MCA Chapter 113

in effect

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-1 Name.

The name of the state institution of higher learning designated heretofore as Mississippi A & M College, and subsequently as Mississippi State College, is hereby changed to Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, and wherever the term Mississippi A & M College or Mississippi State College appears in the laws of the State of Mississippi, the same shall be construed to refer to the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-3 Organization of the university.

The state institution of higher learning, as incorporated by an act of the legislature, approved February 28, 1878, by the name of the “Agricultural and Mechanical College of Mississippi,” and established in pursuance of that act, shall continue to exist as a body-politic and corporate, by the name of the “Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science,” with all its property and the franchises, rights, powers, and privileges heretofore conferred on it by law, or properly incident to such a body and necessary to accomplish the purpose of its creation; said university may receive and hold all real and personal property conveyed to it for such purpose.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-5 Appropriation for the support of the university.

The interest arising from the proceeds of the fund known as the “Agricultural Land Scrip Fund” is appropriated and devoted, to the extent of one-half of it, to the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, and may be drawn from the treasury, upon warrant of the auditor, to be issued upon the requisitions of the treasurer, from time to time, as such interest may accrue and be wanted for the use of the university.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-6 University lands shall not be taxed.

The lands and property of Mississippi State University shall not be subject to state, county or municipal taxation. The buildings and improvements that are or may be erected on any land belonging to the university that has been or may be leased to private entities for the purpose of affording affordable board to the students attending the institution shall not be subject to taxation.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-7 Acquisition or sale of land.

The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized, in its discretion, to acquire by purchase, gift, or otherwise, any real property required by and for the use of Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, and said university is authorized to hold, use and operate such real property in conducting its authorized and necessary program of work. This section is designed to make it possible for said university and its subdivisions to acquire, hold and operate real property needed in its program of operations without the benefit of state funds specifically appropriated for the purchase of such properties. Such properties shall be acquired or purchased on the recommendation of the Director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Station made to the president of said university and approved by the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning. The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized, in its discretion, to sell any such real property purchased or otherwise acquired under the authority of subsection (1) for the use of Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science or its subdivisions when such property is not needed in the university’s programs of operations. Such properties shall be sold on the recommendation of the Director of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Station made to the president of the university and approved by the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning. The proceeds from the sale of such properties may be used to purchase other real properties for the use of the university under the provisions of subsection (1), or may be retained by the university for its operations. Consideration for the sale of real property hereunder shall not be less than the fair market price thereof as determined by a professional property appraiser selected and approved by the state building commission. Said appraisal shall be filed with the state building commission as least thirty (30) days prior to the proposed sale of said property. Appraisal fees shall be shared equally by the university and the purchaser. The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized and empowered to sell the following described property owned by Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, to-wit: Commence at the Northeast corner of the Southeast Quarter of Section 15, Township 19 North, Range 15 East, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi and use as the point of beginning. Thence run West along the North boundary of the South Half of Section 15 a distance of 3,997 feet to the East right-of-way of Macon-Aberdeen Road; thence run South along said right-of-way a distance of 20 feet; thence run East a distance of 800 feet; thence run South 78 degrees 41’ East a distance of 102 feet; thence run East a distance of 410 feet; thence run South a distance of 1,107 feet; thence run East a distance of 2,687 feet to the East boundary of Section 15; thence run North along said East boundary of Section 15 a distance of 1,147 feet to the point of beginning. Being 71.56 acres located in the East Three Quarter of the South Half of Section 15, Township 19 North, Range 15 East, Oktibbeha County, Mississippi. The proceeds from the sale of said property shall be used by the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning to purchase other real property adjacent or in close proximity to the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, or its subdivisions, suitable for use in the university’s programs of operation. Consideration for the sale and purchase of said property shall be for the fair market price thereof as determined by a professional property appraiser selected and approved by the state building commission. Said appraisals shall be filed with the state building commission at least thirty (30) days prior to the proposed sale or purchase of said property. Appraisal fees shall be shared equally by the university and the purchaser in the case of the sale herein authorized, and by the university and the seller(s) in the case of the purchase herein authorized. The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized and empowered to sell the following described property owned by Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science in George County, Mississippi, to-wit: The South West Quarter of the North West Quarter of Section Twenty, in Township One South of Range Six West, of the St. Stephens Meridian, Mississippi, containing Forty and Thirty One Hundredths of an acre. The proceeds from the sale of said property shall be used by the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning to purchase other real property adjacent or in close proximity to the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, or its subdivisions, suitable for use in the university’s programs of operation. Consideration for the sale and purchase of said property shall be for the fair market price thereof as determined by a professional property appraiser selected and approved by the state building commission. Said appraisals shall be filed with the state building commission at least thirty (30) days prior to the proposed sale or purchase of said property. Appraisal fees shall be shared equally by the university and the purchaser in the case of the sale herein authorized, and by the university and the seller(s) in the case of the purchase herein authorized. The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized and empowered to sell the following described property owned by Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, to-wit: The Northeast Quarter of the Northeast Quarter of Section 2, in Township 6, Range 16 East, plus applicable easements and mineral rights thereto. The proceeds from the sale of said property shall be used by the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning to purchase other real property adjacent or in close proximity to the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, or its subdivisions, suitable for use in the university’s programs of operation. Consideration for the sale and purchase of said property shall be for the fair market price thereof as determined by a professional property appraiser selected and approved by the state building commission. Said appraisals shall be filed with the state building commission at least thirty (30) days prior to the proposed sale or purchase of said property. Appraisal fees shall be shared equally by the university and the purchaser in the case of the sale herein authorized, and by the university and the seller(s) in the case of the purchase herein authorized. When any property is sold by the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning pursuant to this section, the board shall retain for the State of Mississippi any mineral rights which the board or the university has in such land.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-9 Apportionment of students.

