirements and policies for any commission staff. Each member of the commission shall designate necessary staff of his or her respective agency, department, university or business entity, as the case may be, to provide administrative support to assist the commission in performing its duties and responsibilities. The commission shall meet and conduct business at least quarterly each year. Meetings of the commission shall be open to the public and opportunity for public comment shall be made available.

(6) Members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

(7) The commission shall submit a report, including any proposed legislation, to the Governor and to the Legislature before the convening of the 2009 Regular Session. The report shall include a comprehensive state plan for marketing the blues as specifically provided above.

(8) All departments, boards, agencies, officers and institutions of the state, and all subdivisions thereof, shall cooperate with the commission in carrying out its purposes under this chapter.

(9) Any funds or donations received by the commission shall be deposited into a special fund which is created in the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended amounts remaining in the special fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the special fund.

Monies in the fund shall be expended by the Department of Finance and Administration after receipt of requisitions submitted by the appropriate person designated by the commission. Monies in the special fund may be used by the commission in carrying out its responsibilities under this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-117 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 15 / Section 17-117
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-117
Status: in_force

The bonds authorized under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 may be issued without any other proceedings or the happening of any other conditions or things other than those proceedings, conditions and things that are specified or required by Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 . Any resolution providing for the issuance of bonds under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 shall become effective immediately upon its adoption by the State Bond Commission, and any such resolution may be adopted at any regular or special meeting of the State Bond Commission by a majority of its members.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-43-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 32 / Section 43-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-43-1
Status: in_force

(1) As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meaning ascribed in this subsection, unless context of use clearly requires otherwise:

(a) “ Department ” means the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services.

(b) “ Eligible foster parent ” means an individual licensed by the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services to operate a foster home to provide residential care to a child in the department's custody.

(c) “ Museum ” means a public agency or institution located in this state and organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic purposes, which utilizes a professional staff, owns or utilizes tangible objects, cares for them, and exhibits them to the public on a regular basis.

(d) “ Eligible child agency ” means a child-placing agency or a residential child-caring agency licensed by the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services as set forth in Section 43-15-107 .

(2) An eligible foster parent, including his or her spouse, foster children, biological children or any other member of his or her direct household, or the staff of an eligible child agency together with the children placed with the agency, as applicable, shall be allowed free admission to any museum in this state upon showing the appropriate license/certificate issued by the department.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-13 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 11 / Section 13-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-13
Status: in_force

A local historic preservation commission, if so empowered by a local ordinance or a local government acting upon the advice of a local historic preservation commission, may approve an application and issue a certificate of appropriateness if it finds that a proposed construction, alteration, demolition, subdivision or relocation is consistent with the design review guidelines established by the commission, would be compatible with the character of a historic district or landmark or landmark site and does not compromise the historic and architectural integrity of the historic district, landmark or landmark site. A governing authority may require that a property owner post a bond to guarantee satisfactory completion of a relocation project. Any local historic preservation ordinance shall specify whether partial demolition shall be considered an alteration or demolition, as it may not be both.

Whenever a local historic preservation commission shall deny or recommend denial of a certificate of appropriateness, the commission must state the reasons for such denial in writing. Thereafter, an applicant may resubmit a new application at any time, except that an applicant must wait six (6) months whenever an application for a certificate of appropriateness is denied for a landmark property of statewide or national significance and notice of any second or subsequent application must be sent to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History as well as to the local historic preservation commission.

A governing authority may require that denial of a certificate of appropriateness shall be binding upon a local building inspector or the agency responsible for issuing building permits and shall prevent the issuance of other building permits for the same parcel until a certificate of appropriateness is approved. A certificate of appropriateness may be required for work which does not require a building permit. A certificate of appropriateness may be evidenced by either a written and dated letter to an owner or applicant or such a letter accompanied by a signed and dated stamp on the face of any and all architectural or project drawings prepared for a project. A governing authority may provide by ordinance that a certificate of appropriateness shall expire at the end of a specified time period if work has not begun.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-27-3 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 13 / Section 27-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-27-3
Status: in_force

The commission shall designate specific sites for erection of appropriate “Mississippi Blues Trail” markers to offer to tourists and targeted groups a structured tour of Mississippi blues historical sites and performance venues. The commission shall be authorized to purchase appropriate Mississippi Blues Trail markers from any of its available funds. The texts for the Mississippi Blues Trail markers shall be approved by the commission. The Mississippi Department of Transportation shall cooperate with the commission by erecting and maintaining the markers that have been approved by the commission.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-22 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 7-22
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-22
Status: in_force

(1) In the early stages of planning and always prior to the letting of bids for public construction, public improvement of any nature, or the transfer of public property to private ownership, state agencies, local governments and all their political subdivisions shall notify the board of the planned action on a form supplied by the board. The board may survey the affected area, property, structure, or building, to determine if potential Mississippi landmarks will be affected, or if significant sites, buildings, or structures on nonpublic lands will be affected.

(2) If the department determines that significant historic, architectural, or archaeological sites, buildings, structures, locations, or remains will be adversely affected by the public construction or improvement, the proposed public construction or improvement may not be commenced until the department has issued the permit herein required, and has performed all necessary investigations, recording and/or salvage of the site, location or remains. All investigation, recording and salvage work shall be performed as expeditiously as possible so that no public construction project will be unduly impaired, impeded or delayed.

(3) If in the course of performing public construction or improvements, historic, prehistoric or archaeological sites, locations, remains or objects are discovered, the department shall be notified and its concurrence shall be requested in continuing the construction or improvement. Upon receipt of this notice, the department shall survey the area to confirm whether the area contains historic, prehistoric, or archaeological data which should be preserved in the public interest. The survey shall be conducted as expeditiously as possible. If, as a result of the survey, it is determined that (a) this data exists in the area, (b) the data has exceptional historic, prehistoric or archaeological significance and should be collected and preserved in the public interest, and (c) it is feasible to collect and preserve the data, the department shall perform the necessary work to collect and preserve the data. This work shall be performed as expeditiously as possible. When it is not feasible to collect the data, the agency shall make all reasonable attempts to avoid the site before proceeding. If in the board's opinion the site possesses unusual significance, and is unique to such a degree that the landmark is, or is likely to be, the sole representative of a type or period, the board may prohibit further construction which would destroy or irreparably harm the landmark.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-41-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 33 / Section 41-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-41-1
Status: repealed

(1) The Legislature finds that:

(a) Public Law 114-196 established the United States Semiquincentennial Commission and its nonprofit partner, the America250 Foundation, to collaborate with affiliates at the local, territorial, state, tribal, regional, national and international levels to educate, engage and unite Americans throughout a commemorative period beginning in 2020 to officially conclude in 2027, culminating in the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, and of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States of America;

(b) As of December 1, 2021, eighteen (18) states have established organizations to support the America250 initiative by planning and implementing programs that honor the history and culture of the United States, including special events, public art displays, museum exhibitions and educational curriculums, and the United States Semiquincentennial Commission expects the widest participation to occur through state and local projects and events; and

(c) It is altogether appropriate during this commemorative period to participate in a celebration of this magnitude and salute our state heroes, groups, artists, industries, agriculture, historic sites and other contributions to the fabric and history of our nation.

(2) There is hereby created a Mississippi USA Semiquincentennial Commission, hereinafter referred to as the “commission,” to plan, promote and implement appropriate public celebrations and official events, programs and commemorations.

(3) The commission is authorized to cooperate with the United States Semiquincentennial Commission and the America250 Foundation and other national and state organizations engaged in commemoration and celebration of the semiquincentennial, and other national, regional, state and local public and private organizations with compatible purposes.

(4) The commission shall designate and coordinate events and programs with respect to the formal semiquincentennial celebration and commemoration and promote and encourage through those events, programs, digital and printed media, symposia, and educational outreach all of the following:

(a) Awareness and understanding of the principles of the Declaration of Independence, of the winning of American independence in the American Revolutionary War, and of the establishment of America's system of constitutional self-government;

(b) Teaching students and increasing public knowledge and appreciation of the breadth of American history and the centuries-long quest for “liberty and justice for all,” to include sharing the stories and contributions of the various people who have populated the land, from indigenous peoples, explorers, British colonists, seekers of religious freedom, enslaved African Americans and many others who are part of America's stories;

(c) Advancing the cause of liberty and American self-government and of the meaning of “ E Pluribus Unum ” (“from many, one”) through promoting civic knowledge and practice, including America's “ Charters of Freedom ” (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights) and the constitutional features of self-government emphasizing the roles of active and engaged good citizens;

(d) Emphasizing the service and sacrifices of veterans of all generations who have secured and preserved American independence and freedom and encouraging Mississippians to honor them; and

(e) Celebratory and commemorative events and activities throughout the State of Mississippi and its eighty-two (82) counties and its two hundred ninety-nine (299) incorporated municipalities celebrating our state's arts, culture, sports, entertainment, innovation, science, entrepreneurism, parks, preservation and youth.

(5) The commission shall be composed of the following members:

(a) The Governor's First Lady, or her designee;

(b) The Lieutenant Governor, or his designee;

(c) The Speaker of the House of Representatives, or his designee;

(d) Three (3) members appointed by the Governor, one (1) of whom shall be an indigenous person, to serve terms concurrent with that of the Governor;

(e) Two (2) members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor to serve terms concurrent with that of the Lieutenant Governor;

(f) One (1) member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to serve a term concurrent with that of the Speaker;

(g) The Director of the Division of Tourism of the Mississippi Development Authority, or his designee;

(h) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Tourism Association, or her designee;

(i) The Director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, or her designee; and

(j) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, or his designee.

(6) Appointments shall be made within thirty (30) days after July 1, 2023 by the Legislature, and the First Lady shall serve as chairwoman for a term concurrent with the gubernatorial term. Within fifteen (15) days thereafter, on a day to be designated by the First Lady, the commission shall meet and organize for business by adopting internal organizational procedures necessary for the commission's efficient operation, including officers, committees and subcommittees, quorum requirements, and policies for any commission staff. Each member of the commission shall designate necessary staff of his or her respective agency, department or business entity, as the case may be, to provide administrative support to assist the commission in performing its duties and responsibilities. In the selection of its officers and the adoption of rules, resolutions and reports, an affirmative vote of a majority of the commission shall be required. All members shall be notified in writing of all meetings, such notices to be transmitted as appropriate at least five (5) days before the date on which a meeting is to be held. The commission shall meet and conduct business at least quarterly each year. Commission meetings shall be open to the public, and opportunity for public comment shall be made available.

(7) Commission members shall receive no compensation for their services. No commission member may incur per diem, travel or other expenses unless previously authorized by vote at a meeting of the commission, which action shall be recorded in the official minutes of the meeting. Legislative members of the commission shall be paid from the contingent expense funds of their respective houses in the same manner as provided for committee meetings when the Legislature is not in session; however, no per diem or expense for attending meetings of the commission will be paid while the Legislature is in session. Nonlegislative members shall be paid from any funds made available for that purpose to the commission or their respective agencies, departments or business entities.

(8) No elected public official or public employee serving on the commission shall be involved in soliciting any private funds or gifts for the commission.

(9) The First Lady, with concurrence of the commission, may designate the chief executive officer of an agency or nonprofit organization created or chartered by legislative act, or another qualified individual, to serve as the executive officer and secretary of the commission. The executive officer shall serve without additional compensation but may be reimbursed for expenses as provided for state employees. He or she shall exercise such powers delegated by the commission, including the right to apply for, receive, accept, deposit and administer pursuant to commission authorization any federal, state or local public or private funds given for express use by the commission for semiquincentennial purposes.

(10) The First Lady, with the concurrence of the commission, shall constitute one or more advisory committees to advise the commission. The committees may include such representatives as the respective executive officer, or his or her designee, of the Mississippi Department of Education, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, the Mississippi Community College Board, the Mississippi Military Department or the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board, or representatives of presidents of Mississippi's public colleges and universities, historically black colleges and universities, community colleges, associations and organizations of city or county officials, or state historical, educational, patriotic, civic, religious, military, veterans, community improvement and other organizations.

(11) To effectuate the purposes of this section, any department, division, board, bureau, commission or agency of the state or of any political subdivision thereof shall, at the request of the chair of the commission or her designee, provide to the commission such facilities, assistance and data as will enable the committee properly to carry out its task. All departments, boards, agencies, officers and institutions of the state and of all subdivisions thereof shall cooperate with the commission in carrying out its purposes under this section. The commission shall encourage various state agencies and organizations to work cooperatively to promote the semiquincentennial.

(12) The commission is authorized and empowered to accept and expend grants and private donations from any source, including federal, state, public and private entities, and may create a supporting nonprofit organization, supervised and controlled by the commission through majority board control and representation, to accept and expend on behalf of the commission such grants and private donations, to encourage the broadest volunteer participation of public and private partners and organizations, and to assist the commission to carry out its functions. Any expenditures by the commission shall be authorized by a majority vote of the nonlegislative members of the commission.

(13) There is hereby created in the State Treasury the Mississippi Semiquincentennial Celebration Fund. Any appropriations, funds or donations received by the commission shall be deposited into this special fund. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a special fund, separate and apart from the State General Fund. Unexpended amounts remaining in this special fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the special fund. Monies in the fund shall be expended by the Department of Finance and Administration after receipt of requisitions submitted by the appropriate person designated by the commission. Monies in the special fund may be used by the commission in carrying out its responsibilities under this section.

(14) The commission shall make an annual written report and make any recommendations to the Governor and Legislature at least thirty (30) days prior to the convening of each Regular Session of the Legislature, beginning in 2024 and continuing through its final report in 2027. The commission shall consider and recommend ways for the state to commemorate the semiquincentennial through state and local legacy projects for the state at large and for counties and municipalities, as well as ways to enhance educational programs and extended learning offered by local boards of education, the Department of Education, relevant state agencies and departments, and two-year and four-year institutions of higher education, including historically black colleges and universities.

(15) This section shall stand repealed on June 30, 2027.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-7 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 13-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-7
Status: in_force

No historic district or districts shall be designated until the Mississippi Department of Archives and History has been notified by certified letter by the governing authority of a municipality or county and invited to make recommendations concerning the proposed district boundaries. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History may comment by letter, telephone, e-mail or in person through designated staff. The boundary of a historic district or landmark or landmark site may follow the formal legal description of a tax parcel or parcels or, because of historical justification or topographical conditions, may deviate from such formal legal descriptions. When a boundary deviates from formal legal descriptions, there must be written justification for such a deviation in any local designating ordinance.

When a municipality or county has already created by ordinance a local historic preservation commission, that commission shall jointly notify both the governing authority of the municipality or county and the Mississippi Department of Archives and History that a historic district is being proposed and recommended and shall provide to the Mississippi Department of Archives and History the dates of the next two (2) public meetings of the governing authority at which action on the designation of such a district might be taken so that the Mississippi Department of Archives and History may comment in a timely manner. Failure of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to comment by the date of the second such meeting shall relieve the municipality or county of any responsibility for awaiting and responding to such analysis, and the body may at any time thereafter take any necessary action to create the proposed historic district.

