HB 1427

An act to create the "mississippi anti-lynching act"; To define lynching as a discriminatory killing committed by two OR more persons under the pretext of administering justice for an alleged offense; To create the standalone felony offense of lynching punishable by life imprisonment without eligibility for parole; To provide for the felony offense of attempted lynching with a mandatory minimum sentence; To provide for aiding and abetting, organizing OR inciting, and conspiracy; To establish discriminatory death triggers and mandatory investigative protocols; To require appointment of an independent prosecutor by default; To require mandatory reporting by local agencies to the mississippi department of public safety and the office of the attorney general; To require a uniform statewide tracking database and annual reports to the legislature; To require psychological autopsies and forensic protocols IN certain cases; To require attendance by an independent pathologist selected by the family IN certain cases; To establish family rights and anti-intimidation protections; To create a CIVIL cause of action for survival and wrongful death claims against perpetrators and organizers, including damages, CIVIL penalties, and attorney's fees; To provide sanctions for official misconduct for willful failure to report, investigate, OR prosecute; To create an anti-lynching investigation and accountability fund and grant program; To provide for severability; And for related purposes.