Mississippi Public Safety Grants

Domestic Manufacturer Means More Than a U.S. Brand

Under Mississippi Code § 31-7-67, since January 1, 2025, a drone bought by Mississippi or an agency or political subdivision must come from a statutory domestic manufacturer and have a collision-avoidance system. The manufacturer must be incorporated and headquartered in the United States, majority owned by U.S. citizens, and manufacture drones at a U.S. facility; any parent must also be an American company.

The statute defines sUAS to include aircraft, control stations, data links, telemetry, communications, navigation and other necessary equipment. Collision avoidance may be hardware or software designed to mitigate collision risk. Obtain specific vendor documentation instead of relying on an “American brand” claim.

China-Origin Rule, Exceptions and Bid Preference

Section 31-7-67 separately prohibits an agency from buying or operating a drone manufactured in the People’s Republic of China. Its definition also reaches a drone assembled elsewhere with more than a negligible amount of Chinese-origin parts, software, components or raw materials. The statute does not set a numeric content percentage. Request a bill of materials and written origin representations, and have procurement counsel evaluate ambiguous cases.

The section exempts PRC-manufactured sUAS purchased before January 1, 2025, and a qualifying state university research center while conducting sUAS research. In Title 31, Chapter 7 procurements, it provides a 10% Mississippi supplier bid preference for qualifying domestic manufacturers and service companies. It also addresses state-contracted infrastructure inspections using domestically manufactured sUAS.

Domestic Repairs and Technical Services

All maintenance, repairs and other technical services on drones owned by the state or an agency or political subdivision must be performed by a domestic sUAS company: one incorporated and headquartered in the U.S. and primarily providing those services here. The repair rule is a separate operational procurement obligation; verify service centers, subcontractors, warranty returns and data-access arrangements before ordering.

Do not interpret the pre-2025 aircraft exception as a blanket exemption from state network policy, federal awards or the agency’s own security requirements.

Mississippi ITS Cybersecurity Rules

Mississippi’s National Security on State Devices and Networks Act bars state employees from using ITS-listed prohibited technologies on state-issued devices or state-operated networks. The July 2026 ITS list includes SZ DJI, Dahua, Hikvision, Huawei, Hytera and ZTE, subsidiaries or affiliates, plus PRC-manufactured sUAS covered by § 31-7-67. Check the current list and agency architecture before connecting a controller, video system or cloud service.

ITS enterprise security and cloud policies govern state systems. ITS also says state agencies and Enterprise State Network participants report cybersecurity incidents by the close of the next business day after discovery. Local buyers should review their own policy and any state-network participation, not assume every state IT rule applies to every municipal device.

Federal Award and BJA UAS Rules

OMB M-26-02 Appendix D implements the American Security Drone Act restriction on using federal award funds, from December 22, 2025, to procure or in connection with operating a FASC-prohibited UAS, subject to specified exemptions and waivers. A local-fund purchase does not make federally charged operation eligible. A federal award does not automatically convert all locally funded purchases into federal contracts.

BJA-funded UAS purchases, including JAG, require express prior approval and certification involving DCMA Blue UAS Cleared List status, Commerce screening, modifications, federal information, privacy and cyber policies. NDAA Section 889, FCC Covered List and applicable TAA clauses are additional, distinct tests for the relevant contract and system.

Practical Mississippi UAS Procurement Checklist

1. 1Identify buyer, money and mission. Map state/local purchaser, direct or pass-through awards, operations charges, applications and data destinations.
2. 2Confirm domestic manufacturer. Obtain evidence of U.S. incorporation, headquarters, majority U.S.-citizen ownership, U.S. drone manufacturing and parent ownership.
3. 3Validate aircraft and components. Document collision avoidance and Chinese-origin parts, software, components and raw materials; ask counsel to assess the statutory negligible-amount language.
4. 4Plan domestic service. Name a domestic sUAS company for maintenance, repair and other technical services; include the scope in the purchase file.
5. 5Check state IT and privacy. Screen Mississippi ITS prohibited technologies and state-network/cloud policies, and obtain local security approval where relevant.
6. 6Screen federal award use. Apply OMB M-26-02 Appendix D to award-funded procurement or operation of FASC-prohibited UAS, subject to its exemptions and waivers.
7. 7Seek BJA approval and keep records. If BJA-funded, obtain express prior UAS approval; preserve DCMA list checks, certifications, bids, cyber review and cost allocation.