Amendment_Report_for

SECTION 1. From and after July 1, 2023, the Department of Child Protection Services shall be a state agency separate and apart from the Department of Human Services and not a subagency housed within the Department of Human Services, and shall have such powers and duties and perform such functions that are assigned to the Department of Child Protection Services by state law. All records, property and contractual rights and obligations of the Department of Child Protection Services that relate to the powers, duties and functions exercised or performed by the Department of Child Protection Services while it was a subagency housed within the Department of Human Services shall be vested in the Department of Child Protection Services. The Department of Human

Services shall cooperate with the Department of Child Protection Services to the greatest extent possible to accomplish an orderly transition of the Department of Child Protection Services to a separate state agency.

SECTION 2. Section 43-26-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-26-1. (1) There is * * * ~~hereby~~ created a Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services.

(2) The Chief Administrative Officer of the Department of Child Protection Services shall be the Commissioner of Child Protection Services who shall be appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Senate. The commissioner shall possess the following qualifications:

(a) A bachelor's degree from an accredited institution of higher learning and ten (10) years' experience in management, public administration, finance or accounting; or

(b) A master's or doctoral degree from an accredited institution of higher learning and five (5) years' experience in management, public administration, finance, law or accounting.

* * *

(3) The Department of Child Protection Services shall provide the services authorized by law to every individual determined to be eligible therefor, and in carrying out the purposes of the department, the commissioner is authorized:

(a) To formulate the policy of the department regarding child welfare services within the jurisdiction of the department;

(b) To adopt, modify, repeal and promulgate, after due notice and hearing, and where not otherwise prohibited by federal or state law, to make exceptions to and grant exemptions and variances from, and to enforce rules and regulations implementing or effectuating the powers and duties of the department under any and all statutes within the department's jurisdiction;

(c) To apply for, receive and expend any federal or state funds or contributions, gifts, devises, bequests or funds from any other source;

(d) To enter into and execute contracts, grants and cooperative agreements with any federal or state agency or subdivision thereof, or any public or private institution located inside or outside the State of Mississippi, or any person, corporation or association in connection with carrying out the programs of the department; and

(e) To discharge such other duties, responsibilities, and powers as are necessary to implement the programs of the department.

(4) The commissioner shall establish the organizational structure of the Department of Child Protection Services, which shall include the creation of any units necessary to implement the duties assigned to the department and consistent with specific requirements of law.

(5) The commissioner shall appoint heads of offices, bureaus, and divisions, as defined in Section 7-17-11, who shall serve at the pleasure of the commissioner. The salary and compensation of such office, bureau and division heads shall be subject to the rules and regulations adopted and promulgated by the State Personnel Board. The commissioner shall have the authority to organize offices as deemed appropriate to carry out the responsibilities of the department.

(6) The Department of Child Protection Services shall be responsible for the development, execution, and provision of services in the following areas:

(a) Protective services for children;

(b) Foster care;

(d) Special services;

(e) Interstate compact;

(f) Licensure;

(g) Prevention services; and

(h) Such other services as may be designated. Services enumerated under Section 43-15-13 et seq., for the foster care program shall be provided by qualified staff with appropriate case loads.

(7) The Department of Child Protection Services shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) To provide basic services and assistance statewide to needy and disadvantaged individuals and families;

(b) To promote integration of the many services and programs within its jurisdiction at the client level thus improving the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery and providing easier access to clients;

(c) To employ personnel and expend funds appropriated to the department to carry out the duties and responsibilities assigned to the department by law;

(d) To fingerprint and conduct a background investigation on every employee, contractor, subcontractor and volunteer:

(i) Who has direct access to clients of the department who are children or vulnerable adults;

(ii) Who is in a position of fiduciary responsibility;

(iii) Who is in a position with access to Federal Tax Information (FTI); or

(iv) Who is otherwise required by federal law or regulations to undergo a background investigation.

Every such employee, contractor, subcontractor and volunteer shall provide a valid current social security number and/or driver's license number, which shall be furnished to conduct the background investigation for determination as to good moral character and to ensure that no person placed in any position referenced in this paragraph (d) has a felony conviction that would prevent employment or access to Federal Tax Information according to department policy. If no disqualifying record is identified at the state level, the fingerprints shall be forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a fingerprint-based national criminal history record check. The department shall be the recipient of the results of any background investigation and/or criminal history record check performed in accordance with this paragraph;

(e) To establish and maintain programs not inconsistent with the terms of this chapter and the rules, regulations and policies of the Department of Child Protection Services, and publish the rules and regulations of the department pertaining to such programs;

(f) To provide all other child welfare programs and services previously provided by the Department of Human Services or a division thereof; and

(g) Make such reports in such form and containing such information as the federal government may, from time to time, require, and comply with such provisions as the federal government may, from time to time, find necessary to assure the correctness and verification of such reports.

( * * *78) The Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services shall submit a copy of the federal Annual Progress and Services Report (APSR) to the Chair of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee, the Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, the Chair of the House Public Health and Human Services Committee, the Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Governor by December 1 of each year.

( * * *89) (a) The Commissioner of Child Protection Services shall hire a Coordinator of Services for Victims of Human Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation within the Department of Child Protection Services whose duties shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(i) To form specialized human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation assessment teams to respond on an as-needed basis to act as an emergency, separate and specialized response and assessment team to rapidly respond to the needs of children who are victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation;

(ii) To identify victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation;

(iii) To monitor, record and distribute federal human trafficking funds received by the Department of Child Protection Services;

(iv) To employ staff to investigate allegations of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation; and

(v) To develop and coordinate services within the Department of Child Protection Services and with outside service providers for victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.

(b) The Commissioner of Child Protection Services shall develop standard operating procedures for the investigation, custody and services provided to alleged victims of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.

(c) The Commissioner shall require two (2) hours of training regarding the subject of identifying, assessing, and providing comprehensive services to a child who has experienced or is alleged to have experienced commercial sexual exploitation or human trafficking. The training must be incorporated into the preservice training requirements of all Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services family specialists, adoption specialists, licensure specialists, direct supervisors of family protection specialists, direct supervisors of adoption specialists, and direct supervisors of licensure specialists.

(10) This section shall stand repealed on July 1, 2028.

SECTION 3. The following shall be codified as Section 43-26-5, Mississippi Code of 1972:

43-26-5. (1) The Department of Child Protection Services shall establish a record-keeping procedure to ensure that all referrals of neglect and/or abuse are accurately and adequately maintained for future or cross-reference.

(2) In addition to a toll-free abuse reporting telephone system, the department shall establish a uniform intake procedure for the receipt and referral to the appropriate personnel for investigation. The uniform intake procedure shall be made available to all appropriate agencies and the public in order to facilitate the necessary protective services.

SECTION 4. The following shall be codified as Section 43-26-7, Mississippi Code of 1972:

43-26-7. The Department of Child Protection Services shall have the authority to use the services and resources of the State Department of Education, the State Department of Health, the State Department of Human Services, the State Department of Mental Health, Division of Medicaid, and all other appropriate state departments, agencies, institutions or political subdivisions as will aid in carrying out the purposes of this chapter. It shall be the duty of all such state departments, agencies and institutions to make available such services and resources on a priority basis to the department, including, but not necessarily limited to, such services and resources as may be required to perform appropriate criminal history record checks on prospective foster and relative child placements for the purpose of preventing and detecting abuse and neglect.

SECTION 5. The following shall be codified as Section 43-26-9, Mississippi Code of 1972:

43-26-9. It is the intent of the Legislature that the resources devoted to family and children's services and to public assistance programs be clearly delineated and that all resources intended for child protection and other related purposes be expended in service of that goal.

SECTION 6. The following shall be codified as Section 43-26-11, Mississippi Code of 1972:

43-26-11. (1) There shall be created local offices of the Department of Child Protection Services in those locations throughout the state as determined by the commissioner. It shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of each county in which a local office is located to provide office space for the local offices.

The local office of the Department of Child Protection Services shall administer all forms of child welfare services with the exception of those administered by the Department of Human Services. The local offices shall comply with such regulations and submit such reports as may be established or required by the commissioner. Subject to the approval of the commissioner, the local offices may cooperate with other departments, agencies and institutions, state and local, when so requested, in performing services in conformity with the provisions of this chapter.

(2) The Department of Child Protection Services may enter into a lease with each county board of supervisors in each county where a local office is located to allow the department to maximize the availability of federal funds. Fair market value for the county-furnished building will be established and the department shall pay the federal share for the rent to the county. All other expenses related to the operation of the local office shall be split between the department, providing the federal share, and the county, being responsible for the remainder or the state share. This includes, but is not limited to, electricity, water, gas, internet, and janitorial services and supplies. All maintenance and repairs of the local office shall be the responsibility of the county due to the prohibition of federal funds for improvements of real property.

SECTION 7. The following shall be codified as Section 43-26-13, Mississippi Code of 1972:

43-26-13. The governing authority of any municipality or county in this state is authorized and empowered, in its discretion, to expend such funds as it deems necessary and desirable, from any available funds of the municipality or county, to: (a) match any state, federal or private funds available for any program administered by the Department of Child Protection Services in this state; and/or (b) make a voluntary contribution to any such program.

SECTION 8. The following shall be codified as Section 43-26-15, Mississippi Code of 1972:

43-26-15. The Department of Finance and Administration shall furnish office space for the Department of Child Protection Services in the City of Jackson and is authorized to rent suitable quarters in the city if there is not sufficient room in one of the state office buildings.

SECTION 9. The following shall be codified as Section 43-26-17, Mississippi Code of 1972:

43-26-17. The Department of Child Protection Services shall cooperate with the federal government, its agencies and instrumentalities, in carrying out the provisions of any federal acts concerning public welfare for children, and in other matters of mutual concern pertaining to public welfare for children, including the adoption of such methods of administration as are found by the federal government to be necessary for the efficient operation of plans for public assistance and welfare services for children in accordance with the provisions of the federal Social Security Act, as amended. It shall also cooperate with other departments, agencies and institutions, federal, state and local or private, when so requested, in performing services in conformity with the laws applicable to the department.

SECTION 10. The following shall be codified as Section 43-26-19, Mississippi Code of 1972:

43-26-19. The Department of Child Protection Services may, in its discretion, destroy or cause to be destroyed, or otherwise disposed of, any and all abandoned applications, closed case files, communications, information, memoranda, records, reports, paid checks, and files, in the office of the Department of Child Protection Services when and as they become three (3) or more completed fiscal years old and which, in the opinion of the department, are no longer useful or necessary.

SECTION 11. The following shall be codified as Section 43-26-21, Mississippi Code of 1972:

43-26-21. All political subdivisions of the state, or combinations of political subdivisions, are authorized to employ assistant prosecutors to prosecute for the crimes under Section 97-19-71 and the Department of Child Protection Services is authorized to contract with any political subdivision to subsidize payment for the reasonable and necessary cost of prosecutions and investigations in any program where federal matching funds are available.

SECTION 12. The following shall be codified as Section 43-26-23, Mississippi Code of 1972:

43-26-23. (1) Any sums paid to or on behalf of any person, entity or subgrantee or the value of any aid or benefit or services obtained or received under any state or federally funded assistance program for children as a result of any false statement, misrepresentation, concealment of a material fact, failure to disclose assets, or by whatever means, becomes a debt due to the Department of Child Protection Services. The amount of value of any assistance shall be recoverable from the recipient or his or her estate in a civil action brought in the name of the Department of Child Protection Services pursuant to this section. If such action is brought, the department shall be entitled to recover, in addition to the amount of assistance, a reasonable amount of attorney's fees and its cost incurred therein. Where an attorney from the county attorney's office represents the department in such action, the attorney's fee awarded shall be for the use and benefit of that particular office and shall be forwarded to that office upon receipt by the department.

(2) In any civil action for the recovery of the amount of value of any aid or benefits or services improperly paid to the recipient, proof that a conviction or guilty plea on a misdemeanor or felony charge under Section 97-19-71 shall be deemed prima facie evidence that such assistance was improperly obtained under the provision of this section.

(3) Repayment of the assistance improperly obtained pursuant to this section shall not constitute a defense to or ground of dismissal of criminal charges brought under Section 97-19-71.

SECTION 13. Section 11-46-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

11-46-1. As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) "Claim" means any demand to recover damages from a governmental entity as compensation for injuries.

(b) "Claimant" means any person seeking compensation under the provisions of this chapter, whether by administrative remedy or through the courts.

(d) "Department" means the Department of Finance and Administration.

(e) "Director" means the executive director of the department who is also the executive director of the board.

(f) "Employee" means any officer, employee or servant of the State of Mississippi or a political subdivision of the state, including elected or appointed officials and persons acting on behalf of the state or a political subdivision in any official capacity, temporarily or permanently, in the service of the state or a political subdivision whether with or without compensation, including firefighters who are members of a volunteer fire department that is a political subdivision. The term "employee" shall not mean a person or other legal entity while acting in the capacity of an independent contractor under contract to the state or a political subdivision; and

(i) For purposes of the limits of liability provided for in Section 11-46-15, the term "employee" shall include:

1. Physicians under contract to provide health services with the State Board of Health, the State Board of Mental Health or any county or municipal jail facility while rendering services under the contract;

2. Any physician, dentist or other health care practitioner employed by the University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) and its departmental practice plans who is a faculty member and provides health care services only for patients at UMMC or its affiliated practice sites, including any physician or other health care practitioner employed by UMMC under an arrangement with a public or private health-related organization;

3. Any physician, dentist or other health care practitioner employed by any university under the control of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning who practices only on the campus of any university under the control of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning;

4. Any physician, dentist or other health care practitioner employed by the State Veterans Affairs Board and who provides health care services for patients for the State Veterans Affairs Board;

(ii) The term "employee" shall also include Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services licensed foster parents for the limited purposes of coverage under the Tort Claims Act as provided in Section 11-46-8; and

(iii) The term "employee" also shall include any employee or member of the governing board of a charter school but shall not include any person or entity acting in the capacity of an independent contractor to provide goods or services under a contract with a charter school.

(g) "Governmental entity" means the state and political subdivisions.

(h) "Injury" means death, injury to a person, damage to or loss of property or any other injury that a person may suffer that is actionable at law or in equity.

(i) "Political subdivision" means any body politic or body corporate other than the state responsible for governmental activities only in geographic areas smaller than that of the state, including, but not limited to, any county, municipality, school district, charter school, volunteer fire department that is a chartered nonprofit corporation providing emergency services under contract with a county or municipality, community hospital as defined in Section 41-13-10, airport authority, or other instrumentality of the state, whether or not the body or instrumentality has the authority to levy taxes or to sue or be sued in its own name.

(j) "State" means the State of Mississippi and any office, department, agency, division, bureau, commission, board, institution, hospital, college, university, airport authority or other instrumentality thereof, whether or not the body or instrumentality has the authority to levy taxes or to sue or be sued in its own name.

(k) "Law" means all species of law, including, but not limited to, any and all constitutions, statutes, case law, common law, customary law, court order, court rule, court decision, court opinion, court judgment or mandate, administrative rule or regulation, executive order, or principle or rule of equity.

SECTION 14. Section 11-46-8, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

11-46-8. Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services licensed foster parents shall be covered under this chapter for claims made by parties other than the foster child which are based on inadequate supervision or inadequate care of the foster child on the part of the foster parent.

SECTION 15. Section 25-1-109, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

25-1-109. No law enforcement agency shall disclose the name of any person arrested for any misdemeanor, issued a citation, or being held for any misdemeanor unless such person shall be formally charged and arrested for the offense, except to other law enforcement agencies or to the Mississippi Department of Human Services, the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services or child day care providers where such information is used to help determine suitability of persons to serve as child care providers or child service workers. No political subdivision nor any employee thereof shall be held liable for the disclosure of any information prohibited by this section.

SECTION 16. Section 27-104-203, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

27-104-203. From and after July 1, 2016, no state agency shall charge another state agency a fee, assessment, rent, audit fee, personnel fee or other charge for services or resources received. The provisions of this section shall not apply (a) to grants, contracts, pass-through funds, project fees or other charges for services between state agencies and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, any public university, the Mississippi Community College Board, any public community or junior college, and the State Department of Education, nor (b) to charges for services between the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, any public university, the Mississippi Community College Board, any public community or junior college, and the State Department of Education, nor (c) to federal grants, pass-through funds, cost allocation charges, surplus property charges or project fees between state agencies as approved or determined by the State Fiscal Officer, nor (d) telecommunications, data center services, and/or other information technology services that are used on an as-needed basis and those costs shall be passed through to the using agency, nor (e) to federal grants, special funds, or pass-through funds, available for payment by state agencies to the Department of Finance and Administration related to Mississippi Management and Reporting Systems (MMRS) Statewide Application charges and utilities as approved or determined by the State Fiscal Officer, nor (f) to grants, contracts, pass-through funds, project fees or charges for services between the State Department of Health and the State Department of Revenue, and other state agencies or entities, including, but not limited to, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, any public university, the Mississippi Community College Board, any public community or junior college, and the State Department of Education, for the operation of the medical cannabis program as established by the Mississippi Medical Cannabis Act, nor (g) to charges between the Department of Human Services and the Department of Child Protection Services for services or resources received by either department from the other. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, any public university, the Mississippi Community College Board, any public community or junior college, and the State Department of Education shall retain the authority to charge and be charged for expenditures that they deemed nonrecurring in nature by the State Fiscal Officer.

SECTION 17. Section 37-31-107, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-31-107. Qualified students for the classes or courses may be accepted by the schools from any source, but priority of enrollment will be given referrals from the * * * ~~department of public welfare~~ Department of Child Protection Services, state employment service, vocational rehabilitation, and nonretired veterans. The state employment service will assist with student job placement and referral whenever possible.

For the purposes of Sections 37-31-101 through 37-31-111, a qualified student is an adult, at least eighteen (18) years old, who is underemployed or unemployed and is not enrolled in school.

Students will not be eligible if they have dropped out of regular school for the specific purpose of enrolling in the manpower programs.

SECTION 18. Section 37-106-69, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-106-69. (1) There is established a forgivable loan program to encourage family protection workers employed by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services to obtain the college education necessary to become licensed as a social worker, master social worker or certified social worker and become a family protection specialist for the department.

(2) Any person who is employed as a family protection worker for the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services shall be eligible for a forgivable loan from the board which shall be used to pay the costs of the person's education at a state institution of higher learning in Mississippi to obtain a college degree that is necessary to become licensed as a social worker, master social worker or certified social worker and become a family protection specialist for the department. The annual amount of a forgivable loan award under the program shall be equal to the total cost of tuition and fees at the college or university in which the student is enrolled, not to exceed an amount equal to the highest total cost of tuition and fees assessed by a state institution of higher learning during that school year.

(3) Forgivable loans made under the program shall be available to both full-time and part-time students. Students enrolling on a full-time basis may receive a maximum of two (2) annual awards. The maximum number of forgivable loans that may be made to students attending school on a part-time basis, and the maximum time period for part-time students to complete the number of academic hours necessary to obtain the necessary degree, shall be established by rules and regulations of the board. Forgivable loans made under the program shall not be based upon an applicant's financial need. A student must maintain a "C" average or higher in his or her college coursework in order to continue receiving the forgivable loan.

(4) Repayment and conversion terms shall be the same as those outlined in Section 37-106-53, except for the following:

(a) After a person who received a forgivable loan under the program has obtained a college degree that is necessary to become licensed as a social worker, master social worker or certified social worker and has received such a license from the Board of Examiners for Social Workers and Marriage and Family Therapists, the person shall render service as a family protection specialist for the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services for a period of not less than three (3) years from the date that the person became a family protection specialist;

(b) Any person who fails to complete his or her service obligation as a family protection specialist for the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services for not less than three (3) years, as required under subsection (4)(a) of this section, shall become liable immediately to the board for the sum of all forgivable loan awards made to that person, plus interest accruing at the current Stafford Loan rate at the time the person discontinues his or her service.

(5) It is the intent of the Legislature that the pursuit of necessary college education by family protection workers through the forgivable loan program shall not interfere with the duties of the family protection workers with the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services. The department shall promulgate regulations regarding family protection workers who participate in the forgivable loan program to ensure that such participation does not interfere with their duties with the department.

(6) The board shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary for the proper administration of the forgivable loan program established under this section. The board shall be the administering agency of the program.

(7) The total amount of state funds that may be expended for this program shall not exceed Three Hundred Twenty Thousand Dollars ($320,000.00) in any fiscal year.

SECTION 19. Section 37-115-43, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-115-43. (1) The University of Mississippi Medical Center, in collaboration with the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services and the Office of the Attorney General, is authorized and empowered to establish a Center of Excellence (Center) * * *, to provide care for abused and neglected children at the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children located in Jackson, Mississippi, where suspected victims of child maltreatment referred by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services or law enforcement will receive comprehensive physical examinations conducted by medical professionals who specialize in child maltreatment. The University of Mississippi Medical Center shall promulgate such policies as may be necessary and desirable to carry out the programs of the Center. The Center shall serve as a resource for the assessment, investigation and prosecution of child maltreatment. The Center shall work in collaboration with the Office of the Attorney General, the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, and other such state agencies and entities that provide services to children * * *, to ensure that CARE Clinic services are provided in a uniform fashion throughout the state.