The right belongs to each county to have a number of students admitted to the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science proportionate to its number of educable males compared with the whole number in the state.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-11 Making and announcement of apportionment of students.

The apportionment of students to be admitted to the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science shall be made and announced by the president of the university annually, on or before the first day of July, and communicated to the superintendent of education of the counties. The total attendance at any session shall not exceed the entire allotment to the several counties for such session.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-13 Certificates of selection.

The superintendent of education of each county, after due notice published, shall give certificates of selection to the number of students to which the county is entitled to have admitted to the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, and this in addition to those already in the university, if any. This selection of new students shall be made by drawing, if more than the county’s quota apply. The certificate of selection shall be attested by the clerk of the board of supervisors under its seal, and shall entitle the holder to admission into the university, with all its privileges, to pursue all its industrial branches selected, and to enter the subclass or class for which he is fitted.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-15 Dormitory privileges.

The privilege of rooming in the dormitories belongs to the free students, and to the due quota of students from each county in preference to all others, on the basis of the present dormitory capacity in the Mississippi State University of Agricultural and Applied Science.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-17 Agricultural and forestry experimental station.

The money received by this state, under Act of Congress, entitled “An act to establish agricultural experimental stations, etc.,” approved March 2, 1887, and the provisions of which were accepted by this state, by act approved January 31, 1888, and assigned to the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, shall be expended under its direction. The agricultural and forestry experimental station for this state is established at and with said university, and the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning shall have full control thereof.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-19 Agricultural extension services.

The State of Mississippi by its legislature assents to and accepts the provisions and requirements of an act entitled “An act to provide for the further development of agricultural extension work between the agricultural colleges in the several states receiving the benefits of the act entitled ‘An act donating public lands of the several counties and territories which may provide colleges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanical arts,’ approved July 2, 1862, and all acts supplementary thereto, and the United States Department of Agriculture,” approved by the President on the 22nd day of May, 1928. The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, on behalf of the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, is authorized and empowered to receive the grants of money appropriated under said act and to organize and conduct agricultural extension work, which shall be carried on in connection with the said university in accordance with the terms and conditions expressed in the said act of congress.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-20 Issuance of wireless communication device to faculty or extension service agent; statement of need and purpose of use.

