Community Service Revolving Fund; extend repealer on authority to collect fees from paroled offenders for deposit into., the official text

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2026 Regular Session

To: Corrections

By: Senator(s) Barnett

Senate Bill 2778

(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 47-7-49, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972,
TO EXTEND THE DATE OF THE REPEALER ON THE AUTHORITY OF THE MISSISSIPPI
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS TO COLLECT MONTHLY FEES FROM OFFENDERS WHO ARE ON
PROBATION, PAROLE OR ANY OTHER FIELD SUPERVISION AND TO DEPOSIT THOSE FEES INTO
THE COMMUNITY SERVICE REVOLVING FUND; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1.  Section
47-7-49, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

47-7-49.  (1)  Any offender
on probation, parole, earned-release supervision, post-release supervision,
earned probation or any other offender under the field supervision of the
Community Services Division of the department shall pay to the department the
sum of Fifty-five Dollars ($55.00) per month by certified check or money order
unless a hardship waiver is granted.  An offender shall make the initial
payment within sixty (60) days after being released from imprisonment unless a
hardship waiver is granted.  A hardship waiver may be granted by the sentencing
court or the Department of Corrections.  A hardship waiver may not be granted
for a period of time exceeding ninety (90) days.  The commissioner or his
designee shall deposit Fifty Dollars ($50.00) of each payment received into a
special fund in the State Treasury, which is hereby created, to be known as the
Community Service Revolving Fund.  Expenditures from this fund shall be made
for:  (a) the establishment of restitution and satellite centers; and (b) the
establishment, administration and operation of the department's Drug
Identification Program and the intensive and field supervision program.  The
Fifty Dollars ($50.00) may be used for salaries and to purchase equipment,
supplies and vehicles to be used by the Community Services Division in the
performance of its duties.  Expenditures for the purposes established in this
section may be made from the fund upon requisition by the commissioner, or his
designee.

Of the remaining amount,
Three Dollars ($3.00) of each payment shall be deposited into the Crime
Victims' Compensation Fund created in Section 99-41-29, and Two Dollars ($2.00)
shall be deposited into the Training Revolving Fund created pursuant to Section
47-7-51.  When a person is convicted of a felony in this state, in addition to
any other sentence it may impose, the court may, in its discretion, order the
offender to pay a state assessment not to exceed the greater of One Thousand
Dollars ($1,000.00) or the maximum fine that may be imposed for the offense, into
the Crime Victims' Compensation Fund created pursuant to Section 99-41-29.

Any federal funds made
available to the department for training or for training facilities, equipment
or services shall be deposited into the Correctional Training Revolving Fund
created in Section 47-7-51.  The funds deposited in this account shall be used
to support an expansion of the department's training program to include the
renovation of facilities for training purposes, purchase of equipment and
contracting of training services with community colleges in the state.

No offender shall be
required to make this payment for a period of time longer than ten (10) years.

(2)  The offender may be
imprisoned until the payments are made if the offender is financially able to
make the payments and the court in the county where the offender resides so
finds, subject to the limitations hereinafter set out.  The offender shall not
be imprisoned if the offender is financially unable to make the payments and so
states to the court in writing, under oath, and the court so finds.

(3)  An offender's
responsibilities under this section may be satisfied by an offender's employer
under Section 47-7-36.1(2).

(4)  This section shall
stand repealed from and after * * * June 30, 2026 July 1, 2030.

SECTION 2.  This act
shall take effect and be in force from and after June 30, 2026.