Bill Text: MS HB1561 | 2025 | Regular Session | Introduced

Mississippi House Bill 1561

Introduced

Bill Title: PEER; authorize to monitor certain contracts for economic development projects to ensure fair minority contract participation.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2025-01-20 - Referred To Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency [HB1561 Detail]

Download: Mississippi-2025-HB1561-Introduced.html

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2025 Regular Session

To: Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency

By: Representative Banks

House Bill 1561

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 5-3-57, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE ON PERFORMANCE EVALUATION AND EXPENDITURE REVIEW TO EVALUATE AND MONITOR ALL CONTRACTS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS THAT ARE FULLY OR PARTIALLY FUNDED WITH TAX DOLLARS TO ENSURE MINORITY CONTRACTOR PARTICIPATION IS FAIR AND EQUITABLE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 5-3-57, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

5-3-57. The committee shall have the following powers:

(a) To conduct, in any manner and at any time deemed appropriate, a performance evaluation of all agencies. It may examine or investigate the budget, files, financial statements, records, documents or other papers of the agency deemed necessary by the committee.

(b) To conduct, in any manner and at any time deemed appropriate, a review of the budget, files, financial statements, records, documents or other papers, as deemed necessary by the committee, of any agency; to make selected review of any funds expended and programs previously projected by such agency; to investigate any and all salaries, fees, obligations, loans, contracts, or other agreements or other fiscal function or activity of any official or employee thereof (including independent contractors where necessary); and to do any and all things necessary and incidental to the purposes specifically set forth in this section.

(c) To conduct an investigation of all agencies which are, in whole or in part, operated or supported by any appropriation or grant of state funds, or which are, in whole or in part, supported or operated by any funds derived from any statewide tax, license fee, or permit fee or which collects or administers any statewide tax, license fee, or permit fee by whatever name called; such committee shall also have full and complete authority to investigate all laws administered and enforced by any such offices, departments, agencies, institutions and instrumentalities, and the manner and method of the administration and enforcement of such laws; to investigate any evasion of any statewide tax, privilege fee or license fee; to investigate all disbursements of public funds by any office, agency, department, institution or instrumentality specified herein; to study the present laws relative to such agencies, offices, departments, institutions and instrumentalities, and the laws providing for the levying or imposition and collection of any state tax, privilege fee or license fee; to make recommendations to the Legislature as to the correction of any imperfections, inequalities or injustices found to exist in any of such laws, and to do any and all things necessary and incidental to the purposes herein specifically set forth. Provided further that the committee shall upon petition by one-half (1/2) the elected membership of either the Senate or House of Representatives perform a complete investigation and audit of any agency, entity or group subject to investigation or audit by passage of Sections 5-3-51 through 5-3-69.

(d) The committee, in its discretion, if it determines that such action is necessary to carry out the responsibilities of Sections 5-3-51 through 5-3-69, may employ an attorney or attorneys to file or assist the Attorney General's office in filing actions for the recovery of any funds discovered to have been misused or misappropriated and to prosecute or assist in prosecution of criminal violations, if any, revealed or discovered in the discharging of their duties and responsibilities.

(e) To evaluate and monitor all contracts for economic development projects that are fully or partially funded with tax dollars to ensure minority contractor participation is fair and equitable. Such evaluation and monitoring shall include, but not be limited to, the bid process, awarding of contracts, the bid pre-requests requirements and any state bonding requirements that may be restrictive and may not allow an open market of bond providers.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2025.