(2) The Department of Pediatrics may use the Center for educational and outreach programs, telemedicine consultations, to develop satellite clinics in other locations in the state in cooperation with the local community or private hospital when applicable, and to conduct major research initiatives in child maltreatment.

(3) The Center of Excellence shall provide services to maltreated children and comply with national certification standards as necessary to provide services to the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, the youth courts, state child advocacy centers, district attorney's offices and law enforcement agencies.

(4) There is created in the State Treasury a special fund to be known as the Children's Safe Center Fund. The University of Mississippi Medical Center shall expend funds pursuant to appropriation therefor by the Legislature for the support and maintenance of the Children's Safe Center. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is authorized to accept any and all grants, donations or matching funds from private, public or federal sources in order to add to, improve and enlarge the physical facilities of the Center and to expend any such funds for the support and maintenance of the Center. Assessments from Section 99-19-73 designated for the Children's Safe Center Fund shall be deposited into the fund. Monies remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned from the investment of monies in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund.

SECTION 20. Section 41-3-18, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

41-3-18. (1) The board shall assess fees in the following amounts and for the following purposes:

(a) Food establishment annual permit fee, based on the assessment factors of the establishment as follows:

Assessment Category 1.................................... $ 30.00

Assessment Category 2.................................... 100.00

Assessment Category 3.................................... 150.00

Assessment Category 4.................................... 200.00

(b) Private water supply approval fee...........$ 10.00

The board may develop such reasonable standards, rules and regulations to clearly define each assessment category. Assessment categories shall be based upon the factors to the public health implications of the category and type of food preparation being utilized by the food establishment, utilizing the model Food Code of 1995, or as may be amended by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

Any increase in the fees charged by the board under this subsection shall be in accordance with the provisions of Section 41-3-65.

(2) The fee authorized under subsection (1)(a) of this section shall not be assessed for:

(a) Food establishments operated by public schools, public junior and community colleges, or state agencies or institutions, including, without limitation, the state institutions of higher learning and the State Penitentiary; and

(b) Persons who make infrequent casual sales of honey and who pack or sell less than five hundred (500) gallons of honey per year, and those persons shall not be inspected by the State Department of Health unless requested by the producer.

(3) The fee authorized under subsection (1)(b) of this section shall not be assessed for private water supplies used by foster homes licensed by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services.

SECTION 21. Section 41-67-12, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

41-67-12. (1) The department shall assess fees in the following amounts for the following purposes:

(a) A fee of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) shall be levied for soil and site evaluation and recommendation of individual on-site wastewater disposal systems. The department may increase the amount of the fee authorized in this paragraph (a) not more than two (2) times during the period from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2020, with the percentage of each increase being not more than five percent (5%) of the amount of the fee in effect at the time of the increase.

(b) A fee of One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($150.00) shall be levied once every three (3) years for the certification of installers and pumpers.

(c) A fee of Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00) shall be levied once every three (3) years for the registration of manufacturers.

Any increase in the fee charged by the department under paragraph (b) or (c) of this subsection shall be in accordance with the provisions of Section 41-3-65.

(2) In the discretion of the board, a person shall be liable for a penalty equal to one and one-half (1-1/2) times the amount of the fee due and payable for failure to pay the fee on or before the date due, plus any amount necessary to reimburse the cost of collection.

(3) No fee authorized under this section shall be assessed by the department for state agencies or institutions, including, without limitation, foster homes licensed by the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services.

SECTION 22. Section 41-87-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

41-87-5. Unless the context requires otherwise, the following definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter:

(a) "Eligible infants and toddlers" or "eligible children" means children from birth through thirty-six (36) months of age who need early intervention services because they:

(i) Are experiencing developmental delays as measured by appropriate diagnostic instruments and procedures in one or more of the following areas:

(A) Cognitive development;

(B) Physical development, including vision or hearing;

(D) Social or emotional development;

(E) Adaptive development;

(ii) Have a diagnosed physical or mental condition, as defined in state policy, that has a high probability of resulting in developmental delay;

(iii) Are at risk of having substantial developmental delays if early intervention services are not provided due to conditions as defined in state policy. (This category may be served at the discretion of the lead agency contingent upon available resources.)

(b) "Early intervention services" are developmental services that:

(i) Are provided under public supervision;

(ii) Are provided at no cost except where federal or state law provides for a system of payments by families, including a schedule of sliding fees;

(iii) Are designed to meet the developmental needs of an infant or toddler with a disability in any one or more of the following areas:

(A) Physical development;

(B) Cognitive development;

(D) Social or emotional development; or

(E) Adaptive development;

(iv) Meet the requirements of Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and the early intervention standards of the State of Mississippi;

(v) Include, but are not limited to, the following services:

(A) Assistive technology devices and assistive technology services;

(B) Audiology;

(D) Health services necessary to enable a child to benefit from other early intervention services;

(E) Medical services only for diagnostic or evaluation purposes;

(F) Nutrition services;

(G) Occupational therapy;

(H) Physical therapy;

(I) Psychological services;

(J) Service coordination (case management);

(K) Social work services;

(L) Special instruction;

(M) Speech-language pathology;

(N) Transportation and related costs that are necessary to enable an infant or toddler and her/his family to receive early intervention services; and

(O) Vision services;

(vi) Are provided by qualified personnel as determined by the state's personnel standards, including:

(A) Audiologists;

(B) Family therapists;

(D) Nutritionists;

(E) Occupational therapists;

(F) Orientation and mobility specialists;

(G) Pediatricians and other physicians;

(H) Physical therapists;

(I) Psychologists;

(J) Social workers;

(K) Special educators;

(L) Speech and language pathologists;

(vii) Are provided, to the maximum extent appropriate, in natural environments, including the home, and community settings in which children without disabilities would participate;

(viii) Are provided in conformity with an individualized family service plan.

(d) "Lead agency" means the State Department of Health.

(e) "Participating agencies" includes, but is not limited to, the State Department of Education, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Child Protection Services, the State Department of Health, the Division of Medicaid, the State Department of Mental Health, the University Medical Center, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board.

(f) "Local community" means a county either jointly, severally, or a portion thereof, participating in the provision of early intervention services.

(g) "Primary service agency" means the agency, whether a state agency, local agency, local interagency council or service provider which is designated by the lead agency to serve as the fiscal and contracting agent for a local community.

(h) "Multidisciplinary team" means a group comprised of the parent(s) or legal guardian and the service providers, as appropriate, described in paragraph (b) of this section, who are assembled for the purposes of:

(i) Assessing the developmental needs of an infant or toddler;

(ii) Developing the individualized family service plan; and

(iii) Providing the infant or toddler and his or her family with the appropriate early intervention services as detailed in the individualized family service plan.

(i) "Individualized family service plan" means a written plan designed to address the needs of the infant or toddler and his or her family as specified under Section 41-87-13.

(j) "Early intervention standards" means those standards established by any agency or agencies statutorily designated the responsibility to establish standards for infants and toddlers with disabilities, in coordination with the council and in accordance with Part C of IDEA.

(k) "Early intervention system" means the total collaborative effort in the state that is directed at meeting the needs of eligible children and their families.

(l) "Parent," for the purpose of early intervention services, means a parent, a guardian, a person acting as a parent of a child, foster parent, or an appointed surrogate parent. The term does not include the state if the child is a ward of the state where the child has not been placed with individuals to serve in a parenting capacity, such as foster parents, or when a surrogate parent has not been appointed. When a child is the ward of the state, a Department of Human Services or a Department of Child Protection Services representative will act as parent for purposes of service authorization.

(m) "Policies" means the state statutes, regulations, Governor's orders, directives by the lead agency, or other written documents that represent the state's position concerning any matter covered under this chapter.

(n) "Regulations" means the United States Department of Education's regulations concerning the governance and implementation of Part C of IDEA, the Early Intervention Program for Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities.

SECTION 23. Section 41-101-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

41-101-1. (1) There is created the Mississippi Council on Obesity Prevention and Management, hereinafter referred to as the "council," within the State Department of Health to be in existence for the period from July 1, 2001, until July 1, 2006, or until the council is established as a nonprofit corporation, whichever is the earlier date. The council may accept and expend grants and private donations from any source, including federal, state, public and private entities, to assist it to carry out its functions.

(2) The powers, functions and duties of the council shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) The collection and analysis of data regarding the extent to which children and adults in Mississippi suffer from obesity, and the programs and services currently available to meet the needs of overweight children and adults, and the funds dedicated by the state to maintain those programs and services.

(b) The collection and analysis of data to demonstrate the economic impact on the state of treating obesity and the estimated cost savings of implementing a comprehensive statewide obesity prevention and management model.

(c) The establishment and maintenance of a resources data bank containing information about obesity and related subjects accessible to educational and research institutions, as well as members of the general public.

(d) Consideration of the feasibility of awarding tax incentives for work sites that promote activities to reduce obesity in the work force.

(e) The establishment of recommendations to enhance funding for effective prevention and management programs and services, including Medicaid, private health insurance programs, and other state and federal funds.

(f) The establishment of recommendations designed to assure that children of school age who may have early indicators of obesity have access to affordable, effective prevention and management services.

(g) The establishment of recommendations for changes to statewide elementary and secondary education curricula to implement comprehensive, coordinated obesity awareness and education programs.

(h) Recommendations to enhance clinical education curricula in medical, nursing and other schools of higher education to implement comprehensive, coordinated obesity awareness and education courses.

(i) Recommendations to increase education and awareness among primary care physicians and other health professionals regarding the recognition, prevention and effective management of obesity.

(j) Consideration of a state prevention campaign to increase public awareness of the need for early prevention and management of obesity, possibly including:

(i) A broad-based public education campaign outlining health risks associated with failure to receive treatment for obesity.

(ii) A health professional training campaign.

(iii) A targeted public education campaign directed toward high risk populations.

(k) Coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture, the United States Department of Health and Human Services, the United States Department of Education, the United States Centers for Disease Control and the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention to share resources and information in order to ensure a comprehensive approach to obesity and obesity-related conditions.

(l) Coordination with the State Departments of Education, Health, Human Services and Child Protection Services and the Division of Medicaid to share resources and information in order to ensure a comprehensive approach to obesity and obesity-related conditions.

(m) Identification of and recommendations to reduce cultural, environmental and socioeconomic barriers to prevention and management of obesity in Mississippi.

(3) The council shall be composed of the following members:

(a) The Executive Director of the State Department of Health, or his designee;

(b) The Executive Director of the Department of Human Services, or his designee;

(d) The Executive Director of the State Department of Mental Health, or his designee;

(e) The Commissioner of Child Protection Services, or his designee;

( * * *ef) A representative of the Office of the Governor, to be appointed by the Governor;

( * * *fg) A member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

( * * *gh) A member of the Senate, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor;

( * * *hi) Two (2) representatives of the public-at-large, to be selected by the Governor;

( * * *ij) The President of either the Mississippi Medical Association or the African-American Obesity Research and Treatment Association (AAORTA), or his designee;

( * * *jk) The President of the Mississippi State Nurses Association, or his designee;

( * * *kl) The President of the Mississippi Pharmacists Association, or his designee;

( * * *lm) The President of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, or his designee;

( * * *mn) The Vice Chancellor of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, or his designee;

( * * *no) A representative appointed from the Mississippi state office of the American Association of Retired Persons;

( * * *op) A representative of the Mississippi Dietetic Association;

( * * *pq) A representative of the Mississippi Restaurant Association;

( * * *qr) The President of the Mississippi Physical Therapy Association, or his designee;

( * * *rs) A member appointed by the Mississippi Commissioner of Insurance;

( * * *st) A representative from a food processor or food manufacturer; and

( * * *tu) A representative from the Mississippi Soft Drink Association.

(4) The council shall meet upon call of the Governor not later than August 1, 2001, and shall organize for business by selecting a chairman who shall serve for a one-year term and may be selected for subsequent terms. The council shall adopt internal organizational procedures necessary for efficient operation of the council. Council procedures shall include duties of officers, a process for selecting officers, quorum requirements for conducting business and policies for any council staff. Each member of the council shall designate necessary staff of their departments to assist the council in performing its duties and responsibilities. The council shall meet and conduct business at least quarterly. Meetings of the council shall be open to the public and opportunity for public comment shall be made available at each such meeting. The chairman of the council shall notify all persons who request that notice as to the date, time and place of each meeting.

(5) Members of the council shall receive no compensation for their services.

(6) The council shall submit a report, including proposed legislation if necessary, to the Governor and to the House and Senate Health and Welfare Committees before the convening of the 2004 legislative session. The report shall include a comprehensive state plan for implementation of services and programs in the State of Mississippi to increase prevention and management of obesity in adults and children and an estimate of the cost of implementation of such a plan.

(7) All departments, boards, agencies, officers and institutions of the state and all subdivisions thereof shall cooperate with the council in carrying out its purposes under this section.

SECTION 24. Section 43-1-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-1-9. There shall be created in each county of the state a county department of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services which shall consist of a county director of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services, and such other personnel as may be necessary for the efficient performance of the duties of the county department. It shall be the duty of the board of supervisors of each county to provide office space for the county department.

County director. The * * * ~~commissioner~~ Executive Director of Human Services shall designate, in accordance with the rules and regulations of the State Personnel Board, with the approval of the Governor, a county director of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services who shall serve as the executive and administrative officer of the county department and shall be responsible to the state department for its management. Such director shall be a resident citizen of the county and shall not hold any political office of the state, county, municipality or subdivision thereof. However, in cases of emergency, the * * * ~~commissioner~~ executive director may appoint a director of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services who is a nonresident of such county, to serve during the period of emergency only.

The county department of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services shall administer within the county all forms of public assistance and welfare services, with the exception of child welfare services administered by the Department of Child Protection Services. The county department shall comply with such regulations and submit such reports as may be established or required by the state department. Subject to the approval of the state department, the county department may cooperate with other departments, agencies and institutions, state and local, when so requested, in performing services in conformity with the provisions of this chapter.

In counties having two (2) judicial districts, the * * * ~~State Commissioner of Public Welfare~~ Executive Director of Human Services may create and establish in each of the judicial districts a separate county department of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services which shall consist of a director of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services and such other personnel as may be necessary for the efficient performance of the duties of the department thus established. In such cases the two (2) departments so established shall be dealt with as though each is a separate and distinct county department of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services, and each of the departments and each of the directors shall operate and have jurisdiction coextensive with the boundaries of the judicial district in which it is established; and, also, in such cases the words "county" and "director of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services" when used in this chapter shall, where applicable, mean each judicial district, and the director of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services appointed therefor; and where the board of supervisors is authorized to appropriate funds or provide office space or like assistance for one (1) county * * * ~~welfare~~ department or director, such board may, as the case may be, appropriate the amount specified by law or render the assistance required by law to each of the departments or directors. * * * ~~Provided,~~ However, * * * ~~that~~ the * * * ~~Commissioner of Public Welfare~~ Executive Director of Human Services shall not create and establish a separate county department of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services pursuant to this paragraph in any county in which such separate county department of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services is not in existence on January 1, 1983. * * * ~~Provided further, that~~ In addition, in any county having two (2) county departments of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services on January 1, 1983, but only one (1) county director of * * * ~~public welfare~~ on * * * ~~said~~ that date, the * * * ~~Commissioner of Public Welfare~~ Executive Director of Human Services shall not authorize and establish the second position of county director of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services in such county.

In any county not having two (2) judicial districts which is greater than fifty (50) miles in length, the * * * ~~Commissioner of Public Welfare~~ Executive Director of Human Services may establish one (1) branch office of the county department of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services which shall be staffed with existing employees and administrative staff of such county department for not less than four (4) days per week.

SECTION 25. Section 43-1-101, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-1-101. (1) There is created the Mississippi Interagency Council on Homelessness. The purpose of the council is to establish, develop and implement a plan to reduce homelessness that includes a strong focus on the needs of homeless children, youth and families, as well as individuals and veterans who are homeless.

(2) In addition to the duties prescribed in subsection (1) the council shall annually make a report to the Governor, the House of Representatives, the Senate and the public regarding the council's progress in meeting its goals and objectives.

(3) The council shall be composed of the following members:

(a) A representative from the Office of the Governor, appointed by the Governor;

(b) The Chairperson or his designee of the Youth and Family Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives and the Chairperson or his designee of the Housing Committee of the Senate;

(d) The Executive Director of the Department of Mental Health or his designee;

(e) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Development Authority or his designee;

(f) The Commissioner of Child Protection Services or his designee;

( * * *fg) The State Superintendent of the Department of Education or his designee;

( * * *gh) A representative of Partners to End Homelessness, appointed by the Governor;

( * * *hi) A representative of Mississippi United to End Homelessness, appointed by the Governor;

( * * *ij) A representative of Open Doors Counseling Center, appointed by the Governor;

( * * *jk) A representative of a school district that is working on the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education;

( * * *kl) A representative of the Mississippi Campaign to End Child Homelessness, appointed by the Governor;

( * * *lm) Two (2) directors from homeless and domestic violence emergency shelters, appointed by the Governor;

( * * *mn) A youth who is or has been homeless, appointed by the State Superintendent of Education;

( * * *no) A representative of the Oakley Youth Development Center, appointed by the Governor;

( * * *op) The Executive Director of the State Veterans Affairs Board or his designee;

( * * *pq) The Executive Director of Hope Enterprises, or his designee; and

( * * *qr) A representative from a community action agency appointed by the Governor.

(4) Appointments shall be made within thirty (30) days after July 1, 2013. Within fifteen (15) days thereafter on a day to be designated jointly by the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor, the council shall meet and organize by selecting from its membership a chairperson and a vice chairperson. The vice chairperson shall also serve as secretary and shall be responsible for keeping all records of the council. A majority of the members of the council shall constitute a quorum. In the selection of its officers and the adoption of rules, resolutions and reports, an affirmative vote of a majority of the council shall be required. All members shall be notified in writing of all meetings, and those notices shall be mailed at least fifteen (15) days before the date on which a meeting is to be held.

(5) Members of the council shall serve without compensation for their services, and the council shall perform its duties without legislative appropriation or the use of any state funds for that purpose; however, the council, by approval of a majority of the appointed members of the council, is authorized to accept funds that may be donated or provided in the form of financial grants from public or private sources. In addition, any department, division, board, bureau, commission or agency of the state, or of any political subdivision thereof, shall provide, at the request of the chair of the council, such facilities, assistance and data as will enable the council to carry out its duties.

SECTION 26. Section 43-14-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-14-1. (1) The purpose of this chapter is to provide for the development, implementation and oversight of a coordinated interagency system of necessary services and care for children and youth, called the Mississippi Statewide System of Care, up to age twenty-one (21) with serious emotional/behavioral disorders including, but not limited to, conduct disorders, or mental illness who require services from a multiple services and multiple programs system, and who can be successfully diverted from inappropriate institutional placement. The Mississippi Statewide System of Care is to be conducted in the most fiscally responsible (cost-efficient) manner possible, based on an individualized plan of care which takes into account other available interagency programs, including, but not limited to, Early Intervention Act of Infants and Toddlers, Section 41-87-1 et seq., Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment, Section 43-13-117(A)(5), waivered program for home- and community-based services for developmentally disabled people, Section 43-13-117(A)(29), and waivered program for targeted case management services for children with special needs, Section 43-13-117(A)(31), those children identified through the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 as having a serious emotional disorder (EMD), the Mississippi Children's Health Insurance Program and waivered programs for children with serious emotional disturbances, Section 43-13-117(A)(46), and is tied to clinically and functionally appropriate outcomes. Some of the outcomes are to reduce the number of inappropriate out-of-home placements inclusive of those out-of-state and to reduce the number of inappropriate school suspensions and expulsions for this population of children. This coordinated interagency system of necessary services and care shall be named the Mississippi Statewide System of Care. Children to be served by this chapter who are eligible for Medicaid shall be screened through the Medicaid Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) and their needs for medically necessary services shall be certified through the EPSDT process. For purposes of this chapter, the Mississippi Statewide System of Care is defined as a coordinated network of agencies and providers working as a team to make a full range of mental health and other necessary services available as needed by children with mental health problems and their families. The Mississippi Statewide System of Care shall be:

(a) Child centered, family focused, family driven and youth guided;

(b) Community based;

(i) Service coordination or case management;

(ii) Prevention and early identification and intervention;

(iii) Smooth transitions among agencies and providers, and to the transition-age and adult service systems;

(iv) Human rights protection and advocacy;

(v) Nondiscrimination in access to services;

(vi) A comprehensive array of services composed of treatment and informal supports that are identified as best practices and/or evidence-based practices;

(vii) Individualized service planning that uses a strengths-based, wraparound process;

(viii) Services in the least restrictive environment;

(ix) Family participation in all aspects of planning, service delivery and evaluation; and

(x) Integrated services with coordinated planning across child-serving agencies.

