Title 25, Public Officers and Employees; Public Records

(a) The commission shall, in addition to any other duties prescribed by law:(a) Prepare and publish a manual setting forth recommended uniform methods of accounting and reporting for use by persons required to file statements of economic interest pursuant to the provisions of thi…

(1) The appropriate committee designated by the Senate or the House of Representatives of the State of Mississippi to deal with ethical matters of their respective body may request, in writing, an opinion from the Attorney General as to real or hypothetical situations concerning …

(a) The commission shall have the authority to do the following:(a) (i) Make investigations, as provided in Section 25-4-21, with respect to statements of economic interest filed pursuant to this chapter and with respect to alleged failures to file any statement of economic inter…

(1) Upon receipt of a complaint that complies with Section 25-4-19, the commission shall authorize a confidential investigation of the complaint. Upon completion of the investigation, the commission shall proceed as follows:(a) If the complaint concerns a public official in the l…

All commission proceedings and records relating to any investigation shall be kept confidential, except this requirement shall not be construed to interfere with the commission’s authority, pursuant to paragraph (g) of Section 25-4-17, paragraphs (d) and (f) of Section 25-4-19, a…

(a) Each of the following individuals shall file a statement of economic interest with the commission in accordance with the provisions of this chapter:(a) Persons elected by popular vote, excluding United States Senators and United States Representatives, to any office, whether …

(a) Each person specified under Section 25-4-25 shall file a statement in accordance with the provisions of this chapter in the manner and format prescribed by the commission which shall be certified as to the accuracy and completeness of the information set forth to the best kno…

(1) A public official or public employee who has an interest in a blind trust which meets the standards set forth in this section is not required to disclose the holdings of the blind trust, if those holdings are acquired by the trustee after the trust complies with subsection (2…

(1) Required statements hereunder shall be filed as follows:(a) Every incumbent public official required by paragraphs (a), (b), (d) and (e) of Section 25-4-25 to file a statement of economic interest shall file such statement with the commission on or before May 1 of each year t…

(a) As used in this chapter, unless the context requires otherwise:(a) “Advisory boards or commissions” means committees created solely to provide technical or professional knowledge or expertise to a parent organization, and whose members exercise no direct authority to expend p…

(1) Any person who violates the confidentiality of a commission proceeding pursuant to this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) or imprisoned not more than one (1) year, or be both fined and impris…

(1) There is hereby created the Mississippi Ethics Commission which shall be composed of eight (8) members, each of whom shall be a qualified elector of the State of Mississippi, of good moral character and integrity. (2) Two (2) members of the commission shall be appointed by ea…

As soon as all of the initial members of the commission have been appointed, the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court shall call and provide for the holding of an organizational meeting of the commission; provided, however, in no instance shall such meeting be set for l…

The commission shall annually elect one (1) member to serve as chairman of the commission and one (1) member to serve as vice chairman. The vice chairman shall act as chairman in the absence or upon the disability of the chairman or in the event of a vacancy of the office of the …

The Legislature declares that elective and public office and employment is a public trust and any effort to realize personal gain through official conduct, other than as provided by law, or as a natural consequence of the employment or position, is a violation of that trust. Ther…

(a) The following definitions apply in this article unless the context otherwise requires:(a) “Authority” means any component unit of a governmental entity.(b) “Benefit” means any gain or advantage to the beneficiary, including any gain or advantage to a third person pursuant to …

(1) No public servant shall use his official position to obtain, or attempt to obtain, pecuniary benefit for himself other than that compensation provided for by law, or to obtain, or attempt to obtain, pecuniary benefit for any relative or any business with which he is associate…

(1) The commission may pursue enforcement of this chapter by means of hearings held before the commission or an independent hearing officer to determine whether a respondent violated the law and, if so, what penalty should be imposed. Hearings shall be conducted according to the …

(1) Upon a finding by clear and convincing evidence that any elected public servant or other person has violated any provision of this article, the commission may censure the elected public servant or impose a civil fine of not more than Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00), or both…

(1) An authority head and any other public servant having the authority to appoint a person to a position of public service, regardless of whether or not such appointment requires the approval of the senate or any other body, employee or person, shall take such action as may be o…

The Attorney General of the State of Mississippi, the commission, or any governmental entity directly injured by a violation of this article may bring a separate civil action against the public servant or other person or business violating the provisions of this article for recov…

This article shall not bar, suspend or otherwise restrict any right or liability to damage, penalty, forfeiture, restitution or other remedy authorized by law to be recovered or enforced in a civil action, regardless of whether the conduct involved in the proceeding constituted a…

The provisions of this article shall be in addition to any criminal laws. Actions taken under the provisions of this article shall not bar prosecution for violations of the criminal law.

No elected or appointed official shall derive any pecuniary benefit, directly or indirectly, as a result of such elected or appointed official’s duties under Sections 21-19-33, 27-109-1, 27-109-3, 27-109-7, 27-109-9, 67-1-71, 87-1-5, 95-3-25, 97-33-1, 97-33-7, 97-33-9, 97-33-17, …

No elected or appointed official shall derive any pecuniary benefit, directly or indirectly, as a result of his duties under Chapter 497, Laws of 2009. Any elected or appointed official, any member of the immediate family or any partner or associate of the elected or appointed of…