Sexual battery; create a mandatory minimum for penalties.
HB 525 creates mandatory minimum prison sentences for sexual battery convictions in Mississippi, directly affecting individuals convicted of this crime and their victims. The bill sets specific minimum terms: 5 years for first offenses involving victims under 16, 10 years for repeat offenses, and life imprisonment for certain cases under Section 97-3-95(1)(d). It also requires courts to issue criminal sexual assault protection orders prohibiting offender-victim contact, mandating registry entry within 24 hours and a minimum 2-year duration post-sentence. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and applies to all sexual battery convictions under the amended statute.
Bill status
signed
all 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Feb 2026
Committee Review
Apr 2026
House Passage
Feb 2026
Senate Passage
Mar 2026
Signed into Law
Apr 2026
Introduced Feb 12, 2026
Signed Apr 8, 2026
Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons
What changed between versions
As Passed the lower
→
Current version
·
4 edits
MODERATE
The bill was updated to reflect its progression from the House to the Governor, with significant modifications to sentencing guidelines for sexual battery. The most critical change involves removing specific age-based sentencing enhancements for victims under sixteen in certain subsections, while retaining mandatory minimums for other scenarios. Additionally, the text was cleaned up to remove redundant parenthetical references to specific code subsections in the introductory language.
Scope change
The bill's scope regarding mandatory minimum sentencing was narrowed in specific instances by removing the requirement to impose enhanced minimum sentences when the victim is under sixteen for certain subsections of sexual battery, though other mandatory minimums remain.
REQUIREMENT
Removed the specific clause requiring a minimum five-year sentence for sexual battery under Section 97-3-95(1)(a), (b), or (2) when the victim is under sixteen, replacing it with a general commitment to the Department of Corrections.
Removed the specific clause requiring a minimum five-year sentence for sexual battery under Section 97-3-95(1)(c) when the victim is under sixteen, simplifying the sentencing language.
TECHNICAL
Updated the bill header and title from 'As Passed the House' to 'As Sent to Governor' to reflect the legislative process stage.
Removed redundant parenthetical references to specific code subsections in the opening sentence of Section 1, streamlining the text.
Floor votes · Senate Mar 10, 2026 · House Feb 11, 2026
How they voted
46–5
Passed · 1 other
Total votes 52
Mar 10, 2026
D
Democratic18
66% Yea
R
Republican34
100% Yea
Vote distribution
All Yea
All Nay
Mixed
No data
Full legislative history
Actions timeline
Total actions
20
Key actions
9
Committee
7
Amendments
1
Apr 8, 2026
Signed into law
Approved by Governor
executive
Apr 1, 2026
Upper · Passed
Conference Report Adopted
upper
Mar 31, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Report Adopted
lower
Mar 30, 2026
Lower · Passed
Conference Report Filed
lower
Mar 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Passed As Amended
upper
Mar 10, 2026
Upper · Passed
Amended
upper
Mar 3, 2026
Upper · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass As Amended
upper
Feb 17, 2026
Committee
Referred To Judiciary, Division B
upper
Feb 12, 2026
Introduced
Transmitted To Senate
lower
Feb 11, 2026
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
Feb 3, 2026
Lower · Passed
Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub
lower
Jan 12, 2026
Committee
Referred To Judiciary B
lower
1 primary · 6 co-sponsors
Sponsors
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