Mississippi Statewide System of Care services shall be timely, intensive, coordinated and delivered in the community. Mississippi Statewide System of Care services shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) Comprehensive crisis and emergency response services;

(b) Intensive case management;

(d) Alcohol and drug abuse group services for youth;

(e) Individual, group and family therapy;

(f) Respite services;

(g) Supported employment services for youth;

(h) Family education and support and family partners;

(i) Youth development and support and youth partners;

(j) Positive behavioral supports (PBIS) in schools;

(k) Transition-age supported and independent living services; and

(l) Vocational/technical education services for youth.

(2) There is established the Interagency Coordinating Council for Children and Youth (hereinafter referred to as the "ICCCY"). The ICCCY shall consist of the following membership: (a) The State Superintendent of Public Education;

(b) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health;

(d) The Executive Director of the Department of Human Services;

(e) The Executive Director of the Division of Medicaid, Office of the Governor;

(f) The Executive Director of the State Department of Rehabilitation Services;

(g) The Executive Director of Mississippi Families as Allies for Children's Mental Health, Inc.;

(h) The Commissioner of Child Protection Services;

( * * *hi) The Attorney General;

( * * *ij) A family member of a child or youth in the population named in this chapter designated by Mississippi Families as Allies;

( * * *jk) A youth or young adult in the population named in this chapter designated by Mississippi Families as Allies;

( * * *kl) A local MAP team coordinator designated by the Department of Mental Health;

( * * *lm) A child psychiatrist experienced in the public mental health system designated by the Mississippi Psychiatric Association;

( * * *mn) An individual with expertise and experience in early childhood education designated jointly by the Department of Mental Health and Mississippi Families as Allies;

( * * *no) A representative of an organization that advocates on behalf of disabled citizens in Mississippi designated by the Department of Mental Health; and

( * * *op) A faculty member or dean from a Mississippi university specializing in training professionals who work in the Mississippi Statewide System of Care designated by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.

If a member of the council designates a representative to attend council meetings, the designee shall bring full decision-making authority of the member to the meeting. The council shall select a chairman, who shall serve for a one-year term and may not serve consecutive terms. The council shall adopt internal organizational procedures necessary for efficient operation of the council. Each member of the council shall designate necessary staff of their departments to assist the ICCCY in performing its duties and responsibilities. The ICCCY shall meet and conduct business at least twice annually. The chairman of the ICCCY shall notify all ICCCY members and all other persons who request such notice as to the date, time, place and draft agenda items for each meeting.

(3) The Interagency System of Care Council (ISCC) is created to serve as the state management team for the ICCCY, with the responsibility of collecting and analyzing data and funding strategies necessary to improve the operation of the Mississippi Statewide System of Care, and to make recommendations to the ICCCY and to the Legislature concerning such strategies on, at a minimum, an annual basis. The System of Care Council also has the responsibility of coordinating the local Multidisciplinary Assessment and Planning (MAP) teams and "A" teams and may apply for grants from public and private sources necessary to carry out its responsibilities. The Interagency System of Care Council shall be comprised of one (1) member from each of the appropriate child-serving divisions or sections of the State Department of Health, the Department of Human Services ( * * *Division of Youth Services), the Department of Child Protection Services, the State Department of Mental Health (Division of Children and Youth, Bureau of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and Bureau of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities), the State Department of Education (Office of Special Education and Office of Healthy Schools), the Division of Medicaid of the Governor's Office, the Department of Rehabilitation Services, and the Attorney General's office. Additional members shall include a family member of a child, youth or transition-age youth representing a family education and support 501(c)(3) organization, working with the population named in this chapter designated by Mississippi Families as Allies, an individual with expertise and experience in early childhood education designated jointly by the Department of Mental Health and Mississippi Families as Allies, a local MAP team representative and a local "A" team representative designated by the Department of Mental Health, a probation officer designated by the Department of Corrections, a family member and youth or young adult designated by Mississippi Families as Allies for Children's Mental Health, Inc., (MSFAA), and a family member other than a MSFAA representative to be designated by the Department of Mental Health and the Director of the Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement of the State Department of Education. Appointments to the Interagency System of Care Council shall be made within sixty (60) days after June 30, 2010. The council shall organize by selecting a chairman from its membership to serve on an annual basis, and the chairman may not serve consecutive terms.

(4) (a) As part of the Mississippi Statewide System of Care, there is established a statewide system of local Multidisciplinary Assessment, Planning and Resource (MAP) teams. The MAP teams shall be comprised of one (1) representative each at the county level from the major child-serving public agencies for education, human services, health, mental health and rehabilitative services approved by respective state agencies of the Department of Education, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Child Protection Services, the Department of Health, the Department of Mental Health and the Department of Rehabilitation Services. These agencies shall, by policy, contract or regulation require participation on MAP teams and "A" teams at the county level by the appropriate staff. Three (3) additional members may be added to each team, one (1) of which may be a representative of a family education/support 501(c)(3) organization with statewide recognition and specifically established for the population of children defined in Section 43-14-1. The remaining members will be representatives of significant community-level stakeholders with resources that can benefit the population of children defined in Section 43-14-1. The Department of Education shall assist in recruiting and identifying parents to participate on MAP teams and "A" teams.

(b) For each local existing MAP team that is established pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection, there

shall also be established an "A" (Adolescent) team which shall work with a MAP team. The "A" teams shall provide System of Care services for youthful offenders who have serious behavioral or emotional disorders. Each "A" team shall be comprised of, at a minimum, the following five (5) members:

(i) A school counselor, mental health therapist or social worker;

(ii) A community mental health professional;

(iii) A social services/child welfare professional;

(iv) A youth court counselor; and

(v) A parent who had a child in the juvenile justice system.

(c) The Interagency Coordinating Council for Children and Youth and the Interagency System of Care Council shall work to develop MAP teams statewide that will serve to become the single point of entry for children and youth about to be placed in out-of-home care for reasons other than parental abuse/neglect.

(5) The Interagency Coordinating Council for Children and Youth may provide input to one another and to the ISCC relative to how each agency utilizes its federal and state statutes, policy requirements and funding streams to identify and/or serve children and youth in the population defined in this section. The ICCCY shall support the implementation of the plans of the respective state agencies for comprehensive, community-based, multidisciplinary care, treatment and placement of these children.

(6) The ICCCY shall oversee a pool of state funds that may be contributed by each participating state agency and additional funds from the Mississippi Tobacco Health Care Expenditure Fund, subject to specific appropriation therefor by the Legislature. Part of this pool of funds shall be available for increasing the present funding levels by matching Medicaid funds in order to increase the existing resources available for necessary community-based services for Medicaid beneficiaries.

(7) The local interagency coordinating care MAP team or "A" team will facilitate the development of the individualized System of Care programs for the population targeted in this section.

(8) Each local MAP team and "A" team shall serve as the single point of entry and re-entry to ensure that comprehensive diagnosis and assessment occur and shall coordinate needed services through the local MAP team and "A" team members and local service providers for the children named in subsection (1). Local children in crisis shall have first priority for access to the MAP team and "A" team processes and local System of Care services.

(9) The Interagency Coordinating Council for Children and Youth shall facilitate monitoring of the performance of local MAP teams.

(10) Each ICCCY member named in subsection (2) of this section shall enter into a binding memorandum of understanding to participate in the further development and oversight of the Mississippi Statewide System of Care for the children and youth described in this section. The agreement shall outline the system responsibilities in all operational areas, including ensuring representation on MAP teams, funding, data collection, referral of children to MAP teams and "A" teams, and training. The agreement shall be signed and in effect by July 1 of each year.

SECTION 27. Section 43-14-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-14-5. There is created in the State Treasury a special fund into which shall be deposited all funds contributed by the Department of Human Services, Department of Child Protection Services, State Department of Health, Department of Mental Health * * *, and State Department of Rehabilitation Services insofar as recipients are otherwise eligible under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and State Department of Education for the operation of a statewide System of Care by MAP teams and "A" teams utilizing such funds as may be made available to those MAP teams through a Request for Proposal (RFP) approved by the ICCCY.

SECTION 28. Section 43-15-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-3. The Department of Human Services * * * ~~is hereby~~ and the Department of Child Protection Services are authorized, empowered and directed to cooperate fully with the United States Children's Bureau and Secretary of Labor in establishing, extending and strengthening "child welfare services" for the protection and care of homeless, dependent and neglected children and children in danger of becoming delinquent. * * * ~~Said~~ Those departments * * * ~~of Human Services is~~ are further authorized, empowered and directed to cooperate with the United States Children's Bureau and Secretary of Labor in developing plans for * * * ~~said~~ those "child welfare services" and extending any other cooperation necessary under Section 521 of Public Law No. 271-74th Congress of the United States.

In furtherance of the "child welfare services" referred to in the first paragraph hereof the State Treasurer is * * * ~~hereby~~ authorized and directed to receive on behalf of the state, and to execute all instruments incidental thereto, federal or other funds to be used for "child welfare services," and to place such funds in a special account to the credit of the "child welfare services," which * * * ~~said~~ funds shall be expended by the Department of Human Services and the Department of Child Protection Services for the purposes and under the provisions of this article and Section 521 of Public Law No. 271-74th Congress of the United States. It shall be paid out by the State Treasurer as funds appropriated to carry out the provisions of * * * ~~said~~ those laws.

The Department of Human Services or the Department of Child Protection Services shall issue all checks on * * * ~~said~~ the "child welfare services" fund to persons entitled to payment from * * * ~~said~~ the fund. All such sums shall be drawn upon the "child welfare services" fund upon requisition of the Director of the Department of Human Services or the Commissioner of Child Protection Services.

The money in the "child welfare services" fund shall be expended in accordance with the rules and regulations of the United States Children's Bureau and Secretary of Labor and in accordance with the plan developed by the Department of Human Services or Department of Child Protection Services and the United States Children's Bureau under Section 521 of Public Law No. 271-74th Congress of the United States, and shall not be used for any other purpose.

If a claim for foster care and/or adoption assistance under Title IV-E of the federal Social Security Act is not acted upon within a reasonable time after the filing of the claim, or is denied in whole or in part, the claimant may appeal to the * * * Commissioner of Child Protection Services in the manner and form prescribed by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services. The * * * Commissioner of Child Protection Services shall, upon receipt of such an appeal, give the claimant reasonable notice and opportunity for a fair hearing. The * * * Commissioner of Child Protection Services may also, upon his or her own motion, review any decision regarding a claim, and may consider any claim upon which a decision has not been made within a reasonable time. All decisions of the * * * Commissioner of Child Protection Services shall be final and binding.

SECTION 29. Section 43-15-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-5. (1) The Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services shall have authority and it shall be its duty to administer or supervise all public child welfare services, including those services, responsibilities, duties and powers with which the * * * ~~county departments of human~~ local offices of child protection services are charged and empowered in this article; administer and supervise the licensing and inspection of all private child placing agencies; provide for the care of dependent and neglected children in foster family homes or in institutions, supervise the care of such children and those of illegitimate birth; supervise the importation of children; and supervise the operation of all state institutions for children. The Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services shall be authorized to purchase hospital and medical insurance coverage for those children placed in foster care by the state or * * * ~~county departments of human~~ local offices of child protection services who are not otherwise eligible for medical assistance under the Mississippi Medicaid Law. The Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services shall be further authorized to purchase burial or life insurance not exceeding One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) for those children placed in foster care by the state or * * * ~~county departments of human~~ local offices of child protection services. All insurance coverage authorized herein may be purchased with any funds other than state funds available to the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, including those funds available to the child which are administered by the department.

(2) Any person, partnership, group, corporation, organization or association desiring to operate a child residential home, as defined in Section 43-16-3, may make application for a license for such a facility to the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services on the application forms furnished for this purpose by the department. If an applicant meets the published rules and regulations of the department regarding minimum standards for a child residential home, then the applicant shall be granted a license by the department.

SECTION 30. Section 43-15-6, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-6. (1) Any person, institution, facility, clinic, organization or other entity that provides services to children in a residential setting where care, lodging, maintenance, and counseling or therapy for alcohol or controlled substance abuse or for any other emotional disorder or mental illness is provided for children, whether for compensation or not, that holds himself, herself, or itself out to the public as providing such services, and that is entrusted with the care of the children to whom he, she, or it provides services, because of the nature of the services and the setting in which the services are provided shall be subject to the provisions of this section.

(2) Each entity to which this section applies shall complete, through the appropriate governmental authority, a national criminal history record information check and a child abuse registry check for each owner, operator, employee, prospective employee, volunteer or prospective volunteer of the entity and/or any other that has or may have unsupervised access to a child served by the entity. In order to determine the applicant's suitability for employment, the entity shall ensure that the applicant be fingerprinted by local law enforcement, and the results forwarded to the Department of Public Safety. If no disqualifying record is identified at the state level, the fingerprints shall be forwarded by the Department of Public Safety to the FBI for a national criminal history record check.

(3) An owner, operator, employee, prospective employee, volunteer or prospective volunteer of the entity and/or any other that has or may have unsupervised access to a child who has a criminal history of conviction or pending indictment of a crime, whether a misdemeanor or a felony, that bears upon an individual's fitness to have responsibility for the safety and well-being of children as set forth in this chapter may not provide child care or operate, or be licensed as, a residential child care program, foster parent, or foster home.

(4) All fees incurred in compliance with this section shall be borne by the individual or entity to which subsection (1) applies.

(5) The Department of Human Services and the Department of Child Protection Services shall have the authority to set fees, to exclude a particular crime or crimes or a substantiated finding of child abuse and/or neglect as disqualifying individuals or entities from providing foster care or residential child care, and adopt such other rules and regulations as may be required to carry out the provisions of this section.

(6) Any entity that violates the provisions of this section by failure to complete sex offense criminal history record information and felony conviction record information checks, as required under subsection (3) of this section, shall be subject to a penalty of up to Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) for each such violation and may be enjoined from further operation until it complies with this section in actions maintained by the Attorney General.

(7) The Department of Human Services and the Department of Child Protection Services and/or * * * ~~its~~ their officers, employees, attorneys, agents and representatives shall not be held civilly liable for any findings, recommendations or actions taken pursuant to this section.

SECTION 31. Section 43-15-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-7. * * * Any local office of child protection services is authorized to provide protective services for children as will conserve home life; assume responsibility for the care and support of dependent children needing public care away from their homes; place children found by the * * * ~~department~~ local office to be dependent or without proper care in suitable institutions or private homes, and cooperate with public and private institutions and agencies in placing such children in suitable institutions or private homes; accept custody or guardianship, through one of its designated employees, of any child, when appointed as custodian or guardian in the manner provided by law.

The board of supervisors in each county is * * * ~~hereby~~ empowered, in its discretion, to set aside and appropriate out of the tax levied and collected to support the poor of the county or out of the county general fund necessary monies to be administered by the * * * ~~county department of public welfare~~ local office of child protection services to carry out the provisions of this section.

SECTION 32. Section 43-15-11, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-11. (1) The board of supervisors of any county and/or the mayor and board of commissioners of any city and/or the mayor and board of aldermen of any municipality in this state are * * * ~~hereby~~ authorized and empowered, in their discretion, to expend out of any * * * ~~moneys~~ monies in their respective treasuries, to be drawn by warrant thereon, a sum or sums of money not exceeding a total of Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) annually per One Million Dollars ($1,000,000.00) of the assessed valuation of the real and personal property thereof for the purpose of providing for the care, support and maintenance of homeless or destitute children of any county or municipality of this state who are supported, cared for, maintained and placed for adoption by any children's home society which operates over and serves the entire State of Mississippi, and which is approved and licensed by the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services.

(2) The authority granted in this section is supplemental of and in addition to all existing authority for the expenditure of funds by such boards of supervisors and municipal governing authorities.

SECTION 33. Section 43-15-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-15. The * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services shall maintain a registry of children whose custody lies with them and private or public agencies licensed by the department. * * * ~~Said~~ The registry shall contain classifications of children as:

(a) Temporary custody for evaluation, not to exceed three (3) months;

(b) Temporary custody not to exceed one (1) year with the plan to return custody to the natural parents;

(d) Children freed for adoption;

(e) Children ages fourteen (14) and above who have voluntarily chosen not to be adopted and cannot be returned to their own homes; and

(f) Children who are institutionalized and for whom placement in an adoptive home is not feasible.

SECTION 34. Section 43-15-19, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-19. (1) The * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services shall maintain a Mississippi Adoption Resource Exchange registry, which shall contain a total listing of all children freed for adoption as well as a listing of all persons who wish to adopt children and who are approved by a licensed adoption agency in the State of Mississippi. * * * ~~Said~~ The registry shall be distributed to all county * * * ~~welfare directors~~ offices of child protection services and licensed adoption agencies within the state and shall be updated at least quarterly. The * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services shall establish regulations for listing descriptive characteristics while protecting the privacy of the children's names. Listed names shall be removed when adoption placement plans are made for a child or when a person withdraws an application for adoption.

(2) Adoptive parents shall be given the option of having their names placed in the registry. To be placed in the registry, they shall be required to give written authority to the * * * Department of Child Protection Services.

SECTION 35. Section 43-15-21, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-21. Anyone violating or releasing information of a confidential nature without the approval of the court with jurisdiction or the * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services, upon being found guilty, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine of no more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or imprisonment of six (6) months, or both.

SECTION 36. Section 43-15-23, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-23. (1) As used in this section the term "placing out" means to arrange for the free care of a child in a family, other than that of the child's parent, stepparent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle or aunt or legal guardian, for the purpose of adoption or for the purpose of providing care.

(2) No person, agency, association, corporation, institution, society or other organization, except a child placement agency licensed by the Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services under Section 43-15-5, shall request, receive or accept any compensation or thing of value, directly or indirectly, for placing out of a child.

(3) No person shall pay or give any compensation or thing of value, directly or indirectly, for placing out of a child to any person, agency, association, corporation, institution, society or other organization except a child placement agency licensed by the Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services.

(4) The provisions of this section shall not be construed to (a) prevent the payment of salaries or other compensation by a child placement agency licensed by the Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services to the officers or employees thereof; (b) prevent the payment of legal fees, which have been approved by the chancery court, to an attorney for services performed in regard to adoption proceedings; (c) prevent the payment of reasonable and actual medical fees or hospital charges for services rendered in connection with the birth or medical treatment of such child to the physician or hospital which rendered the services; or (d) prevent the receipt of such payments by such attorney, physician or hospital.

(5) Any person, agency, association, corporation, institution, society or other organization violating the provisions of this section shall be guilty of illegal placement of children and shall be punished by a fine not to exceed Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) or by imprisonment not more than five (5) years, or both such fine and imprisonment.

SECTION 37. Section 43-15-103, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-103. As used in this article:

(a) "Agency" means a residential child-caring agency or a child-placing agency.

(b) "Child" or "children" mean(s) any unmarried person or persons under the age of eighteen (18) years.

(c) "Child placing" means receiving, accepting or providing custody or care for any child under eighteen (18) years of age, temporarily or permanently, for the purpose of:

(i) Finding a person to adopt the child;

(ii) Placing the child temporarily or permanently in a home for adoption; or

(iii) Placing a child in a foster home or residential child-caring agency.

(d) "Child-placing agency" means any entity or person which places children in foster boarding homes or foster homes for temporary care or for adoption or any other entity or person or group of persons who are engaged in providing adoption studies or foster care studies or placement services as defined by the rules of the department.

(e) "Department" means the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services.

* * * ~~(f)~~

( * * *hf) "Family boarding home" or "foster home" means a home (occupied residence) operated by any entity or person which provides residential child care to at least one (1) child but not more than six (6) children who are not related to the primary caregivers.

( * * *ig) "Group care home" means any place or facility operated by any entity or person which provides residential child care for at least seven (7) children but not more than twelve (12) children who are not related to the primary caregivers.

( * * *jh) "Licensee" means any person, agency or entity licensed under this article.

( * * *ki) "Maternity home" means any place or facility operated by any entity or person which receives, treats or cares for more than one (1) child or adult who is pregnant out of wedlock, either before, during or within two (2) weeks after childbirth; provided, that the licensed child-placing agencies and licensed maternity homes may use a family boarding home approved and supervised by the agency or home, as a part of their work, for as many as three (3) children or adults who are pregnant out of wedlock, and provided further, that the provisions of this definition shall not include children or women who receive maternity care in the home of a person to whom they are kin within the sixth degree of kindred computed according to civil law, nor does it apply to any maternity care provided by general or special hospitals licensed according to law and in which maternity treatment and care are part of the medical services performed and the care of children is brief and incidental.

* * *

( * * *mj) "Person associated with a licensee" means an owner, director, member of the governing body, employee, provider of care and volunteer of a human services licensee.

( * * *nk) "Related" means children, step-children, grandchildren, step-grandchildren, siblings of the whole or half-blood, step-siblings, nieces or nephews of the primary care provider.

( * * *ol) "Residential child care" means the provision of supervision, and/or protection, and meeting the basic needs of a child for twenty-four (24) hours per day, which may include services to children in a residential setting where care, lodging, maintenance and counseling or therapy for alcohol or controlled substance abuse or for any other emotional disorder or mental illness is provided for children, whether for compensation or not.

