House Resolution 22 Summary

• Requires racial and ethnic impact statements be attached to bills, concurrent resolutions, or amendments that create new criminal offenses, significantly change existing offenses or penalties, or modify sentencing, parole, or probation procedures before floor debate.

• Authorizes the Department of Public Safety's Office of Public Safety Planning, in consultation with the Mississippi Department of Corrections, to prepare impact statements that must be factual, impartial, and include estimates of how legislation affects racial and ethnic composition of offenders and crime victims.

• Allows legislators to motion for impact statements during floor debate if not previously attached, with the Office of Public Safety Planning required to prepare the statement upon approval.

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

• Establishes the Department of Finance and Administration to create and distribute a standardized racial and ethnic impact statement form for state agencies to use in grant applications, with statements intended for informational purposes only.