When a municipality or county has not previously created by ordinance a local historic preservation commission and the governing authority proposes to create such a commission, the governing authority must give the Mississippi Department of Archives and History an opportunity to comment on the proposed provisions for such an ordinance, unless such ordinance is substantially identical to any model local historic preservation ordinance which has been recommended and promulgated by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History. Whenever the Mississippi Department of Archives and History is invited to comment on the terms of a proposed local historic preservation ordinance, failure of the department to comment within forty-five (45) days after a written request for comments has been received shall relieve the governing authority of any responsibility to wait further for such comments.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-9 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 13-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-9
Status: in_force

The governing authority of any county or municipality, individually or jointly, is authorized to make appropriations to a historic preservation commission, in any amount that it may determine necessary for the expenses of the operation of such commission. A governing authority may apply to participate in the Certified Local Government Program of the National Park Service, which is administered in Mississippi by the Department of Archives and History and may on behalf of a local historic preservation commission apply for funding from the Department of Archives and History to supplement funds available from the governing authority itself. Said governing authorities shall not be empowered to acquire by eminent domain any historic preservation properties unless such properties are needed for governmental purposes other than historic preservation.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-101 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 3-101
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-101
Status: in_force

There is hereby created a board of commissioners of the Mississippi Library Commission to be composed of five members appointed by the governor with overlapping terms, the members of the first board to be appointed one for one year, one for two years, one for three years, one for four years, one for five years, and their successors each to be appointed for five year terms, each member to serve until his successor is appointed. Two members shall be appointed by the governor from the state at large. Two members shall be appointed by the governor from a list of not less than six names submitted by the Mississippi library association, one of whom shall be a librarian who is a graduate of a library school accredited by the American Library Association and actively engaged in full time library work at the time of the appointment and one of whom shall be, at time of the appointment, a member of a legally organized board of trustees of a Mississippi free public library; and one member shall be the president of the Mississippi Federation of Women's Clubs, or a member of said federation recommended by her; and which federation member shall, when appointed, serve a full term as herein provided for members to serve under a staggered term basis, and the successor to the federation member shall be the president of the federation then serving, or a member of the federation recommended by her, when the term of the federation member shall expire; and after the appointment of a federation member to the board, and when her term as a member thereof shall expire, each succeeding member of the federation who becomes a member of the board shall serve a full term under the provisions of this article. Vacancies created by resignation shall be filled by appointment for the unexpired term.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-2 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 13-2
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-2
Status: in_force

The following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(a) “ Alteration ” means any change in the exterior appearance or materials of a landmark or a structure within a historic district or on a landmark site.

(b) “ Certificate of appropriateness ” means an official signed and dated governmental document issued by either a local historic preservation commission or a governing authority to permit specific work in a historic district or at a landmark site or landmark which has been reviewed and approved.

(c) “ Construction ” means work which is neither alteration nor demolition. Essentially, it is the erection of a new structure which did not previously exist, even if such a structure is partially joined to an existing structure.

(d) “ Demolition ” means the intentional removal of a structure within a local historic district or on a landmark site or which has been designated as a landmark.

(e) “ Demolition by neglect ” means substantial deterioration of a historic structure that results from improper maintenance or a lack of maintenance.

(f) “Design review guidelines,” if adopted by a local historic preservation commission, shall be in a written form designed to inform local property owners about historical architectural styles prevalent in a community and to recommend preferred treatments and discourage treatments that would compromise the architectural integrity of structures in a historic district or on a landmark site or individually designated as landmarks.

(g) “ Historic landmark ” means a structure of exceptional individual significance and typically is a structure which could not be included within a local historic district.

(h) “ Historic preservation commission ” means a municipal or county body established to advise a local government on matters relating to historic preservation, including the designation of historic districts, landmarks and landmark sites, and which may be empowered to review applications for permits for alteration, construction, demolition, relocation or subdivision for structures in historic districts or on landmark sites or designated as landmarks.

(i) “ Historic district ” means a group of two (2) or more tax parcels and their structures, and may be an entire neighborhood of structures linked by historical association or historical development. It is not necessary that all structures within a historic district share the same primary architectural style or be from the same primary historical period. A historic district may also include both commercial and residential structures, and may include structures covered by two (2) or more zoning classifications. A historic district may include both contributing and noncontributing structures.

(j) “ Landmark site ” means a location where a primary architectural or historical resource formerly stood or a significant historic event took place or an important archeological resource remains.

(k) “ Period of greatest historic significance for a landmark ” means the time period during which the landmark had been essentially completed but not yet altered. It is also the period during which the style of architecture of the landmark was commonplace or typical. If a landmark also achieved historical importance in part because of designed landscape features, the period of greatest historic significance includes the time period during which such landscape features were maintained.

(l) “ Relocation ” means the moving of a structure to a new location on its tax parcel or the relocation of such a structure to a new tax parcel.

(m) “ Structure ” means a man-made object and typically will be visible because of portions which exist above grade. Structures built during the historic period, 1700 forward, may in some instances not be visible above grade if they are cellars, cisterns, icehouses or similar objects which by their nature are intended to be built into the ground. A structure includes both interior components and visible exterior surfaces, as well as attached elements such as signs and related features such as walks, walls, fences and other nearby secondary structures or landmark features.

(n) “ Subdistricts ” means discrete areas within a larger historic district within which separate design guidelines are appropriate and that may be created to recognize different zoning classifications or historic development patterns which have caused adjacent historic areas to develop at different times.

(o) “ Subdivision ” includes any change in the boundaries of a single tax parcel, whether the change results in expansion or reduction or a boundary relocation.

(p) “ Substantial deterioration ” means structural degradation of such a nature that water penetration into a historic structure can no longer be prevented, or structural degradation that causes stress or strain on structural members when supports collapse or warp, evidence of which includes defective roofing materials, broken window coverings and visible interior decay.

(q) “ Survey of resources ” means the documentation, by historical research or a photographic record, of structures of historical interest within a specified area or jurisdiction or of existing structures within a proposed historic district.

(r) “ Unauthorized demolition ” means the deliberate demolition of a historic structure without prior review and approval by a local historic preservation commission or a governing authority to which such a commission has made a recommendation.

(s) “ Unreasonable economic hardship ” means the definition under constitutional standards used to determine whether a “taking” exists.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-27-3 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 15 / Section 27-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-27-3
Status: in_force

The commission shall designate specific sites for erection of appropriate “Mississippi Blues Trail” markers to offer to tourists and targeted groups a structured tour of Mississippi blues historical sites and performance venues. The commission shall be authorized to purchase appropriate Mississippi Blues Trail markers from any of its available funds. The texts for the Mississippi Blues Trail markers shall be approved by the commission. The Mississippi Department of Transportation shall cooperate with the commission by erecting and maintaining the markers that have been approved by the commission.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-9-5 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 9-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-9-5
Status: in_force

No institution for pecuniary profit shall be founded under this chapter; nor shall any dividends be declared or paid by any institution founded under this chapter; and no trustee, officer, member or employee of any institution founded hereunder shall receive, or be entitled to receive, any pecuniary profit from the operations thereof except reasonable compensation for services in effecting or furthering any one or more of the objects or purposes of the institution. In case of a public library any requirements for the payment of fees for various privileges shall not divest such library of its public character when such requirements are usual or customary in case of public libraries throughout the state or the United States. In the case of educational institutions, requirements as to the payment of matriculation fees, laboratory fees, library fees, fees of like kind or nature, board and lodging of students, and any of the requirements customary or usually insisted upon in the public educational institutions of this state shall not divest such institutions of their public character.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-123 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 17-123
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-123
Status: in_force

All bonds issued under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 shall be legal investments for trustees and other fiduciaries, and for savings banks, trust companies and insurance companies organized under the laws of the State of Mississippi, and such bonds shall be legal securities that may be deposited with and shall be received by all public officers and bodies of this state and all municipalities and political subdivisions for the purpose of securing the deposit of public funds.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 9 / Section 17-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-1
Status: in_force

The Legislature recognizes the need for a Sports Hall of Fame to honor Mississippians who have made significant contributions to Mississippi through sports. The Legislature further recognizes that a Sports Hall of Fame would be of great economic and cultural importance to Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-19 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 5-19
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-19
Status: in_force

Upon the official certificate of the trustees of the state department of archives and history that any abandoned cemetery is of historical significance and should be repaired, rehabilitated, or maintained as a historical monument, the boards of supervisors of the respective counties in this state are hereby authorized and empowered, in their discretion, to repair, rehabilitate, and maintain any such cemetery within the borders of the county over which such board has jurisdiction.

Subject to like certificate from the said trustees, the board of supervisors in adjoining counties may, in their discretion, jointly accomplish such repairs, rehabilitation, or maintenance in those instances where the cemetery in question occupies territory which at one time or another was located as a part of said adjoining counties.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-81 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 5-81
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-81
Status: in_force

The Mississippi Department of Archives and History is hereby authorized and empowered to purchase and restore the William Johnson house, a “Mississippi Landmark,” in Natchez, Mississippi, when adequate funds for the purchase and restoration thereof are deposited in the Historic Properties Trust Fund herein created. The funds used for this purpose shall be drawn from those contributions to the trust fund which have been earmarked for the William Johnson House or which have been undesignated as to their use.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-29 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 7-29
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-29
Status: in_force

No person shall intentionally and knowingly deface any American Indian or aboriginal paintings, hieroglyphics, or other marks or carvings on rock or elsewhere which pertain to early American Indian or aboriginal habitation of the country.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-101 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 17-101
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-101
Status: in_force

The Department of Finance and Administration, at one time or from time to time, may declare by resolution the necessity for issuance of general obligation bonds of the State of Mississippi to provide funds for construction, repairing, remodeling, equipping, furnishing, adding to or improving the capital facility of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum authorized under Sections 39-17-1 through 39-17-9 . Upon the adoption of a resolution by the Department of Finance and Administration, declaring the necessity for the issuance of any part or all of the general obligation bonds authorized by this section, the department shall deliver a certified copy of its resolution or resolutions to the State Bond Commission. Upon receipt of such resolution, the State Bond Commission, in its discretion, may act as the issuing agent, prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold, and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. The amount of bonds issued under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 shall not exceed Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000.00).
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-7 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 19 / Section 19-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-7
Status: in_force

(1) As of March 26, 1997, the lender, or any successor of the lender, regardless of the date of a loan of property in the custody of a museum, shall promptly notify the museum in writing:

(a) Of a change in the lender's address; and

(b) Of a change in ownership in the property on loan to the museum.

(2) It shall be the responsibility of a successor of a lender to document the passage of rights of control to the property in the custody of the museum.

(a) Unless there is evidence of bad faith or gross negligence, a museum shall not be prejudiced by reason of any failure to deal with the true owner of any loaned property.

(b) In cases of disputed ownership of loaned property, a museum shall not be held liable for its refusal to surrender loaned property in its possession except in reliance upon a court order or judgment.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-7 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 19 / Section 21-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-7
Status: in_force

Upon completion of the construction, furnishing and equipping of the facility to house the Mississippi Craft Center as provided for in this chapter, the Department of Finance and Administration shall enter into a lease, sublease or operating agreement for a period not exceeding twenty (20) years, with The Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi, Inc. whereunder The Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi, Inc., shall assume exclusive responsibilities for operating the facility. The benefit to Mississippi from the operation of such lease, sublease or operating agreement shall be considered as sufficient consideration. The lease, sublease or operating agreement shall be executed for a nominal fee and it shall be presumed that such lease shall not amount to a donation of state property.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-101 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 15 / Section 17-101
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-101
Status: in_force

The Department of Finance and Administration, at one time or from time to time, may declare by resolution the necessity for issuance of general obligation bonds of the State of Mississippi to provide funds for construction, repairing, remodeling, equipping, furnishing, adding to or improving the capital facility of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum authorized under Sections 39-17-1 through 39-17-9 . Upon the adoption of a resolution by the Department of Finance and Administration, declaring the necessity for the issuance of any part or all of the general obligation bonds authorized by this section, the department shall deliver a certified copy of its resolution or resolutions to the State Bond Commission. Upon receipt of such resolution, the State Bond Commission, in its discretion, may act as the issuing agent, prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold, and do any and all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of such bonds. The amount of bonds issued under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 shall not exceed Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000.00).
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-7 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 11 / Section 21-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-7
Status: in_force

Upon completion of the construction, furnishing and equipping of the facility to house the Mississippi Craft Center as provided for in this chapter, the Department of Finance and Administration shall enter into a lease, sublease or operating agreement for a period not exceeding twenty (20) years, with The Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi, Inc. whereunder The Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi, Inc., shall assume exclusive responsibilities for operating the facility. The benefit to Mississippi from the operation of such lease, sublease or operating agreement shall be considered as sufficient consideration. The lease, sublease or operating agreement shall be executed for a nominal fee and it shall be presumed that such lease shall not amount to a donation of state property.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-23-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 9 / Section 23-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-23-1
Status: in_force

The Legislature recognizes the need for a children's museum in Mississippi to promote the educational and social development, well-being and joy of children. The Legislature further recognizes that a children's museum would be of great economic and cultural importance to Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-15 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 17 / Section 19-15
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-15
Status: in_force

A museum which acquires title to property under this chapter passes good title to another when transferring the property with the intent to pass title.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-23-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 15 / Section 23-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-23-1
Status: in_force

The Legislature recognizes the need for a children's museum in Mississippi to promote the educational and social development, well-being and joy of children. The Legislature further recognizes that a children's museum would be of great economic and cultural importance to Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-3 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 17 / Section 17-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-3
Status: in_force

The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum may be constructed on property currently owned by the state and located adjacent to the Jim Buck Ross Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum in Jackson, Mississippi, or on property located adjacent to the Jim Buck Ross Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum and conveyed to the state by the City of Jackson. The Department of Finance and Administration may enter into agreement with the governing authorities of the City of Jackson for the movement and relocation of exhibits housed in the currently existing Dizzy Dean Museum.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-7 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 17 / Section 17-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-7
Status: in_force

The Department of Finance and Administration shall proceed with constructing, furnishing and equipping the facility as soon as practicable after April 1, 1993.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 15 / Section 17-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-1
Status: in_force

The Legislature recognizes the need for a Sports Hall of Fame to honor Mississippians who have made significant contributions to Mississippi through sports. The Legislature further recognizes that a Sports Hall of Fame would be of great economic and cultural importance to Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-113 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 5-113
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-113
Status: in_force

The commission shall cooperate and work with the citizens and elected officials in the various counties where the trail is located and shall promote and publicize the De Soto Trail in this state and abroad. The commission will strive to reconcile local interests with the results of bona fide scholarly research.

The commission shall encourage and support Mississippi's participation in the regional De Soto Trail Commission that is comprised of representatives from the states through which the De Soto Expedition traveled. The commission shall cooperate with the Regional De Soto Trail Commission and the National Park Service in their efforts to establish a National De Soto Trail as part of the National Trails System.

The commission shall support and encourage scholarly research in archaeology and history related to the De Soto Expedition. The Department of Archives and History shall undertake to publish the results of such research in The Journal of Mississippi History or Mississippi Archaeology in order to make the results of the research available to the citizens of Mississippi.

The commission shall plan, promote, and coordinate a statewide commemoration or festival which shall be held in May, 1991 in recognition of the 450th anniversary of Hernando de Soto's Expedition in our state, and may schedule other appropriate ceremonies to commemorate the De Soto Expedition.

