MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

1998 Regular Session

To: Judiciary B

By: Representative Johnson

House Bill 51

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 25-61-9, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXEMPT RECORDS OF PERSONAL ACCOUNTS OF MUNICIPAL PUBLIC UTILITIES FROM THE MISSISSIPPI PUBLIC RECORDS ACT OF 1983; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 

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

SECTION 1. Section 25-61-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

25-61-9. (1) Records furnished to public bodies by third parties which contain trade secrets or confidential commercial or financial information shall not be subject to inspection, examination, copying or reproduction under this chapter until notice to said third parties has been given, but such records shall be released within a reasonable period of time unless the said third parties shall have obtained a court order protecting such records as confidential.

(2) If any public record which is held to be exempt from disclosure pursuant to this chapter contains material which is not exempt pursuant to this chapter, the public body shall separate the exempt material and make the nonexempt material available for examination and/or copying as provided for in this chapter.

(3) Trade secrets and confidential commercial and financial information of a proprietary nature developed by a college or university under contract with a firm, business, partnership, association, corporation, individual or other like entity shall not be subject to inspection, examination, copying or reproduction under this chapter.

(4) Misappropriation of a trade secret shall be governed by the provisions of the Mississippi Uniform Trade Secrets Act, Sections 75-26-1 through 75-26-19.

(5) A waste minimization plan and any updates developed by generators and facility operators under the Mississippi Comprehensive Multimedia Waste Minimization Act of 1990 shall be retained at the facility and shall not be subject to inspection, examination, copying or reproduction under this chapter.

(6) Data processing software obtained by an agency under a licensing agreement that prohibits its disclosure and which software is a trade secret, as defined in Section 75-26-3, and data processing software produced by a public body which is sensitive must not be subject to inspection, copying or reproduction under this chapter.

As used in this subsection, "sensitive" means only those portions of data processing software, including the specifications and documentation, used to:

(a) Collect, process, store, and retrieve information which is exempt under this chapter.

(b) Control and direct access authorizations and security measures for automated systems.

(c) Collect, process, store, and retrieve information, disclosure of which would require a significant intrusion into the business of the public body.

(7) Records of personal accounts with a public utility of a municipality as those terms are defined in Section 77-3-3 shall not be subject to inspection, examination, copying or reproduction under this chapter.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 1998.