Bill > HB397

This bill establishes a new criminal offense for making intentionally false allegations of hate crimes in Mississippi. Specifically, the legislation makes it illegal for any person to willfully and knowingly claim that a felony or misdemeanor was committed because of someone's race, color, ancestry, ethnicity, religion, national origin, or gender when such a claim is knowingly untrue. If convicted of making such a false allegation, a person would face serious legal consequences, including a mandatory prison sentence of one to five years in the state Department of Corrections and a fine of at least $5,000. Additionally, the convicted individual would be responsible for paying attorney's fees, law enforcement compensation costs, court costs, and any other fees generated by the false allegation. The bill is set to go into effect on July 1, 2025, and aims to deter individuals from making malicious false claims that could waste law enforcement resources and potentially harm the reputation of innocent people by falsely suggesting a hate-motivated crime occurred.

Justice

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/HB/HB0397.xml