The commission shall file with the Legislature and Governor a complete report of its activities by August 30 of each year. The commission's minutes and other permanent records shall be deposited in the Department of Archives and History.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-9 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 17 / Section 19-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-9
Status: in_force

A museum may terminate a loan for unclaimed property in its possession as follows:

(a) The museum shall make a good faith and reasonable search for the identity and last known address of the lender from the museum records and other records reasonably available to museum staff. If the museum identifies the lender and the lender's last known address, the museum shall give actual notice to the lender that the loan is terminated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. If the identify or the last known address of the lender remains unknown after the search, the museum shall give notice by publication pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.

(b) Actual notice of termination of a loan of unclaimed property shall take substantially the following form. The museum shall send a letter by restricted certified mail to the lender at the lender's last known address giving a notice of termination of the loan, which shall include the following information:

(i) Date of notice of termination;

(ii) Name of lender;

(iii) Description of property in sufficient detail for ready identification;

(iv) Approximate beginning date of the loan (and termination date, if applicable), if known;

(v) The name and address of the appropriate museum official to be contacted regarding the loan; and

(vi) A statement that within ninety (90) days of the date of the notice of termination, the lender is required to remove the property from the museum or contact the designated official in the museum in writing to preserve the lender's interests in the property and that failure to do so will result in the loss of all rights in the property pursuant to Section 39-19-11 .

(c) If the museum is unable to identify sufficient information to send actual notice pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, or if a signed return receipt of a notice sent by restricted certified mail under subsection (b) of this section is not received by the museum within thirty (30) days after the notice is mailed, the museum shall publish the notice of termination of loan containing all the information available to the museum as provided in subsection (b)(i) through (v) of this section at least twice, sixty (60) or more days apart, in a publication of general circulation in the county in which the museum is located, and the county of the lender's last known address, if known.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-9 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 17 / Section 17-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-9
Status: repealed

(1) The Department of Finance and Administration may lease the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum for a period not exceeding twenty (20) years to a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose for incorporation is the support and improvement of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum. The lease may be renewed for one (1) period not exceeding twenty (20) years.

(2) The benefit to Mississippi from the operation of such lease or renewal lease shall be considered as sufficient consideration. The lease or renewal lease shall be executed for a nominal fee and it shall be presumed that such lease or renewal lease shall not amount to a donation of state property.

(3) This section shall stand repealed from and after July 1, 2036.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 21-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-1
Status: in_force

The Legislature recognizes the need for a craft center in Mississippi to enable Mississippi craft persons to demonstrate their skills and display their creations to Mississippians and tourists from other states. The Legislature further recognizes that a craft center would be of great economic and cultural importance to Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-15 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 19-15
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-15
Status: in_force

A museum which acquires title to property under this chapter passes good title to another when transferring the property with the intent to pass title.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-17 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 9 / Section 13-17
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-17
Status: in_force

Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than Ten Dollars ($10.00) nor more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00).

Each day that a violation continues to exist shall constitute a separate offense.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-37-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 9 / Section 37-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-37-1
Status: in_force

Section 1. The Division of Tourism Development of the Mississippi Development Authority is authorized and directed to do the following:

(a) To develop a marketing plan designed to attract tourists, conferences, music and theatrical performances, filmmakers and others for the purpose of the economic development of all geographic areas of the state through the promotion of projects related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(b) To make an inventory of assets related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(c) To establish a statewide infrastructure to offer tourists and targeted audiences a structured tour of sites and venues related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(d) To designate specific sites for the erection of trail markers for the sites and venues related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture. The division is authorized to approve the texts for the markers and to purchase appropriate markers from any available funds. The Mississippi Department of Transportation shall cooperate with the division by erecting and maintaining the markers that have been approved by the division.

(e) To coordinate the trail program described in paragraph (d) of this section with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television, and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and similar organizations to share resources and information in order to ensure a comprehensive approach to marketing the story of Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(f) To coordinate the trail program described in paragraph (d) of this section with any existing state historic preservation program, in order to identify and preserve historic properties, and determine the eligibility of those properties for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and prepare nominations of those sites.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-33-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 9 / Section 33-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-33-1
Status: in_force

The Division of Tourism of the Mississippi Development Authority is authorized and directed to do the following:

(a) To make an inventory of country music “assets” that make up the country music culture that could be developed into a program for domestic and international tourism, and opportunities for investment.

(b) To establish a statewide Mississippi “Country Music Trail” infrastructure to offer to tourists and target groups a structured tour of Mississippi country music historical sites and performance venues.

(c) To designate specific sites for the erection of appropriate “Mississippi Country Music Trail” markers to offer to tourists and targeted groups a structured tour of Mississippi country music historical sites and performance venues. The division shall be authorized to purchase appropriate Mississippi Country Music Trail markers from any of its available funds. The texts for the Mississippi Country Music Trail markers shall be approved by the division. The Mississippi Department of Transportation shall cooperate with the division by erecting and maintaining the markers that have been approved by the division.

(d) To coordinate the Mississippi Country Music Trail program with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the Mississippi Educational Television Authority, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the Jimmie Rogers Museum, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, the Delta Center for Culture and Learning at Delta State University, the Mississippi Arts Commission and similar organizations to share resources and information in order to ensure a comprehensive approach to marketing the country music and country music culture in Mississippi.

(e) To coordinate the Mississippi Country Music Trail marketing plan with any existing state historic preservation program, in order to identify and preserve country music historic properties, and determine the eligibility of such properties for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and prepare nominations of such sites.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-5 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 13 / Section 19-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-5
Status: in_force

(1) For property loaned to a museum on or after March 26, 1997, the museum shall do all of the following at the time of the loan:

(a) Make and retain a written record containing at least all of the following:

(i) The lender's name, address, and telephone number;

(ii) A description of the property loaned in sufficient detail for ready identification;

(iii) The beginning date of the loan; and

(iv) The expiration date of the loan.

(b) Provide the lender with a signed receipt or loan agreement containing at a minimum the record set forth in subsection (a) above.

(c) Inform the lender of the existence of this chapter and provide the lender with a copy of this chapter upon the lender's request.

(2) Regardless of the date of a loan of property, the museum shall do the following:

(a) Update its records if a lender informs the museum of a change of address or change in ownership of property loaned, or if the lender and museum negotiate a change in the duration of the loan; and

(b) Inform the lender of the existence of this chapter when renewing or updating the records of an existing loan and provide the lender with a copy of this chapter upon the lender's request.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-9 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 17-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-9
Status: repealed

(1) The Department of Finance and Administration may lease the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum for a period not exceeding twenty (20) years to a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose for incorporation is the support and improvement of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum. The lease may be renewed for one (1) period not exceeding twenty (20) years.

(2) The benefit to Mississippi from the operation of such lease or renewal lease shall be considered as sufficient consideration. The lease or renewal lease shall be executed for a nominal fee and it shall be presumed that such lease or renewal lease shall not amount to a donation of state property.

(3) This section shall stand repealed from and after July 1, 2036.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-5 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 9 / Section 17-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-5
Status: in_force

The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum shall be funded, in part, by the sale of exclusive rights to market soft drinks at the State Fairgrounds, the Jim Buck Ross Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum; however, the sale of such rights for the state fairgrounds shall include the Mississippi State Fair and the Dixie National Livestock Show and Rodeo and no other event or activity on the state fairgrounds. The Mississippi Fair Commission and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce shall have the authority to enter contracts for the sale of the aforementioned exclusive rights for a term not exceeding twelve (12) years per contract. If bids for the purchase of such rights are in an amount that is less than the amount needed to construct the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum, then the Mississippi Fair Commission and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce may reject all bids and shall not be obligated to enter into such contracts. Funds so generated shall be deposited in a special, interest-bearing account, in the State Treasury to be administered by the Department of Finance and Administration. The account shall be known as the “Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum Account” and all interest accrued thereon shall be credited to the account. Any funds in the account shall not lapse into the General Fund at the end of the fiscal year but shall remain in the account. Any balance remaining at the end of the project shall be transferred to the operating account of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-103 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 5-103
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-103
Status: in_force

For the purposes of Sections 39-5-101 through 39-5-113 , the following words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context shall otherwise require:

(a) “United States De Soto Expedition Commission” means the commission which was created by Public Resolution 57 of the Seventy-fourth Congress and approved August 26, 1935.

(b) “Final Report of the United States De Soto Expedition Commission” means the final report and recommendation of the commission to Congress which was required by Public Resolution 57 of the Seventy-fourth Congress. Such document is identified as House Document Number 71, 76th Congress, 1st Session, printed by the United States Government Printing Office in 1939, and reprinted in 1985 in the Smithsonian Institution's Classics of Anthropology Series.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-15 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 13-15
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-15
Status: in_force

The governing authority of any county or municipality, individually or jointly, may enact local legislation governing “demolition by neglect,” defined as improper maintenance or lack of maintenance of any property in a historic district, or any historic landmark or landmark site, which results in substantial deterioration of such a property and threatens its continued stability and preservation. The governing authority of any county or municipality, individually or jointly, is further authorized, in its discretion, to fine any property owner who has been found to own a property that has been determined to be threatened by demolition by neglect as defined herein. Such property owner, from the date such property is found to be in demolition by neglect by the governing authority until such repairs are made to remove the danger to the property, shall be in violation of the provisions of this section.

In addition to the powers specified in Section 21-19-11(1) , a governing authority, if the Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Archives and History concurs, may make repairs necessary to correct demolition by neglect, and the cost of such repairs shall become a lien against the property in accordance with Section 21-19-11(3) .

If a property in a historic district or a historic landmark or landmark site is demolished without review and approval by a local historic preservation commission, the governing authority may require that the owner rebuild on the site using as much of the original building material as possible, but in general following the same form. A governing authority may specify by ordinance that unauthorized demolition of a portion of a structure shall not serve as justification for a demolition permit whenever it can be shown that restoration or rehabilitation would still be feasible.

Whenever a structure or structures is demolished without review and approval by a local historic preservation commission, the governing authority may require that no permit be issued for any structure or structures proposed for the same parcel which would require a footprint larger than the footprint of the demolished structure or structures.

If a historic landmark or landmark site of statewide or national significance is demolished without review and approval by a local historic preservation commission, the governing authority may require that no permit for any construction on the parcel from which the landmark or landmark site has been removed may be issued for a period of up to twenty-four (24) months.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-11 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 13-11
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-11
Status: in_force

A governing authority may provide by local ordinance the procedures to be followed to designate historic districts, landmarks and landmark sites. Such an ordinance may provide that a governing authority may designate such properties upon the recommendation of a local historic preservation commission.

A potential historic district or landmark or landmark site may be proposed for designation by either a majority of the members of a local historic preservation commission or an owner of a potential landmark or landmark site or an organization which has as one of its central purposes the promotion of historic preservation objectives. If in private ownership, a landmark site must include significant surviving landscape features to qualify for designation unless its primary significance is archeological, and new construction after review and approval, shall be built to fit into such landscape features rather than replace them or shall be designed to avoid insofar as possible an archeological resource rather than replace it. If in public ownership, a local historic preservation commission shall discourage new construction on a site of great significance to the entire community unless the new construction can be located on a portion of the site which will permit a continuing understanding of its historical character and will avoid damage to surviving landscape features or an archeological resource.

Once a nomination has been filed with an existing historic preservation commission or the governing authority of a municipality or county proposing to create such a commission and designate one or more local properties, a decision on whether to proceed with the designation must be made within six (6) months.

When a historic preservation commission already exists within a community, a majority of the commission's members must vote in favor of any proposed designation in order for the file supporting the designation to be sent forward to the local governing authority for its consideration. No file purporting to justify a proposed designation may be forwarded to a governing authority unless the commission's recommendation includes a map that clearly delineates boundaries for the proposed designation, a verbal description and justification of the proposed boundaries and a written statement of significance for the historic district or landmark or landmark site proposed for designation. Unless justification is contained in a designating ordinance, the boundary for any historic landmark shall include an entire tax parcel and may include adjoining tax parcels that were historically linked to the primary parcel during the period of greatest historic significance for the landmark structure.

The local governing authority must conduct at least one public hearing on the proposed designation and notice of the public hearing must be published weekly for at least three (3) consecutive weeks in a local newspaper authorized to publish legal notices.

The local governing authority must take action on the proposed designation within sixty (60) days of the public hearing, either to adopt a designating ordinance or to reject the proposed designation.

As quickly as would be reasonably possible, a local historic preservation commission must notify other municipal agencies and any appropriate county or state agencies of the designation of a historic district, landmark or landmark site. The commission must maintain in its official files an updated list and map of local designations and provide copies of such a map to other governmental agencies within one (1) week of the preparation of a new version of the map.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-309 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 3-309
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-309
Status: in_force

Any person who violates the provisions of section 39-3-303 is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-53 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 5-53
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-53
Status: in_force

There is hereby declared to be a cessation of further need for that portion of Beauvoir known as the Veterans Home and the same is hereby transferred to the United Sons of Confederate Veterans in accordance with the deed of Mrs. Varina Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis, conveying Beauvoir to the Mississippi Division of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-11-13 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 11-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-11-13
Status: repealed

(1)(a) A special fund, to be designated as the “Building Fund for the Arts,” is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. The fund shall consist of any money designated for deposit therein from any source, including, but not limited to, any state general obligation bonds issued for the purposes described in this section. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into such fund.

(b) Money deposited into the fund shall be disbursed, in the discretion of the Mississippi Arts Commission, to provide grants to nonprofit organizations that are qualified as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and units of local government to pay the costs of:

(i) Repair, upgrading, expansion, renovation or enhancement of existing buildings and facilities for the presentation, teaching or exhibition of the arts in any and all of its forms and furniture, equipment and/or technology for such buildings or facilities;

(ii) Construction of new buildings and facilities for the presentation, teaching or exhibition of the arts in any and all of its forms and furniture, equipment and/or technology for such buildings or facilities; or

(iii) The development, construction, equipping and furnishing of an entertainment and film center and museum and completion of a sound stage project.

Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) of any monies deposited into the fund during Fiscal Year 2023 shall be used to provide grant funds for the establishment of a band and music program for a nonprofit organization in this state that is qualified as exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code .

(c) The entity to which such grants are made shall provide matching funds from local, federal or private sources equal to forty percent (40%) of the proposed project cost in order to be eligible for a grant under this section.

(d) The maximum aggregate amount of monies in the special fund that may be used to provide grant funds to an entity or combination of entities under paragraph (b)(iii) of this subsection shall not exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00), and no monies in the special fund may be used to provide grant funds under paragraph (b)(iii) of this subsection after July 1, 2003. The maximum aggregate amount of grant funds that may be provided to an entity or combination of entities under paragraph (b)(iii) of this subsection during a fiscal year shall not exceed Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00).

(2)(a) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section. If any monies in the special fund are derived from proceeds of bonds issued under Sections 3 through 18 of Chapter 541, Laws of 2001, as amended by Chapter 540, Laws of 2002, as amended by Chapter 519, Laws of 2003, as amended by Chapter 1, Laws of 2004 Third Extraordinary Session, as amended by Chapter 538, Laws of 2006, as amended by Section 1 of Chapter 607, Laws of 2007, and are not used within four (4) years after the date such bond proceeds are deposited into the special fund, then the Mississippi Arts Commission shall provide an accounting of such unused monies to the State Bond Commission.

(b) [Repealed]

(3) The Mississippi Arts Commission is expressly authorized and empowered to receive and expend any local or other source funds in connection with the expenditure of funds provided for in this section. The expenditure of money deposited into the special fund shall be under the direction of the Mississippi Arts Commission, and such funds shall be paid by the State Treasurer upon warrants issued by the Department of Finance and Administration upon request of the Mississippi Arts Commission, which warrants shall be issued upon requisitions signed by the Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, or his or her designee. The Mississippi Arts Commission may retain an amount not to exceed one percent (1%) of the monies in the fund to defray administrative costs associated with administering the grant program under this section.

