"Donald J. Trump Ban-the-Box Act"; create to prohibit public employers from using criminal history as a bar to employment.

HB 201, the "Donald J. Trump Ban-the-Box Act," prohibits Mississippi public employers (including state agencies, colleges, hospitals, and government institutions) from asking about an applicant’s criminal history before an interview. It requires employers to delay criminal history inquiries until after a conditional job offer and to consider factors like the offense’s severity, time elapsed since the offense, and relevance to the job before denying employment. The bill also bans disqualification based solely on unconvicted arrests and mandates employers to inform applicants of adverse decisions tied to background checks and allow applicants to dispute inaccuracies. This law directly affects public hiring practices across Mississippi state government and public institutions, effective July 1, 2026.