For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section unless the context otherwise clearly requires: “Wireless communication device” means any handheld, portable or mobile electronic device capable of transmitting or exchanging data in the form of multimedia, graphics, text, or voice that meets all the following criteria: The device has a wireless communication capability and is mobile; The device requires an upfront or periodic charge or fee to utilize the wireless communications capability; and The wireless communication capability that requires an upfront or periodic fee is activated. For purposes of this section, a notebook or laptop computer is not considered a wireless communication device. “Director” means the Mississippi State University Extension Service Director, the Mississippi State University Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station Director, the Mississippi State University Forestry and Wildlife Research Center Director or the Dean of the Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine. The director or his designee may, at his discretion, assign or otherwise make available for usage one or more wireless communications devices to a faculty member or an agent of the Mississippi State University Extension Service under his direct or indirect supervision after the director, or his designee, signs a statement certifying the need or purpose for issuing the device. No faculty member or extension service agent to whom has been assigned a wireless communication device under this paragraph shall use the assigned device for personal use except in those cases where the personal use does not incur additional charges or fees as a result of the personal use. A detailed billing of wireless services for devices referred to in this paragraph shall be obtained on a periodic basis and reviewed by the director, or his designee, to audit usage and verify compliance with this section. No state-appropriated funds shall be used to pay for the acquisition or use of a wireless communication device issued under this section.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-21 Branch agricultural experimental stations.

Agriculture is the primary industry of Mississippi and it is to the interest of said state agriculture that research in the fields of livestock products, pastures and forage crops, poultry, herd and flock management, horticulture, farm mechanization, soil conservation, forestry, disease and insect and parasite control, the testing of plants and livestock under different conditions, farm enterprises for different sized farms under different soil and climatic conditions and market locations, and other important phases of Mississippi’s agricultural economy, be expanded in the manner provided for in this section. There is hereby authorized a branch experiment station to be known as the Brown Loam Branch Experiment Station, which is to be located on a part of that tract of land owned by the State of Mississippi and formerly operated as the Oakley Penitentiary and known as the Oakley Youth Development Center, same to be selected in accordance with Laws, 1954, Chapter 159, Section 3, and used as an agricultural experiment station. This property is to be supplied with necessary buildings, equipment, and other facilities; and title to such Oakley Penitentiary Farm, now known as the Oakley Youth Development Center, is to be transferred to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning for the use of the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Station as the site of, and to be used for said Brown Loam Branch Experiment Station in accordance with Laws, 1954, Chapter 159, Section 3. There is hereby authorized a branch experiment station to be known as the Coastal Plain Branch Experiment Station to be located on a suitable tract of approximately nine hundred (900) acres to be purchased in the upper coastal plain or short leaf pine area of east central Mississippi and to be supplied with necessary buildings, equipment, and other facilities. The enlargement of the Holly Springs Branch Experiment Station, hereafter to be known as the North Mississippi Branch Experiment Station, is hereby authorized, by the purchase of approximately five hundred (500) acres of additional land adjacent to or in the vicinity of either of the two (2) farms now operated by said branch stations, and by the provision of the necessary buildings, equipment, and other facilities, and the sale as, hereinafter provided, of that farm of said branch station which is not adjacent to the additional land to be purchased. There is hereby authorized the reactivation of the former McNeil Branch Experiment Station to be operated as a part of the South Mississippi Branch Experiment Station at Poplarville, and to be supplied with necessary buildings, equipment, and other facilities. There is hereby authorized a branch experiment station to be known as the Black Belt Branch Experiment Station to be located on a suitable tract of approximately six hundred forty (640) acres of land to be purchased in Noxubee County, Mississippi, and to be supplied with the necessary buildings, equipment, and other facilities. There is hereby authorized a branch experiment station to be known as the Northeast Mississippi Branch Experiment Station to be located on a suitable tract of approximately two hundred (200) acres of land to be purchased in Lee County, Mississippi. Said station shall be primarily devoted to the development of the dairy industry and shall be supplied with necessary buildings, equipment, and other facilities. There is hereby authorized the expansion of the office and laboratory building at the Delta Branch Experiment Station at Stoneville and of the office and laboratory and dwellings for station workers at the Truck Crops Branch Experiment Station at Crystal Springs. The governing authorities of any municipality, town, or county in the state may, in their discretion, donate land, money or other property to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning in furtherance of the purposes of this section. For the purpose of securing funds to carry out this subsection, the governing authorities of such municipality, town, or county are hereby authorized and empowered, in their discretion, to issue bonds or negotiate notes for the purpose of acquiring by purchase, gift, or lease real estate for the purpose herein authorized. Such issuance of bonds or notes shall be issued in an amount not to exceed the limitation now or hereafter imposed by law on counties, municipalities and towns, and shall be issued in all respects including interest rate, maturities and other details as is now or may hereafter be provided by general law regulating the issuance of bond or notes by the governing authorities of such municipality, town, or county. Any person, firm or corporation may contribute or donate real or other property to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning in furtherance of the purpose of this section. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning is hereby authorized, upon recommendation of the Director of the Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Station at the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, which recommendation is approved by and transmitted to said board by the president of said university, to carry out the provisions of this section with particular reference to the establishment, reactivation, expansion, and the discontinuance of branch stations as herein provided, to receive and accept title to any land or property or money herein authorized, to buy or sell and dispose of any real or personal property herein authorized, to make available for carrying into effect the provisions of this section all money received from such sale or sales, and to do any and all things necessary to effectuate the purposes of this section. One-half (1/2) interest in and to all oil, gas and other minerals shall be retained under any lands sold hereunder. A gift of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00), authorized by the general education board of the Rockefeller Foundation for the development of agricultural research, with particular reference to expanding the branch experiment stations and conditioned upon a general program of expansion substantially, as herein provided, is hereby accepted. The Director of the Agricultural and Forestry Experimental Station at the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science is authorized and instructed to control and expend such fund in the same manner as other funds appropriated to carry out the provisions of this section. The experiment station in Clay County, Mississippi, shall not be affected by this section.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-22 Research and extension activities promoting seafood industry.

The Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station are authorized and encouraged to exercise any research and extension activities necessary to promote the Mississippi seafood industry. It is not the intent of this section to mandate or authorize any new branch agricultural experiment stations for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-23 Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Soil Experiment Station.

There is hereby authorized a branch experiment station, to be known as the “Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods Soil Experiment Station,” to be located on a suitable tract of approximately six hundred acres of land in Pontotoc County, Mississippi, the site of which is to be selected by the director of the agricultural and forestry experimental station at the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science. Said acreage shall be divided equally, as nearly as practicable, between the Pontotoc Ridge and Flatwoods soil types, for the purpose of experimentation with said two types of soil in forestry, pasture-improvement, horticulture, soil conservation, truck crops, forage crops, poultry, disease and insect control and general farm products. The said experiment station shall be supplied with the necessary buildings, equipment, and other facilities. The purpose of this section is to provide for increased efficiency in agriculture research for the farmers in the Pontotoc Ridge and Flatwoods soil types, who have been denied this service for all these years. Said branch experiment station shall serve the following named counties, to-wit: The Pontotoc Ridge soil begins at the Tennessee line and traverses the counties of Alcorn, Prentiss, Union, Pontotoc, Chickasaw and Clay. The Flatwoods soil which joins the Pontotoc Ridge soil on the west, begins at the Tennessee line and traverses the counties of Tippah, Benton, Union, Pontotoc, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Webster, Clay, Choctaw, Oktibbeha, Winston, Neshoba, Kemper and Lauderdale County or other counties applicable to these conditions. The governing authorities of any municipality, town, or county in the state, or any person, firm or corporation may contribute or donate land, money or other property to the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning in furtherance of the purpose of this section. The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized, upon the recommendation of the director of the agricultural and forestry experimental station at Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, which recommendation is approved by and transmitted to said board by the president of said university, to establish said Pontotoc Ridge-Flatwoods soil experiment station, to receive and accept title to any land or money or property herein authorized or to be authorized, made available or to be made available by the state legislature, to purchase land, let contracts for the construction of necessary buildings, to equip same, and to further equip said experiment station with farm equipment and any and all other equipment, and to do all things necessary to effectuate the purposes of this section.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-25 Retirement system for employees of the agricultural and forestry experimental station and extension service.

The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized to establish and maintain a system of retirement for the employees of the agricultural and forestry experimental station and extension service, out of any federal funds available under the provisions of the act of congress, approved March 4, 1940, and out of contributions made by the employees of such experimental station and extension service. In the establishment of such special retirement system, the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning shall have full authority to make all needful rules and regulations, to carry into effect the provisions of this section.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-27 Funding of agricultural research program at Delta Branch Experiment Station.