(4) The Mississippi Arts Commission shall adopt necessary rules and regulations to govern the administration of the program described in subsection (1) of this section, including, but not limited to, rules and regulations governing applications for grants and rules and regulations providing for the distribution of grant funds. The Mississippi Arts Commission shall comply with the provisions of the Mississippi Administrative Procedures Law.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-27-3 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 27 / Section 27-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-27-3
Status: in_force

The commission shall designate specific sites for erection of appropriate “Mississippi Blues Trail” markers to offer to tourists and targeted groups a structured tour of Mississippi blues historical sites and performance venues. The commission shall be authorized to purchase appropriate Mississippi Blues Trail markers from any of its available funds. The texts for the Mississippi Blues Trail markers shall be approved by the commission. The Mississippi Department of Transportation shall cooperate with the commission by erecting and maintaining the markers that have been approved by the commission.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-37-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 19 / Section 37-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-37-1
Status: in_force

Section 1. The Division of Tourism Development of the Mississippi Development Authority is authorized and directed to do the following:

(a) To develop a marketing plan designed to attract tourists, conferences, music and theatrical performances, filmmakers and others for the purpose of the economic development of all geographic areas of the state through the promotion of projects related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(b) To make an inventory of assets related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(c) To establish a statewide infrastructure to offer tourists and targeted audiences a structured tour of sites and venues related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(d) To designate specific sites for the erection of trail markers for the sites and venues related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture. The division is authorized to approve the texts for the markers and to purchase appropriate markers from any available funds. The Mississippi Department of Transportation shall cooperate with the division by erecting and maintaining the markers that have been approved by the division.

(e) To coordinate the trail program described in paragraph (d) of this section with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television, and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and similar organizations to share resources and information in order to ensure a comprehensive approach to marketing the story of Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(f) To coordinate the trail program described in paragraph (d) of this section with any existing state historic preservation program, in order to identify and preserve historic properties, and determine the eligibility of those properties for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and prepare nominations of those sites.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-9-9 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 9-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-9-9
Status: in_force

Every institution founded under this chapter shall be competent to receive by purchase or gift further property, provided the aggregate of all real property held by such institution shall not exceed the amount necessary to the fulfillment of the objects and purposes of such institution. Such institution shall be competent to receive by bequest further property provided such bequest is not in violation of sections two hundred and sixty-nine, and two hundred and seventy of the constitution of Mississippi. The property so received shall be devoted exclusively to the purposes of such institution.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-17 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 5-17
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-17
Status: in_force

The board of supervisors of any county in the state, in its discretion, shall be authorized to acquire title by gift or grant the site of any historic or prehistoric ruin or monument or any object of historical, archeological or scientific value situated in said county, for public parks and reservations to be devoted solely to the educational and recreational advantages of the people, upon the written permission of the director of the department of archives and history of the State of Mississippi. Said board shall be authorized to expend in the maintenance of said public parks and reservations an amount not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00) per annum out of the general funds of said county.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-5 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 15 / Section 17-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-5
Status: in_force

The Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum shall be funded, in part, by the sale of exclusive rights to market soft drinks at the State Fairgrounds, the Jim Buck Ross Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum; however, the sale of such rights for the state fairgrounds shall include the Mississippi State Fair and the Dixie National Livestock Show and Rodeo and no other event or activity on the state fairgrounds. The Mississippi Fair Commission and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce shall have the authority to enter contracts for the sale of the aforementioned exclusive rights for a term not exceeding twelve (12) years per contract. If bids for the purchase of such rights are in an amount that is less than the amount needed to construct the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum, then the Mississippi Fair Commission and the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce may reject all bids and shall not be obligated to enter into such contracts. Funds so generated shall be deposited in a special, interest-bearing account, in the State Treasury to be administered by the Department of Finance and Administration. The account shall be known as the “Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum Account” and all interest accrued thereon shall be credited to the account. Any funds in the account shall not lapse into the General Fund at the end of the fiscal year but shall remain in the account. Any balance remaining at the end of the project shall be transferred to the operating account of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Dizzy Dean Museum.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-9-9 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 9-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-9-9
Status: in_force

Every institution founded under this chapter shall be competent to receive by purchase or gift further property, provided the aggregate of all real property held by such institution shall not exceed the amount necessary to the fulfillment of the objects and purposes of such institution. Such institution shall be competent to receive by bequest further property provided such bequest is not in violation of sections two hundred and sixty-nine, and two hundred and seventy of the constitution of Mississippi. The property so received shall be devoted exclusively to the purposes of such institution.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-9 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 7-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-9
Status: in_force

All sunken or abandoned ships and wrecks of the sea, and any part or the contents thereof, and all treasure imbedded in the earth, located in, on or under the surface of lands belonging to the State of Mississippi, including its tidelands, submerged lands and the beds of its rivers and the sea within the jurisdiction of the State of Mississippi are hereby declared to be Mississippi landmarks and are the sole property of the State of Mississippi and may not be taken, altered, damaged, destroyed, salvaged or excavated without a contract or permit of the board.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-3 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 21-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-3
Status: in_force

(1) A facility to house the Mississippi Craft Center may be located within the corporate limits of Ridgeland, Mississippi.

(2) Consideration for the purchase of the property described in subsection (1) of this section necessary for the construction of the facility to house the Mississippi Craft Center shall not exceed the average of the fair market price for such real property as determined by two (2) professional property appraisers selected by the Department of Finance and Administration and certified and licensed by the Mississippi Real Estate Appraisal Board. Appraisal fees shall be paid by the Department of Finance and Administration from the proceeds of the bonds issued pursuant to Chapter 501, Laws of 1997.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-9-11 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 9-11
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-9-11
Status: in_force

The trustee or trustees named in any grant made and their successors, may in the name of the institution, as designated in such grant, sue and defend, in relation to the trust property and in relation to all matters affecting the institution endowed and established by such grant.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-32-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 32-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-32-1
Status: in_force

(1) There is hereby created the Mississippi Country and Western Music Commission, hereinafter referred to as the “commission.” The commission may accept and expend grants and private donations from any source, including federal, state, public and private entities, to assist it to carry out its functions.

(2) For purposes of this chapter, the term “ country and western music ” shall mean country and western, blue grass and related music genre and the culture that created it.

(3) The powers, functions and duties of the commission shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) To study, deliberate and report to the Governor and the Legislature on or before January 1, 2012, on the best method to market and foster an appreciation of country and western music, to include tourism, academic study and country and western music archives, country and western music historical preservation, country and western music cultural education and the support of performing artists. Such marketing plan shall be designed to attract tourists, conferences, music performances, filmmakers and others for the purpose of economic development of all geographic areas of the state through the promotion of country and western music and the heritage and culture that produced such, and to analyze the tourism potential of the country and western music for Mississippi.

(b) To make an inventory of country and western music “assets” that make up country and western music and its culture that could be developed into a program for domestic and international tourism, and opportunities for investment.

(c) Coordination with the Division of Tourism of the Mississippi Development Authority, the Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the Mississippi Educational Television Authority, the state institutions of higher learning, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, the Mississippi Arts Commission, and similar organizations to share resources and information in order to ensure a comprehensive approach to marketing the country and western music culture in Mississippi.

(d) To make recommendations regarding the establishment of, and budgeting for, a permanent Mississippi office of country and western music as an agency of state government with an executive director and appropriate staff to carry out the marketing plan developed by the commission. To the extent practical, any office shall be located at an existing public or private location which is appropriate to the country and western music culture in Mississippi, with minimal cost to the state.

(e) Coordination of the country and western music marketing plan with any existing state historic preservation programs, in order to:

(i) Identify and preserve country and western music historic properties;

(ii) Determine the eligibility of such properties for listing on the National Register;

(iii) Prepare nominations of such sites for inclusion on the National Register;

(iv) Maintenance of country and western music historical and archaeological data bases; and

(v) Evaluation of such sites for eligibility for state and federal preservation incentives.

(f) To implement and continue the development and creation of the Mississippi Country Music Trail as outlined in Section 39-33-1 , provide oversight of the trail and its infrastructure, and explore funding opportunities to support continued implementation.

(4) The commission shall be composed of the following members:

(a) The Director of the Division of Tourism of the Mississippi Development Authority;

(b) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, or his designee;

(c) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, or his designee;

(d) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Educational Television Authority, or his designee;

(e) The Chairman of the Board of the Southern Arts and Entertainment Center, or his designee;

(f) The Director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi;

(g) The State Director of the USDA Rural Development Agency;

(h) Two (2) members of the Mississippi Senate designated by the Lieutenant Governor, who shall serve on a nonvoting basis;

(i) Two (2) members of the Mississippi House of Representatives designated by the Speaker of the House, who shall serve on a nonvoting basis;

(j) Two (2) members appointed by the Governor, who shall have experience in cultural affairs or tourism development in East Central Mississippi; and

(k) Four (4) members appointed by the Governor from the state at large, who shall have demonstrated a commitment to the understanding and promotion of country and western music.

(5) The Governor shall designate one (1) commission member to serve as chairman for a term concurrent with that of the Governor. The commission shall meet upon the call of the chairman not later than July 1, 2011, and shall organize for business by adopting internal organizational procedures necessary for efficient operation of the commission, including officers, quorum requirements and policies for any commission staff. Each member of the commission shall designate necessary staff of their departments to provide administrative support to assist the commission in performing its duties and responsibilities. The commission shall meet and conduct business at least quarterly. Meetings of the commission shall be open to the public and opportunity for public comment shall be made available.

(6) Members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

(7) The commission shall submit a report, including any proposed legislation, to the Governor and to the Legislature before the convening of the 2012 Regular Session. The report shall include a comprehensive state plan for marketing country and western music history as specifically provided above.

(8) All departments, boards, agencies, officers and institutions of the state and all subdivisions thereof shall cooperate with the commission in carrying out its purposes under this chapter.

(9) Any funds or donations received by the commission shall be deposited into a special fund which is hereby created in the State Treasury, and disbursement therefrom shall be made upon warrants by the Department of Finance and Administration after receipt of requisitions submitted by the appropriate person designated by the commission. Monies in the special fund may be used by the commission in carrying out its responsibilities under this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-107 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 9 / Section 17-107
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-107
Status: in_force

All bonds and interest coupons issued under the provisions of Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 have all the qualities and incidents of negotiable instruments under the provisions of the Mississippi Uniform Commercial Code, and in exercising the powers granted by Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 , the State Bond Commission shall not be required to and need not comply with the provisions of the Mississippi Uniform Commercial Code.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-17 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 7-17
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-17
Status: in_force

The board shall be authorized to enter into contracts with other state agencies or institutions and with qualified private institutions, corporations, or individuals for the discovery and salvage of treasure imbedded in the earth, sunken or abandoned ships or wrecks of the sea, parts thereof and their contents. Such contracts are to be on forms approved by the attorney general. The contracts may provide for fair compensation to the salvager in terms of a percentage of the reasonable cash value of the objects recovered, or at the discretion of the board, of a fair share of the objects recovered. The amount constituting a fair share shall be determined by the board, taking into consideration the circumstances of each such operation. The reasonable cash value may be determined by contract provision providing for appraisal by qualified experts or by representatives of the contracting parties and their representative or representatives. Such contract shall provide for the termination of any right in the salvager or permittee thereunder upon the violation of any of the terms thereof. Superior title to all objects recovered shall be retained by the State of Mississippi unless and until it is released to the salvager or permittee by the board. No person, firm, or corporation may conduct such salvage or recovery operation herein described without first obtaining such contract. All such contracts shall specify, among other things, the location, nature of the activity, and the time period covered thereby, and when executed are to be recorded by the person, firm, or corporation obtaining such contract, in the office of the chancery clerk in the county or counties where such operations are to be conducted, prior to the commencement of such operation.

The board shall be authorized to conduct surveys to identify Mississippi landmarks on or under all lands and waters belonging to the State of Mississippi, or any county, city or political subdivisions of the state and to excavate or study all Mississippi landmarks. The board shall be further authorized to identify and excavate historic, architectural, or archaeological sites on private property, however, it is specifically provided that no such survey may be undertaken on private land without consent of the landowner and that no excavation may be undertaken on private land without the landowner's written consent.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-105 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 3-105
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-105
Status: in_force

(1) The board of library commissioners shall elect a director whose term of office shall be for a period of four years, unless, for good cause shown, the board of library commissioners removes said director.

(2) The director shall be chosen outside the membership of the board of library commissioners, and shall be a trained, experienced librarian holding a degree from a college or university of recognized standing. The director shall have completed the required course covered in a school of library service accredited by the American Library Association and shall have had at least two years' experience as an administrative librarian or director of a state or public library. The director shall keep an accurate record of all accounts and financial transactions of the board, shall have charge of organizing new libraries and directing library development in the state, so as to give and furnish every citizen and resident of the state free library service of the highest quality consistent with modern methods and as may be justified by financial and economic conditions, and shall have all general administrative duties incident to carrying on the work of the Mississippi Library Commission. All necessary and actual traveling expense incurred by the members of the Mississippi Library Commission, and by the director or any member of the staff, acting under the authority and direction of the board of commissioners, while on business for the Mississippi Library Commission, shall be paid from the funds appropriated and made available for use, maintenance and operation of the Mississippi Library Commission. In addition to the director, the board of library commissioners may employ, upon recommendations of the director, such other persons as may be deemed necessary to carry out the purposes of this article.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-25 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 7-25
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-25
Status: in_force

The restoration of antiquities for private parties is authorized and shall be under the rules and regulations promulgated by the board, and all costs incurred in such restoration, both real and administrative, shall be paid by the private party.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-35-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 27 / Section 35-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-35-1
Status: in_force

(1) The Mississippi Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission (commission) is hereby established to prepare for and commemorate the Sesquicentennial, or One Hundred and Fiftieth anniversary, of Mississippi's participation in the American Civil War (April 1861-April 1865).

(2) The commission shall have a total membership of fifteen (15) members, or their designees, as follows: (a) the Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority; (b) the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History; (c) the State Superintendent of Public Education, or his designee; (d) the Manager of the Bureau of Film and Culture of the Mississippi Development Authority, Division of Tourism; (e) the President/Chairman of the Mississippi Historical Society; (f) the Chairman of the Mississippi Civil War Battlefield Commission; (g) the Director of the Brice's Crossroads Battlefield Commission; (h) the Director of the Vicksburg National Military Park; (i) the Director of the Battle of Shiloh-Battle of Corinth National Military Park; (j) the Director of the Grand Gulf Military Monument; (k) a representative of the Mississippi Tourism Association; (l) the National Park Service Administrator of Ship Island/Fort Massachusetts; (m) a citizen of Mississippi appointed by the Governor; (n) a member of the Mississippi Senate appointed by the Lieutenant Governor who shall serve in an ex officio nonvoting capacity; and (o) a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker who shall serve in an ex officio nonvoting capacity.

(3) Ex officio members and legislative members of the commission shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Citizen members shall serve a term of four (4) years. Appointments to fill vacancies occurring for a reason other than the expiration of a term shall be for the remainder of the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments, and all members may be reappointed.

