Senate Bill NO. 2604

By Senator(s) Huggins

(4) Any residential child-caring agency and/or child placing agency operated or conducted under the auspices of a religious institution and meeting the requirements or conditions of this section shall be exempt from the licensure requirements of this chapter under the following conditions: (a) such religious institution must have a tax exempt status as a nonprofit religious institution in accordance with Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, as amended, or the real property owned and exclusively occupied by the religious institution must be exempt from location taxation, and (b) the agency or institution must be in compliance with the requirements of the Child Residential Home Notification Act, Section 43-16-1 et seq., Mississippi Code of 1972, as amended, and must not be in violation of Section 43-16-21(c) regarding the abuse and/or neglect of any child served by such home who has been adjudicated by the youth court as an abused and/or neglected child. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit a residential child-caring agency or child placing agency operated by or conducted under the auspices of a religious institution from obtaining a license pursuant to this chapter.