( * * *pm) "Residential child-caring agency" means any place or facility operated by any entity or person, public or private, providing residential child care, regardless of whether operated for profit or whether a fee is charged. Such residential child-caring agencies include, but are not limited to, maternity homes, runaway shelters, group homes that are administered by an agency, and emergency shelters that are not in private residence.

SECTION 38. Section 43-15-105, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-105. (1) The * * * Department of Child Protection Services shall be the licensing authority * * * ~~for the department~~ under this article, and is vested with all the powers, duties and responsibilities described in this article. The * * * ~~division~~ department shall make and establish rules and regulations regarding:

(a) Approving, extending, denying, suspending and revoking licenses for foster homes, residential child-caring agencies and child-placing agencies;

(b) Conditional licenses, variances from department rules and exclusions;

(d) Minimum administration and financial requirements for licensees.

(2) The * * * ~~division~~ department shall:

(a) Define information that shall be submitted to the * * * ~~division~~ department with an application for a license;

(b) Establish guidelines for the administration and maintenance of client and service records, including staff qualifications, staff to client ratios;

(d) Conduct surveys and inspections of licensees and facilities;

(e) Establish and collect licensure fees;

(f) Investigate complaints regarding any licensee or facility;

(g) Have access to all records, correspondence and financial data required to be maintained by a licensee or facility;

(h) Have authority to interview any client, family member of a client, employee or officer of a licensee or facility; and

(i) Have authority to revoke, suspend or extend any license issued by the * * * ~~division~~ department.

SECTION 39. Section 43-15-107, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-107. (1) Except as provided in Section 43-15-111, no person, agency, firm, corporation, association or other entity, acting individually or jointly with any other person or entity, may establish, conduct or maintain foster homes, residential child-caring agencies and child-placing agencies or facility and/or engage in child placing in this state without a valid and current license issued by and under the authority of the * * * ~~division~~ department as provided by this article and the rules of the * * * ~~division~~ department. Any out-of-state child-placing agency that provides a full range of services, including, but not limited to, adoptions, foster family homes, adoption counseling services or financial aid, in this state must be licensed by the * * * ~~division~~ department under this article.

(2) No license issued under this article is assignable or transferable.

(3) A current license shall at all times be posted in each licensee's facility, in a place that is visible and readily accessible to the public.

(4) (a) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, each license issued under this article expires at midnight (Central Standard Time) twelve (12) months from the date of issuance unless it has been:

(i) Previously revoked by the * * * ~~office~~ department; or

(ii) Voluntarily returned to the * * * ~~office~~ department by the licensee.

(b) (i) For any child-placing agency located in Mississippi that remains in good standing, the license issued under this article expires at midnight (Central Standard Time) twenty-four (24) months from the date of issuance unless it has been:

1. Previously revoked by the * * * ~~office~~ department; or

2. Voluntarily returned to the * * * ~~office~~ department by the licensee.

(ii) Any child-placing agency whose license is governed by this paragraph (b) shall submit the following information to the * * * ~~office~~ department annually:

1. A copy of an audit report and IRS Form 990 for the agency;

2. The agency's fee schedule; and

3. The agency's client list.

(c) A license may be renewed upon application and payment of the applicable fee, provided that the licensee meets the license requirements established by this article and the rules and regulations of the * * * ~~division~~ department.

(5) Any licensee or facility which is in operation at the time rules are made in accordance with this article shall be given a reasonable time for compliance as determined by the rules of the * * * ~~division~~ department.

SECTION 40. Section 43-15-109, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-109. (1) An application for a license under this article shall be made to the * * * ~~division~~ department and shall contain information that the * * * ~~division~~ department determines is necessary in accordance with established rules.

(2) Information received by the office through reports, complaints, investigations and inspections shall be classified as public in accordance with Title 25, Chapter 61, Mississippi Code of 1972, Mississippi Public Records Act.

SECTION 41. Section 43-15-113, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-113. (1) If a license is revoked, the * * * ~~division~~ department may grant a new license after:

(a) Satisfactory evidence is submitted to the * * * ~~division~~ department, evidencing that the conditions upon which revocation was based have been corrected; and

(b) Inspection and compliance with all provisions of this article and applicable rules.

(2) The * * * ~~division~~ department may only suspend a license for a period of time which does not exceed the current expiration date of that license.

(3) When a license has been suspended, the * * * ~~division~~ department may completely or partially restore the suspended license upon a determination that the:

(a) Conditions upon which the suspension was based have been completely or partially corrected; and

(b) Interests of the public will not be jeopardized by restoration of the license.

SECTION 42. Section 43-15-115, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-115. (1) The * * * ~~division~~ department may, for the purpose of ascertaining compliance with the provisions of this article and its rules and regulations, enter and inspect on a routine basis the facility of a licensee.

(2) Before conducting an inspection under subsection (1), the * * * ~~division~~ department shall, after identifying the person in charge:

(a) Give proper identification;

(b) Request to see the applicable license;

(d) If necessary, explain the authority of the * * * ~~division~~ department to conduct the inspection and the penalty for refusing to permit the inspection.

(3) In conducting an inspection under subsection (1), the * * * ~~division~~ department may, after meeting the requirements of subsection (2):

(a) Inspect the physical facilities;

(b) Inspect records and documents;

(d) Observe the licensee in operation.

(4) An inspection conducted under subsection (1) shall be during regular business hours and may be announced or unannounced.

(5) The licensee shall make copies of inspection reports available to the public upon request.

(6) The provisions of this section apply to on-site inspections and do not restrict the * * * ~~division~~ department from contacting family members, neighbors or other individuals, or from seeking information from other sources to determine compliance with the provisions of this article.

SECTION 43. Section 43-15-117, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-117. (1) Except as provided in this article, no person, agency, firm, corporation, association or group children's home may engage in child placing, or solicit money or other assistance for child placing, without a valid license issued by the * * * ~~division~~ department. No out-of-state child-placing agency that provides a full range of services, including, but not limited to, adoptions, foster family homes, adoption counseling services or financial aid, may operate in this state without a valid license issued by the * * * ~~division~~ department. No child-placing agency shall advertise in the media markets in Mississippi seeking birth mothers or their children for adoption purposes unless the agency holds a valid and current license issued either by the * * * ~~division~~ department or the authorized governmental licensing agency of another state that regulates child-placing agencies. Any child-placing agency, physician or attorney who advertises for child placing or adoption services in Mississippi shall be required by the * * * ~~division~~ department to show their principal office location on all media advertising for adoption services.

(2) An attorney who provides legal services to a client in connection with proceedings for the adoption of a child by the client, who does not receive, accept or provide custody or care for the child for the purposes specified in Section 43-15-103(c), shall not be required to have a license under this article to provide those legal services.

(3) An attorney, physician or other person may assist a parent in identifying or locating a person interested in adopting the parent's child, or in identifying or locating a child to be adopted. However, no payment, charge, fee, reimbursement of expense, or exchange of value of any kind, or promise or agreement to make the same, may be made for that assistance.

(4) Nothing in this section precludes payment of reasonable fees for medical, legal or other lawful services rendered in connection with the care of a mother, delivery and care of a child including, but not limited to, the mother's living expenses, or counseling for the parents and/or the child, and for the legal proceedings related to lawful adoption proceedings; and no provision of this section abrogates the right of procedures for independent adoption as provided by law.

(5) The * * * ~~division~~ department is specifically authorized to promulgate rules under the Administrative Procedures Law, Title 25, Chapter 43, Mississippi Code of 1972, to regulate fees charged by licensed child-placing agencies, if it determines that the practices of those licensed child-placing agencies demonstrates that the fees charged are excessive or that any of the agency's practices are deceptive or misleading; however, those rules regarding fees shall take into account the use of any sliding fee by an agency that uses a sliding fee procedure to permit prospective adoptive parents of varying income levels to utilize the services of those agencies or persons.

(6) The * * * ~~division~~ department shall promulgate rules under the Administrative Procedures Law, Title 25, Chapter 43, Mississippi Code of 1972, to require that all licensed child-placing agencies provide written disclosures to all prospective adoptive parents of any fees or other charges for each service performed by the agency or person, and file an annual report with the * * * ~~division~~ department that states the fees and charges for those services, and to require them to inform the * * * ~~division~~ department in writing thirty (30) days in advance of any proposed changes to the fees or charges for those services.

(7) The * * * ~~division~~ department is specifically authorized to disclose to prospective adoptive parents or other interested persons any fees charged by any licensed child-placing agency, attorney or counseling service or counselor for all legal and counseling services provided by that licensed child-placing agency, attorney or counseling service or counselor.

SECTION 44. Section 43-15-119, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-119. (1) If the * * * ~~division~~ department finds that a violation has occurred under this article or the rules and regulations of the * * * ~~division~~ department, it may:

(a) Deny, suspend or revoke a license or place the licensee on probation, if the * * * ~~division~~ department discovers that a licensee is not in compliance with the laws, standards or regulations governing its operation, and/or it finds evidence of aiding, abetting or permitting the commission of any illegal act; or

(b) Restrict or prohibit new admissions to the licensee's program or facility, if the * * * ~~division~~ department discovers that a licensee is not in compliance with the laws, standards or regulations governing its operation, and/or it finds evidence of aiding, abetting or permitting the commission of any illegal act.

(2) If placed on probation, the agency or licensee shall post a copy of the notice in a conspicuous place as directed by the * * * ~~division~~ department and with the agency's or individual's license, and the agency shall notify the custodians of each of the children in its care in writing of the agency's status and the basis for the probation.

SECTION 45. Section 43-15-121, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-121. In addition to, and notwithstanding, any other remedy provided by law, the * * * ~~division~~ department may, in a manner provided by law and upon the advice of the Attorney General who, except as otherwise authorized in Section 7-5-39, shall represent the * * * ~~division~~ department in the proceedings, maintain an action in the name of the state for injunction or other process against any person or entity to restrain or prevent the establishment, management or operation of a program or facility or performance of services in violation of this article or rules of the * * * ~~division~~ department.

SECTION 46. Section 43-15-125, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-125. The department * * * ~~of Human Services~~ and/or its officers, employees, attorneys and representatives shall not be held civilly liable for any findings, recommendations or actions taken pursuant to this article.

SECTION 47. Section 43-15-201, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-201. (1) An emergency medical services provider, without a court order, shall take possession of a child who is seven (7) days old or younger if the child is voluntarily delivered to the provider by the child's parent and the parent did not express an intent to return for the child.

(2) The parent who surrenders the baby shall not be required to provide any information pertaining to his or her identity, nor shall the emergency medical services provider inquire as to same. If the identity of the parent is known to the emergency medical services provider, the emergency medical services provider shall keep the identity confidential.

(3) A female presenting herself to a hospital through the emergency room or otherwise, who is subsequently admitted for purposes of labor and delivery, does not give up the legal protections or anonymity guaranteed under this section. If the mother clearly expresses a desire to voluntarily surrender custody of the newborn after birth, the emergency medical services provider can take possession of the child, without further action by the mother, as if the child had been presented to the emergency medical services provider in the same manner outlined above in subsection (1) of this section.

(a) If the mother expresses a desire to remain anonymous, identifying information may be obtained for purposes of securing payment of labor and delivery costs only. If the birth mother is a minor, the hospital may use the identifying information to secure payment through Medicaid, but shall not notify the minor's parent or guardian without the minor's consent.

(b) The identity of the birth mother shall not be placed on the birth certificate or disclosed to the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services.

(4) There is a presumption that by relinquishing a child in accordance with this section, the parent consents to the termination of his or her parental rights with respect to the child. As such, the parent waives the right to notification required by subsequent court proceedings.

(5) An emergency medical services provider who takes possession of a child under this section shall perform any act necessary to protect the physical health or safety of the child.

SECTION 48. Section 43-15-203, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-203. (1) No later than the close of the first business day after the date on which an emergency medical services provider takes possession of a child pursuant to Section 43-15-201, the provider shall notify the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services that the provider has taken possession of the child.

(2) The department shall assume the care, control and custody of the child immediately on receipt of notice pursuant to subsection (1). The department shall be responsible for all medical and other costs associated with the child and shall reimburse the hospital for any costs incurred prior to the child being placed in the care of the department.

SECTION 49. Section 43-15-207, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-15-207. For the purposes of this article, an emergency medical services provider shall mean a licensed hospital, as defined in Section 41-9-3, which operates an emergency department, an adoption agency duly licensed by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, or fire station or mobile ambulance staffed with full-time firefighters, emergency medical technicians or paramedics. An emergency medical services provider does not include the offices, clinics, surgeries or treatment facilities of private physicians or dentists. No individual licensed healthcare provider, including physicians, dentists, nurses, physician assistants or other health professionals shall be deemed to be an emergency medical services provider under this article unless such individual voluntarily assumes responsibility for the custody of the child.

SECTION 50. Section 43-16-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-16-3. As used in this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly provides otherwise:

(a) "Child" means a person who has not reached the age of eighteen (18) years or who has not otherwise been legally emancipated.

(b) "Child residential home" means any place, facility or home operated by any person which receives children who are not related to the operators and whose parents or guardians are not residents of the same facility for supervision, care, lodging and maintenance for twenty-four (24) hours a day, with or without transfer of custody. This term does not include:

(i) Residential homes licensed by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services under Section 43-15-5;

(ii) Any public school;

(iii) Any home operated by a state agency;

(iv) Child care facilities as defined in Section 43-20-5;

(v) Youth camps as defined in Section 75-74-3;

(vi) Health care facilities licensed by the State Department of Health; or

(vii) The home of an attorney-in-fact operating under a power of attorney executed under Section 93-31-1 et seq.

(d) "Person" shall include an individual, partnership, organization, association or corporation.

SECTION 51. Section 43-16-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-16-7. * * * ~~(1)~~ The operator of any child residential home shall provide notification in accordance with this chapter within sixty (60) days of beginning operation.

* * *

SECTION 52. Section 43-17-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-17-7. (1) The state department shall:

(a) Supervise the administration of the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program under this chapter by the county departments;

(b) Make such rules and regulations and take such action as may be necessary or desirable for carrying out the provisions of this chapter. All rules and regulations made by the state department shall be binding on the counties and shall be complied with by the respective county departments;

(c) Prescribe the form of, and print and supply to the county departments such forms as it may deem necessary and advisable;

(d) Cooperate with the federal government in matters of mutual concern pertaining to the TANF program;

(e) Make such reports in such form and containing such information as the federal government may from time to time require, and comply with such provisions as the federal government may from time to time find necessary to assure the correctness and verification of such reports;

(f) Publish an annual report and such interim reports as may be necessary;

(g) Establish rules and regulations restricting the use or disclosure of information, records, papers, files and communications concerning applicants and recipients to purposes directly connected with the administration of the TANF program, in compliance with federal law;

(h) When the state agency has reason to believe that the home in which a relative and child receiving TANF assistance reside is unsuitable for the child because of the neglect, abuse or exploitation of such child, the state department shall bring such condition to the attention of the appropriate court or law enforcement agencies, and provide such data with respect to the situation as the department may have;

(i) As required by federal law, to provide for the development and implementation of a program under which the department will undertake, in the case of a child born out of wedlock who is receiving TANF assistance authorized herein, to establish the paternity of such child and secure support for him; and, in the case of any child receiving TANF assistance from the department who has been deserted or abandoned by his parent, to secure support for such child from such parent (or from any other person legally liable for such support), utilizing any reciprocal arrangements adopted with other states to obtain or enforce court orders for support;

(j) Provide for entering into cooperative arrangements with appropriate courts and law enforcement officials to assist the department in administering the program referred to in paragraph (i), including the entering into of financial arrangements with such courts and officials in order to assure optimum results under such program, and with respect to any other matters of common concern to such courts or officials in the department.

(2) The Department of Human Services shall include the following agencies currently providing services to TANF and food stamp recipients in any planning activities with respect thereto, and those agencies shall cooperate with the department and provide information as necessary in order to ensure the full utilization of all economic assistance programs: the State Department of Mental Health, the State Department of Rehabilitation Services, the Mississippi Department of Corrections, the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the State Department of Public Safety, the Division of Medicaid, the State Department of Health, the State Department of Child Protection Services and the State Department of Education.

SECTION 53. Section 43-18-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-18-3. The "appropriate public authorities" as used in Article III of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children shall, with reference to this state, means the * * * Department of Child Protection Services, or with the approval of the Commissioner of Child Protection Services, any regional or local office of the Department of Child Protection Services shall be authorized to receive and act with reference to notices required by * * * ~~said~~ Article III.

SECTION 54. Section 43-18-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-18-5. As used in paragraph (a) of Article V of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, the phrase "appropriate authority in the receiving state" with reference to this state shall mean the * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services, or * * *, with the approval of the Commissioner of * * * Child Protection Services, any regional or local office of the department.

SECTION 55. Section 43-21-351, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-21-351. (1) Any person or agency having knowledge that a child residing or being within the county is within the jurisdiction of the youth court may make a written report to the intake unit alleging facts sufficient to establish the jurisdiction of the youth court. The report shall bear a permanent number that will be assigned by the court in accordance with the standards established by the Administrative Office of Courts pursuant to Section 9-21-9(d), and shall be preserved until destroyed on order of the court.

(2) There shall be in each youth court of the state an intake officer who shall be responsible for the accurate and timely entering of all intake and case information into the Mississippi Youth Court Information Delivery System (MYCIDS) for the Department of Human Services - Division of Youth Services, truancy matters, and the * * * Department of Child Protection Services. It shall be the responsibility of the youth court judge or referee of each county to ensure that the intake officer is carrying out the responsibility of this section.

SECTION 56. Section 43-21-354, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-21-354. The statewide incoming wide area telephone service established pursuant to Section 43-21-353 * * *~~, Mississippi Code of 1972,~~ shall be maintained by the Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services, or its successor, on a twenty-four-hour seven (7) days a week basis.

SECTION 57. Section 43-21-357, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-21-357. (1) After receiving a report, the youth court intake unit shall promptly make a preliminary inquiry to determine whether the interest of the child, other children in the same environment or the public requires the youth court to take further action. As part of the preliminary inquiry, the youth court intake unit may request or the youth court may order the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, the Department of Human Services - Division of Youth Services, any successor agency or any other qualified public employee to make an investigation or report concerning the child and any other children in the same environment, and present the findings thereof to the youth court intake unit. If the youth court intake unit receives a neglect or abuse report, the youth court intake unit shall immediately forward the complaint to the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services to promptly make an investigation or report concerning the child and any other children in the same environment and promptly present the findings thereof to the youth court intake unit. If it appears from the preliminary inquiry that the child or other children in the same environment are within the jurisdiction of the court, the youth court intake unit shall recommend to the youth court:

(a) That the youth court take no action;

(b) That an informal adjustment be made;

(c) That the Department of * * * Child Protection Services * * *, monitor the child, family and other children in the same environment;

(d) That the child is warned or counseled informally;

(e) That the child be referred to the youth court intervention court; or

(f) That a petition be filed.

(2) The youth court shall then, without a hearing:

(a) Order that no action be taken;

(b) Order that an informal adjustment be made;

(c) Order that the Department of * * * Child Protection Services * * *, monitor the child, family and other children in the same environment;

(d) Order that the child is warned or counseled informally;

(e) That the child be referred to the youth intervention court; or

(f) Order that a petition be filed.

(3) If the preliminary inquiry discloses that a child needs emergency medical treatment, the judge may order the necessary treatment.

SECTION 58. Section 43-21-405, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-21-405. (1) The informal adjustment process shall be initiated with an informal adjustment conference conducted by an informal adjustment counselor appointed by the judge or his designee.

(2) If the child and his parent, guardian or custodian appear at the informal adjustment conference without counsel, the informal adjustment counselor shall, at the commencement of the conference, inform them of their right to counsel, the child's right to appointment of counsel and the right of the child to remain silent. If either the child or his parent, guardian or custodian indicates a desire to be represented by counsel, the informal adjustment counselor shall adjourn the conference to afford an opportunity to secure counsel.

(3) At the beginning of the informal adjustment conference, the informal adjustment counselor shall inform the child and his parent, guardian or custodian:

(a) That information has been received concerning the child which appears to establish jurisdiction of the youth court;

(b) The purpose of the informal adjustment conference;

(d) That the informal adjustment process is voluntary with the child and his parent, guardian or custodian and that they may withdraw from the informal adjustment at any time; and

(e) The circumstances under which the informal adjustment process can be terminated under Section 43-21-407.

(4) The informal adjustment counselor shall then discuss with the child and his parent, guardian or custodian:

(a) Recommendations for actions or conduct in the interest of the child to correct the conditions of behavior or environment which may exist;

(b) Continuing conferences and contacts with the child and his parent, guardian or custodian by the informal adjustment counselor or other authorized persons; and

(c) The child's general behavior, his home and school environment and other factors bearing upon the proposed informal adjustment.

(5) After the parties have agreed upon the appropriate terms and conditions of informal adjustment, the informal adjustment counselor and the child and his parent, guardian or custodian shall sign a written informal adjustment agreement setting forth the terms and conditions of the informal adjustment. The informal adjustment agreement may be modified at any time upon the consent of all parties to the informal adjustment conference.

