House Bill 1745

(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO AUTHORIZE THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF GEORGE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, TO REPAIR THE PARKING LOT OF CROSSROADS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH THAT WAS DAMAGED DURING THE REPAIR AND RESTORATION OF A PORTION OF MISSISSIPPI STATE HIGHWAY 26 THAT WASHED AWAY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) The Board of Supervisors of George County, Mississippi, is authorized, in its discretion, to repair the parking lot of Crossroads United Methodist Church, located in Lucedale, Mississippi, that was utilized as a staging area for heavy equipment used to remove vehicles from a thirty-feet deep chasm on a portion of Mississippi State Highway 26 and for other vehicles and equipment used to repair and restore the highway. The deep chasm developed suddenly and unexpectedly when a fifty-foot section of the highway washed away on August 30, 2021, due to heavy rains caused by a hurricane.

(2) The county may repair the church's parking lot, as authorized under subsection (1) of this section, by utilizing county employees and equipment or by utilizing third party contractors. The repair authorized under this section is not to provide a benefit for the church but instead is only to make the church whole for the damage caused to the parking lot while various parties were performing the public purposes of clearing the disaster site and repairing and restoring the portion of Mississippi State Highway 26 that washed away.

(3) Before the county may take any action as authorized under this section, the board of supervisors must receive documentation that the church has filed a claim under the Mississippi Tort Claims Act pursuant to the provisions of Section 11-46-1, et seq., Mississippi Code of 1972.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage.