Senate Bill 2499 Summary

• Authorizes the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, Office of Public Safety Planning, in consultation with the Department of Corrections, to prepare racial and ethnic impact statements examining how proposed legislation or ballot measures affect the criminal offender population.

• Requires one legislator from each major political party to sign a written request to obtain a racial and ethnic impact statement that estimates changes to racial and ethnic composition of the criminal offender population and includes methodologies and victim demographic impacts.

• Mandates the Secretary of State to hold a public hearing in Jackson by the 95th day before an election on any ballot measure with a prepared impact statement, with certification required by the 90th day before the election.

• Requires state agencies awarding grants to include racial and ethnic impact statements in grant applications identifying disproportionate impacts on minority persons, rationales for such impacts, and evidence of consultation with minority representatives.

• Amends Section 23-17-45 to include any prepared racial and ethnic impact statements in the ballot pamphlet published by the Secretary of State alongside ballot measures and fiscal analyses; effective July 1, 2015.