Mississippi State Senate

Last updated

Mississippi Senate
Mississippi State Legislature
Seal of Mississippi 2014.svg
Type
Type
Term limits
None
History
New session started
January 2, 2024
Leadership
Delbert Hosemann (R)
since January 14, 2020
President pro tempore
Dean Kirby (R)
since January 7, 2020
Minority Leader
Derrick Simmons (D)
since July 31, 2017
Structure
Seats52
MS Senate Mississipi Nov 2019.svg
Political groups
  •    Republican (36)
  •    Democratic (16)
Length of term
4 years
AuthorityArticle IV, Mississippi Constitution
Salary$10,000/year + per diem
Elections
Last election
November 7, 2023
(52 seats)
Next election
November 2, 2027
(52 seats)
RedistrictingLegislative Control
Meeting place
Mississippi State Capitol building in Jackson.jpg
State Senate Chamber
Mississippi State Capitol
Jackson, Mississippi
Website
Mississippi State Legislature

The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Mississippi. The Senate, along with the lower Mississippi House of Representatives, convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson.

Contents

The Senate is composed of 52 senators representing an equal number of constituent districts, with 56,947 people per district (2020 census). In the current legislative session, the Republican Party holds 36 seats while the Democratic Party holds 16 seats, creating a Republican trifecta in the state government.

The Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions, and boards and can create and amend bills.

Membership, terms and elections

According to the current Mississippi Constitution, the Senate is to be composed of no more than 52 members elected for four-year terms with no term limits. [1] Districts are reapportioned to reflect population changes, and per the 2020 census, each district has about 56,947 people. [2] [3] To qualify for election, candidates must be at least 25 years old, a qualified elector of the state for the past four years, and be a resident of the district or county they are running to represent for the past two years. [4] All candidates must pay either a $250 fee to their state party executive committee or to the Mississippi Secretary of State if they are running as an independent. Independent candidates must collect 50 signatures to run. [4] Elections to the Senate are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November during the state general elections. [5]

If a vacancy occurs in the Senate before June 1, the governor must order an election within 30 days after the vacancy and give a 40-day notice to the appropriate counties where the seat is located. No special election occurs if the vacancy happens after June 1. [6]

Powers and process

The state legislature is constitutionally-mandated to meet for 125 days every four years at the start of a new term and 90 days in other years. [2] [7] The Senate reconvenes on a yearly basis on the Tuesday after the first Monday in January. [2] While the Mississippi House of Representatives can extend its sessions, the Senate cannot. [7]

The Senate has the authority to determine rules of its own proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and expel a member with a two-thirds vote of its membership. [8] A majority in the Senate establishes a quorum, though less members can adjourn, [9] though not for more than 3 days without the House's consent. [10] Bills can originate in the Senate and must undergo three readings in each house, unless two-thirds of the house dispenses with the rules. [11] Amendments to bills must be approved by both houses. [12] The Senate, in conjunction with the Mississippi House of Representatives, draws and approves both congressional and district boundaries. The congressional boundaries can be vetoed by the governor, while the district boundaries, created by a joint resolution between both houses, cannot be vetoed by the governor. [13]

The governor has the power to veto legislation, but legislators can override the veto with a two-thirds decision. [14] The Senate tries all impeachments referred to it by the House of Representatives. [15] All gubernatorial appointments are subject to approval of the Senate. [16]

Leadership

The President of the Senate is Mississippi Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann, who is Republican. The President pro tempore is Republican Dean Kirby. [17] The Minority Leader is Democrat Derrick Simmons. [18]

The Lieutenant Governor of Mississippi serves as the President of the Senate [19] and has the sole ability to appoint the chairmanships or vice chairmanships of various Senate committees, regardless of party size. [20] They can only cast a legislative vote if required to break a tie. [19] In his or her absence, the President Pro Tempore presides over the Senate. [21] The President Pro Tempore is elected by a majority of senators present, with following elections for the senate secretary, seargent-at-arms, and a doorkeeper. [22] The President Pro Tempore chairs the Senate Rules Committee, oversees the day-to-day operations of the Senate staff, and assumes the responsibilities of the president in their absence. [23]

Party composition

AffiliationParty
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total
Democratic Republican Vacant
End of previous legislature (2023)1636520
Start of current legislature (2024)1636520
Latest voting share

Although the Democratic Party retained their majority in the Senate after the 2003 general election, a party switch by Democratic Senator James Shannon Walley of Leakesville in January 2007 threw control of the chamber to the Republicans. [24] Because the Lieutenant Governor Amy Tuck was a Republican, this gave Republicans control of the Senate for the first time since Reconstruction and a de facto majority only on a tie vote. [25] In the November 6, 2007 statewide elections, Democrats won back control of the chamber, [26] however party switches from Senators Nolan Mettetal in February 2008 and Cindy Hyde-Smith in December 2010 gave the Republicans a de factor majority, with Lieutenant Governor Phil Bryant holding the tiebreaker vote. [27] [28] After another party switch in February 2011, the Republicans expanded their majority to 27–24, with one vacancy. [29]

As of 2024, the Mississippi Senate has 36 Republican members and 16 Democratic members. [30]

Members of the Mississippi Senate (2024–2028)

