MS HB172

Amends Mississippi Code sections 67-1-5 and 67-1-16 to expand the definition of "qualified resort area" to include municipalities meeting specific population and geographic criteria.

Adds two new categories of municipalities eligible to be qualified resort areas: municipalities with populations over 10,000 in Pearl River-bordered counties without I-20 traversal, and municipalities with populations over 7,000 in counties containing American Indian reservations and traversed by Mississippi Highway 15.

Requires municipalities designated as qualified resort areas to hold elections before establishment, with elections ordered upon petition of at least 20% of qualified voters and held no more than once per year.

Specifies that 30 days' notice must be given to qualified electors and that a majority vote is required to establish a qualified resort area in the municipality.

Requires submission to the U.S. Attorney General for Voting Rights Act compliance and makes the act effective upon approval under the Voting Rights Act of 1965.