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Read. Follow. Verify.Mississippi Bill Prohibits Health Care Facilities From Limiting Patient Visitation During Stays Exceeding 24 Hours
Last action · February 3, 2026: 02/03 (H) Died In CommitteeSponsors: Jeff Hale and 1 other
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What This Bill Proposed
House Bill 847 bars licensed health care facilities and hospitals in Mississippi from restricting patient visitation by designated family members or friends during stays lasting more than twenty-four hours, including during public health emergencies, while granting facilities immunity from related liability claims.
Patients hospitalized or treated for over 24 hours would gain a guaranteed right to daily visits from at least two designated individuals for a minimum of two hours per day, while health care facilities would be legally protected from liability lawsuits arising from compliance with these visitation rules.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Health care facility patients
Patients staying longer than 24 hours receive a guaranteed right to daily visits from at least two designated individuals.
Health care facilities
Facilities must permit specified visitation minimums even during public health emergencies while receiving immunity from related liability claims.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which facilities are covered under the proposed Health Care Facility Right to Visit Act?
Can health care facilities still set safety rules for visitors under this bill?
Are health care facilities liable if compliance with the visitation rules leads to a liability claim?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died in committee.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 3, 2026House02/03 (H) Died In Committee
- Jan 16, 2026HouseCommittee01/16 (H) Referred To Public Health and Human Services
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Connected Entities
Sources
billstatus.ls.state.ms.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 60)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz25Current news / social attention level
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