Senate Bill 2834

AN ACT TO PRESCRIBE THE CRIME OF UNLAWFUL DESTRUCTION OF ANY CONFEDERATE HISTORIC STRUCTURE; TO PROVIDE PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) It shall be unlawful for any person, not being the owner thereof and without lawful authority, to willfully injure, disfigure, remove or destroy any Confederate historic structure, Confederate monument, Confederate marker or Confederate artifact.

(2) Any person violating any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) nor more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00), or by confinement in jail for not more than thirty (30) days, or by both such fine and confinement. Each day of continued violation of any provision of this section shall constitute a distinct and separate offense for which the offender may be punished.

(3) The Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, at its discretion, may grant a "finder's fee," not to exceed Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00), upon the arrest and conviction of any person in violation of this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2004.