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MDMR director outlines seafood-labeling bill and lease tax proposals in legislative update
Summary
The MDMR director briefed commissioners on several bills, including a seafood-labeling measure in conference and a lease tax exemption that passed both chambers; public-trust titling language is moving through other bills.
The Mississippi Department of Marine Resources provided a legislative update at the March 18 commission meeting, reporting progress on a seafood-labeling bill and proposals affecting state bottom leases.
The director told commissioners that House Bill 602, described as a crawfish and seafood labeling bill, is in conference. The director said the bill’s core aim is to require restaurants and suppliers to indicate whether seafood is imported or domestic. "If we can just get to the point to where we have them to where it's either labeled as import or domestic, that will help a lot," the director said.
The director said he was meeting with Senate and House committees and the governor’s office to work through labeling details, including whether to require the country of origin on certain specialty items.
On lease taxation, the director reported that a bill to exempt certain department leases from county taxes had passed both the House and Senate and was expected to move forward. He said the proposals would change how revenue from own-bottom leases is allocated, noting fishermen’s concerns about current distributions. The director described negotiations over percentage shares and said the department’s goal is to reduce the state share from an 80 percent split in some cases, mentioning possible shifts toward 60/40 or 50/50 arrangements.
The director also discussed “public trust titling” language that had been attached to other bills, including a version tied to sports gaming that failed in the Senate and another tied to tax legislation; he said the precise outcome was still unclear.
Commissioners thanked staff for the update and noted the importance of labeling to the state’s seafood economy. No formal action was taken on the bills during the meeting; the director said staff would continue meetings with legislators and executive offices.