(4) The commission shall elect a chairman and vice chairman from among its membership. The commission may name five (5) of its members to constitute an executive committee, which shall act for the commission pursuant to its direction.

(5) The commission may appoint and establish an advisory council composed of citizens at large who have knowledge of American Civil War and Mississippi history and interest in its Sesquicentennial celebration, to assist the commission in its work.

(6) A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute a quorum. The meetings of the commission shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever a majority of the members so request. No recommendation of the commission shall be adopted except by majority vote of the commission.

(7) Nonlegislative members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services but may receive expense reimbursement and mileage for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided by law. Legislative members of the commission shall receive compensation applicable to committee meetings when the Legislature is not in session.

(8) The commission shall hire an executive director, and relevant support staff, to guide and support the actions of the commission. Employment shall not extend beyond the date of expiration of the commission and shall be subject to an annual review by the executive committee of the commission.

(9) The commission may solicit, accept, use and dispose of public or nonpublic funds, gifts, grants, donations, bequests or other funds or real or personal property for the purpose of aiding or facilitating the work of the commission. The commission may procure services, enter into contracts, leases or other legal agreements as it may deem necessary to carry out its duties as set forth in this section, but no contract or other legal agreement shall be entered into by the commission that extends beyond the date of expiration of the commission.

(10) The commission shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) Plan, develop and carry out educational, informational, new media/web-based programs and activities appropriate to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, with emphasis on the military operations which occurred in the State of Mississippi;

(b) Encourage interdisciplinary examination of the American Civil War;

(c) Facilitate activities related to the American Civil War throughout Mississippi;

(d) Encourage civic, historical, educational, economic and other organizations throughout Mississippi to organize and participate in activities to expand the understanding and appreciation of the significance of the American Civil War;

(e) Provide technical and financial assistance to localities and nonprofit organizations to further the commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War;

(f) Develop programs and facilities to ensure that the Sesquicentennial commemoration of the American Civil War results in a positive legacy and long-term public benefit;

(g) Facilitate the development and conduct of programs designed to involve all citizens in activities that commemorate the American Civil War; and

(h) Submit to the Legislature and the Governor an annual report for publication of the work and activity of the commission no later than the first day of each regular session of the Legislature.

(11) The commission shall direct the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to enhance and expand Civil War markers across the state, along with all relevant educational and informational documentation necessary for the creation of a Civil War Trail, in advance of the initial celebration of the Sesquicentennial in Mississippi.

(12) All state agencies and universities shall provide technical assistance to the commission upon request.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-9 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 15 / Section 19-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-9
Status: in_force

A museum may terminate a loan for unclaimed property in its possession as follows:

(a) The museum shall make a good faith and reasonable search for the identity and last known address of the lender from the museum records and other records reasonably available to museum staff. If the museum identifies the lender and the lender's last known address, the museum shall give actual notice to the lender that the loan is terminated pursuant to subsection (b) of this section. If the identify or the last known address of the lender remains unknown after the search, the museum shall give notice by publication pursuant to subsection (c) of this section.

(b) Actual notice of termination of a loan of unclaimed property shall take substantially the following form. The museum shall send a letter by restricted certified mail to the lender at the lender's last known address giving a notice of termination of the loan, which shall include the following information:

(i) Date of notice of termination;

(ii) Name of lender;

(iii) Description of property in sufficient detail for ready identification;

(iv) Approximate beginning date of the loan (and termination date, if applicable), if known;

(v) The name and address of the appropriate museum official to be contacted regarding the loan; and

(vi) A statement that within ninety (90) days of the date of the notice of termination, the lender is required to remove the property from the museum or contact the designated official in the museum in writing to preserve the lender's interests in the property and that failure to do so will result in the loss of all rights in the property pursuant to Section 39-19-11 .

(c) If the museum is unable to identify sufficient information to send actual notice pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, or if a signed return receipt of a notice sent by restricted certified mail under subsection (b) of this section is not received by the museum within thirty (30) days after the notice is mailed, the museum shall publish the notice of termination of loan containing all the information available to the museum as provided in subsection (b)(i) through (v) of this section at least twice, sixty (60) or more days apart, in a publication of general circulation in the county in which the museum is located, and the county of the lender's last known address, if known.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-17 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 13-17
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-17
Status: in_force

Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than Ten Dollars ($10.00) nor more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00).

Each day that a violation continues to exist shall constitute a separate offense.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-55 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 5-55
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-55
Status: in_force

The control and management of Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis Shrine, at Biloxi, Mississippi, shall be vested in the Board of Directors and Board of Trustees as provided for in the charter of incorporation of the Mississippi Division of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans as recorded by the Secretary of State on July 2, 1954, which charter being in accordance with the terms of the deed of Mrs. Varina Davis, dated October 10, 1902, whereby all title and control of Beauvoir is vested in the Mississippi Division of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-21 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 13-21
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-21
Status: in_force

The governing authorities of each municipality and county may stabilize the economy of the areas within the boundary of such municipality or county through the continued use, preservation and revitalization of key historic and architectural resources. It is recognized that the protection and enhancement of such attractions help to attract tourists and visitors, and that the further development of local heritage tourism programs supports and stimulates local business and industry. This chapter permits governing authorities to strengthen civic pride and ensure cultural stability through neighborhood conservation and historic preservation activities. This chapter establishes a review process for the preservation and appropriate redevelopment of the key historic and architectural resources of a governing authority and creates procedures which ensure adequate public notice before the creation of local historic preservation commissions or the designation of local historic districts, landmarks and landmark sites.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-15 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 3-15
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-15
Status: in_force

(1)(a) The management and control of a county or municipal public library shall be vested in a board of five (5) trustees, who shall be appointed by the governing authorities of the county or municipality. The first appointments shall be for the terms of one (1), two (2), three (3), four (4) and five (5) years respectively, and thereafter, a trustee shall be appointed to serve five (5) years.

(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1)(a) of this section, the board of supervisors of any county that borders on the Gulf of Mexico, in which Interstate 10 intersects U.S. Highway 49 and that operates a county library system may appoint, in its discretion, six (6) trustees to the county public library board. If the board of supervisors of any such county elects to appoint six (6) members to the board of trustees, the first appointments shall be for the terms of one (1), two (2), three (3), four (4), five (5) and six (6) years respectively, and thereafter a trustee shall be appointed to serve six (6) years.

(2) When five (5) counties support a regional public library system, the management and control of the regional public library system shall be vested in a board of five (5) trustees. The trustees shall be appointed by the governing authorities of the counties that support the regional public library system.

(3) In a regional public library system supported by less than five (5) counties, the distribution of the membership on the board of trustees shall be determined by agreement among the counties that support the regional public library system.

(4) In a regional public library system of more than five (5) counties, one (1) member of the board of trustees shall be appointed by the governing authority of each county supporting the regional public library system. In the first appointments to the regional public library system board of trustees, five (5) members shall be appointed for terms of one (1), two (2), three (3), four (4) and five (5) years respectively, and any number of trustees above five (5) shall be appointed for terms of one (1) year. Thereafter, all trustees shall be appointed annually to serve five (5) years.

(5) The management and control of a city-county public library system shall be vested in a board of trustees, the number of which shall be agreed upon by the board of trustees of the governing body of the municipality, or municipalities, and with the consent of the board of supervisors which have contracted with each other or among themselves, to create, maintain and support a joint city-county library system. The term of each trustee shall be for a period of five (5) years. Initial appointments to the city-county board shall be made in a manner determined by the counties and municipalities involved so that terms expire on a staggered basis.

(6) Each trustee shall be a resident and qualified elector of the municipality, county or region represented by said trustee. Trustees shall be limited to two (2) consecutive terms of office in counties of over twenty thousand (20,000) population; however, there shall be no limit on the number of terms served by a trustee. In counties of less than twenty thousand (20,000) population, there shall be no limit on the number of terms served by any trustee holding office on July 1, 1988; provided, that said limitation shall be applicable to new trustees appointed subsequent to July 1, 1988. Vacancies on the board of trustees of a county public library, municipal public library, regional public library system or city-county public library system shall be filled for unexpired terms in the same manner in which members of the board were first appointed. Any trustee who shall not attend four (4) consecutive meetings of the board shall be subject to removal by the governing authority. No trustee shall receive a salary or other compensation for his service; provided, however, that all trustees shall be reimbursed for their necessary traveling expenses and mileage incident to their attendance upon the business of the board, as provided in Section 25-3-41, Mississippi Code of 1972 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-41-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 39 / Section 41-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-41-1
Status: repealed

(1) The Legislature finds that:

(a) Public Law 114-196 established the United States Semiquincentennial Commission and its nonprofit partner, the America250 Foundation, to collaborate with affiliates at the local, territorial, state, tribal, regional, national and international levels to educate, engage and unite Americans throughout a commemorative period beginning in 2020 to officially conclude in 2027, culminating in the celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 2026, and of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of the United States of America;

(b) As of December 1, 2021, eighteen (18) states have established organizations to support the America250 initiative by planning and implementing programs that honor the history and culture of the United States, including special events, public art displays, museum exhibitions and educational curriculums, and the United States Semiquincentennial Commission expects the widest participation to occur through state and local projects and events; and

(c) It is altogether appropriate during this commemorative period to participate in a celebration of this magnitude and salute our state heroes, groups, artists, industries, agriculture, historic sites and other contributions to the fabric and history of our nation.

(2) There is hereby created a Mississippi USA Semiquincentennial Commission, hereinafter referred to as the “commission,” to plan, promote and implement appropriate public celebrations and official events, programs and commemorations.

(3) The commission is authorized to cooperate with the United States Semiquincentennial Commission and the America250 Foundation and other national and state organizations engaged in commemoration and celebration of the semiquincentennial, and other national, regional, state and local public and private organizations with compatible purposes.

(4) The commission shall designate and coordinate events and programs with respect to the formal semiquincentennial celebration and commemoration and promote and encourage through those events, programs, digital and printed media, symposia, and educational outreach all of the following:

(a) Awareness and understanding of the principles of the Declaration of Independence, of the winning of American independence in the American Revolutionary War, and of the establishment of America's system of constitutional self-government;

(b) Teaching students and increasing public knowledge and appreciation of the breadth of American history and the centuries-long quest for “liberty and justice for all,” to include sharing the stories and contributions of the various people who have populated the land, from indigenous peoples, explorers, British colonists, seekers of religious freedom, enslaved African Americans and many others who are part of America's stories;

(c) Advancing the cause of liberty and American self-government and of the meaning of “ E Pluribus Unum ” (“from many, one”) through promoting civic knowledge and practice, including America's “ Charters of Freedom ” (the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights) and the constitutional features of self-government emphasizing the roles of active and engaged good citizens;

(d) Emphasizing the service and sacrifices of veterans of all generations who have secured and preserved American independence and freedom and encouraging Mississippians to honor them; and

(e) Celebratory and commemorative events and activities throughout the State of Mississippi and its eighty-two (82) counties and its two hundred ninety-nine (299) incorporated municipalities celebrating our state's arts, culture, sports, entertainment, innovation, science, entrepreneurism, parks, preservation and youth.

(5) The commission shall be composed of the following members:

(a) The Governor's First Lady, or her designee;

(b) The Lieutenant Governor, or his designee;

(c) The Speaker of the House of Representatives, or his designee;

(d) Three (3) members appointed by the Governor, one (1) of whom shall be an indigenous person, to serve terms concurrent with that of the Governor;

(e) Two (2) members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor to serve terms concurrent with that of the Lieutenant Governor;

(f) One (1) member appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives to serve a term concurrent with that of the Speaker;

(g) The Director of the Division of Tourism of the Mississippi Development Authority, or his designee;

(h) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Tourism Association, or her designee;

(i) The Director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, or her designee; and

(j) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, or his designee.

(6) Appointments shall be made within thirty (30) days after July 1, 2023 by the Legislature, and the First Lady shall serve as chairwoman for a term concurrent with the gubernatorial term. Within fifteen (15) days thereafter, on a day to be designated by the First Lady, the commission shall meet and organize for business by adopting internal organizational procedures necessary for the commission's efficient operation, including officers, committees and subcommittees, quorum requirements, and policies for any commission staff. Each member of the commission shall designate necessary staff of his or her respective agency, department or business entity, as the case may be, to provide administrative support to assist the commission in performing its duties and responsibilities. In the selection of its officers and the adoption of rules, resolutions and reports, an affirmative vote of a majority of the commission shall be required. All members shall be notified in writing of all meetings, such notices to be transmitted as appropriate at least five (5) days before the date on which a meeting is to be held. The commission shall meet and conduct business at least quarterly each year. Commission meetings shall be open to the public, and opportunity for public comment shall be made available.

(7) Commission members shall receive no compensation for their services. No commission member may incur per diem, travel or other expenses unless previously authorized by vote at a meeting of the commission, which action shall be recorded in the official minutes of the meeting. Legislative members of the commission shall be paid from the contingent expense funds of their respective houses in the same manner as provided for committee meetings when the Legislature is not in session; however, no per diem or expense for attending meetings of the commission will be paid while the Legislature is in session. Nonlegislative members shall be paid from any funds made available for that purpose to the commission or their respective agencies, departments or business entities.

(8) No elected public official or public employee serving on the commission shall be involved in soliciting any private funds or gifts for the commission.

(9) The First Lady, with concurrence of the commission, may designate the chief executive officer of an agency or nonprofit organization created or chartered by legislative act, or another qualified individual, to serve as the executive officer and secretary of the commission. The executive officer shall serve without additional compensation but may be reimbursed for expenses as provided for state employees. He or she shall exercise such powers delegated by the commission, including the right to apply for, receive, accept, deposit and administer pursuant to commission authorization any federal, state or local public or private funds given for express use by the commission for semiquincentennial purposes.

(10) The First Lady, with the concurrence of the commission, shall constitute one or more advisory committees to advise the commission. The committees may include such representatives as the respective executive officer, or his or her designee, of the Mississippi Department of Education, the Mississippi Institutions of Higher Learning, the Mississippi Community College Board, the Mississippi Military Department or the Mississippi Veterans Affairs Board, or representatives of presidents of Mississippi's public colleges and universities, historically black colleges and universities, community colleges, associations and organizations of city or county officials, or state historical, educational, patriotic, civic, religious, military, veterans, community improvement and other organizations.

(11) To effectuate the purposes of this section, any department, division, board, bureau, commission or agency of the state or of any political subdivision thereof shall, at the request of the chair of the commission or her designee, provide to the commission such facilities, assistance and data as will enable the committee properly to carry out its task. All departments, boards, agencies, officers and institutions of the state and of all subdivisions thereof shall cooperate with the commission in carrying out its purposes under this section. The commission shall encourage various state agencies and organizations to work cooperatively to promote the semiquincentennial.

(12) The commission is authorized and empowered to accept and expend grants and private donations from any source, including federal, state, public and private entities, and may create a supporting nonprofit organization, supervised and controlled by the commission through majority board control and representation, to accept and expend on behalf of the commission such grants and private donations, to encourage the broadest volunteer participation of public and private partners and organizations, and to assist the commission to carry out its functions. Any expenditures by the commission shall be authorized by a majority vote of the nonlegislative members of the commission.

