Raft of new Mississippi laws now in effect

FLYING HIGH: Mississippi’s state budget has the highest percentage of federal funds by any state, according to a recent report.

By Steve Wilson | Mississippi Watchdog

Each July 1, all of the laws passed by the Mississippi Legislature go into effect. Here are some of the laws that went live Tuesday.

A pair of laws friendly to gun owners:

House Bill 314, which provides limitations on the ability of municipalities and counties to interfere with the right to bear arms. The law also provides a legal remedy for people who think their Second Amendment rights have been compromised. Mississippi Carry, a gun rights group, is already filing complaints with the state attorney general against 27 municipalities and counties under the new law.
Senate Bill 2425 provides a sales tax holiday for outdoor enthusiasts. The sales tax holiday will happen in September and will cover the purchase of guns and hunting supplies.

The state budget of $6 billion went into effect Tuesday, as well. That’s an increase of 18.8 percent from 2014′s budget of $5.05 billion. State revenue was predicted to rise by 2.7 percent this fiscal year. The state spent $4.75 billion in 2013.

The state of Mississippi is saying “Come on Down” to the Magnolia State. The state will provide a $1 million tax credit to companies that relocate their national or regional headquarters to the state, under House Bill 785.

House Bill 787 is a state bond issue worth more than $200 million, with $115 million going to the state’s four-year universities and community colleges. The rest:

$14 million for the planned Mississippi Civil Rights Museum and the new Museum of Mississippi History in Jackson
$2.5 million for the Tammy Wynette Legacy Park Center in Tremont
$700,000 for the Hattiesburg Zoo
$500,000 for the Jackson Zoo
$500,000 for the William Faulkner Library at the Union County Heritage Museum in New Albany
$500,000 for the Marty Stuart Country Music Center in Philadelphia
$500,000 for improvements at the Natural Science Museum in Jackson
$250,000 for the proposed Pascagoula Maritime Museum
$100,000 for improvements in the city of Bolton