House Bill 539

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 39-5-9, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, WHICH ESTABLISHES THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS OFFICE WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY AND PROVIDES THE POWERS AND DUTIES OF SUCH OFFICE, TO EXTEND THE DATE OF REPEAL IN THIS SECTION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 39-5-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

39-5-9. A Local Government Records Office is established within the Department of Archives and History. The office shall begin operation when sufficient funds therefor have accumulated in the Local Government Records Management Fund established in Section 25-60-5. The office shall have the following powers and duties as well as any others which are prescribed by law elsewhere or assigned to the office by the director of the department:

(a) Provide and/or coordinate education and training for counties and municipalities on records management issues.

(b) Establish records management standards to guide counties and municipalities, such standards to include, but not be limited to, guidelines for microfilm production and storage, electronic records security and migration, records preservation, imaging and records storage.

(c) Prepare records control schedules for adoption or amendment by the Local Government Records Committee established in Section 25-60-1. In the preparation of such schedules and amendments thereto, the office shall seek input from interested citizens and organizations.

(d) Establish standards for records storage areas of local governmental bodies, such standards to include, but not be limited to, guidelines for the selection of an off-site storage facility for records of enduring and/or archival value.

This section shall be repealed on July 1, 2008.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2006.