(13) There is hereby created in the State Treasury the Mississippi Semiquincentennial Celebration Fund. Any appropriations, funds or donations received by the commission shall be deposited into this special fund. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a special fund, separate and apart from the State General Fund. Unexpended amounts remaining in this special fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the special fund. Monies in the fund shall be expended by the Department of Finance and Administration after receipt of requisitions submitted by the appropriate person designated by the commission. Monies in the special fund may be used by the commission in carrying out its responsibilities under this section.

(14) The commission shall make an annual written report and make any recommendations to the Governor and Legislature at least thirty (30) days prior to the convening of each Regular Session of the Legislature, beginning in 2024 and continuing through its final report in 2027. The commission shall consider and recommend ways for the state to commemorate the semiquincentennial through state and local legacy projects for the state at large and for counties and municipalities, as well as ways to enhance educational programs and extended learning offered by local boards of education, the Department of Education, relevant state agencies and departments, and two-year and four-year institutions of higher education, including historically black colleges and universities.

(15) This section shall stand repealed on June 30, 2027.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 13-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-1
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be cited as the “Mississippi Local Government Historic Preservation Law of 1978.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-3 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 9 / Section 19-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-3
Status: in_force

The following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed herein, unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(a) “Lender” means an individual, corporation, partnership, trust, estate, or similar organization, whose name appears on the records of the museum as the entity legally entitled to control property on loan to the museum.

(b) “Loan,” “on loan,” or “loaned,” means property in the possession of the museum accompanied by evidence that the lender intended to retain title to the property and to return to take physical possession of the property in the future.

(c) “Museum” means a public or private nonprofit agency or institution located in this state and organized on a permanent basis for essentially educational or aesthetic purposes, which utilizes a professional staff, owns or utilizes tangible objects, cares for them, and exhibits them to the public on a regular basis.

(d) “Museum records” means documents created and/or held by the museum in its regular course of business.

(e) “Property” means a tangible object, in the custody of a museum, that has intrinsic historical, artistic, scientific, or cultural value.

(f) “Restricted certified mail” means certified mail that carries on its face, in a conspicuous place where it will not be obliterated, the endorsement “deliver to addressee only” and for which the post office provides the mailer with a return receipt showing the date of delivery, the place of delivery, and the person to whom delivered.

(g) “Unclaimed property” means property meeting the following two (2) conditions: (a) property is on loan to the museum; (b) the original lender, or anyone acting legitimately on the lender's behalf, has not contacted the museum in writing for at least twenty-five (25) years from the date of the beginning of the loan, if the loan was for an indefinite or undetermined period, or for at least five (5) years after the date upon which the loan for a definite period expired.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-32-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 11 / Section 32-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-32-1
Status: in_force

(1) There is hereby created the Mississippi Country and Western Music Commission, hereinafter referred to as the “commission.” The commission may accept and expend grants and private donations from any source, including federal, state, public and private entities, to assist it to carry out its functions.

(2) For purposes of this chapter, the term “ country and western music ” shall mean country and western, blue grass and related music genre and the culture that created it.

(3) The powers, functions and duties of the commission shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) To study, deliberate and report to the Governor and the Legislature on or before January 1, 2012, on the best method to market and foster an appreciation of country and western music, to include tourism, academic study and country and western music archives, country and western music historical preservation, country and western music cultural education and the support of performing artists. Such marketing plan shall be designed to attract tourists, conferences, music performances, filmmakers and others for the purpose of economic development of all geographic areas of the state through the promotion of country and western music and the heritage and culture that produced such, and to analyze the tourism potential of the country and western music for Mississippi.

(b) To make an inventory of country and western music “assets” that make up country and western music and its culture that could be developed into a program for domestic and international tourism, and opportunities for investment.

(c) Coordination with the Division of Tourism of the Mississippi Development Authority, the Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the Mississippi Educational Television Authority, the state institutions of higher learning, the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi, the Mississippi Arts Commission, and similar organizations to share resources and information in order to ensure a comprehensive approach to marketing the country and western music culture in Mississippi.

(d) To make recommendations regarding the establishment of, and budgeting for, a permanent Mississippi office of country and western music as an agency of state government with an executive director and appropriate staff to carry out the marketing plan developed by the commission. To the extent practical, any office shall be located at an existing public or private location which is appropriate to the country and western music culture in Mississippi, with minimal cost to the state.

(e) Coordination of the country and western music marketing plan with any existing state historic preservation programs, in order to:

(i) Identify and preserve country and western music historic properties;

(ii) Determine the eligibility of such properties for listing on the National Register;

(iii) Prepare nominations of such sites for inclusion on the National Register;

(iv) Maintenance of country and western music historical and archaeological data bases; and

(v) Evaluation of such sites for eligibility for state and federal preservation incentives.

(f) To implement and continue the development and creation of the Mississippi Country Music Trail as outlined in Section 39-33-1 , provide oversight of the trail and its infrastructure, and explore funding opportunities to support continued implementation.

(4) The commission shall be composed of the following members:

(a) The Director of the Division of Tourism of the Mississippi Development Authority;

(b) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, or his designee;

(c) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, or his designee;

(d) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Educational Television Authority, or his designee;

(e) The Chairman of the Board of the Southern Arts and Entertainment Center, or his designee;

(f) The Director of the Center for the Study of Southern Culture at the University of Mississippi;

(g) The State Director of the USDA Rural Development Agency;

(h) Two (2) members of the Mississippi Senate designated by the Lieutenant Governor, who shall serve on a nonvoting basis;

(i) Two (2) members of the Mississippi House of Representatives designated by the Speaker of the House, who shall serve on a nonvoting basis;

(j) Two (2) members appointed by the Governor, who shall have experience in cultural affairs or tourism development in East Central Mississippi; and

(k) Four (4) members appointed by the Governor from the state at large, who shall have demonstrated a commitment to the understanding and promotion of country and western music.

(5) The Governor shall designate one (1) commission member to serve as chairman for a term concurrent with that of the Governor. The commission shall meet upon the call of the chairman not later than July 1, 2011, and shall organize for business by adopting internal organizational procedures necessary for efficient operation of the commission, including officers, quorum requirements and policies for any commission staff. Each member of the commission shall designate necessary staff of their departments to provide administrative support to assist the commission in performing its duties and responsibilities. The commission shall meet and conduct business at least quarterly. Meetings of the commission shall be open to the public and opportunity for public comment shall be made available.

(6) Members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services.

(7) The commission shall submit a report, including any proposed legislation, to the Governor and to the Legislature before the convening of the 2012 Regular Session. The report shall include a comprehensive state plan for marketing country and western music history as specifically provided above.

(8) All departments, boards, agencies, officers and institutions of the state and all subdivisions thereof shall cooperate with the commission in carrying out its purposes under this chapter.

(9) Any funds or donations received by the commission shall be deposited into a special fund which is hereby created in the State Treasury, and disbursement therefrom shall be made upon warrants by the Department of Finance and Administration after receipt of requisitions submitted by the appropriate person designated by the commission. Monies in the special fund may be used by the commission in carrying out its responsibilities under this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-25-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 25 / Section 25-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-25-1
Status: in_force

(1) There is established the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Center (“Center”) to be housed in a state-owned facility or facilities located within the corporate limits of Meridian, Mississippi. The purpose of the Center shall be to provide an educational, entertaining and interactive facility to capture the essence of Mississippi's legacy in the arts and celebrate the richness and depth of that legacy and the Mississippians who created it with the world; and to provide family-oriented attractions in the delivery of an educational experience to citizens of, and visitors to, Mississippi.

(2) The Center shall be a state-of-the-art facility which may include, but not be limited to, MAEC exhibits, a state-sanctioned Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Hall of Fame inducting icons in all genres of arts and entertainment, Walk of Fame, auditorium, outdoor performance plaza, and broadcast/recording facility. The Center will provide a vast educational resource for individuals and educators offering unparalleled insight into the lives and stories of Mississippi arts and entertainment treasures through seminars, workshops and demonstrations by guest professionals and/or amateur artists. The Center may promote, advertise and market its efforts under the name of the Center itself, as “the Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience,” or in such other manner as calculated to best further the goals and objectives of the Center.

(3) The duties and objectives of the Center shall be:

(a) To stimulate and encourage throughout the state the study and presentation of the performing, visual, and literary arts and public interest and participation therein;

(b) To encourage participation in, appreciation of, and education in the arts to meet the legitimate needs and aspirations of persons in all parts of the state;

(c) To take such steps as may be necessary and appropriate to encourage public interest in the cultural heritage of Mississippi and the south to expand the state's cultural resources, and to promote the use of art in state government's activities and facilities; and

(d) To encourage excellence and assist freedom of artistic expression essential for the well-being of the arts.

(4) The Department of Finance and Administration shall have the authority to lease or contract with, for a period not to exceed fifty (50) years, a nonprofit corporation whose primary purpose for incorporation is the support, improvement, administration and operation of the Center as provided for in subsections (1) and (2) of this section. The Department of Finance and Administration may establish the terms of the agreement. The benefit to Mississippi from the operation of this lease or contractual agreement shall be considered a sufficient consideration. The lease or contract shall require the nonprofit corporation to pay for any and all utility costs incurred by the Center and, therefore, the construction of the Center shall not be subject to the energy performance requirements for major facility projects contained in Section 31-11-35 . The nonprofit corporation is authorized to hold public hearings, to enter into contracts within the limit of funds available therefor, with individuals, organizations and institutions for services furthering the objectives of the Center's programs; to enter into contracts, within the limit of funds available therefor, with local and regional associations for cooperative endeavors furthering the objectives of the Center's programs; to make and sign any agreements and to do and perform any acts that may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section.

(5) The Department of Finance and Administration may enter into any agreement with a nonprofit corporation necessary for the construction, operation and administration of the Center and may establish the terms of the agreement. For the construction, operation and administration of the Center, such nonprofit corporation may receive and expend any funds made available in any manner by public or private sources and may receive contributions and donations of land or other property and other forms of financial assistance and property, equipment, materials or manpower from persons, foundations, trust funds, corporations, organizations, and other public or private sources to be expended and used in carrying out the mission of the Center. Any real property purchased or received by donation for the Center shall be titled in the name of the State of Mississippi for the benefit and use of the Department of Finance and Administration.

(6) For any lease or contractual arrangement to which the Department of Finance and Administration and a nonprofit corporation are a party to as provided in subsection (5), the nonprofit corporation shall, along with the possessory and leasehold interests and/or real and personal property of the corporation, be exempt from all ad valorem taxation, including, but not limited to, school, city and county ad valorem taxes, for the term or period of time stated in the lease or contractual arrangement.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-11 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 19-11
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-11
Status: in_force

From and after March 26, 1997, a museum acquires title to unclaimed property, under any of the following circumstances:

(a) If a lender of property does not contact the museum in writing within ninety (90) days after the date notice was received for property for which a museum provides actual notice to a lender in accordance to Section 39-19-9 and for which a signed receipt has been received.

(b) If a lender or anyone claiming a legal interest in that property does not contact the museum in writing within ninety (90) days after the date of the second publication, and notice by publication has been made pursuant to Section 39-19-9 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-15 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 5-15
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-15
Status: in_force

An official and statistical register of the State of Mississippi shall be compiled by the Secretary of State after each general election, to contain brief sketches of the several state officials, the members of Congress from Mississippi, the Supreme Court judges, the members of the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Mississippi; a roster of all state and county officials, lists of all state institutions, with officials; state and county population and election statistics, and miscellaneous statistics. This register shall be published in an amount not to exceed forty thousand (40,000) and shall be for free distribution, the printing and the binding to be paid for as is other public printing and binding. Its distribution shall be paid out of the fund provided for the distribution of other public documents. This register shall have printed on the title page the following statement: “This book was paid for by the taxpayers of the State of Mississippi and authorized by the Mississippi Legislature.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-51 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 5-51
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-51
Status: in_force

The complete custody, management, control and ownership of that portion of Beauvoir, (a tract of land comprising eighty-seven and one-half acres, more or less, in Harrison County, Mississippi, fronting 1020 feet, more or less, on the Gulf of Mexico, and situated approximately eight miles from the City of Gulfport, and four miles from the City of Biloxi, on “The Old Spanish Trail”, and being the same property conveyed the Mississippi division of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans on the 10th day of October, A. D. 1902, by Mrs. Varina Jefferson Davis, wife of Jefferson Davis, by deed of record in the land records of Harrison County, Mississippi, and said property being further described as the last home of Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States of America) lying west of a line running north and south from the southern to the northern boundary of said property and said line being equidistant between brick building on said property now used as an infirmary or hospital and the small frame building situated to the front and east of that building known as Beauvoir residence, and said small frame building being known as the office of Jefferson Davis and in which he wrote “The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government” is hereby awarded and returned and completely relinquished by the State of Mississippi to the Mississippi division of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans, a Mississippi corporation, for the purpose of establishing and maintaining a shrine sacred to the memory of Jefferson Davis with full authority to do any and all things necessary in the discretion of the Mississippi division of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans for the establishment and maintenance of said shrine and for the beautification, repair, preservation, alteration or protection of said property herein awarded and relinquished to the Mississippi division of the United Sons of Confederate Veterans or any part thereof.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-31 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 7-31
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-31
Status: in_force

No person, not being the owner thereof, and without the written consent of the owner, proprietor, lessee, or person in charge thereof, shall enter or attempt to enter upon the lands of another and intentionally injure, disfigure, remove, excavate, damage, take, dig into, or destroy any historical structure, monument, marker, medallion, or artifact, or any prehistoric or historic archaeological site, American Indian or aboriginal remains located in, on or under any private lands within the State of Mississippi. No person without a permit from the board, and without written permission of the landowner, shall intentionally injure, disfigure, remove, excavate, damage, take, dig into, or destroy any prehistoric or historic American Indian or aboriginal burial.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-13 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 7-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-13
Status: in_force

Any site located upon private lands which is determined by majority vote of the board to be of sufficient archaeological, historical or architectural significance may be designated by the board as a Mississippi landmark. It is specifically provided, however, that no such site shall be so designated upon private land without the written consent of the landowner or landowners in recordable form sufficiently describing the site so that it may be located. Upon such designation the consent of the landowner shall be recorded in the deed records of the county in which the land is located. Any such site upon private land shall be marked by at least one (1) marker, approved by the board, bearing the words “Mississippi Landmark” for each five (5) acres of area.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-37-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 25 / Section 37-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-37-1
Status: in_force

Section 1. The Division of Tourism Development of the Mississippi Development Authority is authorized and directed to do the following:

(a) To develop a marketing plan designed to attract tourists, conferences, music and theatrical performances, filmmakers and others for the purpose of the economic development of all geographic areas of the state through the promotion of projects related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(b) To make an inventory of assets related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(c) To establish a statewide infrastructure to offer tourists and targeted audiences a structured tour of sites and venues related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(d) To designate specific sites for the erection of trail markers for the sites and venues related to Mississippi's heritage, history and culture. The division is authorized to approve the texts for the markers and to purchase appropriate markers from any available funds. The Mississippi Department of Transportation shall cooperate with the division by erecting and maintaining the markers that have been approved by the division.

(e) To coordinate the trail program described in paragraph (d) of this section with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television, and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and similar organizations to share resources and information in order to ensure a comprehensive approach to marketing the story of Mississippi's heritage, history and culture.

