AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 25-60-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO ALLOW THE MONIES IN THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT RECORDS MANAGEMENT FUND TO BE EXPENDED TO SUPPORT THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHIVES AND HISTORY SERVICES TO COUNTIES AND MUNICIPALITIES RELATED TO RECORD MANAGEMENT, HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND MUSEUM SERVICES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
Summary
Senate Bill 2372 amends Mississippi’s records filing fee statute to broaden how money in the Local Government Records Management Fund may be used. Under current law, a $1 filing fee collected by county and municipal officials is split between local governments and the state fund, and the local share must be used for proper management of official records. The bill keeps that fee structure in place but clarifies and expands the state fund’s authorized uses so the Department of Archives and History may spend appropriated funds not only on the Local Government Records Office and a local records management grant program, but also on services to counties and municipalities related to records management, historic preservation, and museum services.
The bill does not create a new fee or change who pays it; instead, it adjusts the permissible uses of existing revenues already deposited into the Local Government Records Management Fund. Counties and municipalities that collect the fee would continue to retain 50 cents per filing when monthly collections reach $300 or more, or remit the local share quarterly when collections are below that threshold. The measure takes effect July 1, 2026, and preserves the existing requirement that counties opt in by board resolution before collecting the fee.
In practical terms, SB 2372 would give the Department of Archives and History broader authority to support local governments with records-related services and related cultural preservation functions. That could affect county and municipal recordkeeping programs, grant administration, and state support for historic preservation and museum services, while leaving the underlying filing-fee collection process unchanged.
The available legislative history shows strong support in the Senate: the bill passed 52-0. No committee transcript was provided, and there is no recorded opposition in the materials supplied. The unanimous vote suggests the measure was viewed as a technical or administrative expansion of an existing funding mechanism rather than a controversial policy change.
Impact
SB 2372 amends Section 25-60-5 of the Mississippi Code to expand the authorized uses of the Local Government Records Management Fund. It allows appropriated fund money to support Department of Archives and History services to counties and municipalities related to records management, historic preservation, and museum services, in addition to the existing Local Government Records Office and local records management grant program. The bill leaves the $1 filing fee structure and local retention/remittance rules intact, and it does not alter the county opt-in requirement for collecting the fee.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have been received positively and without controversy in the Senate. It passed unanimously, 52-0, indicating broad bipartisan or at least chamber-wide agreement. With no committee transcript available, there is no evidence of significant debate or concern in the materials provided.
Contention
No notable contention is reflected in the available record. The only potential policy question is the broadened use of records-management funds for historic preservation and museum services, which may be seen as expanding the scope of a fee-supported program beyond core records administration. However, the unanimous Senate vote suggests that any such concern was minimal or not raised in the materials provided.