(6) The informal adjustment process shall not continue beyond a period of six (6) months from its commencement unless extended by the youth court for an additional period not to exceed six (6) months by court authorization prior to the expiration of the original six-month period. In no event shall the custody or supervision of a child which has been placed with the Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Human Services - Division of Youth Services or the Department of Child Protection Services be continued or extended except upon a written finding by the youth court judge or referee that reasonable efforts have been made to maintain the child within his own home, but that the circumstances warrant his removal and there is no reasonable alternative to custody, and that reasonable efforts will continue to be made towards reunification of the family.

SECTION 59. Section 43-21-603, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-21-603. (1) At the beginning of each disposition hearing, the judge shall inform the parties of the purpose of the hearing.

(2) All testimony shall be under oath unless waived by all parties and may be in narrative form. The court may consider any evidence that is material and relevant to the disposition of the cause, including hearsay and opinion evidence. At the conclusion of the evidence, the youth court shall give the parties an opportunity to present oral argument.

(3) If the child has been adjudicated a delinquent child, before entering a disposition order, the youth court should consider, among others, the following relevant factors:

(a) The nature of the offense;

(b) The manner in which the offense was committed;

(d) The child's need for care and assistance;

(e) The child's current medical history, including medication and diagnosis;

(f) The child's mental health history, which may include, but not be limited to, the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument version 2 (MAYSI-2);

(g) Copies of the child's cumulative record from the last school of record, including special education records, if applicable;

(h) Recommendation from the school of record based on areas of remediation needed;

(i) Disciplinary records from the school of record; and

(j) Records of disciplinary actions outside of the school setting.

(4) If the child has been adjudicated a child in need of supervision, before entering a disposition order, the youth court should consider, among others, the following relevant factors:

(a) The nature and history of the child's conduct;

(b) The family and home situation; and

(5) If the child has been adjudicated a neglected child or an abused child, before entering a disposition order, the youth court shall consider, among others, the following relevant factors:

(a) The child's physical and mental conditions;

(b) The child's or family's need of assistance;

(c) The manner in which the parent, guardian or custodian participated in, tolerated or condoned the abuse, neglect or abandonment of the child;

(d) The ability of a child's parent, guardian or custodian to provide proper supervision and care of a child; and

(e) Relevant testimony and recommendations, where available, from the foster parent of the child, the grandparents of the child, the guardian ad litem of the child, representatives of any private care agency that has cared for the child, the family protection worker or family protection specialist assigned to the case, and any other relevant testimony pertaining to the case.

(6) After consideration of all the evidence and the relevant factors, the youth court shall enter a disposition order that shall not recite any of the facts or circumstances upon which the disposition is based, nor shall it recite that a child has been found guilty; but it shall recite that a child is found to be a delinquent child, a child in need of supervision, a neglected child or an abused child.

(7) If the youth court orders that the custody or supervision of a child who has been adjudicated abused or neglected be placed with the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services or any other person or public or private agency, other than the child's parent, guardian or custodian, the youth court shall find and the disposition order shall recite that:

(a) (i) Reasonable efforts have been made to maintain the child within his own home, but that the circumstances warrant his removal and there is no reasonable alternative to custody; or

(ii) The circumstances are of such an emergency nature that no reasonable efforts have been made to maintain the child within his own home, and that there is no reasonable alternative to custody; and

(b) That the effect of the continuation of the child's residence within his own home would be contrary to the welfare of the child and that the placement of the child in foster care is in the best interests of the child; or

(i) The parent has subjected the child to aggravated circumstances, including, but not limited to, abandonment, torture, chronic abuse and sexual abuse; or

(ii) The parent has been convicted of murder of another child of that parent, voluntary manslaughter of another child of that parent, aided or abetted, attempted, conspired or solicited to commit that murder or voluntary manslaughter, or a felony assault that results in the serious bodily injury to the surviving child or another child of that parent; or

(iii) The parental rights of the parent to a sibling have been terminated involuntarily; and

(iv) That the effect of the continuation of the child's residence within his own home would be contrary to the welfare of the child and that placement of the child in foster care is in the best interests of the child.

Once the reasonable efforts requirement is bypassed, the court shall have a permanency hearing under Section 43-21-613 within thirty (30) days of the finding.

(8) Upon a written motion by a party, the youth court shall make written findings of fact and conclusions of law upon which it relies for the disposition order. If the disposition ordered by the youth court includes placing the child in the custody of a training school, an admission packet shall be prepared for the child that contains the following information:

(a) The child's current medical history, including medications and diagnosis;

(b) The child's mental health history;

(c) Copies of the child's cumulative record from the last school of record, including special education records, if reasonably available;

(d) Recommendation from the school of record based on areas of remediation needed;

(e) Disciplinary records from the school of record; and

(f) Records of disciplinary actions outside of the school setting, if reasonably available.

Only individuals who are permitted under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) shall have access to a child's medical records which are contained in an admission packet. The youth court shall provide the admission packet to the training school at or before the child's arrival at the training school. The admittance of any child to a training school shall take place between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on designated admission days.

(9) When a child in the jurisdiction of the Youth Court is committed to the custody of the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services and is believed to be in need of treatment for a mental or emotional disability or infirmity, the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services shall file an affidavit alleging that the child is in need of mental health services with the Youth Court. The Youth Court shall refer the child to the appropriate community mental health center for evaluation pursuant to Section 41-21-67. If the prescreening evaluation recommends residential care, the Youth Court shall proceed with civil commitment pursuant to Sections 41-21-61 et seq., 43-21-315 and 43-21-611, and the Department of Mental Health, once commitment is ordered, shall provide appropriate care, treatment and services for at least as many adolescents as were provided services in fiscal year 2004 in its facilities.

(10) Any screening and assessment examinations ordered by the court may aid in dispositions related to delinquency, but no statements or admissions made during the course thereof may be admitted into evidence against the child on the issue of whether the child committed a delinquent act.

SECTION 60. Section 43-21-609, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-21-609. In neglect and abuse cases, the disposition order may include any of the following alternatives, giving precedence in the following sequence:

(a) Release the child without further action;

(b) Place the child in the custody of his parents, a relative or other person subject to any conditions and limitations as the court may prescribe. If the court finds that temporary relative placement, adoption or foster care placement is inappropriate, unavailable or otherwise not in the best interest of the child, durable legal custody may be granted by the court to any person subject to any limitations and conditions the court may prescribe; such durable legal custody will not take effect unless the child or children have been in the physical custody of the proposed durable custodians for at least six (6) months under the supervision of the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services. The requirements of Section 43-21-613 as to disposition review hearings do not apply to those matters in which the court has granted durable legal custody. In such cases, the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services shall be released from any oversight or monitoring responsibilities;

(c) (i) Grant durable legal relative guardianship to a relative or fictive kin licensed as a foster parent if the licensed relative foster parent or licensed fictive kin foster parent exercised physical custody of the child for at least six (6) months before the grant of durable legal relative guardianship and the Department of Child Protection Services had legal custody or exercised supervision of the child for at least six (6) months. In order to establish durable legal relative guardianship, the youth court must find the following:

1. That reunification has been determined to be inappropriate;

2. That the relative guardian or fictive kin guardian shows full commitment to the care, shelter, education, nurture, and reasonable medical care of the child; and

3. That the youth court consulted with any child twelve (12) years of age or older before granting durable legal relative guardianship.

(ii) The requirements of Section 43-21-613 as to disposition review hearings do not apply to a hearing concerning durable legal relative guardianship. However, the Department of Child Protection Services must conduct an annual review and recertification of the durable legal relative guardianship to determine whether it remains in the best interest of the child. If a material change in circumstances occurs adverse to the best interest of the child, the parent, relative guardian, fictive kin guardian, or Department of Child Protection Services may petition the court to review the durable legal relative guardianship;

(d) Order terms of treatment calculated to assist the child and the child's parent, guardian or custodian which are within the ability of the parent, guardian or custodian to perform;

(e) Order youth court personnel, the Department of Child Protection Services or child care agencies to assist the child and the child's parent, guardian or custodian to secure social or medical services to provide proper supervision and care of the child;

(f) Give legal custody of the child to any of the following but in no event to any state training school:

(i) The Department of Child Protection Services for appropriate placement; or

(ii) Any private or public organization, preferably community-based, able to assume the education, care and maintenance of the child, which has been found suitable by the court. Prior to assigning the custody of any child to any private institution or agency, the youth court through its designee shall first inspect the physical facilities to determine that they provide a reasonable standard of health and safety for the child;

(g) If the court makes a finding that custody is necessary as defined in Section 43-21-301(3)(b), and that the child, in the action pending before the youth court had not previously been taken into custody, the disposition order shall recite that the effect of the continuation of the child's residing within his or her own home would be contrary to the welfare of the child, that the placement of the child in foster care is in the best interests of the child, and unless the reasonable efforts requirement is bypassed under Section 43-21-603(7)(c), the order also must state:

(i) That reasonable efforts have been made to maintain the child within his or her own home, but that the circumstances warrant his or her removal, and there is no reasonable alternative to custody; or

(ii) The circumstances are of such an emergency nature that no reasonable efforts have been made to maintain the child within his or her own home, and there is no reasonable alternative to custody; or

(iii) If the court makes a finding in accordance with subparagraph (ii) of this paragraph, the court shall order that reasonable efforts be made towards the reunification of the child with his or her family; or

(h) If the court had, before the disposition hearing in the action pending before the court, taken the child into custody, the judge or referee shall determine, and the youth court order shall recite that reasonable efforts were made by the Department of Child Protection Services to finalize the child's permanency plan that was in effect on the date of the disposition hearing.

SECTION 61. Section 43-21-701, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-21-701. (1) There is * * * ~~hereby~~ established the Mississippi Commission on a Uniform Youth Court System and Procedures. The commission shall consist of the following nineteen (19) members:

(a) One (1) circuit court judge appointed by the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court;

(b) One (1) chancery court judge, appointed by the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court;

(d) Two (2) who may be either family court judges or county court judges, appointed by the President of the Mississippi Council of Youth Court Judges;

(e) Two (2) youth court referees, appointed by the President of the Mississippi Council of Youth Court Judges;

(f) One (1) member of the Mississippi House of Representatives to be appointed by the Speaker of the House;

(g) One (1) member of the Mississippi Senate to be appointed by the Lieutenant Governor;

(h) The directors of the following state agencies or their designated representatives: the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Youth~~ Human Services and the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services;

(i) The director or his designated representative of the Governor's Office of Federal-State Programs;

(j) One (1) employee, other than the * * * ~~director~~ Commissioner of the Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services who is a supervisor of social workers primarily assigned to youth cases, appointed by the Governor;

(k) One (1) municipal police chief, appointed by the Governor;

(l) One (1) county sheriff, appointed by the Governor;

(m) Two (2) lawyers experienced in youth court work, appointed by the Governor; and

(n) Two (2) prosecuting attorneys who prosecute cases in youth court, appointed by the Governor.

(2) The members shall be appointed to the commission within fifteen (15) days of the effective date of Sections 43-21-701 and 43-21-703 and shall serve until the end of their respective terms of office, if applicable, or until October 1, 1989, whichever occurs first. Vacancies on the commission shall be filled in the manner of the original appointment. Members shall be eligible for reappointment provided that upon such reappointment they meet the qualifications required of a new appointee.

(3) The commission may elect any officers from among its membership as it deems necessary for the efficient discharge of the commission's duties.

(4) The commission shall adopt rules and regulations governing times and places for meetings and governing the manner of conducting its business. Ten (10) or more members shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of conducting any business of the commission; provided, however, a vote of not less than twelve (12) members shall be required for any recommendations to the Legislature.

(5) Members of the commission shall serve without compensation, except that state and county employees and officers shall receive any per diem as authorized by law from appropriations available to their respective agencies or political subdivisions. All commission members shall be entitled to receive reimbursement for any actual and reasonable expenses incurred as a necessary incident to service on the commission, including mileage as provided by law.

(6) The commission may select and employ a research director who shall perform the duties which the commission directs, which duties shall include the hiring of such other employees for the commission as the commission may approve. The research director and all other employees of the commission shall be in the state service and their salaries shall be established by the commission subject to approval by the State Personnel Board. Employees of the commission shall be reimbursed for the expenses necessarily incurred in the performance of their official duties in the same manner as other state employees. The commission may also employ any consultants it deems necessary, including consultants to compile any demographic data needed to accomplish the duties of the commission.

(7) The Governor's Office of Federal-State Programs shall support the Commission on a Uniform Youth Court System and shall act as agent for any funds made available to the commission for its use. In order to expedite the implementation of the Commission on a Uniform Youth Court System, any funds available to the Governor's Office of Federal-State Programs for the 1988-1989 fiscal year may be expended for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the commission created herein.

(8) The commission may contract for suitable office space in accordance with the provisions of Section 29-5-2, Mississippi Code of 1972. In addition, the commission may utilize, with their consent, the services, equipment, personnel, information and resources of other state agencies; and may accept voluntary and uncompensated services, contract with individuals, public and private agencies, and request information, reports and data from any agency of the state, or any of its political subdivisions, to the extent authorized by law.

(9) In order to conduct and carry out its purposes, duties and related activities as provided for in this section and Section 43-21-703, the commission is authorized to apply for and accept gifts, grants, subsidies and other funds from persons, corporations, foundations, the United States government or other entities, provided that the receipt of such gifts, grants, subsidies and funds shall be reported and otherwise accounted for in the manner provided by law.

SECTION 62. Section 43-21-801, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-21-801. (1) There is established the Youth Court Support Program. The purpose of the program shall be to ensure that all youth courts have sufficient support funds to carry on the business of the youth court. The Administrative Office of Courts shall establish a formula consistent with this section for providing state support payable from the Youth Court Support Fund for the support of the youth courts.

(a) (i) Each regular youth court referee is eligible for youth court support funds so long as the senior chancellor does not elect to employ a youth court administrator as set forth in paragraph (b); a municipal youth court judge is also eligible. The Administrative Office of Courts shall direct any funds to the appropriate county or municipality. The funds shall be utilized to compensate an intake officer who shall be responsible for ensuring that all intake and case information for the Department of Human Services - Division of Youth Services, truancy matters, and the * * * Department of Child Protection Services is entered into the Mississippi Youth Court Information Delivery System (MYCIDS) in an accurate and timely manner. If the court already has an intake officer responsible for entering all cases of the Department of Human Services - Division of Youth Services, truancy matters, and the * * * Department of Child Protection Services into MYCIDS, the regular youth court referee or municipal court judge may certify to the Administrative Office of Courts that such a person is already on staff. In such a case, each regular youth court referee or municipal youth court judge shall have the sole individual discretion to appropriate those funds as expense monies to assist in hiring secretarial staff and acquiring materials and equipment incidental to carrying on the business of the court within the private practice of law of the referee or judge, or may direct the use of those funds through the county or municipal budget for court support supplies or services. The regular youth court referee and municipal youth court judge shall be accountable for assuring through private, county or municipal employees the proper preparation and filing of all necessary tracking and other documentation attendant to the administration of the youth court.

(ii) Title to all tangible property, excepting stamps, stationery and minor expendable office supplies, procured with funds authorized by this section, shall be and forever remain in the county or municipality to be used by the judge or referee during the term of his office and thereafter by his successors.

(b) (i) When permitted by the Administrative Office of Courts and as funds are available, the senior chancellor for Chancery Districts One, Two, Three, Four, Six, Seven, Nine, Ten, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen and Eighteen may appoint a youth court administrator for the district whose responsibility will be to perform all reporting, tracking and other duties of a court administrator for all youth courts in the district that are under the chancery court system. Any chancery district listed in this paragraph in which a chancellor appoints a referee or special master to hear any youth court matter is ineligible for funding under this paragraph (b). The Administrative Office of Courts may allocate to an eligible chancery district a sum not to exceed Thirty Thousand Dollars ($30,000.00) per year for the salary, fringe benefits and equipment of the youth court administrator, and an additional sum not to exceed One Thousand Nine Hundred Dollars ($1,900.00) for the administrator's travel expenses.

(ii) The appointment of a youth court administrator shall be evidenced by the entry of an order on the minutes of the court. The person appointed shall serve at the will and pleasure of the senior chancellor but shall be an employee of the Administrative Office of Courts.

(iii) The Administrative Office of Courts must approve the position, job description and salary before the position can be filled. The Administrative Office of Courts shall not approve any plan that does not first require the expenditure of the funds from the Youth Court Support Fund before expenditure of county funds is authorized for that purpose.

(iv) Title to any tangible property procured with funds authorized under this paragraph shall be and forever remain in the State of Mississippi.

(c) (i) Each county court is eligible for youth court support funds. The funds shall be utilized to provide compensation to an intake officer who shall be responsible for ensuring that all intake and case information for the Department of Human Services - Division of Youth Services, truancy matters, and the * * * Department of Child Protection Services is entered into the Mississippi Youth Court Information Delivery System (MYCIDS) in an accurate and timely manner. If the county court already has an intake officer or other staff person responsible for entering all cases of the Department of Human Services - Division of Youth Services, truancy matters and the * * * Department of Child Protection Services into MYCIDS, the senior county court judge may certify that such a person is already on staff. In such a case, the senior county court judge shall have discretion to direct the expenditure of those funds in hiring other support staff to carry on the business of the court.

(ii) For the purposes of this paragraph, "support staff" means court administrators, law clerks, legal research assistants, secretaries, resource administrators or case managers appointed by a youth court judge, or any combination thereof, but shall not mean school attendance officers.

(iii) The appointment of support staff shall be evidenced by the entry of an order on the minutes of the court. The support staff so appointed shall serve at the will and pleasure of the senior county court judge but shall be an employee of the county.

(iv) The Administrative Office of Courts must approve the positions, job descriptions and salaries before the positions may be filled. The Administrative Office of Courts shall not approve any plan that does not first require the expenditure of funds from the Youth Court Support Fund before expenditure of county funds is authorized for that purpose.

(v) The Administrative Office of Courts may approve expenditure from the fund for additional equipment for support staff appointed pursuant to this paragraph if the additional expenditure falls within the formula. Title to any tangible property procured with funds authorized under this paragraph shall be and forever remain in the county to be used by the youth court and support staff.

(2) (a) (i) The formula developed by the Administrative Office of Courts for providing youth court support funds shall be devised so as to distribute appropriated funds proportional to caseload and other appropriate factors as set forth in regulations promulgated by the Administrative Office of Courts. The formula will determine a reasonable maximum amount per judge or referee per annum that will not be exceeded in allocating funds under this section.

(ii) The formula shall be reviewed by the Administrative Office of Courts every two (2) years to ensure that the youth court support funds provided herein are proportional to each youth court's caseload and other specified factors.

(iii) The Administrative Office of Courts shall have wide latitude in the first two-year cycle to implement a formula designed to maximize caseload data collection.

(b) Application to receive funds under this section shall be submitted in accordance with procedures established by the Administrative Office of Courts.

(c) Approval of the use of any of the youth court support funds distributed under this section shall be made by the Administrative Office of Courts in accordance with procedures established by the Administrative Office of Courts.

(3) (a) There is created in the State Treasury a special fund to be designated as the "Youth Court Support Fund," which shall consist of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the Legislature in any manner and funds from any other source designated for deposit into such fund. Unexpended amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund, and any investment earnings or interest earned on amounts in the fund shall be deposited to the credit of the fund. Monies in the fund shall be distributed to the youth courts by the Administrative Office of Courts for the purposes described in this section.

(b) (i) During the regular legislative session held in calendar year 2007, the Legislature may appropriate an amount not to exceed Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500.000.00) to the Youth Court Support Fund.

(ii) During each regular legislative session subsequent to the 2007 Regular Session, the Legislature shall appropriate Two Million Five Hundred Thousand Dollars ($2,500,000.00) to the Youth Court Support Fund.

(c) No youth court judge or youth court referee shall be eligible to receive funding from the Youth Court Support Fund who has not received annual continuing education in the field of juvenile justice in an amount to conform with the requirements of the Rules and Regulations for Mandatory Continuing Judicial Education promulgated by the Supreme Court. The Administrative Office of Courts shall maintain records of all referees and youth court judges regarding such training and shall not disburse funds to any county or municipality for the budget of a youth court judge or referee who is not in compliance with the judicial training requirements.

(4) Any recipient of funds from the Youth Court Support Fund shall not be eligible for continuing disbursement of funds if the recipient is not in compliance with the terms, conditions and reporting requirements set forth in the procedures promulgated by the Administrative Office of Courts.

SECTION 63. Section 43-27-101, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-27-101. For purposes of Sections 43-27-101 and 43-27-103, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed in this section, unless the context requires otherwise:

(a) "Child or youth in the custody of the Department of Human Services" means an individual:

(i) Who has not yet reached his eighteenth birthday;

(ii) Who has been legally placed in the custody of the Department of Human Services by the youth court and for whom custody with the Department of Human Services was not sought by the parents or legal custodians or guardians for the parents' or legal custodians' or guardians' legal responsibilities to relieve themselves of the responsibility for paying for treatment for a child or youth; and

(iii) Who is unable to be maintained with the family or legal guardians or custodians due to his or her need for specialized care.