(f) To coordinate the trail program described in paragraph (d) of this section with any existing state historic preservation program, in order to identify and preserve historic properties, and determine the eligibility of those properties for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and prepare nominations of those sites.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-5 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 19 / Section 19-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-5
Status: in_force

(1) For property loaned to a museum on or after March 26, 1997, the museum shall do all of the following at the time of the loan:

(a) Make and retain a written record containing at least all of the following:

(i) The lender's name, address, and telephone number;

(ii) A description of the property loaned in sufficient detail for ready identification;

(iii) The beginning date of the loan; and

(iv) The expiration date of the loan.

(b) Provide the lender with a signed receipt or loan agreement containing at a minimum the record set forth in subsection (a) above.

(c) Inform the lender of the existence of this chapter and provide the lender with a copy of this chapter upon the lender's request.

(2) Regardless of the date of a loan of property, the museum shall do the following:

(a) Update its records if a lender informs the museum of a change of address or change in ownership of property loaned, or if the lender and museum negotiate a change in the duration of the loan; and

(b) Inform the lender of the existence of this chapter when renewing or updating the records of an existing loan and provide the lender with a copy of this chapter upon the lender's request.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-309 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 3-309
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-309
Status: in_force

Any person who violates the provisions of section 39-3-303 is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed six (6) months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-35-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 25 / Section 35-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-35-1
Status: in_force

(1) The Mississippi Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission (commission) is hereby established to prepare for and commemorate the Sesquicentennial, or One Hundred and Fiftieth anniversary, of Mississippi's participation in the American Civil War (April 1861-April 1865).

(2) The commission shall have a total membership of fifteen (15) members, or their designees, as follows: (a) the Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority; (b) the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History; (c) the State Superintendent of Public Education, or his designee; (d) the Manager of the Bureau of Film and Culture of the Mississippi Development Authority, Division of Tourism; (e) the President/Chairman of the Mississippi Historical Society; (f) the Chairman of the Mississippi Civil War Battlefield Commission; (g) the Director of the Brice's Crossroads Battlefield Commission; (h) the Director of the Vicksburg National Military Park; (i) the Director of the Battle of Shiloh-Battle of Corinth National Military Park; (j) the Director of the Grand Gulf Military Monument; (k) a representative of the Mississippi Tourism Association; (l) the National Park Service Administrator of Ship Island/Fort Massachusetts; (m) a citizen of Mississippi appointed by the Governor; (n) a member of the Mississippi Senate appointed by the Lieutenant Governor who shall serve in an ex officio nonvoting capacity; and (o) a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker who shall serve in an ex officio nonvoting capacity.

(3) Ex officio members and legislative members of the commission shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Citizen members shall serve a term of four (4) years. Appointments to fill vacancies occurring for a reason other than the expiration of a term shall be for the remainder of the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments, and all members may be reappointed.

(4) The commission shall elect a chairman and vice chairman from among its membership. The commission may name five (5) of its members to constitute an executive committee, which shall act for the commission pursuant to its direction.

(5) The commission may appoint and establish an advisory council composed of citizens at large who have knowledge of American Civil War and Mississippi history and interest in its Sesquicentennial celebration, to assist the commission in its work.

(6) A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute a quorum. The meetings of the commission shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever a majority of the members so request. No recommendation of the commission shall be adopted except by majority vote of the commission.

(7) Nonlegislative members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services but may receive expense reimbursement and mileage for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided by law. Legislative members of the commission shall receive compensation applicable to committee meetings when the Legislature is not in session.

(8) The commission shall hire an executive director, and relevant support staff, to guide and support the actions of the commission. Employment shall not extend beyond the date of expiration of the commission and shall be subject to an annual review by the executive committee of the commission.

(9) The commission may solicit, accept, use and dispose of public or nonpublic funds, gifts, grants, donations, bequests or other funds or real or personal property for the purpose of aiding or facilitating the work of the commission. The commission may procure services, enter into contracts, leases or other legal agreements as it may deem necessary to carry out its duties as set forth in this section, but no contract or other legal agreement shall be entered into by the commission that extends beyond the date of expiration of the commission.

(10) The commission shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) Plan, develop and carry out educational, informational, new media/web-based programs and activities appropriate to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, with emphasis on the military operations which occurred in the State of Mississippi;

(b) Encourage interdisciplinary examination of the American Civil War;

(c) Facilitate activities related to the American Civil War throughout Mississippi;

(d) Encourage civic, historical, educational, economic and other organizations throughout Mississippi to organize and participate in activities to expand the understanding and appreciation of the significance of the American Civil War;

(e) Provide technical and financial assistance to localities and nonprofit organizations to further the commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War;

(f) Develop programs and facilities to ensure that the Sesquicentennial commemoration of the American Civil War results in a positive legacy and long-term public benefit;

(g) Facilitate the development and conduct of programs designed to involve all citizens in activities that commemorate the American Civil War; and

(h) Submit to the Legislature and the Governor an annual report for publication of the work and activity of the commission no later than the first day of each regular session of the Legislature.

(11) The commission shall direct the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to enhance and expand Civil War markers across the state, along with all relevant educational and informational documentation necessary for the creation of a Civil War Trail, in advance of the initial celebration of the Sesquicentennial in Mississippi.

(12) All state agencies and universities shall provide technical assistance to the commission upon request.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-125 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 13 / Section 17-125
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-125
Status: in_force

Bonds issued under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 and income from the bonds shall be exempt from all taxation in the State of Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-109 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 17-109
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-109
Status: in_force

The State Bond Commission shall act as the issuing agent for the bonds authorized under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 , prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold, pay all fees and costs incurred in such issuance and sale, and do all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of the bonds. The State Bond Commission may pay the costs that are incident to the sale, issuance and delivery of the bonds authorized under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 from the proceeds derived from the sale of the bonds. The State Bond Commission shall sell such bonds on sealed bids at public sale, and for such price as it may determine to be for the best interest of the State of Mississippi, but no such sale may be made at a price less than par plus accrued interest to the date of delivery of the bonds to the purchaser. All interest accruing on such bonds so issued shall be payable semiannually or annually; however, the first interest payment may be for any period of not more than one (1) year.

Notice of the sale of any such bond shall be published at least one (1) time, not less than ten (10) days before the date of sale, and shall be so published in one or more newspapers published or having a general circulation in the City of Jackson, Mississippi, and in one or more other newspapers or financial journals with a national circulation, to be selected by the State Bond Commission.

The State Bond Commission, when issuing any bonds under the authority of Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 , may provide that the bonds, at the option of the State of Mississippi, may be called in for payment and redemption at the call price named therein and accrued interest on such date or dates named therein.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-15 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 11 / Section 13-15
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-15
Status: in_force

The governing authority of any county or municipality, individually or jointly, may enact local legislation governing “demolition by neglect,” defined as improper maintenance or lack of maintenance of any property in a historic district, or any historic landmark or landmark site, which results in substantial deterioration of such a property and threatens its continued stability and preservation. The governing authority of any county or municipality, individually or jointly, is further authorized, in its discretion, to fine any property owner who has been found to own a property that has been determined to be threatened by demolition by neglect as defined herein. Such property owner, from the date such property is found to be in demolition by neglect by the governing authority until such repairs are made to remove the danger to the property, shall be in violation of the provisions of this section.

In addition to the powers specified in Section 21-19-11(1) , a governing authority, if the Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Archives and History concurs, may make repairs necessary to correct demolition by neglect, and the cost of such repairs shall become a lien against the property in accordance with Section 21-19-11(3) .

If a property in a historic district or a historic landmark or landmark site is demolished without review and approval by a local historic preservation commission, the governing authority may require that the owner rebuild on the site using as much of the original building material as possible, but in general following the same form. A governing authority may specify by ordinance that unauthorized demolition of a portion of a structure shall not serve as justification for a demolition permit whenever it can be shown that restoration or rehabilitation would still be feasible.

Whenever a structure or structures is demolished without review and approval by a local historic preservation commission, the governing authority may require that no permit be issued for any structure or structures proposed for the same parcel which would require a footprint larger than the footprint of the demolished structure or structures.

If a historic landmark or landmark site of statewide or national significance is demolished without review and approval by a local historic preservation commission, the governing authority may require that no permit for any construction on the parcel from which the landmark or landmark site has been removed may be issued for a period of up to twenty-four (24) months.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-17 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 13-17
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-13-17
Status: in_force

Any person who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not less than Ten Dollars ($10.00) nor more than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00).

Each day that a violation continues to exist shall constitute a separate offense.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-7 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 7-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-7
Status: in_force

The duties of the board shall be to determine the site of and to designate Mississippi landmarks; to remove from such designation certain of such sites as hereinafter provided; to contract or otherwise provide for the discovery and salvage operations herein covered; to consider the requests for and issue the permits hereinafter provided for; and to protect and preserve the archaeological, historical and architectural resources of the State of Mississippi. The board shall be the legal custodian of all items hereinafter described which have been recovered and retained by the State of Mississippi, and shall maintain an inventory of such items showing the description and depository thereof.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-35-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 11 / Section 35-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-35-1
Status: in_force

(1) The Mississippi Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War Commission (commission) is hereby established to prepare for and commemorate the Sesquicentennial, or One Hundred and Fiftieth anniversary, of Mississippi's participation in the American Civil War (April 1861-April 1865).

(2) The commission shall have a total membership of fifteen (15) members, or their designees, as follows: (a) the Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority; (b) the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History; (c) the State Superintendent of Public Education, or his designee; (d) the Manager of the Bureau of Film and Culture of the Mississippi Development Authority, Division of Tourism; (e) the President/Chairman of the Mississippi Historical Society; (f) the Chairman of the Mississippi Civil War Battlefield Commission; (g) the Director of the Brice's Crossroads Battlefield Commission; (h) the Director of the Vicksburg National Military Park; (i) the Director of the Battle of Shiloh-Battle of Corinth National Military Park; (j) the Director of the Grand Gulf Military Monument; (k) a representative of the Mississippi Tourism Association; (l) the National Park Service Administrator of Ship Island/Fort Massachusetts; (m) a citizen of Mississippi appointed by the Governor; (n) a member of the Mississippi Senate appointed by the Lieutenant Governor who shall serve in an ex officio nonvoting capacity; and (o) a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives appointed by the Speaker who shall serve in an ex officio nonvoting capacity.

(3) Ex officio members and legislative members of the commission shall serve terms coincident with their terms of office. Citizen members shall serve a term of four (4) years. Appointments to fill vacancies occurring for a reason other than the expiration of a term shall be for the remainder of the unexpired terms. Vacancies shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments, and all members may be reappointed.

(4) The commission shall elect a chairman and vice chairman from among its membership. The commission may name five (5) of its members to constitute an executive committee, which shall act for the commission pursuant to its direction.

(5) The commission may appoint and establish an advisory council composed of citizens at large who have knowledge of American Civil War and Mississippi history and interest in its Sesquicentennial celebration, to assist the commission in its work.

(6) A majority of the members of the commission shall constitute a quorum. The meetings of the commission shall be held at the call of the chairman or whenever a majority of the members so request. No recommendation of the commission shall be adopted except by majority vote of the commission.

(7) Nonlegislative members of the commission shall receive no compensation for their services but may receive expense reimbursement and mileage for all reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as provided by law. Legislative members of the commission shall receive compensation applicable to committee meetings when the Legislature is not in session.

(8) The commission shall hire an executive director, and relevant support staff, to guide and support the actions of the commission. Employment shall not extend beyond the date of expiration of the commission and shall be subject to an annual review by the executive committee of the commission.

(9) The commission may solicit, accept, use and dispose of public or nonpublic funds, gifts, grants, donations, bequests or other funds or real or personal property for the purpose of aiding or facilitating the work of the commission. The commission may procure services, enter into contracts, leases or other legal agreements as it may deem necessary to carry out its duties as set forth in this section, but no contract or other legal agreement shall be entered into by the commission that extends beyond the date of expiration of the commission.

(10) The commission shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) Plan, develop and carry out educational, informational, new media/web-based programs and activities appropriate to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War, with emphasis on the military operations which occurred in the State of Mississippi;

(b) Encourage interdisciplinary examination of the American Civil War;

(c) Facilitate activities related to the American Civil War throughout Mississippi;

(d) Encourage civic, historical, educational, economic and other organizations throughout Mississippi to organize and participate in activities to expand the understanding and appreciation of the significance of the American Civil War;

(e) Provide technical and financial assistance to localities and nonprofit organizations to further the commemoration of the Sesquicentennial of the American Civil War;

(f) Develop programs and facilities to ensure that the Sesquicentennial commemoration of the American Civil War results in a positive legacy and long-term public benefit;

(g) Facilitate the development and conduct of programs designed to involve all citizens in activities that commemorate the American Civil War; and

(h) Submit to the Legislature and the Governor an annual report for publication of the work and activity of the commission no later than the first day of each regular session of the Legislature.

(11) The commission shall direct the Mississippi Department of Archives and History to enhance and expand Civil War markers across the state, along with all relevant educational and informational documentation necessary for the creation of a Civil War Trail, in advance of the initial celebration of the Sesquicentennial in Mississippi.

(12) All state agencies and universities shall provide technical assistance to the commission upon request.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-13 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 19 / Section 19-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-13
Status: in_force

(1) Property on loan to a museum shall not escheat to the state under any state escheat law, but shall pass to the museum under the provisions of Section 39-19-11 .

(2) Property interests other than those specifically addressed in this chapter are not affected by this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-3 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 3-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-3
Status: in_force

Where any public library or public library system is established under this article, either by the county board of supervisors or the governing body of a municipality, the cost of purchasing land, erecting buildings and equipping and maintaining such public library or public library system shall be paid for in whole out of the general funds of the county or municipality.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-203 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 3-203
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-3-203
Status: in_force

No county, municipality, or other political subdivision of this state shall be party to a library agreement which provides for the construction or maintenance of a library pursuant to Article III, subdivision (c) 7 of the compact, nor pledge its credit in support of such a library, or contribute to the capital financing thereof, except after compliance with any laws applicable to such counties, municipalities, or other political subdivisions relating to or governing capital outlaws and the pledging of credit.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-11-13 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 11 / Section 11-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-11-13
Status: repealed

(1)(a) A special fund, to be designated as the “Building Fund for the Arts,” is created within the State Treasury. The fund shall be maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. The fund shall consist of any money designated for deposit therein from any source, including, but not limited to, any state general obligation bonds issued for the purposes described in this section. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into such fund.

(b) Money deposited into the fund shall be disbursed, in the discretion of the Mississippi Arts Commission, to provide grants to nonprofit organizations that are qualified as tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and units of local government to pay the costs of:

(i) Repair, upgrading, expansion, renovation or enhancement of existing buildings and facilities for the presentation, teaching or exhibition of the arts in any and all of its forms and furniture, equipment and/or technology for such buildings or facilities;

(ii) Construction of new buildings and facilities for the presentation, teaching or exhibition of the arts in any and all of its forms and furniture, equipment and/or technology for such buildings or facilities; or

(iii) The development, construction, equipping and furnishing of an entertainment and film center and museum and completion of a sound stage project.

Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) of any monies deposited into the fund during Fiscal Year 2023 shall be used to provide grant funds for the establishment of a band and music program for a nonprofit organization in this state that is qualified as exempt from federal income taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code .

(c) The entity to which such grants are made shall provide matching funds from local, federal or private sources equal to forty percent (40%) of the proposed project cost in order to be eligible for a grant under this section.