In order to provide for a more comprehensive method of improvement, promotion and development of agricultural research at the Delta Branch Experiment Station, the tax collector of each county of the State of Mississippi located in whole or in part in a levee district, shall deduct annually from all state ad valorem taxes collected by him a sum equal to the avails of a levy of one mill on the dollar of the assessed valuation of taxable property within such county upon which state ad valorem taxes are levied and collected, provided that such county in its discretion levies the one-fourth mill provided for in the third paragraph of this section. Said tax collector is hereby authorized and directed to pay same to Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science. Any funds so paid to said university shall be used for agricultural research at the Delta Branch Experiment Station, with primary attention being given to a cotton research program and for providing needed laboratories and other facilities and equipment for agricultural research. The board of supervisors of any county coming within the provisions of this section shall be authorized to levy, at the time and in the manner other county tax levies are made, and such levy shall be made as a condition precedent to the operation of this section in such county, an ad valorem tax of one-fourth mill against all of the taxable property of such county. Said ad valorem tax levy shall be collected as other taxes are collected, and shall be paid into a special fund of such county and shall be paid over to the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science and shall be used at the Delta Branch Experiment Station for agricultural research, with primary attention being given to a cotton research program and for providing laboratories and other facilities and equipment for agricultural research. Such tax levy shall be in addition to all other levies now authorized by law, and no limitation or inhibition now in the statute against the levying of such a tax shall be effective against such levy. Such one-fourth mill ad valorem levies shall not be reimbursed under the Mississippi homestead exemption laws. In the event similar diversions are already made from the avails of the state ad valorem tax levy in such a county, then this section shall be considered as supplemental thereto, and such laws authorizing such diversions shall not apply to the provisions of this section.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-28 Leasing of hunting rights on certain land of Delta Branch Experiment Station prohibited; public permitted to hunt on such land.

Neither the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, nor any person acting on behalf thereof, shall lease or rent hunting rights on any land located in Washington County, Mississippi, under the jurisdiction, ownership or trusteeship of the Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station, Delta Branch at Stoneville, but shall allow the public to hunt on such lands in accordance with the rules, regulations and permits as shall be adopted by the Delta Branch Experiment Station. The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks shall assist in the enforcement of such rules, regulations and permits as adopted by the Delta Branch Experiment Station, as well as enforcing the general hunting statutes of the State of Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-29 Camp for 4-H Club members in Panola County.

The agricultural extension service of the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, by and with the approval and consent of the president of said university and the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, is hereby authorized and empowered to create, establish, equip and maintain a 4-H Club demonstration camp on a designated area on Sardis Lake in Panola County, Mississippi, on lands belonging to the federal government and leased to the agricultural extension service for such purpose. It shall be the duty and responsibility of the agricultural extension service of said university to direct and supervise the utilization of this facility in carrying out the purposes of this section. When not in use by the agricultural extension service for the purpose herein provided, this facility may be rented to other organizations for educational and recreational use only. Any money derived from such rental shall be used by the agricultural extension service by and with the approval of the president of said university and the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, for maintaining and further improving such facilities for use of the 4-H Clubs in Mississippi. The purpose of this section is to authorize the agricultural extension service of said university, by and with the approval and consent of the president of said university and the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, to establish, equip and maintain this 4-H Club demonstration camp for the purpose of teaching these Mississippi boys and girls standards of better farm and home making, the importance of and the methods of conservation of our natural resources, and the development of character and leadership and training for citizenship. To accomplish such purposes, the agricultural extension service, by and with the approval and consent of the president of said university and the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, is authorized and empowered to do such things as may be necessary, and to prescribe such rules and regulations as it may deem proper to carry out and put into effect the intent and purpose of this section.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-31 Camp for 4-H Club members in Madison County.

