Bill > SB2798

This bill provides county boards of supervisors with expanded authority to maintain, regulate, and improve public and abandoned cemeteries within their county boundaries. Under the new provisions, county boards can maintain and repair public cemeteries owned by the county or municipalities, and if they repair a municipal cemetery, they can bill the municipality for reimbursement. The bill also allows boards to maintain abandoned public or private nonprofit cemeteries (such as community, religious, or fraternal cemeteries) using county funds, with specific definitions of what constitutes an "abandoned cemetery" - including signs of neglect like overgrown vegetation, vandalism, or deteriorating markers. Furthermore, if a cemetery is deemed detrimental to public health and welfare due to age or abandonment, the board of supervisors can acquire title to the cemetery through gift, purchase, or eminent domain and subsequently maintain, repair, or improve it. The bill also includes provisions for maintaining historically significant cemeteries certified by the state department of archives and history, and allows boards of supervisors in adjoining counties to jointly maintain cemeteries that span county boundaries. The legislation will take effect on July 1, 2025, and is set to be automatically repealed on June 30, 2025.

Government Affairs

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2025/pdf/history/SB/SB2798.xml