Bill Text: MS HB1540 | 2026 | Regular Session | Introduced

Mississippi House Bill 1540

Introduced

Bill Title: Mississippi Search and Rescue Program; create.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)

Status: (Failed) 2026-02-03 - Died In Committee [HB1540 Detail]

Download: Mississippi-2026-HB1540-Introduced.html

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2026 Regular Session

To: State Affairs; Appropriations A

By: Representative Lamar

House Bill 1540

AN ACT TO BE KNOWN AS THE MISSISSIPPI SEARCH AND RESCUE PROGRAM ACT; TO ESTABLISH THE MISSISSIPPI SEARCH AND RESCUE PROGRAM; TO DEFINE TERMS; TO REQUIRE THE MISSISSIPPI EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY AND THE DIRECTOR OF THE AGENCY TO PERFORM CERTAIN DUTIES UNDER THE PROGRAM; TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROGRAM SHALL RECEIVE THE NECESSARY FUNDING FOR EQUIPMENT, TRAINING FACILITIES, AND WAREHOUSES FOR EQUIPMENT AND PERSONNEL FOR THE PROGRAM TO PERFORM ITS FUNCTIONS; TO CREATE A SPECIAL FUND WITH THE STATE TREASURY TO BE KNOWN AS THE MISSISSIPPI SEARCH AND RESCUE PROGRAM FUND; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Mississippi Search and Rescue Program Act".

SECTION 2. (1) For purposes of this act, the following words shall have the meanings as defined in this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(a) "Agency" means the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.

(b) "Fund" means the Mississippi Search and Rescue Program Fund created in this act.

SECTION 3. There is established the Mississippi Search and Rescue Program. The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency shall be the coordinating state agency.

(1) Under the program, the agency:

(a) Shall develop, coordinate, respond to, and maintain the State of Mississippi's efforts toward providing resources to conduct search and rescue operations after man-made or natural disasters as well as conducting other operations within the boundaries of the State of Mississippi or in coordinated response with other states or the federal government;

(b) Provide clerical, administrative and technical assistance for the program;

(d) Coordinate with the State Fire Academy, the Mississippi Department of Public Marine Resources, the Department of Public Safety and the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks to fulfill the goals of the program.

(2) The director of the agency shall:

(a) Appoint a designee to assist with the administrative requirements associated with the establishment and maintenance of the program; and

(b) Employ, or designate necessary, other personnel to assist in the operations of the program, including personnel overseeing urban search and rescue operations, planning and logistics.

(3) The program shall be provided with the necessary funding for equipment, training facilities, warehouses for equipment, and personnel for the program to perform its functions.

SECTION 4. There is created within the State Treasury a special fund to be known as the Mississippi Search and Rescue Program Fund. The fund shall consist of monies received from grants, gifts, state appropriations, federal funds and monies made available from any other source. Monies in the fund shall be disbursed by the office for the purposes of the program upon appropriation by the Legislature. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any investment earnings or interest earned on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2026.