HB 1374, the Patient Privacy and Medical Recording Protection Act, prohibits unauthorized recording of medical interactions in doctors' offices and facilities without all parties' express consent, and restricts sharing identifiable patient information (like images or videos) without explicit written consent or anonymization. The bill requires medical facilities to display notices about recording bans and mandates that providers obtain consent before sharing any patient data. Violations could result in fines up to $10,000 per incident for sharing identifiable information, with the State Board of Medical Licensure enforcing the law and handling complaints. The law aims to protect patient dignity by preventing unauthorized recordings and data sharing, while allowing limited exemptions for training with consent or legal requirements.
HB 808 requires Mississippi public school districts and charter schools to adopt internet safety policies that block student access to social media during instructional time (except when teachers direct it for lessons) and prohibit TikTok and similar platforms on school devices. It also mandates that schools provide curriculum for grades 6-12 about social media's impacts on mental health, misinformation, and online safety. The bill updates student conduct codes to explicitly ban wireless device use during class without teacher permission and requires schools to notify parents about available online safety resources. These changes directly affect all K-12 students, teachers, and school administrators in Mississippi public and charter schools.
HB 1489 establishes the Technology Innovation Fund, managed by Mississippi's Department of Information Technology Services, to provide grants for technology projects that improve government services and address community needs. The fund will support state agencies, schools, non-profits, and private companies collaborating on initiatives using AI, cloud computing, blockchain, and data analytics to enhance efficiency, cybersecurity, and equitable technology access. Initial funding includes a $5 million state appropriation and ongoing revenue from 1% of cloud service sales, with projects requiring measurable public benefits and regular progress reporting. Recipients must demonstrate scalability, partnership collaboration, and alignment with state digital modernization goals.
HB 1169 amends Mississippi's Insurance Guaranty Association Law to include cybersecurity insurance under the definition of "covered claim" for insolvent insurers. It ensures claimants with cybersecurity insurance (covering data breaches, ransomware, etc.) can seek compensation through the guaranty association, similar to other insurance types. The bill sets a $300,000 cap per claimant for all first- and third-party cybersecurity claims arising from a single event. This bill died in committee on February 4, 2025, and did not become law.
SB 2188 requires wireless service providers in Mississippi to share a user's phone location with law enforcement or emergency dispatch centers **only during life-threatening emergencies** (e.g., risk of death or serious harm), such as responding to emergency calls. It allows providers to voluntarily share location data beyond emergencies and shields them from lawsuits if they disclose information in good faith under this law. The bill also mandates the Department of Public Safety to collect and share provider contact details with emergency dispatch centers to streamline requests. This bill, which died in committee in February 2025, directly affects wireless providers (requiring specific disclosures), law enforcement (granting access to emergency location data), and users (whose location may be shared in urgent situations).
SB 2437, the "Prohibition of Exploitation by Deepfakes Act," would have prohibited platforms from knowingly publishing non-consensual intimate visual depictions (like AI-altered sexual images) of identifiable people without their consent, unless specific exceptions apply. It required covered platforms (like social media sites) to remove such content upon notification from the affected person and establish clear removal processes. The bill clarified that consent for creating an intimate image does not cover its publication, and threatened intentional harm through deepfakes would be punishable. This proposed law died in committee on February 4, 2025, and never became law.
SB 2366 amends Mississippi's broadband grant laws to clarify and expand the authority of the Office of Broadband Expansion and Accessibility of Mississippi (BEAM). It directly affects broadband providers, government entities, and communities lacking adequate internet access by expanding definitions of "applicant" and "eligible project," allowing BEAM to more effectively manage federal grant funds. Key provisions include authorizing BEAM to receive federal broadband grant funds, adding confidentiality protections for proprietary information, requiring a 60-day comment period for preliminary grant awards, and mandating Governor notification before distributing funds. The bill aims to streamline grant processes but died in committee on February 4, 2025, and never became law.
Mississippi's SB 2834 would have prohibited the state's Department of Information Technology Services (MDITS) from entering contracts with business entities primarily engaged in software development or AI research and development located in mainland China or countries sanctioned by the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). The bill amended existing state code to add this restriction to MDITS contracting rules, directly affecting the department and its potential vendors. Key provisions would have blocked contracts with specific foreign entities based on their location and primary business focus. This policy change aimed to limit state IT spending with certain foreign technology providers, though the bill died on calendar in February 2025.
HB 1075 updates Mississippi's property tax exemption for broadband equipment to align with current FCC standards, requiring qualifying equipment to deliver at least 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload speeds. It directly affects broadband providers (like fiber, cable, DSL, or fixed wireless companies) by requiring them to report subscriber counts to county assessors and confirm equipment usage via FCC broadband data. The bill also caps fixed wireless access (FWA) site exemptions at 30% of total asset costs per site. These changes ensure tax exemptions apply only to modern broadband infrastructure meeting federal benchmarks.
HB 1545 updates Mississippi's tax incentives for broadband deployment by requiring equipment to meet minimum speed standards (35 Mbps down/3 Mbps up for mobile, matching FCC benchmarks for fixed broadband) to qualify for tax credits and property tax exemptions. It maintains tiered tax credits (5-15% based on rural area designation) but extends the property tax exemption period to 10 years for fixed broadband equipment placed in service between 2025-2030 (compared to 5 years for mobile). Telecommunications companies must submit verified equipment specifications, including speed details, to county tax assessors by April 1 each year to claim benefits. The bill, which died in committee in February 2025, would have applied to equipment deployed after June 30, 2025.