The agricultural extension service of the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science, by and with the approval and consent of the president of said university and the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, is hereby authorized and empowered to create, establish, equip and maintain a 4-H Club demonstration camp for Negro 4-H Club members, located on a designated area in Madison County, Mississippi, on lands belonging to the State of Mississippi. It shall be the duty and responsibility of the agricultural extension service of said university to direct and supervise the utilization of this facility in carrying out the purposes of this section. When not in use by the agricultural extension service for the purpose herein provided, this facility may be rented to other Negro organizations for educational and recreational use only. Any money derived from such rental shall be used by the agricultural extension service by and with the approval of the president of said university and the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, for maintaining and further improving such facilities for use of the 4-H Clubs of Mississippi. The purpose of this section is to authorize the agricultural extension service of Mississippi by and with the approval and consent of the president of said university and the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, to establish, equip and maintain this 4-H Club demonstration camp for the purpose of teaching the Negro boys and girls of Mississippi standards of better farm and home making, the importance of and the methods of conservation of our natural resources, and the development of character and leadership and training for citizenship. To accomplish such purposes, the agricultural extension service, by, and with the approval and consent of the president of said university and the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, is authorized and empowered to do such things as may be necessary, and to prescribe such rules and regulations as it may deem proper, to carry out and put into effect the intent and purpose of this section.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-33 Foundation herds of beef cattle, sheep and hogs.

The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized and empowered to purchase, breed, maintain, manage, show and sell foundation herds of beef cattle, sheep and hogs at the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science. The said board is further authorized to establish necessary facilities, to employ and maintain necessary personnel, and to take any other action necessary to carry out this program. The purpose of this program is to provide a means for the broadening, balancing, and rounding-out of courses in animal husbandry for the training of animal husbandry students in livestock breeding, feeding, fitting, showing, judging, buying and selling, and to establish and maintain a source of foundation seed stock. Selected animals purchased, or produced, under this program may be sold only at public auctions sponsored by breed associations, after approval of the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning. The proceeds accruing from the sales of such animals, from show premium money, or from any other source, shall revert to, and be used for the maintenance of the revolving fund, when established by law, to carry out this program. This is a remedial statute and shall be liberally construed to accomplish its purpose.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-35 Survey of farm lands operated by state institutions; land use plan.

Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science is hereby authorized and directed, through its agricultural extension service or other appropriate divisions or services of the institution, to make a survey of all farms and farm lands operated by the various state institutions, and to prepare for each of the said institutions a five-year plan of land use based on good husbandry and the particular needs of each institution. Separate plans shall be made for each institution and shall be submitted to the governing authorities of the institution affected. The governing authorities of such institutions shall put such plan into effect as soon as may be practicable. The university shall also cause to be made a detailed report and compilation of the survey made at each institution, and the plan prepared for each, which report shall be printed and bound in book or pamphlet form and distributed as follows: ten (10) copies each to the governor and the legislative budget office, and one (1) copy to each member of the legislature, or state official or institution requesting the same. Each year after submitting the aforesaid plan to the several institutions, the university, through its agricultural extension service or other appropriate divisions or services of the institution, shall make a semiannual inspection of each institution for which a plan was submitted, and determine what progress has been made by the institution in adopting and carrying into effect or to completion the plan prepared for it. A report of each inspection made hereunder shall be made to the governor and the legislative budget office.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-37 Inventory of livestock owned by state institutions; livestock program.

The heads of all state institutions owning any livestock shall make and file with the agricultural extension service of the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science a complete and detailed inventory every three months of all livestock owned and used by such institutions. Such inventory shall be executed under oath, shall be on such forms as may be prescribed by the agricultural extension service, and shall fully describe and give the number and location of all such livestock and also such other information with reference thereto as the director of the agricultural extension service may require. The agricultural extension service shall, for each of the institutions filing such inventories, inaugurate a livestock feeding, care and breeding program. It shall be the duty and responsibility of the executive head of each institution for which a program has been promulgated or inaugurated to see that such program is put into effect and fully complied with. It shall be the duty of the said agricultural extension service to check each of the institutions coming hereunder at least once every six months to ascertain if the livestock program promulgated for it is being complied with and put into effect, to ascertain if all livestock is being properly inventoried, used and cared for, and to ascertain that such livestock is not being unduly dissipated or used for purposes not authorized by law. If at any time it shall appear to the agricultural extension service that any institution coming hereunder is negligent in filing inventories hereunder or in carrying out the program promulgated for it, or is permitting its livestock to be unduly dissipated, or is using the same or any part thereof for purposes not authorized by law, the director of the agricultural extension service may, by order and until the convening of the next regular session of the legislature, prevent such institution from using any of its livestock for any purposes without first obtaining a permit from the director of said agricultural extension service, and the said director may limit the use of said livestock to such extent as he may deem necessary and proper for the best interest of the State of Mississippi. If any official or employee of any state institution coming hereunder neglects, fails or refuses to comply with any of the terms or provisions of this section, the livestock program promulgated for such official or employee’s institution hereunder, or any order of the director of the agricultural extension service issued hereunder, such official or employee shall be liable for a fine of not exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00), and on conviction, shall be removed from his office or employment. The agricultural extension service shall report to each session of the legislature any violations hereof, giving in detail all facts with reference thereto and also such other information relative to the livestock of the various institutions of the state as it may deem of interest to the legislature.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-39 Regulation of transportation of passengers for hire on university’s campus and grounds.

