House Bill 112

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 1-5-7, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL NOT PROVIDE FREE COPIES OF THE GENERAL LAWS AND JOURNALS OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS TO THE SHERIFFS UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED IN WRITING; TO AMEND SECTION 7-3-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE SHALL NOT PROVIDE FREE COPIES OF THE SOUTHERN REPORTER-MISSISSIPPI CASES TO THE SHERIFFS UNLESS SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED IN WRITING; TO AMEND SECTION 31-1-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF COPIES OF THE GENERAL LAWS AND JOURNALS OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS THAT THE SECRETARY OF STATE IS REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN FOR MORE THAN THREE YEARS AFTER THE PUBLICATION DATE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. Section 1-5-7, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

1-5-7. The Office of the Secretary of State shall distribute and transmit, free of cost, the general laws and journals of each session of the Legislature, as follows: One (1) volume of each to the following: Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, State Auditor, State Treasurer, Clerk of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals; Mississippi State University, Mississippi University for Women, Alcorn State University, University of Southern Mississippi, Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Valley State University, University of Mississippi and University of Mississippi School of Law; the sheriff of each county for the county law library if the sheriff specifically requests copies of the general laws and journals in writing; each member of the Legislature; the Secretary of the Senate; the Clerk of the House; each attorney employed in the Legislative Services Offices of the House of Representatives and the Senate; each legislative committee meeting room in the New Capitol; the Legislative Reference Bureau; the Legislative Budget Office; the Department of Archives and History; and the Library of Congress at Washington, D.C. The copies to be provided each member of the Legislature and each attorney employed in the Legislative Services Offices of the House and Senate shall not be provided unless specifically requested by such legislator or attorney in writing. The Office of the Secretary of State shall provide, free of cost, one (1) volume of the local and private laws to each attorney employed in the Legislative Services Offices of the House of Representatives and the Senate; each legislative committee meeting room in the New Capitol; and the Legislative Reference Bureau; however, the copies to be provided each attorney employed in the Legislative Services Offices of the House and Senate shall not be provided unless specifically requested by such attorney in writing.

In addition to the volumes provided to the Legislative Services Offices' attorneys under this section, four (4) volumes of the general laws, three (3) volumes of the local and private laws and two (2) volumes of the journal of the particular house involved shall be provided free of cost to the Legislative Services Offices of the House of Representatives and the Senate. Receipt of any number of volumes that are to be provided to the Legislative Services Offices and their attorneys under this section may be waived in writing by the Director of the Legislative Services Office of either house.

SECTION 2. Section 7-3-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

7-3-15. The Secretary of State shall transmit, free of cost, one (1) copy of each volume of "Southern Reporter-Mississippi Cases" to the sheriff of each county of the state, for the county library, if the sheriff specifically requests copies of the volumes of "Southern Reporter-Mississippi Cases" in writing; one (1) copy of each volume thereof to each of the following educational institutions: Mississippi State University, Alcorn State University, Mississippi University for Women, Mississippi College School of Law, Delta State University, Jackson State University, Mississippi Valley State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi; ten (10) copies of each volume thereof to the University of Mississippi; and one (1) copy of each volume to the Library of Congress at Washington, D.C.

The above provisions of this section are made in recognition of benefits received through receipt at depository libraries and elsewhere in the State of Mississippi of public documents of the United States under the provisions of federal and state laws.

SECTION 3. Section 31-1-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

31-1-15. The acts of the Legislature shall be printed in two (2) volumes, one (1) volume containing the public or general acts of the Legislature and the other volume the local and private acts of the Legislature, but for use of state departments the two (2) volumes can be combined. The number of general or public acts of the Legislature, of the local and private acts of the Legislature, of the journals of the Senate and the House of Representatives, of the Governor's message, and of the reports of officers, boards, and institutions to be printed, severally and respectively, shall be left within the discretion of the Secretary of State; and the Secretary of State may sell at a price, approximately the cost of publication, such copies of the laws and journals as may not be needed in the distribution, now or hereinafter required, and for the use of the Legislature and officers of the state.

The Secretary of State is authorized to dispose of all copies of the laws and journals after having kept same and failed to sell same as is provided by law at the expiration of a period of three (3) years from the date of publication. However, the Secretary of State shall keep a minimum of five (5) copies of each such publication on file in his office.

SECTION 4. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2012.