Bill > HB1593

This bill declares that the Sixteenth Section Trust, which holds land for the benefit of public schools, is superior to the Public Waters Trust, meaning that owners of Sixteenth Section land containing navigable waterways or oxbow lakes have greater rights to control access and use of those waters than the public. It also expands the definition of navigable waters to include rivers and streams flowing into the Mississippi River or the Gulf of Mexico and their tributaries at sea level. Furthermore, the bill establishes that bodies of water, lakes, streams, or wetlands located on or overlaying Sixteenth Section lands are considered assets of the Sixteenth Section school trust, subject to the exclusive control of school authorities, and that any public trust interest must yield to allow school authorities to fulfill their fiduciary duties. Finally, it clarifies that members of the general public generally do not have a right to access Sixteenth Section lands or waters for hunting, fishing, or recreational purposes unless authorized by a lease or written permission from school authorities or a lessee, and that leaseholders of Sixteenth Section land containing water bodies can post their land against trespassers.

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https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2026/pdf/history/HB/HB1593.xml