House takes up bill to allow state response on federal land for Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center at Keesler AFB

The House took up Senate Bill 2,297, a bill presented at the request of the governor’s office and developed with the Department of Defense that would allow for concurrent jurisdiction where the state leases land on the perimeter of Keesler Air Force Base for the Mississippi Cyber and Technology Center.

Sponsor comments said the project will be built under an enhanced‑use lease agreement on land adjacent to Keesler AFB and is expected to be a state‑built, roughly 100,000‑square‑foot cyber center that the state will lease from the federal government. The bill establishes a framework for concurrent jurisdiction so that state law enforcement can respond to criminal acts or emergencies on the leased property even though the land is federal.

During floor questioning, a member asked whether the site would be federal land; the sponsor confirmed the site is federal land being leased via an enhanced‑use lease. The sponsor explained the concurrent jurisdiction provision is intended to allow state response to incidents on the leased facility while ownership remains with the federal government.

The sponsor said the bill originated with the governor’s office and was coordinated with the Department of Defense. Questions from members focused on the lease model, whether the land is federal, and how state response would be coordinated. No detailed vote tally was recorded in the immediately adjacent transcript excerpt; the measure was called for final passage on the floor.

Clarifying details captured on the floor include the sponsor’s description of an enhanced‑use lease, the planned approximate size of the center (~100,000 square feet) and that the facility will be on federal land leased to the state for the center. The bill’s purpose, as explained on the floor, is to create concurrent jurisdiction and operational clarity for law enforcement and emergency response on the leased site.