(b) "Child or youth under the supervision of the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services" means an individual:

(i) Who has not yet reached his eighteenth birthday; and

(ii) Who has been referred for abuse or neglect and for whom a case has been opened and is active in the * * * Department of Child Protection Services.

(c) "Plan of care" means a written plan of services needed to be provided for a child or youth and his or her family in order to provide the special care or services required.

(d) "Special needs crisis" means:

(i) Conduct or behavioral problems of such a severe nature and level that family or parental violence, abuse, and/or neglect pose an imminent threat or are present; or

(ii) Conduct or behavioral problems of such a severe nature and level that family or parental violence, abuse, and/or neglect pose an imminent threat or are present.

(e) "Specialized care" means:

(i) "Self care," which means the ability to provide, sustain and protect himself or herself at a level appropriate to his or her age;

(ii) "Interpersonal relationships," which means the ability to build and maintain satisfactory relationships with peers and adults;

(iii) "Family life," which means the capacity to live in a family or family-type environment;

(iv) "Self direction," which means the child's ability to control his or her behavior and to make decisions in a manner appropriate to his or her age;

(v) "Education," which means the ability to learn social and intellectual skill from teachers in an available educational setting.

(f) "Special needs child" means a child with a variety of handicapping conditions or disabilities, including emotional or severely emotional disorders. These conditions or disabilities present the need for special medical attention, supervision and therapy on a very regimented basis.

SECTION 64. Section 43-27-103, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-27-103. (1) Sections 43-27-101 and 43-27-103 shall enable the development by the Department of Human Services or the Department of Child Protection Services of a system of services for children or youth in the custody of the Department of Human Services or under the supervision of the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, if funds are appropriated to * * * ~~the~~ either department for that purpose. The system of services may consist of emergency response services, an early intervention and treatment unit, respite care, crisis nurseries, specialized outpatient or inpatient treatment services, special needs foster care, therapeutic foster care, emergency foster homes, and Medicaid targeted case management for abused and neglected children and youth as well as children adjudicated delinquent or in need of supervision. Any of these services that are provided shall be arranged by and coordinated through the Department of Human Services or the Department of Child Protection Services, and * * * ~~the~~ each department may contract with public or private agencies or entities to provide any of the services or may provide any of the services itself. All of the services shall be provided in facilities that meet the standards set by the Department of Human Services or the Department of Child Protection Services for the particular type of facility involved. None of the services provided shall duplicate existing services except where there is a documented need for expansion of the services.

(2) A description of the services that may be provided under Sections 43-27-101 and 43-27-103 are as follows:

(a) "Emergency response services" means services to respond to children or youth in severe crisis and include:

(i) Emergency single-point phone lines;

(ii) Crisis care coordinators staffing shifts that enable twenty-four-hour per day response as "frontline" professionals when crisis calls are received, assist with decision-making, family support, initiate plan of action and remain "on call" for the first seventy-two (72) hours for other service professionals to get in place and insure development of a plan of care;

(iii) Acute care/emergency medical response through contracted services with up to five (5) regional hospitals providing emergency room services and hospitalization for up to seventy-two (72) hours with a maximum of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per day;

(iv) Case managers;

(v) Respite services; and

(vi) Assessment services contracted with social workers, psychologists, psychiatrists and other health professionals.

(b) "Early intervention and treatment unit" means a unique, nonhospital crisis service in a residential context that is able to provide the level of support and intervention needed to resolve the crisis and as an alternative to hospitalization. This unit shall provide specialized assessment, including a variety of treatment options and services to best intervene in a child or youth's crisis, and provide an appropriate plan for further services upon returning to the home and community. Staff-to-child or youth ratio shall be high, with multidisciplinary, specialized services for up to six (6) children or youths at one (1) time, and with the maximum assessment and treatment planning and services being ninety (90) days for most children or youths.

(c) "Respite care" means planned temporary care for a period of time ranging from a few hours within a twenty-four-hour period to an overnight or weekend stay to a maximum of ten (10) days. Care may be provided in-home or out-of-home with trained respite parents or counselors and is designed to provide a planned break for the parents from the caretaking role with the child.

(d) "Crisis nurseries" means a program providing therapeutic nursery treatment services to preschool aged children who as preschoolers demonstrate significant behavioral or emotional disorders. These services shall be to therapeutically address developmental and emotional behavioral difficulties through direct intervention with the child in a nursery school environment and to intervene with parents to provide education, support and therapeutic services.

(e) "Specialized outpatient or inpatient treatment services," such as sex offender treatment, means specialized treatment for perpetrators of sexual offenses with children.

(f) "Special needs foster care" means foster care for those children with a variety of handicapping conditions or disabilities, including serious emotional disturbance.

(g) "Therapeutic foster care" means residential mental health services provided to children and adolescents in a family setting, utilizing specially trained foster parents. Therapeutic foster care essentially involves the following features:

(i) Placement with foster parents who have been carefully selected by knowledgeable, well-trained mental health and social service professionals to work with children with an emotional disturbance;

(ii) Provision of special training to the foster parents to assist them in working with children with an emotional disturbance;

(iii) Low staff-to-child ratio, allowing the therapeutic staff to work very closely with each child, the foster parents and the biological parents, if available;

(iv) Creation of a support system among these specially trained foster parents; and

(v) Payment of a special foster care payment to the foster parents.

(h) "Emergency foster homes" means those homes used on a short-term basis for (i) children who are temporarily removed from the home in response to a crisis situation, or (ii) youth who exhibit special behavioral or emotional problems for whom removal from the existing home situation is necessary. In some cases they may provide an emergency placement for infants and toddlers for whom no regular foster home is available, rather than placement into an emergency shelter where older and larger groups of children are placed. Foster parents are trained to deal with the special needs of children placed in these emergency homes.

(i) "Medicaid targeted case management" means activities that are related to assuring the completion of proper client evaluations; arranging and supporting treatment plans, monitoring services, coordinating service delivery and other related actions.

SECTION 65. Section 43-27-109, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-27-109. The Department of Human Services or the Department of Child Protection Services may employ a sufficient number of new family protection specialists, youth counselors and clerical staff to reduce the caseload sizes for social workers and youth counselors of * * * ~~the~~ each department and to reduce the workload on clerical staff, if funds are appropriated to the department for that purpose.

SECTION 66. Section 43-27-113, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-27-113. In any investigation by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services of a report made under Section 43-21-101 et seq. of the abuse or neglect of a child as defined in Section 43-21-105, the department may request the appropriate law enforcement officer with jurisdiction to accompany the department in its investigation, and in such cases the law enforcement officer shall comply with such request.

SECTION 67. Section 43-27-115, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-27-115. The Department of Human Services * * * is and the Department of Child Protection Services are each authorized to employ one (1) program manager for each department region, if funds are appropriated to * * * ~~the~~ either department for that purpose, whose duties shall be to develop an ongoing public education program to inform Mississippi citizens about the needs of the state's children, youth and families, the work of the department in addressing these needs and how citizens might become involved. The Department of Human Services and the Department of Child Protection Services shall develop formal agreements of cooperation and protocol between * * * ~~the~~ each department and other providers of services to children and families including school districts, hospitals, law enforcement agencies, mental health centers and others.

SECTION 68. Section 43-27-117, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-27-117. The Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services is authorized to establish an online automated child welfare information system, if funds are appropriated to the department for that purpose, to give the department the capability to supply foster care, adoption and child abuse and neglect data to the federal Department of Health and Human Services in a specified format as required, and to help the department in tracking child abuse and neglect referrals and the number of children affected in those referrals.

SECTION 69. Section 43-27-119, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-27-119. There is created a joint task force of the Department of Human Services, the Department of Child Protection Services and the Attorney General's Office consisting of the executive directors of the departments, the Attorney General, any staff persons designated by the executive directors and the Attorney General, and any other persons designated by the executive directors and the Attorney General. The joint task force shall research the issue of when * * * ~~the~~ each department should consider appealing court decisions that are contrary to the department's recommendations in child welfare and juvenile offender cases, and shall issue a protocol for determining the type of cases that should be appealed. The protocol shall establish the following:

(a) General guidelines to be considered for appealing a case;

(b) The type of information from case records and court records that should be entered into the appeal file; and

(c) The individuals who have authority to set the appeals process in motion and who can make final decisions about whether an appeal should be filed or not.

Not later than November 30, 1994, the joint task force shall complete its research, issue the protocol, and make recommendations to the Legislature for any administrative and legislative action necessary to properly and sufficiently address this issue.

SECTION 70. Section 43-43-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-43-5. All purchase of service contracts between the * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Human Services or the Department of Child Protection Services and individuals, associations or corporations other than state agencies shall be for the reimbursement of actual costs incurred in providing services. However, the * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Human Services or the Department of Child Protection Services, in accordance with policy established by * * * ~~the State Board of Public Welfare~~ either department, may advance one-twelfth (1/12) of the total estimated cost for providing services under the twelve-month contractual agreement, upon written request of a contractor, to give the contractor a better cash flow. Any funds so advanced shall be withheld from the contract reimbursement payments and in no case shall the final reimbursement payment to the contractor exceed the actual cost incurred in providing services. Any contractor receiving such advance payments shall be strictly liable to ensure that same is adjusted to actual cost, including repayment of excess cash advances if necessary, prior to the final closeout of the purchase of service contract.

SECTION 71. Section 43-43-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-43-7. The * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Human Services or the Department of Child Protection Services in * * * ~~its~~ the purchase of service budget request shall accurately reflect the comprehensive annual services program required under Section 2004 of Title XX. In submitting its annual budget recommendations to the Legislature, the Legislative Budget Office shall include all federal Title XX monies received or anticipated by agencies as a part of the budget request in order to indicate for each budget category the amount of state monies requested, the amount of federal monies anticipated or due, the amount of other nonstate monies requested or anticipated and the total anticipated expenditure from all sources for each respective category. A similar breakdown of funding sources shall be shown for current and preceding fiscal periods. All Title XX purchase of service contracts shall be subject to such auditing procedures by the State Department of Audit as are applicable to all state agencies. Upon the direction of the Legislative Budget Office, additional evaluation of the Title XX system may be performed by an independent group with expertise in cost analysis and the evaluation of human service programs.

SECTION 72. Section 43-51-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-51-3. As used in this chapter, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section:

(a) "Child at imminent risk of placement" means a minor who may be reasonably expected to face, in the near future, commitment to the care or custody of the state as a result of: (i) Dependency, abuse or neglect;

(ii) Emotional disturbance;

(iii) Family conflict so extensive that reasonable control of the child is not exercised; or

(iv) Delinquency adjudication.

* * *

( * * *cb) "Family preservation services" means services designed to help families alleviate risks or crises that might lead to out-of-home placement of children. The services may include procedures to maintain the safety of children in their own homes, support to families preparing to reunify or adopt and assistance to families in obtaining services and other sources of support necessary to address their multiple needs in a culturally sensitive environment.

( * * *dc) "Family support services" means preventive community-based activities designed to alleviate stress and to promote parental competencies and behaviors that will increase the ability of families to successfully nurture their children and will enable families to use other resources and opportunities available in the community. These services may include supportive networks designed to enhance child-rearing abilities of parents and to help compensate for the increased social isolation and vulnerability of families. Examples of these services and activities include: respite care for parents and other caregivers; early developmental screening of children to assess the needs of these children and assistance in obtaining specific services to meet their needs; mentoring, tutoring and health education for youth; and a range of center-based activities, such as informal interactions in drop-in centers and parent support groups, and home visiting programs.

SECTION 73. Section 43-51-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-51-5. (1) The * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services * * * shall engage in a comprehensive planning process * * * ~~for the Home Ties Program~~ to develop, coordinate and implement a meaningful and responsive program of family support and family preservation services. The scope of planning shall address child welfare, housing, mental health, primary health, education, juvenile justice, community-based programs providing family support and family preservation services and other social programs that service children at imminent risk of placement and their families. In developing the plan, the department, in its discretion, may invite active participation from local consumers, practitioners, researchers, foundations, mayors, members of the Legislature and any available federal regional staff.

* * *

( * * *32) In addition to the family preservation and family support services defined in Section 41-51-3, the * * * ~~Home Ties Program~~ Department of Child Protection Services shall offer a wide range of services, included, but not limited to, the following: crisis resolution; teaching measures to prevent the repeated occurrence of abuse, neglect and/or family conflict; education in parenting skills, child development, communication, negotiations and home maintenance skills; child and family advocacy; and job-readiness training.

SECTION 74. Section 43-51-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

43-51-7. The * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services shall apply annually for any available federal funds that may be used to defray the planning and service expenses, in all or in part, of * * * ~~the Home Ties Program~~ this chapter, including, but not limited to, funds available under the * * * Family First Prevention Services Act.

SECTION 75. Section 45-33-36, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

45-33-36. (1) Upon receipt of sex offender registration or change of registration information, the Department of Public Safety shall immediately provide the information to:

(a) The National Sex Offender Registry or other appropriate databases;

(b) The sheriff of the county and the chief law enforcement officer of any other jurisdiction where the offender resides, lodges, is an employee or is a student or intends to reside, work, attend school or volunteer;

(c) The sheriff of the county and the chief law enforcement officer of any other jurisdiction from which or to which a change of residence, employment or student status occurs;

(d) The Department of Human Services, the Department of Child Protection Services, and any other social service entities responsible for protecting minors in the child welfare system;

(e) The probation agency that is currently supervising the sex offender;

(f) Any agency responsible for conducting employment-related background checks under Section 3 of the National Child Protection Act of 1993 (42 USC 5119(a));

(g) Each school and public housing agency in each jurisdiction in which the sex offender resides, is an employee or is a student;

(h) All prosecutor offices in each jurisdiction in which the sex offender resides, is an employee, or is a student; and

(i) Any other agencies with criminal investigation, prosecution or sex offender supervision functions in each jurisdiction in which the sex offender resides, is an employee, or is a student.

(2) The Department of Public Safety shall post changes to the public registry website within three (3) business days. Electronic notification will be available via the internet to all law enforcement agencies, to any volunteer organizations in which contact with minors or vulnerable adults might occur and any organization, company or individual who requests notification pursuant to procedures established by the Department of Public Safety. This provision shall take effect upon the state's receipt and implementation of the Department of Justice software in compliance with the provisions of the Adam Walsh Act.

(3) From and after July 1, 2015, local jurisdictions receiving notification and that have the ability may notify residents when a sex offender begins residing, lodges, becomes employed, volunteers or attends school or intends to reside, lodge, work, attend school or volunteer in the area by using a website, social media, print media, email or may provide a link to the Department of Public Safety website.

SECTION 76. Section 57-13-23, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

57-13-23. (1) There is * * * ~~hereby~~ created and established the Mississippi Automated Resource Information System (MARIS), (heretofore created by Executive Order No. 459, dated May 26, 1983, as amended by Executive Order No. 562, dated January 15, 1986), which shall be the mechanism within state government for the storing, processing, extracting and disseminating of useful data and information relating to the state's resources.

(2) The goal of MARIS shall be to facilitate the achievement of state agencies' responsibilities as they relate to the development, management, conservation, protection and utilization of the resources of Mississippi by making usable resource data and information more readily available and in a format that is consistent throughout state departments, agencies and institutions, and, to the extent possible, with federal and privately generated resource data banks.

(3) MARIS shall be under the supervision and general policy formulations of a policy committee as the cooperative effort of state departments, agencies and institutions for the sharing of useful data acquired and generated by state agencies in discharging their individual responsibilities.

(4) There is * * * ~~hereby~~ created and established the MARIS Policy Committee composed of the directors or their designees of the following departments, agencies and institutions:

Center for Population Studies, University of Mississippi

* * *~~Central Data Processing Authority~~ Department of Information Technology Services

Department of Agriculture and Commerce

Department of Archives and History

* * *Mississippi Development Authority

Department of Human Services

Department of Child Protection Services

Department of Environmental Quality

Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks

Mississippi Department of Transportation

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency

Mississippi Mineral Resources Institute, University of

Mississippi

Department of Finance and Administration

Office of the Secretary of State

Public Service Commission

Remote Sensing Center, Mississippi State University

State Forestry Commission

State Department of Health

State Oil and Gas Board

State Soil and Water Conservation Commission

* * *~~State Tax Commission~~ Department of Revenue

University Research Center

Water Management Council.

(5) The MARIS Policy Committee shall elect a chairman, vice chairman and secretary, and it shall elect an executive committee from the membership of the policy committee to be composed of not less than five (5) nor more than nine (9) members, including the aforesaid officers. The policy committee may elect to the executive committee one (1) person other than from its membership. The policy committee shall determine the authority and responsibility to be exercised by the executive committee.

(6) There is * * * ~~hereby~~ created and established the MARIS Task Force which shall be composed of at least one (1) representative from each of the aforesaid agencies with knowledge in computer applications to natural, cultural, industrial or economic resources to be appointed by the respective directors thereof, and any other persons deemed advisable by the policy committee.

(7) The University Research Center shall house the MARIS equipment and staff and shall provide administrative support for the policy committee and technical support to all member agencies.

(8) It shall be the duty of every department, agency, office and institution of the State of Mississippi, and the officers thereof, to cooperate with and assist the MARIS Policy Committee in every reasonable way.

SECTION 77. Section 93-5-23, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-5-23. When a divorce shall be decreed from the bonds of matrimony, the court may, in its discretion, having regard to the circumstances of the parties and the nature of the case, as may seem equitable and just, make all orders touching the care, custody and maintenance of the children of the marriage, and also touching the maintenance and alimony of the wife or the husband, or any allowance to be made to her or him, and shall, if need be, require bond, sureties or other guarantee for the payment of the sum so allowed. Orders touching on the custody of the children of the marriage shall be made in accordance with the provisions of Section 93-5-24. For the purposes of orders touching the maintenance and alimony of the wife or husband, "property" and "an asset of a spouse" shall not include any interest a party may have as an heir at law of a living person or any interest under a third-party will, nor shall any such interest be considered as an economic circumstance or other factor. The court may afterwards, on petition, change the decree, and make from time to time such new decrees as the case may require. However, where proof shows that both parents have separate incomes or estates, the court may require that each parent contribute to the support and maintenance of the children of the marriage in proportion to the relative financial ability of each. In the event a legally responsible parent has health insurance available to him or her through an employer or organization that may extend benefits to the dependents of such parent, any order of support issued against such parent may require him or her to exercise the option of additional coverage in favor of such children as he or she is legally responsible to support.

Whenever the court has ordered a party to make periodic payments for the maintenance or support of a child, but no bond, sureties or other guarantee has been required to secure such payments, and whenever such payments as have become due remain unpaid for a period of at least thirty (30) days, the court may, upon petition of the person to whom such payments are owing, or such person's legal representative, enter an order requiring that bond, sureties or other security be given by the person obligated to make such payments, the amount and sufficiency of which shall be approved by the court. The obligor shall, as in other civil actions, be served with process and shall be entitled to a hearing in such case.

At the discretion of the court, any person found in contempt for failure to pay child support and imprisoned therefor may be referred for placement in a state, county or municipal restitution, house arrest or restorative justice center or program, provided such person meets the qualifications prescribed in Section 99-37-19.

Whenever in any proceeding in the chancery court concerning the custody of a child a party alleges that the child whose custody is at issue has been the victim of sexual or physical abuse by the other party, the court may, on its own motion, grant a continuance in the custody proceeding only until such allegation has been investigated by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services. At the time of ordering such continuance, the court may direct the party and his attorney making such allegation of child abuse to report in writing and provide all evidence touching on the allegation of abuse to the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services. The Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services shall investigate such allegation and take such action as it deems appropriate and as provided in such cases under the Youth Court Law (being Chapter 21 of Title 43, Mississippi Code of 1972) or under the laws establishing family courts (being Chapter 23 of Title 43, Mississippi Code of 1972).

If after investigation by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services or final disposition by the youth court or family court allegations of child abuse are found to be without foundation, the chancery court shall order the alleging party to pay all court costs and reasonable attorney's fees incurred by the defending party in responding to such allegation.

The court may investigate, hear and make a determination in a custody action when a charge of abuse and/or neglect arises in the course of a custody action as provided in Section 43-21-151, and in such cases the court shall appoint a guardian ad litem for the child as provided under Section 43-21-121, who shall be an attorney. Unless the chancery court's jurisdiction has been terminated, all disposition orders in such cases for placement with the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services shall be reviewed by the court or designated authority at least annually to determine if continued placement with the department is in the best interest of the child or public.

The duty of support of a child terminates upon the emancipation of the child. The court may determine that emancipation has occurred pursuant to Section 93-11-65.

Custody and visitation upon military temporary duty, deployment or mobilization shall be governed by Section 93-5-34.