No public automobile for the transportation of passengers for hire shall be operated on any of the highways or streets on the campus or grounds of the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science without a license from said university to the owner thereof. No fee shall be charged for the issuance of such license and such license shall be subject to revocation by the university authorities at any time without notice. This section shall not apply to any common carrier of passengers who has duly qualified with the Mississippi public service commission. Any person running or operating an automobile at any time in violation of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. Upon conviction thereof, such person shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) or by thirty days in jail or by both before any court of competent jurisdiction.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-41 J. C. Hardy Memorial Fund.

The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized to establish a fund to be known as the J. C. Hardy Memorial Fund. The fund herein authorized shall be raised and supplemented by donations, gifts, legacies, and otherwise. Under the supervision of said board of trustees, said fund or the proceeds therefrom shall be used to assist sons of low-income Mississippi citizens to meet their educational expenses at the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-43 Contributions by certain counties towards construction, erection and equipping of university facilities.

Any county of this state now or hereafter having a population of more than one hundred thousand according to the latest available census, and in which there is located a municipality of one hundred thousand or more, acting by and through its board of supervisors, is hereby authorized and empowered to contribute the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000.00) toward the construction, erection and equipping of educational facilities to be utilized by Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science within such county, by the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-45 Issuance and sale of bonds; election; terms; tax levy.

Any such county as is provided for in Section 37-113-43 is hereby authorized and empowered to issue and sell its bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness for the purpose of providing funds with which to make the contribution or donation authorized under the provisions of said section. Such bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness shall not be issued in an amount which will exceed the limit of indebtedness of said county as such limit is prescribed by Sections 19-9-1 through 19-9-31, Mississippi Code of 1972. Before issuing any such bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness, the board of supervisors acting for such county shall adopt a resolution declaring its intention to issue the same, stating the amount and purpose thereof and fixing the date upon which an election will be held on the proposition. Notice of such election shall be given by publication of such resolution once a week for at least three consecutive weeks in at least one newspaper published in said county. The first publication of such notice shall be made not less than twenty-one days prior to the date fixed in such resolution for the holding of said election as aforesaid and the last publication shall be made not more than seven days prior to such date. At such election all qualified electors of said county may vote and the ballots used shall have printed thereon a brief statement of the amount and purpose of the bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness proposed to be issued and the voter shall vote by placing a cross (x) or check (Π) opposite his choice on the proposition. The bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness authorized herein shall not be issued unless authorized by the affirmative vote of a majority of the qualified voters of said county who vote on the proposition at such election. Such election shall be conducted and the returns thereof made, canvassed, and declared as nearly as may be in like manner as is now or may hereafter be provided by law in the case of general elections in counties. In the event that the question of the issuance of such bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness be not authorized at such election, such question shall not again be submitted to a vote until the expiration of a period of six months, from and after the date of such election. Such bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness shall bear such date or dates, shall be of such denomination or denominations, shall be payable at such place or places, shall bear such rate or rates of interest and shall mature in such amounts and at such times as may be provided and directed by the board of supervisors of said county. Such bonds shall bear interest at a rate or rates not exceeding six per cent per annum and shall mature in not more than twenty-five years from the date thereof and shall be sold for not less than par and accrued interest. Any bonds authorized to be issued at an election as provided for in this section shall be issued by such county, acting by and through its board of supervisors, at such times and in such amounts as shall be provided for by resolution of the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning. All bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness issued hereunder shall be secured by a pledge of the full faith, credit and resources of such county. There shall annually be levied upon all taxable property within said county an ad valorem tax in addition to all other taxes, sufficient to provide for the payment of the principal of and the interest on said bonds, notes or other evidences of indebtedness as the same respectively mature and accrue.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-47 Utilization of proceeds of contributions.

