{"data":{"id":"us-ms/miss.-code-ann.-11-62-17","jurisdiction":"us-ms","citation":"Miss. Code Ann. § 11-62-17","heading":"Miss. Code Ann. § 11-62-17","body":"As used in this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:\n\n(1) “ State benefit program ” means any program administered or funded by the state, or by any agent on behalf of the state, providing cash, payments, grants, contracts, loans or in-kind assistance.\n\n(2) “ State government ” means:\n\n(a) The State of Mississippi or a political subdivision of the state;\n\n(b) Any agency of the state or of a political subdivision of the state, including a department, bureau, board, commission, council, court or public institution of higher education;\n\n(c) Any person acting under color of state law; and\n\n(d) Any private party or third party suing under or enforcing a law, ordinance, rule or regulation of the state or political subdivision of the state.\n\n(3) “ Person ” means:\n\n(a) A natural person, in his or her individual capacity, regardless of religious affiliation or lack thereof, or in his or her capacity as a member, officer, owner, volunteer, employee, manager, religious leader, clergy or minister of any entity described in this section;\n\n(b) A religious organization;\n\n(c) A sole proprietorship, or closely held company, partnership, association, organization, firm, corporation, cooperative, trust, society or other closely held entity operating with a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction described in this chapter; or\n\n(d) Cooperatives, ventures or enterprises comprised of two (2) or more individuals or entities described in this subsection.\n\n(4) “ Religious organization ” means:\n\n(a) A house of worship, including, but not limited to, churches, synagogues, shrines, mosques and temples;\n\n(b) A religious group, corporation, association, school or educational institution, ministry, order, society or similar entity, regardless of whether it is integrated or affiliated with a church or other house of worship; and\n\n(c) An officer, owner, employee, manager, religious leader, clergy or minister of an entity or organization described in this subsection (4).\n\n(5) “ Adoption or foster care ” or “ adoption or foster care service ” means social services provided to or on behalf of children, including:\n\n(a) Assisting abused or neglected children;\n\n(b) Teaching children and parents occupational, homemaking and other domestic skills;\n\n(c) Promoting foster parenting;\n\n(d) Providing foster homes, residential care, group homes or temporary group shelters for children;\n\n(e) Recruiting foster parents;\n\n(f) Placing children in foster homes;\n\n(g) Licensing foster homes;\n\n(h) Promoting adoption or recruiting adoptive parents;\n\n(i) Assisting adoptions or supporting adoptive families;\n\n(j) Performing or assisting home studies;\n\n(k) Assisting kinship guardianships or kinship caregivers;\n\n(l) Providing family preservation services;\n\n(m) Providing family support services; and\n\n(n) Providing temporary family reunification services.","path":["MS Code","Title 11"],"source_url":"https://legislature.ms.gov/","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:17Z","sha256":"51336bfcce66c1e980ec200708790681c61094e9266f6bf41fcf861da91682f5","source_id":"us-ms","stale":false,"prev":"us-ms/miss.-code-ann.-11-62-15","next":"us-ms/miss.-code-ann.-11-62-19"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}