SECTION 78. Section 93-17-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-3. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section, a court of this state has jurisdiction over a proceeding for the adoption or readoption of a minor commenced under this chapter if:

(a) Immediately before commencement of the proceeding, the minor lived in this state with a parent, a guardian, a prospective adoptive parent or another person acting as parent, for at least six (6) consecutive months, excluding periods of temporary absence, or, in the case of a minor under six (6) months of age, lived in this state from soon after birth with any of those individuals and there is available in this state substantial evidence concerning the minor's present or future care;

(b) Immediately before commencement of the proceeding, the prospective adoptive parent lived in this state for at least six (6) consecutive months, excluding periods of temporary absence, and there is available in this state substantial evidence concerning the minor's present or future care;

(c) The agency that placed the minor for adoption is licensed in this state and it is in the best interest of the minor that a court of this state assume jurisdiction because:

(i) The minor and the minor's parents, or the minor and the prospective adoptive parent, have a significant connection with this state; and

(ii) There is available in this state substantial evidence concerning the minor's present or future care;

(d) The minor and the prospective adoptive parent or parents are physically present in this state and the minor has been abandoned or it is necessary in an emergency to protect the minor because the minor has been subjected to or threatened with mistreatment or abuse or is otherwise neglected, and the prospective adoptive parent or parents, if not residing in Mississippi, have completed and provided the court with a satisfactory Interstate Compact for Placement of Children (ICPC) home study and accompanying forms;

(e) It appears that no other state would have jurisdiction under prerequisites substantially in accordance with paragraphs (a) through (d), or another state has declined to exercise jurisdiction on the ground that this state is the more appropriate forum to hear a petition for adoption of the minor, and it is in the best interest of the minor that a court of this state assume jurisdiction; or

(f) The child has been adopted in a foreign country, the agency that placed the minor for adoption is licensed in this state, and it is in the best interest of the child to be readopted in a court of this state having jurisdiction.

(2) A court of this state may not exercise jurisdiction over a proceeding for adoption of a minor if, at the time the petition for adoption is filed, a proceeding concerning the custody or adoption of the minor is pending in a court of another state exercising jurisdiction substantially in conformity with the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act or this section unless the proceeding is stayed by the court of the other state.

(3) If a court of another state has issued a decree or order concerning the custody of a minor who may be the subject of a proceeding for adoption in this state, a court of this state may not exercise jurisdiction over a proceeding for adoption of the minor unless:

(a) The court of this state finds that the court of the state which issued the decree or order:

(i) Does not have continuing jurisdiction to modify the decree or order under jurisdictional prerequisites substantially in accordance with the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act or has declined to assume jurisdiction to modify the decree or order; or

(ii) Does not have jurisdiction over a proceeding for adoption substantially in conformity with subsection (1)(a) through (d) or has declined to assume jurisdiction over a proceeding for adoption; and

(b) The court of this state has jurisdiction over the proceeding.

(4) Any person may be adopted in accordance with the provisions of this chapter in term time or in vacation by an unmarried adult, by a married person whose spouse joins in the petition, by a married person whose spouse does not join in the petition because such spouse does not cohabit or reside with the petitioning spouse, and in any circumstances determined by the court that the adoption is in the best interest of the child. Only the consenting adult will be a legal parent of the child. The adoption shall be by sworn petition filed in the chancery court of the county in which the adopting petitioner or petitioners reside or in which the child to be adopted resides or was born, or was found when it was abandoned or deserted, or in which the home is located to which the child has been surrendered by a person authorized to so do. The petition shall be accompanied by a doctor's or nurse practitioner's certificate showing the physical and mental condition of the child to be adopted and a sworn statement of all property, if any, owned by the child. In addition, the petition shall be accompanied by affidavits of the petitioner or petitioners stating the amount of the service fees charged by any adoption agencies or adoption facilitators used by the petitioner or petitioners and any other expenses paid by the petitioner or petitioners in the adoption process as of the time of filing the petition. If the doctor's or nurse practitioner's certificate indicates any abnormal mental or physical condition or defect, the condition or defect shall not, in the discretion of the chancellor, bar the adoption of the child if the adopting parent or parents file an affidavit stating full and complete knowledge of the condition or defect and stating a desire to adopt the child, notwithstanding the condition or defect. The court shall have the power to change the name of the child as a part of the adoption proceedings. The word "child" in this section shall be construed to refer to the person to be adopted, though an adult.

(5) No person may be placed in the home of or adopted by the prospective adopting parties before a court-ordered or voluntary home study is satisfactorily completed by a licensed adoption agency, a licensed, experienced social worker approved by the chancery court, a court-appointed guardian ad litem that has knowledge or training in conducting home studies if so directed by the court, or by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services on the prospective adoptive parties if required by Section 93-17-11.

(6) No person may be adopted by a person or persons who reside outside the State of Mississippi unless the provisions of the Interstate Compact for Placement of Children (Section 43-18-1 et seq.) have been complied with. In such cases Forms 100A, 100B (if applicable) and evidence of Interstate Compact for Placement of Children approval shall be added to the permanent adoption record file within one (1) month of the placement, and a minimum of two (2) post-placement reports conducted by a licensed child-placing agency shall be provided to the Mississippi Department of Child Protection Services Interstate Compact for Placement of Children office.

(7) No person may be adopted unless the provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) have been complied with, if applicable. When applicable, proof of compliance shall be included in the court adoption file prior to finalization of the adoption. If not applicable, a written statement or paragraph in the petition for adoption shall be included in the adoption petition stating that the provisions of ICWA do not apply before finalization.

(8) The readoption of a child who has automatically acquired United States citizenship following an adoption in a foreign country and who possesses a Certificate of Citizenship in accordance with the Child Citizenship Act, CAA, Public Law 106-395, may be given full force and effect in a readoption proceeding conducted by a court of competent jurisdiction in this state by compliance with the Mississippi Registration of Foreign Adoptions Act, Article 9 of this chapter.

(9) For adult adoptees who consent to the adoption, a chancellor may waive any of the petition requirements and procedural requirements within subsections (4), (5), (6) and (7) of this section.

SECTION 79. Section 93-17-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-5. (1) There shall be made parties to the proceeding by process or by the filing therein of a consent to the adoption proposed in the petition, which consent shall be duly sworn to or acknowledged and executed only by the following persons, but not before seventy-two (72) hours after the birth of the child:

(a) The parents, or parent, if only one (1) parent, though either be under the age of twenty-one (21) years;

(b) If both parents are dead, then any two (2) adult kin of the child within the third degree computed according to the civil law; if one of such kin is in possession of the child, he or she shall join in the petition or be made a party to the suit; or

(c) The guardian ad litem of an abandoned child, upon petition showing that the names of the parents of the child are unknown after diligent search and inquiry by the petitioners. In addition to the above, there shall be made parties to any proceeding to adopt a child, either by process or by the filing of a consent to the adoption proposed in the petition, the following:

(i) Those persons having physical custody of the child, except persons who are acting as foster parents as a result of placement with them by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services of the State of Mississippi.

(ii) Any person to whom custody of the child may have been awarded by a court of competent jurisdiction of the State of Mississippi.

(iii) The agent of the * * * ~~county~~ Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services of the State of Mississippi that has placed a child in foster care, either by agreement or by court order.

(2) The consent may also be executed and filed by the duly authorized officer or representative of a home to whose care the child has been delivered. The child shall join the petition by the child's next friend.

(3) If consent is not filed, process shall be had upon the parties as provided by law for process in person or by publication, if they are nonresidents of the state or are not found therein after diligent search and inquiry, the court or chancellor in vacation may fix a date in termtime or in vacation to which process may be returnable and shall have power to proceed in termtime or vacation. In any event, if the child is more than fourteen (14) years of age, a consent to the adoption, sworn to or acknowledged by the child, shall also be required or personal service of process shall be had upon the child in the same manner and in the same effect as if the child were an adult.

SECTION 80. Section 93-17-8, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-8. (1) Whenever an adoption becomes a contested matter, whether after a hearing on a petition for determination of rights under Section 93-17-6 or otherwise, the court:

(a) Shall, on motion of any party or on its own motion, issue an order for immediate blood or tissue sampling in accordance with the provisions of Section 93-9-21 et seq., if paternity is at issue. The court shall order an expedited report of such testing and shall hold the hearing resolving this matter at the earliest time possible.

(b) Shall appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the child. Such guardian ad litem shall be an attorney, however his duties are as guardian ad litem and not as attorney for the child. The reasonable costs of the guardian ad litem shall be taxed as costs of court. Neither the child nor anyone purporting to act on his behalf may waive the appointment of a guardian ad litem.

(c) Shall determine first whether or not the objecting parent is entitled to so object under the criteria of Section 93-17-7 and then shall determine the custody of the child in accord with the best interests of the child and the rights of the parties as established by the hearings and judgments.

(d) Shall schedule all hearings concerning the contested adoption as expeditiously as possible for prompt conclusion of the matter.

(2) In determining the custody of the child after a finding that the adoption will not be granted, the fact of the surrender of the child for adoption by a parent shall not be taken as any evidence of that parent's abandonment or desertion of the child or of that parent's unfitness as a parent.

(3) In contested adoptions arising through petitions for determination of rights where the prospective adopting parents were not parties to that proceeding, they need not be made parties to the contested adoption until there has been a ruling that the objecting parent is not entitled to enter a valid objection to the adoption. At that point the prospective adopting parents shall be made parties by joinder which shall show their suitability to be adopting parents as would a petition for adoption. The identity and suitability of the prospective adopting parents shall be made known to the court and the guardian ad litem, but shall not be made known to other parties to the proceeding unless the court determines that the interests of justice or the best interests of the child require it.

(4) No birth parent or alleged parent shall be permitted to contradict statements given in a proceeding for the adoption of their child in any other proceeding concerning that child or his ancestry.

(5) Appointment of a guardian ad litem is not required in any proceeding under this chapter except as provided in subsection (1)(b) above and except for the guardian ad litem needed for an abandoned child. It shall not be necessary for a guardian ad litem to be appointed where the chancery judge presiding in the adoption proceeding deems it unnecessary and no adoption agency is involved in the proceeding. No final decree of adoption heretofore granted shall be set aside or modified because a guardian ad litem was not appointed unless as the result of a direct appeal not now barred.

(6) The provisions of Chapter 15 of this Title 93, Mississippi Code of 1972, are not applicable to proceedings under this chapter except as specifically provided by reference herein.

(7) The court may order a child's birth father, identified as such in the proceedings, to reimburse the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, the foster parents, the adopting parents, the home, any other agency or person who has assumed liability for such child, all or part of the costs of the medical expenses incurred for the mother and the child in connection with the birth of the child, as well as reasonable support for the child after his birth.

SECTION 81. Section 93-17-11, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-11. At any time after the filing of the petition for adoption and completion of process thereon, and before the entering of a final decree, the court may, in its discretion, of its own motion or on motion of any party to the proceeding, require an investigation and report to the court to be made by any person, officer or home as the court may designate and direct concerning the child, and shall require in adoptions, other than those in which the petitioner or petitioners are a relative or stepparent of the child, that a home study be performed of the petitioner or petitioners by a licensed adoption agency or by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, at the petitioner's or petitioners' sole expense and at no cost to the state or county. The investigation and report shall give the material facts upon which the court may determine whether the child is a proper subject for adoption, whether the petitioner or petitioners are suitable parents for the child, whether the adoption is to its best interest, and any other facts or circumstances that may be material to the proposed adoption. The home study shall be considered by the court in determining whether the petitioner or petitioners are suitable parents for the child. The court, when an investigation and report are required by the court or by this section, shall stay the proceedings in the cause for such reasonable time as may be necessary or required in the opinion of the court for the completion of the investigation and report by the person, officer or home designated and authorized to make the same.

Upon the filing of that consent or the completion of the process and the filing of the investigation and report, if required by the court or by this section, and the presentation of such other evidence as may be desired by the court, if the court determines that it is to the best interests of the child that an interlocutory decree of adoption be entered, the court may thereupon enter an interlocutory decree upon such terms and conditions as may be determined by the court, in its discretion, but including therein that the complete care, custody and control of the child shall be vested in the petitioner or petitioners until further orders of the court and that during such time the child shall be and remain a ward of the court. If the court determines by decree at any time during the pendency of the proceeding that it is not to the best interests of the child that the adoption proceed, the petitioners shall be entitled to at least five (5) days' notice upon their attorneys of record and a hearing with the right of appeal as provided by law from a dismissal of the petition; however, the bond perfecting the appeal shall be filed within ten (10) days from the entry of the decree of dismissal and the bond shall be in such amount as the chancellor may determine and supersedeas may be granted by the chancellor or as otherwise provided by law for appeal from final decrees.

After the entry of the interlocutory decree and before entry of the final decree, the court may require such further and additional investigation and reports as it may deem proper. The rights of the parties filing the consent or served with process shall be subject to the decree but shall not be divested until entry of the final decree.

SECTION 82. Section 93-17-12, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-12. In any child custody matter hereafter filed in any chancery or county court in which temporary or permanent custody has already been placed with a parent or guardian and in all adoptions, the court shall impose a fee for any court-ordered home study performed by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services or any other entity. The fee shall be assessed upon either party or upon both parties in the court's discretion. The minimum fee imposed shall be not less than Three Hundred Fifty Dollars ($350.00) for each household on which a home study is performed. The fee shall be paid directly to the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services prior to the home study being conducted by the department or to the entity if the study is performed by another entity. The judge may order the fee be paid by one or both of the parents or guardian. If the court determines that both parents or the guardian are unable to pay the fee, the judge shall waive the fee and the cost of the home study shall be defrayed by the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services.

SECTION 83. Section 93-17-53, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-53. The purpose of Sections 93-17-51 through 93-17-67 is to supplement the Mississippi adoption law by making possible through public supplemental benefits the most appropriate adoption of each child certified by the * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services as requiring a supplemental benefit to assure adoption.

SECTION 84. Section 93-17-57, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-57. The * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services shall establish and administer an on-going program of supplemental benefits for adoption. Supplemental benefits and services for children under this program shall be provided out of such funds as may be appropriated to the * * * ~~Mississippi~~ Division of Medicaid * * * ~~Commission~~ for the medical services for children in foster care, or made available to the department from other sources.

SECTION 85. Section 93-17-59, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-59. Any child meeting criteria specified in Section 93-17-55 for whom the * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services feels supplemental benefits are necessary to improve opportunities for adoption will be eligible for the program. The adoption agency shall document that reasonable efforts have been made to place the child in adoption without supplemental benefits through the use of adoption resource exchanges, recruitment and referral to appropriate specialized adoption agencies.

SECTION 86. Section 93-17-61, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-61. (1) When parents are found and approved for adoption of a child certified as eligible for supplemental benefits, and before the final decree of adoption is issued, there shall be executed a written agreement between the family entering into the adoption and the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services. In individual cases, supplemental benefits may commence with the adoptive placement or at the appropriate time after the adoption decree and will vary with the needs of the child as well as the availability of other resources to meet the child's needs. The supplemental benefits may be for special services only or for money payments as allowed under Section 43-13-115, * * * ~~Mississippi Code of 1972,~~ and either for a limited period, for a long-term not exceeding the child's eighteenth birthday, or for any combination of the foregoing. The amount of the time-limited, long-term supplemental benefits may in no case exceed that which would be currently allowable for such child under the Mississippi Medicaid Law.

(2) When supplemental benefits last for more than one (1) year, the adoptive parents shall present an annual written certification that the child remains under the parents' care and that the child's need for supplemental benefits continues. Based on investigation by the agency and available funds, the agency may approve continued supplemental benefits. These benefits shall be extended so long as the parents remain legally responsible for and are providing support for the child. The agency shall continue paying benefits until a child reaches twenty-one (21) years of age if the child meets the criteria stated in Section 93-17-67(1) for continuation of Medicaid coverage.

(3) A child who is a resident of Mississippi when eligibility for supplemental benefits is certified shall remain eligible and receive supplemental benefits, if necessary for adoption, regardless of the domicile or residence of the adopting parents at the time of application for adoption, placement, legal decree of adoption or thereafter.

SECTION 87. Section 93-17-63, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-63. All records regarding such adoption shall be confidential. Anyone violating or releasing information of a confidential nature, as contemplated by Sections 93-17-51 through 93-17-67 without the approval of the court with jurisdiction or the * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services unless such release is made pursuant to Sections 93-17-201 through 93-17-223 shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a fine not exceeding One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or imprisonment of six (6) months, or both.

SECTION 88. Section 93-17-65, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-65. The * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of Sections 93-17-51 through 93-17-67.

SECTION 89. Section 93-17-101, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-101. (1) The Legislature finds that:

(a) Locating adoptive families for children for whom state assistance is desirable, pursuant to the Mississippi adoption assistance law, and assuring the protection of the interests of the children affected during the entire assistance period, require special measures when the adoptive parents move to other states or are residents of another state; and

(b) Providing medical and other necessary services for children, with state assistance, encounters special difficulties when the providing of services takes place in other states.

(2) The purposes of Sections 93-17-101 through 93-17-109 are to:

(a) Authorize the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services to enter into interstate agreements with agencies of other states for the protection of children on behalf of whom adoption assistance is being provided by the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services; and

(b) Provide procedures for interstate children's adoption assistance payments, including medical payments.

SECTION 90. Section 93-17-103, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-103. (1) The Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services is authorized to develop, participate in the development of, negotiate and enter into one or more interstate compacts on behalf of this state with other states to implement one or more of the purposes set forth in Sections 93-17-101 through 93-17-109. When so entered into, and for so long as it shall remain in force, such a compact shall have the force and effect of law.

(2) For the purposes of Sections 93-17-101 through 93-17-109, the term "state" shall mean a state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands or a territory or possession of or administered by the United States.

(3) For the purposes of Sections 93-17-101 through 93-17-109, the term "adoption assistance state" means the state that is signatory to an adoption assistance agreement in a particular case.

(4) For the purposes of Sections 93-17-101 through 93-17-109, the term "residence state" means the state of which the child is a resident by virtue of the residence of the adoptive parents.

SECTION 91. Section 93-17-107, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-107. (1) A child with special needs resident in this state who is the subject of an adoption assistance agreement with another state and who has been determined eligible for Medicaid in that state shall be entitled to receive a medical assistance identification from this state upon filing with the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services a certified copy of the adoption assistance agreement obtained from the adoption assistance state which certifies to the eligibility of the child for Medicaid. In accordance with regulations of the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services, the adoptive parents shall be required, at least annually, to show that the agreement is still in force or has been renewed.

(2) The Division of Medicaid, Office of the Governor, shall consider the holder of a medical assistance identification pursuant to this section as any other holder of a medical assistance identification under the laws of this state and shall process and make payment on claims on account of such holder in the same manner and pursuant to the same conditions and procedures as for other recipients of medical assistance.

(3) The submission of any claim for payment or reimbursement for services or benefits pursuant to this section or the making of any statement in connection therewith, which claim or statement the maker knows or should know to be false, misleading or fraudulent shall be punishable as perjury and shall also be subject to a fine not to exceed Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or imprisonment for not to exceed two (2) years, or both.

(4) The provisions of this section shall apply only to medical assistance for children under adoption assistance agreements from states that have entered into a compact with this state under which the other state provides medical assistance to children with special needs under adoption assistance agreements made by this state. All other children entitled to medical assistance pursuant to adoption assistance agreements entered into by this state shall be eligible to receive it in accordance with the laws and procedures applicable thereto.

SECTION 92. Section 93-17-109, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-109. Consistent with federal law, the Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services and the Division of Medicaid, Office of the Governor of the State of Mississippi, in connection with the administration of Sections 93-17-101 through 93-17-109 and any compact entered into pursuant hereto, shall include in any state plan made pursuant to the Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 (P.L. 96-272), Titles IV(e) and XIX of the Social Security Act, and any other applicable federal laws, the provision of adoption assistance and medical assistance for which the federal government pays some or all of the cost provided such authority is granted under the provisions of some law of this state other than the provisions of Sections 93-17-101 through 93-17-109. Such departments shall apply for and administer all relevant federal aid in accordance with law.

SECTION 93. Section 93-17-203, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-203. The following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(a) "Agency" means a county * * * ~~welfare~~ department of human services, the Department of Child Protection Services, a licensed or nonlicensed adoption agency or any other individual or entity assisting in the finalization of an adoption.

(b) "Adoptee" means a person who is or has been adopted in this state at any time.

(i) The mother designated on the adoptee's original birth certificate; or

(ii) The person named by the mother designated on the adoptee's original birth certificate as the father of the adoptee.

(d) "Board" means the Mississippi State Board of Health.

(e) "Bureau" means the Bureau of Vital Records of the Mississippi State Board of Health.

(f) "Licensed adoption agency" means any agency or organization performing adoption services and duly licensed by the Mississippi Department of * * * Child Protection Services.

SECTION 94. Section 93-17-209, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-17-209. (1) Whenever any person specified under Section 93-17-207 wishes to obtain medical, social or genetic background information about an adoptee or nonidentifying information about the birth parents of such adoptee, and the information is not on file with the bureau and the birth parents have not filed affidavits prohibiting a search to be conducted for them under the provisions of Sections 93-17-201 through 93-17-223, the person may request a licensed adoption agency to locate the birth parents to obtain the information.

(2) Employees of any agency conducting a search under this section may not inform any person other than the birth parents of the purpose of the search.