The proceeds of any contribution made by any county under the provisions of Section 37-113-43, including the proceeds from the sale of any bonds issued for such purposes, shall be paid by the board of supervisors of such county into the state treasury into a special fund to the credit of the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, and shall thereafter be utilized and expended by said board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning in the construction, erection and equipping of educational facilities in such county to be utilized by the Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-48 “Old Extension Service Building” designated “Lloyd-Ricks-Watson Building.”

The building located at 255 Tracy Drive in Mississippi State, Mississippi, and also known as the “Old Extension Service Building,” shall be named the “Lloyd-Ricks-Watson Building” after former university employees Edward R. Lloyd and James R. Ricks, and current university employee Vance H. Watson.Such employees have served as the Director of the Experiment Station and the Director of the Extension Service, and are the only three (3) individuals in history who have served in both capacities at Mississippi State University.Mississippi State University shall prepare a distinctive plaque to be placed in a prominent place inside the building, which states the background, accomplishments and service to the state of these university employees.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-49 Contribution does not give county right in educational facilities nor impose maintenance obligation.

If any such county makes the contribution or donation as provided for in Section 37-113-43, neither such donation nor any provisions of Sections 37-113-43 through 37-113-49 shall be held to give rise to any right of title, lien, encumbrance or other right in the buildings, facilities or equipment so constructed or acquired and installed by means of or with the aid of such contribution or donation or upon the site on which they are located. Neither shall such donation nor any provision of said sections give rise to any right or obligation on the part of such county with respect to the operation or maintenance of said educational facilities and equipment.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-50 Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce Bureau of Plant Industry Building designated “Robert Horne McCarty Building”.

The building known as the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce Bureau of Plant Industry Building on the campus of Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, shall be designated and henceforth be known as the “Robert Horne McCarty Building.” The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce is hereby authorized to erect a suitable memorial marker at a site on the premises of the current Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce Bureau of Plant Industry Building to be chosen with the approval of the family of Robert Horne McCarty.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-51 Establishment.

The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized and directed to establish a college of veterinary medicine at Mississippi State University at Starkville, Mississippi.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-53 Implementation of law.

The board is directed to take any and all necessary and proper action for the implementation of this section and Section 37-113-51, including but not limited to the appointment of a dean who will study and recommend to the board an adequate staff and whose responsibility will be to work with the state building commission in planning the construction and equipping of said college.

Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-61 State certification for therapeutic riding instructors; training to be provided by extension service; continuing education seminar required for yearly renewal of certification.

As used in this section: “Extension service” means the Mississippi State University Extension Service. “Fiscal year” means the period beginning on July 1 of any year and ending on June 30 of the following year. “Therapeutic riding” means the use of equine-facilitated activities for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of people with disabilities. There is established a program of state certification for therapeutic riding instructors in Mississippi, which shall be administered by the Mississippi State University Extension Service. In order to receive certification under the state program, a therapeutic riding instructor must complete the training provided by the extension service, which shall address standards of safety for participants, volunteers, staff, equipment, facilities and horses, and standards of health care for horses. The extension service shall provide, or facilitate through contracts with third parties, the training necessary to obtain certification. Initial and renewal certification under the state program will be valid for one (1) fiscal year. The initial certification will be valid for the fiscal year in which it is obtained. In order to renew the certification for later fiscal years, the instructor must attend, in each fiscal year, a continuing education seminar that is provided by or approved by the extension service. The extension service may charge reasonable fees for providing training, initial certification, and continuing education seminars. The state certification program is a program to identify and recognize those therapeutic riding instructors who have completed training in safety standards in therapeutic riding. The state certification program is not a regulatory program, and the extension service shall not have any regulatory authority over therapeutic riding instructors, facilities or programs in Mississippi.