Senate Bill 2779

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 27-19-155, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO GRANT A PREFERENCE FOR AWARDING CONTRACT FOR MANUFACTURE OF STATE TAGS TO MISSISSIPPI PRISON INDUSTRIES IF THE BID IS COMPETITIVE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 27-19-155, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

27-19-155. The license or number tag herein provided for shall be purchased by the License Tag Commission, composed of the Governor, Commissioner of Revenue, Attorney General, and the State Treasurer, upon competitive bids, after having given three (3) weeks' notice of the time and place of purchase, by publishing said notice in at least three (3) newspapers, at least one (1) of which shall be published in the State of Mississippi, for a period of three (3) weeks prior to the date of purchase. If the nonprofit corporation created under the Mississippi Prison Industries Act of 1990 submits a competitive bid that is not greater than ten percent (10%) above the lowest and best bid, then the contract shall be awarded to that nonprofit corporation for an initial term of three (3) years. The successful bidder shall enter into a bond with some surety company, authorized to do business in the state, as surety thereon, payable to the State of Mississippi, in a sum equal to the amount of his contract, conditioned for the faithful and prompt carrying out of the bid, and, in the event of the failure to comply with the terms of the contract, the amount of the bond shall be forfeited as liquidated damages and may be recovered by the Attorney General in any appropriate action. The License Tag Commission is hereby authorized and empowered to renegotiate any contract entered into for the purchase of license tags in order to obtain any other or additional tags necessitated by the passage of this article.

All license tags and numbered plates purchased under the provisions of this article, shall be paid for pursuant to an appropriation to be made for such purposes. All monies received by the State Tax Commission as registration or tag fees, either from the tax collectors, or from licenses issued by the State Tax Commission, shall be paid into the State Treasury on the same day in which such funds are collected by the State Tax Commission.

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