Title 3, State sovereignty, jurisdiction and holidays

(1) The Legislature enacts this section as the symbol of the nation’s and the state’s commitment to achieving the fullest possible accounting for Mississippians who have been or in the future may become prisoners of war, missing in action or otherwise unaccounted for as a result …

(1) The official flag of the State of Mississippi is the design recommended by the Commission to Redesign the Mississippi State Flag that was established by Chapter 427, Laws of 2020, and approved by the people of the State of Mississippi in the statewide election held on Novembe…

On June 30, 2020, the Department of Archives and History shall immediately develop a plan for the prompt, dignified and respectful removal of the former official Mississippi State Flag described in Section 3-3-16, Mississippi Code of 1972, and the removal of the flag shall take p…

The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) are designated the state land mammals of Mississippi.

The bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), commonly called the porpoise, is hereby designated the state water mammal of Mississippi.

The American Alligator (Alligator Mississippiensis) is hereby designated the State Reptile of Mississippi.

The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) is hereby designated the state fish of Mississippi.

The oyster shell is hereby designated the state shell of Mississippi.

The wood duck (Aix sponsa) is hereby designated the state waterfowl of Mississippi.

The honeybee (Apis mellifera) is hereby designated the State Insect of Mississippi.

Milk is hereby designated the state beverage of Mississippi.

The State of Mississippi is divided into the following counties, to wit: Adams, Alcorn, Amite, Attala, Benton, Bolivar, Calhoun, Carroll, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Claiborne, Clarke, Clay, Coahoma, Copiah, Covington, De Soto, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Grenada, Hancock, Harriso…

The English language is the official language of the State of Mississippi.

The spicebush swallowtail (Pterourus troilus) is hereby designated the state butterfly of Mississippi.

The Sunday preceding Thanksgiving Day of each year is declared to be “Retired Teachers Day” in recognition and commemoration of the work of all retired educators who have devoted their careers to the mental and physical development of the youth of this state.

The Grand Opera House of Meridian is designated the official State Grand Opera House of Mississippi.

The dance known as the square dance is hereby designated and adopted as the American folk dance of the State of Mississippi.

(1) The Mississippi Coat-of-Arms shall have the following design: a shield, blue in color, with an eagle upon it with extended pinions, holding in the right talon a palm branch and bundle of arrows in the left, with the word “Mississippi” above the eagle; the lettering on the shi…

It shall be the duty of the Secretary of State to procure the official seal of this state as described in this section. The center of the seal shall have an eagle displayed proper, holding an olive branch in his dexter talon and a bundle of three (3) arrows in his sinister talon.…

All state agencies shall continue to use stationery and other supplies having the great seal thereon as it existed before July 1, 2014, until such stationery and other supplies are depleted. The great seal as it existed before July 1, 2014, affixed on any public buildings, proper…

The Teddy Bear is designated the state toy of Mississippi, in recognition of the Mississippi connection to the origin of the Teddy Bear. The connection is that on November 14, 1902, during a hunting expedition led by distinguished Mississippian Holt Collier in Smedes, Mississippi…

Natchez silt loam (coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, thermic, Typic Eutrudepts) is hereby designated as the official state soil of Mississippi.

The Tupelo Auto Museum, Inc., is designated as the state automobile museum.

The Mississippi Wildlife Heritage Museum in Leland, Mississippi, is designated as the official state wildlife heritage museum.

The Mississippi Industrial Heritage Museum, Incorporated, is designated as the state historical industrial museum.

The counties lying immediately on the Mississippi River shall, respectively, have and possess jurisdiction and extend to the western boundary of the state, within the space embraced, by extending their boundary lines which strike the river, on a continuous direct course to the ex…

The month of May of each year is designated as “Nurses Month” to promote and honor the hard work and dedication of nurses in the State of Mississippi.

The third Thursday of January of each year is designated as Mississippi Health Awareness Day to promote health and disease prevention efforts throughout the State of Mississippi.

August 29 of each year is designated as “Katrina Day of Remembrance” in Mississippi in honor of the victims of this most destructive storm, to bring awareness of the destruction caused by hurricanes, and to call upon the citizens of Mississippi to join each other and the entire c…

The Mississippi Military Department’s Armed Forces Museum is hereby designated as Mississippi’s official state military history museum. The museum will henceforth be named “Mississippi Armed Forces Museum.”

The third Tuesday of every March shall be declared and celebrated as “Mississippi Musicians Day.”

In recognition of the service, courage and sacrifice of those valiant men and women of the United States Armed Forces who served during the Vietnam Conflict, March 29th of each year is designated as Vietnam Veterans Day in Mississippi.

(1) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Sunshine Protection Act.” (2) If the United States Congress amends 15 USC 260a to authorize states to observe daylight saving time year-round, daylight saving time shall be the year-round standard time of the State of Missi…

(1) The Legislature finds that:(a) The State of Mississippi is known as the “Birthplace of America’s Music,” and is credited for producing Elvis Presley, the “King of Rock and Roll,” Jimmie Rodgers, the “Father of Country Music,” and B.B. King, the “King of the Blues,” and these …

The Mississippi Opal is hereby designated as the official state gemstone in Mississippi. The Mississippi Opal is the only gem stone found thus far to have been naturally produced within the geographical boundaries of Mississippi, having been discovered during detailed geological …

The second week of April each year is designated as “The Phillip Cameron Hendry Mississippi Mosquito and West Nile Virus Awareness Week” to promote awareness of the importance of effectively managing mosquitoes and the prevention of West Nile Virus.

(1) Beginning with April 2023 each month of April is hereby designated as “Mississippi Native Plant Month” in order to preserve the heritage and the importance of native plants for clean air, water and soil stability in the State of Mississippi. (2) During the month of April, the…

(1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2) of this section, the following are declared to be legal holidays: the first day of January (New Year’s Day); the third Monday of January (Robert E. Lee’s birthday and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday); the third Monday of F…

The blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum, Vaccinium virgatum, or Vaccinium darrowii) is designated the state fruit of Mississippi.

The American Quarter Horse, which is well-suited for the intricate and quick maneuvers required for rodeo events, is hereby designated the “Official State Horse of the State of Mississippi.”

The Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle, the most endangered sea turtle in the world, which is native to Mississippi, is hereby designated the “Official Sea Turtle of the State of Mississippi.”

The sweet potato is hereby designated the “Official State Vegetable of Mississippi.”

(1) There shall be an official state tartan for the state of Mississippi. A tartan is a plaid textile design consisting of stripes of varying width and color, producing a repeating pattern. This plaid is typically used in highland dress, the most common of which is the Scottish K…

The first week in May of each year is declared to be Hernando de Soto Week in Mississippi in recognition, observation and commemoration of Hernando de Soto who led the first and most imposing expedition ever made by Europeans into the wilds of North America and the State of Missi…

The magnolia or evergreen magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora L.) is herewith designated as the state tree of Mississippi.