(3) The agency may charge the requester a reasonable fee for the cost of the search. When the agency determines that the fee will exceed One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) for either birth parent, it shall notify the requester. No fee in excess of One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per birth parent may be charged unless the requester, after receiving notification under this subsection, has given consent to proceed with the search.

(4) The agency conducting the search shall, upon locating a birth parent, notify him or her of the request and of the need for medical, social and genetic information.

(5) The agency shall release to the requester any medical or genetic information provided by a birth parent under this section without disclosing the birth parent's identity or location.

(6) If a birth parent is located but refuses to provide the information requested, the agency shall notify the requester, without disclosing the birth parent's identity or location, and the requester may petition the chancery court to order the birth parent to disclose the nonidentifying information. The court shall grant the motion for good cause shown.

(7) The Mississippi Department of * * * ~~Health and Human~~ Child Protection Services shall provide the bureau each year with a list of licensed adoption agencies in this state capable of performing the types of searches described in this section.

SECTION 95. Section 93-21-305, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-21-305. (1) There is * * * ~~hereby~~ established in the State Treasury a special fund to be known as the "Mississippi Children's Trust Fund."

(2) The fund shall consist of any monies appropriated to the fund by the Legislature, any donations, gifts and grants from any source, receipts from the birth certificate fees as provided by subsection (2) of Section 41-57-11, and any other monies which may be received from any other source or which may be hereafter provided by law.

(3) Monies in the fund shall be used only for the purposes set forth in Sections 93-21-301 through 93-21-311. Interest earned on the investment of monies in the fund shall be returned and deposited to the credit of the fund.

(4) Disbursements of money from the fund shall be on the authorization of the * * * Department of Child Protection Services.

(5) The primary purpose of the fund is to encourage and provide financial assistance in the provision of direct services to prevent child abuse and neglect.

SECTION 96. Section 93-21-307, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-21-307. The administration of the Mississippi Children's Trust Fund shall be vested in the * * * Department of Child Protection Services. In carrying out the provisions of Sections 93-21-301 through 93-21-311, the * * * Department of Child Protection Services shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) To assist in developing programs aimed at discovering and preventing the many factors causing child abuse and neglect;

(b) To prepare and disseminate, including the presentation of, educational programs and materials on child abuse and neglect;

(d) To help coordinate child protective services at the state, regional and local levels with the efforts of other state and voluntary social, medical and legal agencies;

(e) To provide advocacy for children in public and private state and local agencies affecting children;

(f) To encourage citizen and community awareness as to the needs and problems of children;

(g) To facilitate the exchange of information between groups concerned with families and children;

(h) To consult with state departments, agencies, commissions and boards to help determine the probable effectiveness, fiscal soundness and need for proposed educational and service programs for the prevention of child abuse and neglect;

(i) To adopt rules and regulations * * * in accordance with the Administrative Procedures Law to discharge its responsibilities;

(j) To report annually, through the annual report of the * * * ~~State~~ Department of * * * ~~Public Welfare~~ Child Protection Services, to the Governor and the Legislature concerning the * * * ~~division's~~ department's activities under Sections 93-21-301 through 93-21-311 and the effectiveness of those activities in fostering the prevention of child abuse and neglect;

(k) To recommend to the Governor and the Legislature changes in state programs, statutes, policies and standards which will reduce child abuse and neglect, improve coordination among state agencies which provide services to prevent abuse and neglect, improve the condition of children and assist parents and guardians;

(l) To evaluate and strengthen all local, regional and state programs dealing with child abuse and neglect;

(m) To prepare and submit annually to the Governor and the Legislature reports evaluating the level and quality of all programs, services and facilities provided to children by state agencies;

(n) To contract with public or private nonprofit institutions, organizations, agencies or schools or with qualified individuals for the establishment of community-based educational and service programs designed to reduce the occurrence of child abuse and neglect;

(o) To determine the eligibility of programs applying for financial assistance and to make grants and loans from the fund for the purposes set forth in Sections 93-21-301 through 93-21-311;

(p) To develop, within one (1) year after July 1, 1989, a state plan for the distribution of funds from the trust fund which shall assure that an equal opportunity exists for establishment of prevention programs and for receipt of trust fund * * * ~~money~~ monies among all geographic areas in this state, and to submit the plan to the Governor and the Legislature and annually thereafter submit revisions thereto as needed;

(q) To provide for the coordination and exchange of information on the establishment and maintenance of local prevention programs;

(r) To develop and publicize criteria for the receipt of trust fund * * * ~~money~~ monies by eligible local prevention programs;

(s) To enter into contracts with public or private agencies to fulfill the requirements of Sections 93-21-301 through 93-21-311; and

(t) Review, monitor and approve the expenditure of trust fund * * * ~~money~~ monies by eligible local programs.

SECTION 97. Section 93-21-309, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-21-309. (1) The * * * ~~division~~ Department of Child Protection Services may authorize the disbursement of money in the trust fund in the form of grants or loans for the following purposes, which are listed in order of preference for expenditure:

(a) To assist a community private, nonprofit organization or a local public organization or agency in the establishment and operation of a program or service for the prevention of child abuse and neglect;

(b) To assist in the expansion of an existing community program or service for the prevention of child abuse and neglect;

(c) To assist a community private, nonprofit organization or a local public organization or agency in the establishment and operation of an educational program regarding the problems of child abuse and neglect and the problems of families and children;

(d) To assist in the expansion of an existing community educational program regarding the problems of child abuse and neglect and the problems of families and children;

(e) To study and evaluate community-based prevention programs, projects or services and educational programs for the problems of families and children; and

(f) Any other similar and related programs, projects, services and educational programs that the * * * ~~division~~ department declares will implement the purposes and provisions of Sections 93-21-301 through 93-21-311.

(2) For the purposes of this section, the term "educational programs" includes instructional and demonstration projects the main purpose of which is to disseminate information and techniques for the prevention of child abuse and neglect and the prevention of problems of families and children.

(3) No money in the trust fund shall be expended to provide services, counseling or direct assistance for the voluntary termination of any pregnancy.

SECTION 98. Section 93-21-311, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-21-311. In making grants or loans from the trust fund, the * * * ~~division~~ Department of Child Protection Services shall consider the degree to which the applicant's proposal meets the following criteria:

(a) Has as its primary purpose the development and facilitation of a community-based prevention program in a specific geographical area, which program shall utilize trained volunteers and existing community resources where practicable;

(b) Is administered by an organization or group which is composed of or has participation by the county department of * * * ~~public welfare~~ human services, the county health department, the youth court or chancery court, the office of the district attorney, county or municipal law enforcement personnel, county or municipal school officials, local public or private organizations or agencies which provide programs or services for the prevention of child abuse and neglect and educational programs for the prevention of problems of families and children; and

(c) Demonstrates a willingness and ability and has a plan to provide prevention program models and consultations to appropriate organizations within the community regarding prevention program development and maintenance.

SECTION 99. Section 93-31-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

93-31-3. (1) (a) A parent or legal custodian of a child, by means of a properly executed power of attorney as provided in Section 93-31-5, may delegate to another willing person or persons as attorney-in-fact any of the powers regarding the care and custody of the child other than the following:

(i) The power to consent to marriage or adoption of the child;

(ii) The performance or inducement of an abortion on or for the child; or

(iii) The termination of parental rights to the child.

(b) A delegation of powers under this section does not:

(i) Change or modify any parental or legal rights, obligations, or authority established by an existing court order;

(ii) Deprive any custodial or noncustodial parent or legal guardian of any parental or legal rights, obligations, or authority regarding the custody, visitation, or support of the child; or

(iii) Affect a court's ability to determine the best interests of a child.

(c) If both parents are living and neither parent's parental rights have been terminated, both parents must execute the power of attorney. If a noncustodial parent is absent or unknown, the custodial parent must complete the affidavit contemplated under Section 93-31-5 and attach it to the power of attorney.

(d) A power of attorney under this chapter must be facilitated by either a child welfare agency that is licensed to place children for adoption and that is operating under the Safe Families for Children model or another charitable organization that is operating under the Safe Families for Children model. A full criminal history and child abuse and neglect background check must be conducted on any person who is not a grandparent, aunt, uncle, or sibling of the child if the person is:

(i) Designated or proposed to be designated as the attorney-in-fact; or

(ii) Is a person over the age of fifteen (15) who resides in the home of the designated attorney-in-fact.

(2) A power of attorney executed under this chapter shall not be used for the sole purposes of enrolling a child in a school to participate in the academic or interscholastic athletic programs provided by that school or for any other unlawful purposes, except as may be permitted by the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 114-95).

(3) The parent or legal custodian of the child has the authority to revoke or withdraw the power of attorney authorized by this section at any time. Upon the termination, expiration, or revocation of the power of attorney, the child must be returned to the custody of the parent or legal custodian.

(4) Until the authority expires or is revoked or withdrawn by the parent or legal custodian, the attorney-in-fact shall exercise parental or legal authority on a continuous basis without compensation for the duration of the power of attorney.

(5) The execution of a power of attorney by a parent or legal custodian does not, in the absence of other evidence, constitute abandonment, desertion, abuse, neglect, or any evidence of unfitness as a parent unless the parent or legal custodian fails to take custody of the child or execute a new power of attorney after the one-year time limit, or after a longer time period as allowed for a serving parent, has elapsed. Nothing in this subsection prevents the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services or law enforcement from investigating allegations of abuse, abandonment, desertion, neglect or other mistreatment of a child.

(6) When the custody of a child is transferred by a power of attorney under this chapter, the child is not considered to have been placed in foster care and the attorney-in-fact will not be subject to any of the requirements or licensing regulations for foster care or other regulations relating to out-of-home care for children and will not be subject to any statutes or regulations dealing with the licensing or regulation of foster care homes.

(7) (a) "Serving parent" means a parent who is a member of the Armed Forces of the United States, including any reserve component thereof, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps or the Public Health Service of the United States Department of Health and Human Services detailed by proper authority for duty with the Armed Forces of the United States, or who is required to enter or serve in the active military service of the United States under a call or order of the President of the United States or to serve on state active duty.

(b) A serving parent may delegate the powers designated in subsection (1) of this section for longer than one (1) year if on active-duty service or if scheduled to be on active-duty service. The term of delegation, however, may not exceed the term of active-duty service plus thirty (30) days.

(8) (a) A power of attorney under this chapter must be filed in the youth court of the county where the minor child or children reside at the time the form is completed, and the clerk of the youth court will not impose or collect a filing fee. The filing is informational only, and no judicial intervention shall result at the time of filing.

(b) The power of attorney must be entered into the Mississippi Youth Court Information Delivery System (MYCIDS) under Section 43-21-351, and must be administratively reviewed by the youth court judge or referee, or a person designated by the youth court judge or referee, to ensure the safety of the child or children who are the subjects of the power of attorney one (1) year after the date of execution.

SECTION 100. Section 97-5-24, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

97-5-24. If any person eighteen (18) years or older who is employed by any public school district or private school in this state is accused of fondling or having any type of sexual involvement with any child under the age of eighteen (18) years who is enrolled in such school, the principal of such school and the superintendent of such school district shall timely notify the district attorney with jurisdiction where the school is located of such accusation, the Mississippi Department of Education and the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, provided that such accusation is reported to the principal and to the school superintendent and that there is a reasonable basis to believe that such accusation is true. Any superintendent, or his designee, who fails to make a report required by this section shall be subject to the penalties provided in Section 37-11-35. Any superintendent, principal, teacher or other school personnel participating in the making of a required report pursuant to this section or participating in any judicial proceeding resulting therefrom shall be presumed to be acting in good faith. Any person reporting in good faith shall be immune from any civil liability that might otherwise be incurred or imposed.

SECTION 101. Section 97-5-39, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

97-5-39. (1) (a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, any parent, guardian or other person who intentionally, knowingly or recklessly commits any act or omits the performance of any duty, which act or omission contributes to or tends to contribute to the neglect or delinquency of any child or which act or omission results in the abuse of any child, as defined in Section 43-21-105(m) of the Youth Court Law, or who knowingly aids any child in escaping or absenting himself from the guardianship or custody of any person, agency or institution, or knowingly harbors or conceals, or aids in harboring or concealing, any child who has absented himself without permission from the guardianship or custody of any person, agency or institution to which the child shall have been committed by the youth court shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be punished by a fine not to exceed One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment not to exceed one (1) year in jail, or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(b) For the purpose of this section, a child is a person who has not reached his eighteenth birthday. A child who has not reached his eighteenth birthday and is on active duty for a branch of the armed services, or who is married, is not considered a child for the purposes of this statute.

(c) If a child commits one (1) of the proscribed acts in subsection (2)(a), (b) or (c) of this section upon another child, then original jurisdiction of all such offenses shall be in youth court.

(d) If the child's deprivation of necessary clothing, shelter, health care or supervision appropriate to the child's age results in substantial harm to the child's physical, mental or emotional health, the person may be sentenced to imprisonment in custody of the Department of Corrections for not more than five (5) years or to payment of a fine of not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or both.

(e) A parent, legal guardian or other person who knowingly permits the continuing physical or sexual abuse of a child is guilty of neglect of a child and may be sentenced to imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for not more than ten (10) years or to payment of a fine of not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or both.

(2) Any person shall be guilty of felonious child abuse in the following circumstances:

(a) Whether bodily harm results or not, if the person shall intentionally, knowingly or recklessly:

(i) Burn any child;

(ii) Physically torture any child;

(iii) Strangle, choke, smother or in any way interfere with any child's breathing;

(iv) Poison a child;

(v) Starve a child of nourishments needed to sustain life or growth;

(vi) Use any type of deadly weapon upon any child;

(b) If some bodily harm to any child actually occurs, and if the person shall intentionally, knowingly or recklessly:

(i) Throw, kick, bite, or cut any child;

(ii) Strike a child under the age of fourteen (14) about the face or head with a closed fist;

(iii) Strike a child under the age of five (5) in the face or head;

(iv) Kick, bite, cut or strike a child's genitals; circumcision of a male child is not a violation under this subparagraph (iv);

(i) Strike any child on the face or head;

(ii) Disfigure or scar any child;

(iii) Whip, strike or otherwise abuse any child;

(d) Any person, upon conviction under paragraph (a) or (c) of this subsection, shall be sentenced by the court to imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a term of not less than five (5) years and up to life, as determined by the court. Any person, upon conviction under paragraph (b) of this subsection shall be sentenced by the court to imprisonment in the custody of the Department of Corrections for a term of not less than two (2) years nor more than ten (10) years, as determined by the court. For any second or subsequent conviction under this subsection (2), the person shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life.

(e) For the purposes of this subsection (2), "bodily harm" means any bodily injury to a child and includes, but is not limited to, bruising, bleeding, lacerations, soft tissue swelling, and external or internal swelling of any body organ.

(f) For the purposes of this subsection (2), "serious bodily harm" means any serious bodily injury to a child and includes, but is not limited to, the fracture of a bone, permanent disfigurement, permanent scarring, or any internal bleeding or internal trauma to any organ, any brain damage, any injury to the eye or ear of a child or other vital organ, and impairment of any bodily function.

(g) Nothing contained in paragraph (c) of this subsection shall preclude a parent or guardian from disciplining a child of that parent or guardian, or shall preclude a person in loco parentis to a child from disciplining that child, if done in a reasonable manner, and reasonable corporal punishment or reasonable discipline as to that parent or guardian's child or child to whom a person stands in loco parentis shall be a defense to any violation charged under paragraph (c) of this subsection.

(h) Reasonable discipline and reasonable corporal punishment shall not be a defense to acts described in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection or if a child suffers serious bodily harm as a result of any act prohibited under paragraph (c) of this subsection.

(3) Nothing contained in this section shall prevent proceedings against the parent, guardian or other person under any statute of this state or any municipal ordinance defining any act as a crime or misdemeanor. Nothing in the provisions of this section shall preclude any person from having a right to trial by jury when charged with having violated the provisions of this section.

(4) (a) A parent, legal guardian or caretaker who endangers a child's person or health by knowingly causing or permitting the child to be present where any person is selling, manufacturing or possessing immediate precursors or chemical substances with intent to manufacture, sell or possess a controlled substance as prohibited under Section 41-29-139 or 41-29-313, is guilty of child endangerment and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than ten (10) years or to payment of a fine of not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or both.

(b) If the endangerment results in substantial harm to the child's physical, mental or emotional health, the person may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than twenty (20) years or to payment of a fine of not more than Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00), or both.

(5) Nothing contained in this section shall prevent proceedings against the parent, guardian or other person under any statute of this state or any municipal ordinance defining any act as a crime or misdemeanor. Nothing in the provisions of this section shall preclude any person from having a right to trial by jury when charged with having violated the provisions of this section.

(6) After consultation with the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, a regional mental health center or an appropriate professional person, a judge may suspend imposition or execution of a sentence provided in subsections (1) and (2) of this section and in lieu thereof require treatment over a specified period of time at any approved public or private treatment facility. A person may be eligible for treatment in lieu of criminal penalties no more than one (1) time.

(7) In any proceeding resulting from a report made pursuant to Section 43-21-353 of the Youth Court Law, the testimony of the physician making the report regarding the child's injuries or condition or cause thereof shall not be excluded on the ground that the physician's testimony violates the physician-patient privilege or similar privilege or rule against disclosure. The physician's report shall not be considered as evidence unless introduced as an exhibit to his testimony.

(8) Any criminal prosecution arising from a violation of this section shall be tried in the circuit, county, justice or municipal court having jurisdiction; provided, however, that nothing herein shall abridge or dilute the contempt powers of the youth court.

SECTION 102. Section 99-41-17, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

99-41-17. (1) Compensation shall not be awarded under this chapter:

(a) Unless the criminally injurious conduct occurred after July 1, 1991;

(b) Unless the claim has been filed with the director within thirty-six (36) months after the crime occurred, or in cases of child sexual abuse, within thirty-six (36) months after the crime was reported to law enforcement or the Department of * * * ~~Human~~ Child Protection Services, but in no event later than the victim's twenty-fifth birthday. For good cause, the director may extend the time period allowed for filing a claim for an additional period not to exceed twelve (12) months;

(c) To a claimant or victim who was the offender or an accomplice to the offender, or, except in cases of children under the age of consent as specified in Section 97-3-65, 97-3-97 or 97-5-23, Mississippi Code of 1972, who encouraged or in any way knowingly participated in criminally injurious conduct;

(d) To another person, if the award would unjustly benefit the offender or accomplice;

(e) Unless the criminally injurious conduct resulting in injury or death was reported to a law enforcement officer within seventy-two (72) hours after its occurrence or unless it is found that there was good cause for the failure to report within such time;

(f) To any claimant or victim when the injury or death occurred while the victim was confined in any federal, state, county or city jail or correctional facility;

(g) If the victim was injured as a result of the operation of a motor vehicle, boat or airplane, unless the vehicle was used by the offender (i) while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, (ii) as a weapon in the deliberate attempt to injure or cause the death of the victim, (iii) in a hit-and-run accident by leaving the scene of an accident as specified in Section 63-3-401, (iv) to flee apprehension by law enforcement as specified in Sections 97-9-72 and 97-9-73, or (v) causes any injury to a child who is in the process of boarding or exiting a school bus in the course of a violation of Section 63-3-615;

(h) If, following the filing of an application, the claimant failed to take further steps as required by the division to support the application within forty-five (45) days of such request made by the director or failed to otherwise cooperate with requests of the director to determine eligibility, unless failure to provide information was beyond the control of the claimant;

(i) To a claimant or victim who, subsequent to the injury for which application is made, is convicted of any felony, and the conviction becomes known to the director;

(j) To any claimant or victim who has been under the actual or constructive supervision of a department of corrections for a felony conviction within five (5) years prior to the injury or death for which application has been made;

(k) To any claimant or victim who, at the time of the criminally injurious conduct upon which the claim for compensation is based, engaged in conduct unrelated to the crime upon which the claim for compensation is based that either was (i) a felony, or (ii) a delinquent act which, if committed by an adult, would constitute a felony;

(l) To any claimant or victim who knowingly furnishes any false or misleading information or knowingly fails or omits to disclose a material fact or circumstance.

(2) Compensation otherwise payable to a claimant shall be diminished to the extent:

(a) That the economic loss is recouped from other sources, including collateral sources; and

(b) Of the degree of responsibility for the cause of injury or death attributable to the victim or claimant.

(3) Upon a finding that the claimant or victim has not fully cooperated with appropriate law enforcement agencies and prosecuting attorneys, an award of compensation may be denied, withdrawn or reduced.

(4) Compensation otherwise payable to a claimant or victim may be denied or reduced to a claimant or victim who, at the time of the crime upon which the claim for compensation is based, was engaging in or attempting to engage in other unlawful activity unrelated to the crime upon which the claim for compensation is based.

SECTION 103. Sections 43-1-30, 43-1-51, 43-1-53, 43-1-57, 43-1-59, 43-1-63, 43-51-1 and 43-51-9, Mississippi Code of 1972, which created the Mississippi TANF Implementation Council, created the Division of Family and Children's Services within the Department of Human Services, provides the title for the Family Preservation Act, and requires an ongoing evaluation and report on family preservation services, are repealed.

SECTION 104. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2023.