Bill > HB1532

This bill, titled "The MS Business Filing Fraud Prevention Act," establishes a new process for addressing fraudulent filings made with the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office, which handles registrations for various business entities like corporations and limited liability companies. If a person, referred to as a "complainant," believes a document filed with an entity was unauthorized and intended to alter ownership, registered agent information, or impersonate another person's identity, they can submit a "declaration of wrongful filing" to the Office of the Secretary of State. This declaration must include specific details about the entity, the complainant, and evidence supporting their claim, and must be notarized. The Secretary of State's Office will then notify the filer of the allegations, and if the filer fails to respond within 30 days, the filing will be deemed fraudulent, and a final order will be issued. If the filer does respond, the office will make a preliminary determination, and both parties will have an opportunity to provide further information before a final decision is made. If a filing is deemed fraudulent, it will be treated as if it never existed, and if an entity was registered using someone's identity without authorization, that entity will be dissolved. The bill also clarifies that data submitted as part of this process is generally considered nonpublic and exempt from public records requests, with exceptions for dissemination to law enforcement or under court order. Additionally, the bill amends existing laws to extend the timeframe from ten to sixty days for the Secretary of State to refuse and return documents that do not meet filing requirements.

Business and Industry

https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/HB/HB1532.xml