MS HB386

Amends Section 9-21-43 to explicitly specify funding sources for the Civil Legal Assistance Fund, which provides legal services to low-income Mississippians and is administered by the Supreme Court through the Administrative Office of Courts.

Funding sources include $5.00 fees collected on each civil filing in both chancery and circuit courts, fees from specialized license tags, and any other monies appropriated by the Legislature or donated from public/private sources.

Reenacts two license tag programs (repealed in 2018) that charged $30.00 additional annual fees, with $24.00 of each fee directed to the Civil Legal Assistance Fund.

Fund recipients must provide free civil legal services to indigent clients, report annually to the Supreme Court with audited financial statements, and refund unused monies; funds cannot be used for matters prohibited by the federal Legal Services Corporation.

Effective date is July 1, 2026.