HB 734 Mississippi House · 2026 Regular Session

Oyster reefs; clarify the designation of public reefs for purposes of leasing.

HB 734 amends Mississippi Code sections 49-15-27 and 49-15-36 to clarify regulations for leasing oyster reefs. It designates specific historical reefs (like Pass Christian Tonging and Henderson Point) as state-owned public reefs, while opening others (such as Telegraph Reef) for leasing under new rules. The bill requires lessees to be Mississippi residents or state-organized entities, limits leases to 1-2,500 acres, and prioritizes applications based on oyster cultivation experience, FDA shellfish registration, and financial capability. Lessees must actively cultivate oysters, submit annual reports, and pay prorated annual rent for 15-year leases with renewal options. This directly affects oyster farmers, shellfish businesses, and the state’s management of coastal marine resources.

Issues: ✓ Environment

Bill status died 4 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

House Passage

Feb 2026

Senate Passage

Mar 2026

Governor

Introduced Feb 12, 2026 Last action Mar 30, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

Committee Substitute → Current version · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill title was updated to reflect it passed the House rather than being a committee substitute. The substantive content of the bill remains largely unchanged, with only minor formatting adjustments to text formatting and line breaks. The effective date provision was modified to include a repeal date of June 30, 2026, which appears to be an error since the bill is for the 2026 Regular Session and would take effect July 1, 2026.

TIMELINE

Added a repeal date of June 30, 2026 to the effective date provision, which appears inconsistent with the bill's 2026 Regular Session timing.

TECHNICAL

Updated bill title and version designation from 'Committee Substitute' to 'As Passed the House'.

Minor formatting changes including text reflow and removal of some special characters throughout the document.

As Introduced → Committee Substitute · 10 edits

MAJOR

The bill was amended to clarify which oyster reefs are state-owned versus available for lease, increase the percentage of reefs that can be designated as state-owned, add new penalties for non-payment of rent, and establish a timeline for updating existing leases to comply with new regulations. These changes aim to improve oyster reef management, protect public resources, and ensure consistent enforcement of leasing terms.

Scope change

The bill now explicitly designates specific historical reefs as state-owned public reefs and clarifies that all other unleased areas may be leased by the department, while also allowing the department to designate up to 80% of permitted areas as state-owned reefs (with no more than 50% of permitted areas designated as state-owned reefs).

SCOPE

Added specific designation of historical reefs (Pass Christian Tonging, Pass Christian Dredging, Henderson Point, Pass Marianne, and eastern edge of St. Joe reef) as state public reefs, while allowing leasing of other unleased areas including Telegraph reef, western end of St. Joe reef, and St. Stanislaus reef.

Changed the percentage of permitted areas that can be designated as state-owned reefs from 80% to a maximum of 50% of permitted areas, with the remaining areas open to public harvest.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a 10% penalty for late rent payment and clarified that failure to pay rent by March 1st automatically terminates the lease and forfeits all improvements and oysters on the leased bottom.

REQUIREMENT

Added requirement that all leases must include provisions allowing termination if public bodies require the area for ports, harbors, channels, or other public projects, with lessees having the right to remove oysters within a reasonable time.

Added requirement that lessees must actively cultivate and gather oysters to maintain lease renewal rights, with the department required to promulgate regulations ensuring maximum cultivation and propagation.

Added requirement that the department cooperate with port authorities to prevent oyster beds from being planted in close proximity to navigable channels.

Added requirement that lessees be designated as 'oyster farmers' for purposes of federal grants, aid, subsidies, or other assistance.

ADDED

Added new provision requiring all funds from leasing to be paid into the Seafood Fund for use in oyster production, including plantings and cultch materials.

TIMELINE

Added provision requiring the department to revise any leases issued prior to April 17, 2023, to comply with new section requirements.

Added effective date of July 1, 2026 for the new provisions.

Floor votes · Senate Mar 10, 2026 · House Feb 10, 2026

How they voted

50–2

Passed

Total votes 52

Mar 10, 2026

D Democratic18

18 Yea

100% Yea

R Republican34

32 Yea 2 Nay

94% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed As Amended

upper

Mar 10, 2026

Upper · Passed

Amended

upper

Mar 2, 2026

Upper · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass As Amended

upper

Feb 16, 2026

Committee

Referred To Ports and Marine Resources

upper

Feb 12, 2026

Introduced

Transmitted To Senate

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed As Amended

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Amended

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass Comm Sub

lower

Jan 16, 2026

Committee

Referred To Marine Resources

lower

0 primary · 0 co-sponsors

What changed between versions

How they voted

Actions timeline

Sponsors