(1) Every court shall keep a full record of the proceedings of every case
in which a person is charged with any violation of law regulating the
operation of vehicles on the highways, streets or roads of this state.

(2) Unless otherwise sooner required by law, within forty-five (45) days
after the conviction of a person upon a charge of violating any law
regulating the operation of vehicles on the highways, streets or roads of
this state, every court in which such conviction was had shall prepare and
immediately forward to the Department of Public Safety an abstract of the
record of said court covering the case in which said person was so
convicted, which abstract must be certified by the person so authorized to
prepare the same to be true and correct.

(3) Said abstract must be made upon a form approved by the Department of
Public Safety, and shall include the name and address of the party charged,
the registration number of the vehicle involved, the nature of the offense,
the date of hearing, the plea, the judgment, and if the fine was satisfied
by prepayment or appearance bond forfeiture, and the amount of the fine or
forfeiture, as the case may be.

(4) Every court shall also forward a like report to the Department of
Public Safety upon the conviction of any person of manslaughter or other
felony in the commission of which a vehicle was used.

(5) Every court shall also forward a like report to the Department of
Public Safety after the satisfactory completion by a defendant of an
approved traffic safety violator course under Section 63-9-11, and the
department shall make and maintain a private, nonpublic record to be kept
for a period of three (3) years.  The record shall be solely for the use of
the courts in determining eligibility under Section 63-9-11, as a first-time
offender, and shall not constitute a criminal record for the purpose of
private or administrative inquiry.  Reports forwarded to the Department of
Public Safety under this subsection shall be exempt from the provisions of
the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983.  This subsection shall stand
repealed after December 31, 2004.

*30905 (6) The failure by refusal or neglect of any such judicial officer
to comply with any of the requirements of this section shall constitute
misconduct in office and shall be grounds for removal therefrom.

(7) The Department of Public Safety shall keep copies of all abstracts
received hereunder for a period of three (3) years at its main office and
the same shall be open to public inspection during reasonable business
hours.  This subsection shall not apply to nonpublic records maintained
solely for the use of the courts in determining offender eligibility.