HB 1706 Mississippi House · 2026 Regular Session

18th Circuit Court District; increase ADA's and investigators.

HB 1706 increases the authorized number of legal assistants (not investigators) in 23 Mississippi circuit court districts, with specific raises effective January 1, 2027. For example, the Eighteenth Circuit Court District will add five new legal assistants (rising from three to eight), while the Twentieth Circuit will add three (from seven to ten). The bill establishes two tiers: base staffing levels (Section 25-31-5) and optional additional positions (Section 25-31-10) if funds are appropriated or local counties adopt resolutions to cover costs. These changes directly affect prosecutors and court operations in the specified districts, with some provisions (like the Twenty-third Circuit’s extra staff) set to expire by 2027.

Bill status died 1 of 4 stages cleared

Introduction

Jan 2026

Committee Review

Floor Vote

Governor

Introduced Jan 19, 2026 Last action Feb 12, 2026

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What changed between versions

As Introduced → Current version · 7 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended to expand its scope from only the Eighteenth Circuit Court District to multiple circuit court districts across Mississippi. The changes increase the number of authorized assistant district attorneys and investigators for various districts, update effective dates for several districts, and reorganize the legislative text for clarity. These modifications allow more districts to receive additional legal support staff based on available funding.

Scope change

The bill's scope was significantly expanded from applying only to the Eighteenth Circuit Court District to now applying to multiple circuit court districts throughout Mississippi, including First through Twenty-third Circuit Court Districts.

SCOPE

Changed the bill title and scope from increasing staff for only the Eighteenth Circuit Court District to increasing staff for certain circuit court districts across the state.

REQUIREMENT

Updated the number of authorized legal assistants for multiple circuit court districts, with some districts receiving increases in staff numbers and others having their effective dates changed.

Reorganized the structure of Section 25-31-5 to list circuit court districts in a different order and format, with some districts having their staff numbers increased or decreased.

Updated Section 25-31-10 to reflect the expanded scope, changing which circuit court districts are eligible for additional criminal investigators and adjusting the total number of investigators allowed per district.

Adjusted the number of additional legal assistants authorized under subsection (2) for various circuit court districts, with some districts receiving more staff than originally authorized.

TIMELINE

Modified effective dates for various circuit court districts, with some changes moving from January 1, 2026 to January 1, 2027, and others having their repeal dates adjusted.

Changed the repeal date for the Twenty-third Circuit Court District's additional legal assistants from January 1, 2027 to January 1, 2031.

Floor votes

How they voted

No floor votes recorded yet.

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Feb 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

lower

Jan 19, 2026

Committee

Referred To Judiciary B;Appropriations A

lower

1 primary · 0 co-sponsors