Title 93, Domestic Relations

(1) There is established the Domestic Violence Task Force, which will be made up of not more than twenty-six (26) members as follows:(a) The Governor shall appoint the following appointees who shall possess a practicing knowledge of domestic violence as follows:(i) Four (4) execu…

(1) The municipal, justice, county or chancery court, or a state military court as defined in Section 33-13-151, shall have jurisdiction over proceedings under this chapter as provided in this chapter. The petitioner’s right to relief under this chapter shall not be affected by h…

(1) Any person may seek a domestic abuse protection order for himself by filing a petition alleging abuse by the respondent. Any parent, adult household member, or next friend of the abused person may seek a domestic abuse protection order on behalf of any minor children or any p…

(1) A petition filed under the provisions of this chapter shall state:(a) Except as otherwise provided in this section, the name, address and county of residence of each petitioner and of each individual alleged to have committed abuse;(b) The facts and circumstances concerning t…

(a) As used in Sections 93-21-101 through 93-21-113, unless the context otherwise requires:(a) “Domestic violence shelter” means a place established to provide temporary food and shelter, counseling, and related services to victims of domestic violence.(b) “Interpersonal violence…

There is hereby established a program for victims of domestic violence through domestic violence shelters. The oversight of shelters, and distribution of state funds for the purpose of serving victims of domestic violence, shall be the responsibility of the Office Against Interpe…

(1) To qualify for funds under the provisions of Sections 93-21-101 through 93-21-113, a domestic violence shelter shall meet all the following requirements:(a) Be incorporated in the state or recognized by the Secretary of State as a private or public nonprofit corporation. Such…

Records maintained by domestic violence shelters, except the official minutes of the board of directors of the shelter, and financial reports filed as required by statute with the board of supervisors or municipal authorities or any other agency of government, shall be withheld f…

A domestic violence shelter that receives funds pursuant to the provisions of Sections 93-21-101 through 93-21-113 shall file at a minimum an annual report with the commission of budget and accounting and other data reports as requested. A copy of the annual report shall also be …

Domestic violence shelters through their employees and officials shall, on every occasion other than the initial request for assistance, report to the district attorney, the county attorney, or the appropriate law enforcement official or other state agencies any occurrence or ins…

The governing authorities of any municipality in the state are hereby authorized and empowered, in their discretion, to donate annually out of any money in the municipal treasury such sums as the governing authorities deem advisable to support any domestic violence shelter or rap…

(1) There is hereby created in the State Treasury a special fund to be known as the “Victims of Domestic Violence Fund.” The fund shall be a continuing fund, not subject to fiscal-year limitations, and shall consist of:(a) Monies appropriated by the Legislature;(b) The interest a…

(1) There is established the Office Against Interpersonal Violence (OAIV) within the Mississippi Department of Health under the direct supervision of the State Health Officer. The OAIV shall be responsible for administering certain state and federal pass-through victim-services f…

(1) The Office Against Interpersonal Violence shall have authority to:(a) Receive funds intended for care of victims of interpersonal violence when those funds are not directed elsewhere;(b) Administer funds received from any source and establish procedures for the disbursement o…

(1) From and after July 1, 2016, the Office Against Interpersonal Violence shall be the single state agency for the receipt and administration of and the sole authority and responsibility to seek grants on behalf of the state which will be administered or available after July 1, …

(1) Definitions. The following definitions apply in this section:(a) “Advocate” means an employee, contractor, agent or volunteer of a victim service provider whose primary purpose is to render services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficki…

Sections 93-21-301 through 93-21-311 shall be known as the “Children’s Trust Fund Act of 1989.”

(a) The Legislature of the State of Mississippi finds and declares the policy of this state as follows:(a) The children of Mississippi are its single greatest resource and our children require the utmost protection to guard their future and the future of this state;(b) Child abus…

(1) There is established in the State Treasury a special fund to be known as the “Mississippi Children’s Trust Fund.” (2) The fund shall consist of any monies appropriated to the fund by the Legislature, any donations, gifts and grants from any source, receipts from the birth cer…

(a) The administration of the Mississippi Children’s Trust Fund shall be vested in the Department of Child Protection Services. In carrying out the provisions of Sections 93-21-301 through 93-21-311, the Department of Child Protection Services shall have the following powers and …

(1) The Department of Child Protection Services may authorize the disbursement of money in the trust fund in the form of grants or loans for the following purposes, which are listed in order of preference for expenditure:(a) To assist a community private, nonprofit organization o…

(a) In making grants or loans from the trust fund, the Department of Child Protection Services shall consider the degree to which the applicant’s proposal meets the following criteria:(a) Has as its primary purpose the development and facilitation of a community-based prevention …

The provisions of this chapter may be cited as the Uniform Interstate Enforcement of Domestic Violence Protection Orders Act.