(d) The maximum aggregate amount of monies in the special fund that may be used to provide grant funds to an entity or combination of entities under paragraph (b)(iii) of this subsection shall not exceed One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00), and no monies in the special fund may be used to provide grant funds under paragraph (b)(iii) of this subsection after July 1, 2003. The maximum aggregate amount of grant funds that may be provided to an entity or combination of entities under paragraph (b)(iii) of this subsection during a fiscal year shall not exceed Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($500,000.00).

(2)(a) Amounts deposited into such special fund shall be disbursed to pay the costs of projects described in subsection (1) of this section. If any monies in the special fund are derived from proceeds of bonds issued under Sections 3 through 18 of Chapter 541, Laws of 2001, as amended by Chapter 540, Laws of 2002, as amended by Chapter 519, Laws of 2003, as amended by Chapter 1, Laws of 2004 Third Extraordinary Session, as amended by Chapter 538, Laws of 2006, as amended by Section 1 of Chapter 607, Laws of 2007, and are not used within four (4) years after the date such bond proceeds are deposited into the special fund, then the Mississippi Arts Commission shall provide an accounting of such unused monies to the State Bond Commission.

(b) [Repealed]

(3) The Mississippi Arts Commission is expressly authorized and empowered to receive and expend any local or other source funds in connection with the expenditure of funds provided for in this section. The expenditure of money deposited into the special fund shall be under the direction of the Mississippi Arts Commission, and such funds shall be paid by the State Treasurer upon warrants issued by the Department of Finance and Administration upon request of the Mississippi Arts Commission, which warrants shall be issued upon requisitions signed by the Executive Director of the Mississippi Arts Commission, or his or her designee. The Mississippi Arts Commission may retain an amount not to exceed one percent (1%) of the monies in the fund to defray administrative costs associated with administering the grant program under this section.

(4) The Mississippi Arts Commission shall adopt necessary rules and regulations to govern the administration of the program described in subsection (1) of this section, including, but not limited to, rules and regulations governing applications for grants and rules and regulations providing for the distribution of grant funds. The Mississippi Arts Commission shall comply with the provisions of the Mississippi Administrative Procedures Law.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-113 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 9 / Section 17-113
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-113
Status: in_force

The State Treasurer is authorized to certify to the State Fiscal Officer the necessity for warrants, and the State Fiscal Officer is authorized and directed to issue such warrants, in such amounts as may be necessary to pay when due the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, or the accredited value of, all bonds issued under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 ; and the State Treasurer shall forward the necessary amount to the designated place or places of payment of such bonds in ample time to discharge such bonds, or the interest on the bonds, on their due dates.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-21 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 19-21
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-21
Status: in_force

Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, a lender and museum can bind themselves to different loan provisions by written contract.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 21 / Section 21-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-1
Status: in_force

The Legislature recognizes the need for a craft center in Mississippi to enable Mississippi craft persons to demonstrate their skills and display their creations to Mississippians and tourists from other states. The Legislature further recognizes that a craft center would be of great economic and cultural importance to Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-13 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 5-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-13
Status: in_force

The county boards of supervisors are hereby authorized and empowered to turn over to the department historical portraits which may be the property of the counties, and to make appropriations, on application of the director, for the purpose of placing oil portraits of distinguished citizens of Mississippi in the state's hall of fame. The selection of such portraits shall be made at the request and under the direction of the board of trustees of the department.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-9-7 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 9-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-9-7
Status: in_force

Every institution founded under this chapter, and the property of such institution, including real property, money, stock, bonds, notes, certificates of indebtedness, other evidences of indebtedness, and all other personal property, excepting motor vehicles, so far as devoted exclusively to carrying out objects and purposes of such institution shall be exempt from all state, county and municipal taxes. However, such institution shall own only such real property as shall be necessary to the fulfillment of the objects and purposes of such institution.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-109 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 11 / Section 17-109
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-109
Status: in_force

The State Bond Commission shall act as the issuing agent for the bonds authorized under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 , prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold, pay all fees and costs incurred in such issuance and sale, and do all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of the bonds. The State Bond Commission may pay the costs that are incident to the sale, issuance and delivery of the bonds authorized under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 from the proceeds derived from the sale of the bonds. The State Bond Commission shall sell such bonds on sealed bids at public sale, and for such price as it may determine to be for the best interest of the State of Mississippi, but no such sale may be made at a price less than par plus accrued interest to the date of delivery of the bonds to the purchaser. All interest accruing on such bonds so issued shall be payable semiannually or annually; however, the first interest payment may be for any period of not more than one (1) year.

Notice of the sale of any such bond shall be published at least one (1) time, not less than ten (10) days before the date of sale, and shall be so published in one or more newspapers published or having a general circulation in the City of Jackson, Mississippi, and in one or more other newspapers or financial journals with a national circulation, to be selected by the State Bond Commission.

The State Bond Commission, when issuing any bonds under the authority of Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 , may provide that the bonds, at the option of the State of Mississippi, may be called in for payment and redemption at the call price named therein and accrued interest on such date or dates named therein.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-121 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 11 / Section 17-121
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-121
Status: in_force

Any holder of bonds issued under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 or of any of the interest coupons pertaining to the bonds may, either at law or in equity, by suit, action, mandamus or other proceeding, protect and enforce all rights granted under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 , or under such resolution, and may enforce and compel performance of all duties required by Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 to be performed, in order to provide for the payment of bonds and interest on the bonds.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-111 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 5-111
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-111
Status: in_force

The commission shall designate specific sites for erection of appropriate markers along Hernando de Soto's journey of one hundred eighty-seven (187) days through Mississippi from the Tombigbee River basin on our state's eastern boundary, westward to the place of discovery of the Mississippi River on May 8, 1541.

The commission shall be authorized to purchase appropriate markers from any of its available funds. The texts for the De Soto Trail markers shall be approved by the Department of Archives and History. The State Highway Department shall cooperate with the commission and Department of Archives and History by erecting and maintaining the markers that have been approved by the commission.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-19 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 11 / Section 19-19
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-19-19
Status: in_force

(1) Unless there is a written agreement between the museum and the lender to the contrary, a museum may apply conservation measures to property on loan to the museum without the lender's or claimant's permission if immediate action is required to protect the property on loan or other property in the custody of the museum or if the property on loan is a hazard to the health and safety of the public or the museum staff and if any of the following apply:

(a) The museum is unable to reach the lender or claimant at the lender's or claimant's last known address or phone number, and if action is to be taken within more than three (3) days, but less than one (1) week from the time the museum determined action was necessary;

(b) The museum is unable to reach the lender or claimant at the lender's or claimant's last known phone number before taking action if the action is to be taken within three (3) days or less from the time the museum determined action was necessary; or

(c) The lender or claimant does not respond or will not agree to the protective measures the museum recommends, yet is unwilling or unable to terminate the loan and retrieve the property.

(2) If a museum applies conservation measures to property as provided by this section, or with the agreement of the lender and claimants, unless the agreement provides otherwise, the museum:

(a) Has a lien on the property and on the proceeds of any disposition of the property for the costs incurred by the museum; and

(b) Is not liable for injury to or loss of the property if the museum:

(i) Had a reasonable belief at the time the action was taken that the action was necessary to protect the property on loan or other property in the custody of the museum, or that the property on loan was a hazard to the health and safety of the public or the museum staff; and

(ii) Exercised reasonable care in the choice and application of conservation measures.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-23 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 3 / Section 7-23
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-23
Status: in_force

The board is hereby authorized to expend such sums, from any appropriations hereafter made for such purposes, as it may deem advisable, to purchase from the salvager or permittee such salvager's or permittee's share, or portion thereof, of items recovered which in the opinion of the board should remain the property of the State of Mississippi. The board is authorized and empowered to accept gifts, grants, devises, and bequests of money, securities, or property to be used in the purchase of such items from the salvager or permittee. Further, in this respect, the board may enter into contracts or agreements with such persons, firms, corporations, or institutions, as it might choose, whereby such persons, firms, corporations, or institutions, for the privilege of retaining temporary possession of such items, may advance to the board the money necessary to procure from the salvager or permittee such items as the board might determine should remain the property of the State of Mississippi, upon the condition that at any time the board may choose to repay to such person, firm, corporation, or institution such sum so advanced, without interest or additional charge of any kind, it may do so and may recover possession of such items. During the time these items are in the possession of the person, firm, corporation, or institution advancing the money for the purchase thereof, they shall be available for viewing by the general public without charge or at no more than a nominal admission fee, and such items may not be removed from the State of Mississippi for appraisal, exhibition, or restorative purposes, except upon written authorization of the board.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-109 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 17-109
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-109
Status: in_force

The State Bond Commission shall act as the issuing agent for the bonds authorized under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 , prescribe the form of the bonds, advertise for and accept bids, issue and sell the bonds so authorized to be sold, pay all fees and costs incurred in such issuance and sale, and do all other things necessary and advisable in connection with the issuance and sale of the bonds. The State Bond Commission may pay the costs that are incident to the sale, issuance and delivery of the bonds authorized under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 from the proceeds derived from the sale of the bonds. The State Bond Commission shall sell such bonds on sealed bids at public sale, and for such price as it may determine to be for the best interest of the State of Mississippi, but no such sale may be made at a price less than par plus accrued interest to the date of delivery of the bonds to the purchaser. All interest accruing on such bonds so issued shall be payable semiannually or annually; however, the first interest payment may be for any period of not more than one (1) year.

Notice of the sale of any such bond shall be published at least one (1) time, not less than ten (10) days before the date of sale, and shall be so published in one or more newspapers published or having a general circulation in the City of Jackson, Mississippi, and in one or more other newspapers or financial journals with a national circulation, to be selected by the State Bond Commission.

The State Bond Commission, when issuing any bonds under the authority of Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 , may provide that the bonds, at the option of the State of Mississippi, may be called in for payment and redemption at the call price named therein and accrued interest on such date or dates named therein.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-113 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 17 / Section 17-113
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-113
Status: in_force

The State Treasurer is authorized to certify to the State Fiscal Officer the necessity for warrants, and the State Fiscal Officer is authorized and directed to issue such warrants, in such amounts as may be necessary to pay when due the principal of, premium, if any, and interest on, or the accredited value of, all bonds issued under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 ; and the State Treasurer shall forward the necessary amount to the designated place or places of payment of such bonds in ample time to discharge such bonds, or the interest on the bonds, on their due dates.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-7 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 21-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-7
Status: in_force

Upon completion of the construction, furnishing and equipping of the facility to house the Mississippi Craft Center as provided for in this chapter, the Department of Finance and Administration shall enter into a lease, sublease or operating agreement for a period not exceeding twenty (20) years, with The Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi, Inc. whereunder The Craftsmen's Guild of Mississippi, Inc., shall assume exclusive responsibilities for operating the facility. The benefit to Mississippi from the operation of such lease, sublease or operating agreement shall be considered as sufficient consideration. The lease, sublease or operating agreement shall be executed for a nominal fee and it shall be presumed that such lease shall not amount to a donation of state property.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 11 / Section 21-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-21-1
Status: in_force

The Legislature recognizes the need for a craft center in Mississippi to enable Mississippi craft persons to demonstrate their skills and display their creations to Mississippians and tourists from other states. The Legislature further recognizes that a craft center would be of great economic and cultural importance to Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-1 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 7-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-1
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the “Antiquities Law of Mississippi.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-105 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 7 / Section 17-105
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-17-105
Status: in_force

The bonds authorized under Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 shall be signed by the Chairman of the State Bond Commission, or by his facsimile signature, and the official seal of the State Bond Commission shall be affixed thereto, attested by the Secretary of the State Bond Commission. The interest coupons, if any, to be attached to such bonds may be executed by the facsimile signatures of such officers. Whenever any such bonds shall have been signed by the officials designated to sign the bonds who were in office at the time of such signing but who may have ceased to be such officers before the sale and delivery of such bonds, or who may not have been in office on the date such bonds may bear, the signatures of such officers upon such bonds and coupons shall nevertheless be valid and sufficient for all purposes and have the same effect as if the person so officially signing such bonds had remained in office until their delivery to the purchaser, or had been in office on the date such bonds may bear. However, notwithstanding anything in Sections 39-17-101 through 39-17-127 to the contrary, such bonds may be issued as provided in the Registered Bond Act of the State of Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-6 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 1 / Section 5-6
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-5-6
Status: in_force

The duties and powers of the Board of Trustees of the Department of Archives and History shall include, in addition to other duties and powers granted or prescribed by law, the following:

(a) To promulgate rules and regulations governing the use of the historic portion of the Governor's Mansion;

(b) To promulgate rules and regulations governing the acquisition of furniture and furnishings, including, but not limited to, carpets, rugs, paintings, draperies and objects of art, for the original or historic portion of the Governor's Mansion;

(c) To employ a curator of the mansion who shall have the following duties:

(i) To maintain a descriptive inventory of and be responsible for the care and custody of all furniture and furnishings in the Governor's Mansion that have been catalogued by the Department of Archives and History, including flat silver and silver hollowware. However, the Department of Finance and Administration shall maintain a descriptive inventory of and be responsible for the care and custody of all publicly owned furniture and furnishings in the Governor's Mansion that have not been catalogued by the Department of Archives and History, including flat silver and silver hollowware; and

(ii) To conduct an educational training program for staff and volunteer guides who may conduct tours of the mansion when it is open to the public at specified times agreed upon by the Governor;

(d) To promote the donation or loaning of money or property, real or personal, from any agency of the United States, state or local government, any person, firm, corporation, association or group, for the purpose of furnishing or decorating the original or historic portion of the Governor's Mansion;

(e) To accept such donations of money or property, real or personal, from any agency of the United States, state or local government, any person, firm, corporation, association or group, for the purpose of furnishing or decorating the original or historic portion of the Governor's Mansion, provided that the board of trustees shall not be required to accept any donation of furniture or furnishings without its consent;

(f) To sell, donate or otherwise dispose of unused surplus property of the Governor's Mansion, excluding any property located in the mansion which belongs to the Governor's Office, and to deposit the proceeds of such sales in the Governor's Mansion Fund of the Board of Trustees of the Department of Archives and History for use, in the board's discretion, in acquiring furniture or furnishings, including, but not limited to, carpets, rugs, paintings, draperies and objects of art, for the original or historic portion of the Governor's Mansion; and

(g) To review and approve any major changes in the architecture, furniture, furnishings, decoration or landscaping of the grounds of the Governor's Mansion.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-11-3 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 11-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-11-3
Status: in_force

Of the members initially appointed to the Mississippi Arts Commission, three shall be appointed for terms of one year, three for terms of two years, three for terms of three years, three for terms of four years and three for terms of five years. Thereafter, terms shall be for five years. The members heretofore appointed to the commission under Executive Order No. 12 are to remain contingent members of the Mississippi Arts Commission until their successors are appointed under this chapter. No member of the commission who serves a full five-year term shall be eligible for reappointment during a one-year period following the expiration of his term. All vacancies shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term in the same manner as original appointments. The members of the commission shall not receive any compensation for their services but shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the commission. The commission will annually elect its chairman and other officers.
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-5 — MS Code / Title 39 / Chapter 5 / Section 7-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 39-7-5
Status: in_force

The authority to administer the provisions of this chapter is vested in the board of trustees of the department of archives and history, hereinafter referred to as the board. A record of the board's proceedings under this chapter shall be kept, and shall be subject to inspection by any citizen of Mississippi desiring to make an examination in the presence of a member of the board or an authorized employee of the department of archives and history.