SB 2263 Mississippi Senate · 2026 Regular Session

Boating; prohibit enforcement officers from performing vessel stops or boarding a vessel without probable cause.

SB 2263 requires Mississippi Department of Marine Resources officers to have probable cause before boarding any vessel or stopping a boat. This directly affects marine law enforcement officers who previously could board vessels without probable cause under existing rules. The bill amends two sections of Mississippi law (59-21-127 and 59-23-5) to add this requirement, making it illegal to board or stop a vessel without reasonable suspicion of a boating safety violation. The law takes effect July 1, 2026, and does not change other provisions like chemical testing for boating under the influence.

Issues: ✓ Criminal Justice

Bill status signed all 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Feb 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Signed into Law

Apr 2026

Introduced Feb 10, 2026 Signed Apr 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 2 comparisons

What changed between versions

As Passed the upper → Current version · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill updates the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources' enforcement authority by replacing the generic term 'commission' with 'commission department' to clarify jurisdiction. It adds specific restrictions preventing officers from stopping or boarding vessels without probable cause of a violation and bans stops solely for safety or sanitation inspections, designating such violations as secondary offenses. These changes aim to limit arbitrary enforcement and reduce unnecessary interruptions for boaters.

Scope change

The bill modifies the scope of enforcement powers by adding specific prohibitions on vessel stops and boardings, while clarifying the department's name in the statute.

DEFINITION

Replaced the term 'commission' with 'commission department' throughout the text to accurately reflect the current name of the governing body.

ENFORCEMENT

Added a new requirement that officers must have probable cause to believe a violation is occurring before they can board a vessel or perform a vessel stop.

Added a prohibition against performing vessel stops or boardings for the sole purpose of conducting safety or marine sanitation equipment inspections.

REQUIREMENT

Changed the legal status of safety and marine sanitation violations from primary offenses to secondary offenses, meaning they cannot be the sole reason for a traffic stop.

Floor votes · Senate Feb 9, 2026 · House Mar 4, 2026

How they voted

51–1

Passed

Total votes 52

Feb 9, 2026

D Democratic18

17 Yea 1 Nay

94% Yea

R Republican34

34 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Amendments

Mar 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Conference Report Adopted

upper

Mar 26, 2026

Lower · Passed

Conference Report Adopted

lower

Mar 25, 2026

Upper · Passed

Conference Report Filed

upper

Mar 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

Passed As Amended

lower

Mar 4, 2026

Lower · Passed

Amended

lower

Mar 3, 2026

Lower · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass As Amended

lower

Feb 13, 2026

Committee

Rereferred To Marine Resources;Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Introduced

Transmitted To House

upper

Feb 9, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

Jan 30, 2026

Upper · Passed

Title Suff Do Pass

upper

Jan 14, 2026

Committee

Referred To Ports and Marine Resources

upper

1 primary · 1 co-sponsor