House Bill 1561

(As Passed the House)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 27-31-101, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO INCLUDE CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT AGRICULTURE ENTERPRISES MEETING MINIMUM CRITERIA ESTABLISHED BY THE MISSISSIPPI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY IN THE TYPES OF NEW ENTERPRISES FOR WHICH COUNTY BOARDS OF SUPERVISORS AND MUNICIPAL GOVERNING AUTHORITIES MAY GRANT AD VALOREM TAX EXEMPTIONS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 27-31-101, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

[Through June 30, 2025, this section shall read as follows:]

27-31-101. (1) County boards of supervisors and municipal authorities are hereby authorized and empowered, in their discretion, to grant exemptions from ad valorem taxation, except state ad valorem taxation; however, such governing authorities shall not exempt ad valorem taxes for school district purposes on tangible property used in, or necessary to, the operation of the manufacturers and other new enterprises enumerated by classes in this section, except to the extent authorized in Sections 27-31-104 and 27-31-105(2), nor shall they exempt from ad valorem taxes the products of the manufacturers or other new enterprises or automobiles and trucks belonging to the manufacturers or other new enterprises operating on and over the highways of the State of Mississippi. The time of such exemption shall be for a period not to exceed a total of ten (10) years which shall begin on the date of completion of the new enterprise for which the exemption is granted; however, boards of supervisors and municipal authorities, in lieu of granting the exemption for one (1) period of ten (10) years, may grant the exemption in a period of less than ten (10) years. When the initial exemption period granted is less than ten (10) years, the boards of supervisors and municipal authorities may grant a subsequent consecutive period or periods to follow the initial period of exemption, provided that the total of all periods of exemption shall not exceed ten (10) years. The date of completion of the new enterprise, from which the initial period of exemption shall begin, shall be the date on which operations of the new enterprise begin. The initial request for an exemption must be made in writing by June 1 of the year immediately following the year in which the date of completion of a new enterprise occurs. If the initial request for the exemption is not timely made, the board of supervisors or municipal authorities may grant a subsequent request for the exemption and, in such case, the exemption shall begin on the anniversary date of completion of the enterprise in the year in which the request is made and may be for a period of time extending not more than ten (10) years from the date of completion of the new enterprise. Any subsequent request for the exemption must be made in writing by June 1 of the year in which it is granted.

(2) Any board of supervisors or municipal authority which has granted an exemption for a period of less than ten (10) years may grant subsequent periods of exemption to run consecutively with the initial exemption period, or a subsequently granted exemption period, but in no case shall the total of the exemption periods granted for a new enterprise exceed ten (10) years. Any consecutive period of exemption shall be granted by entry of an order by the board or the authority granting the consecutive exemption on its minutes, reflecting the granting of the consecutive exemption period and the dates upon which such consecutive exemption period begins and expires. The entry of this order granting the consecutive period of exemption shall be made before the expiration of the exemption period immediately preceding the consecutive exemption period being granted.

(3) (a) The new enterprises for which any or all of the tangible property described in paragraph (b) of this subsection (3) may be exempt from ad valorem taxation, except state ad valorem taxation, ad valorem taxes for school district purposes, and ad valorem taxes on the products thereof or on automobiles and trucks belonging thereto and operating on and over the highways of the State of Mississippi, are enumerated as and limited to the following, as determined by the Department of Revenue:

(i) Warehouse and/or distribution centers;

(ii) Manufacturing, processors and refineries;

(iii) Research facilities;

(iv) Corporate regional and national headquarters meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(v) Movie industry studios meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(vi) Air transportation and maintenance facilities meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(vii) Recreational facilities that impact tourism meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(viii) Data/information processing enterprises meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(ix) Technology intensive enterprises or facilities meeting criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(x) Health care industry facilities as defined in Section 57-117-3;

(xi) Data centers as defined in Section 57-113-21; * * *~~and~~

(xii) Telecommunications enterprises meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority. The term "telecommunications enterprises" means entities engaged in the creation, display, management, storage, processing, transmission or distribution for compensation of images, text, voice, video or data by wire or by wireless means, or entities engaged in the construction, design, development, manufacture, maintenance or distribution for compensation of devices, products, software or structures used in the above activities. Companies organized to do business as commercial broadcast radio stations, television stations or news organizations primarily serving in-state markets shall not be included within the definition of the term "telecommunications enterprises * * *."; and

(xiii) Controlled environment agriculture enterprises meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority.

The new enterprises enumerated in this paragraph (a) do not include medical cannabis establishments as defined in the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act.

(b) An exemption from ad valorem taxes granted under this section may include any or all tangible property, real or personal, including any leasehold interests therein but excluding automobiles and trucks operating on and over the highways of the State of Mississippi, used in connection with, or necessary to, the operation of an enterprise enumerated in paragraph (a) of this subsection (3), whether or not such property is owned, leased, subleased, licensed or otherwise obtained by such enterprise, irrespective of the taxpayer to which any such leased property is assessed for ad valorem tax purposes. If an exemption is granted pursuant to this section with respect to any leasehold interest under a lease, sublease or license of tangible property used in connection with, or necessary to, the operation of an enterprise enumerated in paragraph (a) of this subsection (3), the corresponding ownership interest of the owner, lessor and sublessor of such tangible property shall similarly and automatically be exempt without any action being required to be taken by such owner, lessor or sublessor.

(4) Any exemption from ad valorem taxes granted under this section before March 28, 2019, and consistent herewith, is hereby ratified, approved and confirmed.

[From and after July 1, 2025, this section shall read as follows:]

(i) Warehouse and/or distribution centers;

(ii) Manufacturing, processors and refineries;

(iii) Research facilities;

(iv) Corporate regional and national headquarters meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(v) Movie industry studios meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(vi) Air transportation and maintenance facilities meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(vii) Recreational facilities that impact tourism meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(viii) Data/information processing enterprises meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(ix) Technology intensive enterprises or facilities meeting criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority;

(x) Data centers as defined in Section 57-113-21; * * *~~and~~

(xi) Telecommunications enterprises meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority. The term "telecommunications enterprises" means entities engaged in the creation, display, management, storage, processing, transmission or distribution for compensation of images, text, voice, video or data by wire or by wireless means, or entities engaged in the construction, design, development, manufacture, maintenance or distribution for compensation of devices, products, software or structures used in the above activities. Companies organized to do business as commercial broadcast radio stations, television stations or news organizations primarily serving in-state markets shall not be included within the definition of the term "telecommunications enterprises * * *."; and

(xii) Controlled environment agriculture enterprises meeting minimum criteria established by the Mississippi Development Authority.

The new enterprises enumerated in this paragraph (a) do not include medical cannabis establishments as defined in the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act.

(4) Any exemption from ad valorem taxes granted under this section before March 28, 2019, and consistent herewith, is hereby ratified, approved and confirmed.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2023.