This state or a local governmental agency, or a law enforcement officer, prosecuting attorney, clerk of court, or any state or local governmental official acting in an official capacity, is immune from civil and criminal liability for an act or omission arising out of the registr…

This chapter applies to any protection order issued before July 1, 2004, including any continuing action for enforcement of a foreign protection order commenced before July 1, 2004. A request for enforcement of a foreign protection order brought on or after July 1, 2004 for viola…

Pursuit of remedies under this chapter does not preclude a protected individual from pursuing other legal or equitable remedies against the respondent.

If any provision of this chapter or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this chapter which can be given effect without the invalid provision or application, and to this end the provision…

(a) The following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Foreign protection order” means a protection order issued by a tribunal of another state.(b) “Issuing state” means the state whose tribunal iss…

(1) A tribunal of this state shall enforce the terms of a valid foreign protection order, including terms that provide relief that a tribunal of this state would lack power to provide but for this section. A tribunal of this state shall enforce a valid foreign protection order is…

(1) A law enforcement officer of this state, upon determining that there is probable cause to believe that a valid foreign protection order exists and that the order has been violated, shall enforce the order as if it were the order of a tribunal of this state. Presentation of a …

(1) It is not required that any foreign protection order be registered in Mississippi; however, any individual may register a foreign protection order in this state on behalf of the individual or any protected person. To register a foreign protection order, an individual shall pr…

This chapter may be cited as the “Uniform Interstate Family Support Act.”

(1) In this chapter:(1) “Child” means an individual, whether over or under the age of majority, who is or is alleged to be owed a duty of support by the individual’s parent or who is or is alleged to be the beneficiary of a support order directed to the parent.(2) “Child-support …

(a) The chancery courts, circuit and county courts, and tribal courts are the tribunals of this state. (b) The Department of Human Services is the support enforcement agency of this state.

(a) Remedies provided by this chapter are cumulative and do not affect the availability of remedies under other law or the recognition of a foreign support order on the basis of comity. (b) This chapter does not:(1) Provide the exclusive method of establishing or enforcing a supp…

(a) A tribunal of this state shall apply Articles 1 through 6 and, as applicable, Article 7, to a support proceeding involving:(1) A foreign support order;(2) A foreign tribunal; or(3) An obligee, obligor, or child residing in a foreign country. (1) A foreign support order; (2) A…

(a) In a proceeding to establish or enforce a support order or to determine parentage of a child, a tribunal of this state may exercise personal jurisdiction over a nonresident individual or the individual’s guardian or conservator if:(1) The individual is personally served with …

Personal jurisdiction acquired by a tribunal of this state in a proceeding under this chapter or other law of this state relating to a support order continues as long as a tribunal of this state has continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its order or continuing jurisdiction…

Under this chapter, a tribunal of this state may serve as an initiating tribunal to forward proceedings to a tribunal of another state and as a responding tribunal for proceedings initiated in another state or a foreign country.

(a) A tribunal of this state may exercise jurisdiction to establish a support order if the complaint or comparable pleading is filed after a complaint or comparable pleading is filed in another state or a foreign country only if:(1) The complaint or comparable pleading in this st…

(a) A tribunal of this state that has issued a child-support order consistent with the law of this state has and shall exercise continuing, exclusive jurisdiction to modify its child-support order if the order is the controlling order and:(1) At the time of the filing of a reques…

(a) A tribunal of this state that has issued a child-support order consistent with the law of this state may serve as an initiating tribunal to request a tribunal of another state to enforce:(1) The order, if the order is the controlling order and has not been modified by a tribu…

(a) If a proceeding is brought under this chapter, and only one (1) tribunal has issued a child-support order, the order of that tribunal controls and must be recognized. (b) If a proceeding is brought under this chapter, and two (2) or more child-support orders have been issued …

In responding to registrations or complaints for enforcement of two (2) or more child-support orders in effect at the same time with regard to the same obligor and different individual obligees, at least one (1) of which was issued by a tribunal of another state or foreign countr…

A tribunal of this state shall credit amounts collected for a particular period pursuant to any child-support order against the amounts owed for the same period under any other child-support order for support of the same child issued by a tribunal of this state, another state, or…

A tribunal of this state exercising personal jurisdiction over a nonresident in a proceeding under this chapter, under other law of this state relating to a support order, or recognizing a foreign support order may receive evidence from outside this state pursuant to Section 93-2…