MS HB599

Expands the Mississippi Accountability and Transparency Act of 2008 to include counties and municipalities within the definition of "agency," removing their previous exclusion from state transparency requirements

Requires counties with populations of 20,000 or greater and municipalities with populations of 10,000 or greater to create and maintain accountability and transparency websites by July 1, 2023, providing public access to financial reports, audits, budgets, and expenditure information

Mandates that state agencies, counties, municipalities, universities, community colleges, and community hospitals publicly disclose any expenditures of $150,000 or more used to pay settlements for sexual harassment claims on their official websites

Requires all transparency websites to have user-friendly interfaces with "plain English" content, easy navigation, and searchable formats without requiring tedious plug-in downloads

Applies to public funds from all funding sources, including insurance plans paid for by taxpayers, with effective date of July 1, 2022