Rep. Manly Barton wrote and referred a new bill to the Mississippi Judiciary A committee regarding public entry into private cemeteries.
The petition has been filled with the local chancery court to allow family members of those buried in abandoned or private cemeteries to request access, for the purpose of restoration, discovery, or visiting.
The HB 281 bill states that:
“Any person who desires to enter or exit property for the purpose of visiting a grave or abandoned public cemetery, but is unable to obtain the consent of the landowner upon which the grave is located, may petition the chancery court of the county in which the petitioner has reasonable grounds to believe the deceased is buried, or in the case of an abandoned public cemetery, in the county in which the abandoned public cemetery is located for an order to allow the petitioner to enter and exit the property to discover, restore, maintain, or visit the grave or abandoned public cemetery.”
Death care laws like this could also be helpful for cemetery restoration faithfuls who are trying to get more access to rundown plots.