AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 47-7-49, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO EXTEND THE DATE OF THE REPEALER ON THE AUTHORITY OF THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS TO COLLECT MONTHLY FEES FROM OFFENDERS WHO ARE ON PROBATION, PAROLE OR ANY OTHER FIELD SUPERVISION AND TO DEPOSIT THOSE FEES INTO THE COMMUNITY SERVICE REVOLVING FUND; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
HB 1630 amends Section 47-7-49 of the Mississippi Code to extend the sunset date on the Mississippi Department of Corrections’ authority to collect monthly supervision fees from offenders on probation, parole, earned-release supervision, post-release supervision, earned probation, or other field supervision. The bill keeps the existing $55 monthly payment requirement in place, along with the current hardship waiver process, the 60-day deadline for an initial payment after release, and the rule that no offender may be required to pay for more than 10 years.
The bill also preserves the current distribution of those payments: $50 goes to the Community Service Revolving Fund, $3 to the Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund, and $2 to the Training Revolving Fund. The Community Service Revolving Fund continues to support restitution and satellite centers, the Drug Identification Program, and intensive and field supervision operations, including salaries, equipment, supplies, and vehicles. The act would take effect July 1, 2026, and extends the repealer date from June 30, 2026, to June 30, 2029, thereby continuing the fee-collection authority for three additional years.
HB 1630 does not create a new fee structure; it extends the existing statutory authority for MDOC to collect supervision fees and deposit them into designated state funds. By moving the repeal date to 2029, the bill preserves the funding stream for community supervision operations, victim compensation, and correctional training, and it keeps in force the related enforcement provisions, including the possibility of imprisonment for willful nonpayment when the offender is financially able to pay. The bill affects offenders under community supervision, the Department of Corrections, and the state funds that receive the revenue.
The bill appears to have been broadly supported, as reflected by the House vote of 118-0. The absence of recorded committee debate in the provided materials suggests little visible controversy in the available record, and the measure was treated as a continuation of an existing funding mechanism rather than a major policy change. Overall, the sentiment in the House was strongly favorable and nonpartisan.
The main policy issue underlying the bill is the continued imposition of monthly fees on people under correctional supervision, including those on probation and parole. Potential concerns typically center on the burden these fees place on low-income offenders, the availability and duration of hardship waivers, and the fairness of enforcement provisions that allow imprisonment for nonpayment when the court finds the offender able to pay. Supporters, by contrast, are likely to emphasize the revenue’s role in funding supervision services, restitution centers, victim compensation, and training programs. No specific opposition is documented in the provided vote or transcript materials.