DistrictNamePartyAssumed OfficeCounties RepresentedNotes
1 Michael McLendon Rep2020DeSoto
2 David Parker Rep2013DeSoto
3 Kathy Chism Rep2020Benton, Pontotoc, Union
4 Rita Potts Parks Rep2012Alcorn, Tippah
5 Daniel Sparks Rep2020Itawamba, Prentiss, Tishomingo
6 Chad McMahan Rep2016Itawamba, Lee
7 Hob Bryan Dem1984Itawamba, Lee, Monroe
8 Benjamin Suber Rep2020Calhoun, Chickasaw, Lee, Pontotoc, Yalobusha
9 Nicole Akins Boyd Rep2020Lafayette, Panola
10 Neil Whaley Rep2018Marshall, Tate
11 Reginald Jackson Dem2024Coahoma, DeSoto, Quitman, Tate, Tunica
12 Derrick Simmons Dem2011Bolivar, Coahoma, Washington
13 Sarita Simmons Dem2020Bolivar, Sunflower, Tallahatchie
14 Lydia Chassaniol Rep2007Attala, Carroll, Grenada, Leflore, Montgomery, Panola, Tallahatchie, Yalobusha
15 Bart Williams Rep2020Choctaw, Montgomery, Oktibbeha, Webster
16 Angela Turner-Ford Dem2013Clay, Lowndes, Noxubee, Oktibbeha
17 Charles Younger Rep2014Lowndes, Monroe
18 Jenifer Branning Rep2016Leake, Neshoba, Winston
19 Kevin Blackwell Rep2016DeSoto, Marshall
20 Josh Harkins Rep2012Rankin
21 Bradford Blackmon Dem2024Attala, Holmes, Leake, Madison
22 Joseph C. Thomas Dem2020Humphreys, Madison, Sharkey, Sunflower, Washington, YazooPreviously served from 2004–2008
23 Briggs Hopson Rep2008Issaquena, Warren, Yazoo
24 David Lee Jordan Dem1993Grenada, Holmes, Humphreys, Leflore, Tallahatchie
25 J. Walter Michel Rep2016Hinds, MadisonPreviously served from 1999–2011
26 John Horhn Dem1993Hinds, Madison
27 Hillman Terome Frazier Dem1993Hinds
28 Sollie Norwood Dem2013Hinds
29 David Blount Dem2008Hinds
30 Dean Kirby Rep1992Rankin
31 Tyler McCaughn Rep2020Lauderdale, Newton, Scott
32 Rod Hickman Dem2021Kemper, Lauderdale, Noxubee, Winston
33 Jeff Tate Rep2020Clarke, Lauderdale
34 Juan Barnett Dem2020Forrest, Jasper, Jones
35 Andy Berry Rep2024Copiah, Jefferson Davis, Lawrence, Simpson
36 Brian Rhodes Rep2024Rankin, Smith
37 Albert Butler Dem2010Adams, Claiborne, Copiah, Franklin, Hinds, JeffersonRepresented district 36 prior to 2024
38 Gary Brumfield Dem2024Adams, Amite, Pike, Walthall, Wilkinson
39 Jason Barrett Rep2020Copiah, Lawrence, Lincoln, Walthall
40 Angela Burks Hill Rep2012Marion, Pearl River
41 Joey Fillingane Rep2007Covington, Forrest, Jefferson Davis, Lamar, Smith
42 Robin Robinson Rep2024Forrest, Greene, Jones, Wayne
43 Dennis DeBar Rep2016George, Greene, Wayne
44 John A. Polk Rep2012Lamar, Pearl River
45 Chris Johnson Rep2020Forrest, Perry
46 Philman Ladner Rep2024Hancock, Harrison
47 Mike Seymour Rep2016Jackson, Pearl River, Stone
48 Mike Thompson Rep2020Harrison
49 Joel Carter Rep2018Harrison
50 Scott DeLano Rep2020Harrison
51 Jeremy England Rep2020Jackson
52 Brice Wiggins Rep2012Jackson
Panoramic photograph of the Mississippi State Senate, 1924 (18704666133).jpg

Past composition of the Senate

See also

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References

  1. Article 12, Section 254 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (1890)
  2. 1 2 3 Watson, Michael (2021). "Legislature" (PDF). Mississippi Blue Book 2020-2024. Mississippi Secretary of State.
  3. "Mississippis Population Declined 0.2%". Census.gov. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  4. 1 2 Watson, Michael (2021). "Elections" (PDF). 2020-2024 Mississippi Blue Book. Mississippi Secretary of State.
  5. Article 4, Section 102 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (1890)
  6. MS Code § 23-15-851 (2013)
  7. 1 2 Article 4, Section 36 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (1890)
  8. Article 4, Section 55 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (1890)
  9. Article 4, Section 54 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (Constitution)
  10. Article 4, Section 57 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (1890)
  11. Article 4, Section 59 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (1890)
  12. Article 4, Section 60 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (1890)
  13. "Mississippi - All About Redistricting". All About Redistricting. Loyola Law School. June 18, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2021.
  14. Article 4, Section 72 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (1890)
  15. Article 4, Section 49 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (Constitution)
  16. Mississippi Code § 7-1-35
  17. "Dean Kirby elected Senate president pro tempore". WJTV. Jackson. January 7, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
  18. Criss, Jack (October 10, 2022). "Senator Derrick Simmons". Delta Business Journal. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  19. 1 2 Article 5, Section 129 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (1890)
  20. Harrison, Bobby (April 7, 2019). "Lieutenant governor's power derives from senators; lawmaker says chamber must take back its authority". Mississippi Today. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  21. Article 4, Section 39 of the Constitution of Mississippi  (1890)
  22. MS Code § 5-1-15 (2013)
  23. Harrison, Bobby (January 2, 2024). "Dean Kirby elected to second term as Senate's second-in-command". Mississippi Today. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  24. "Leakesville state rep switches parties". WDAM . January 15, 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  25. Pender, Geoff (January 12, 2007). "State Senate numbers are equal: GOP, Dems even after Walley switch". The Sun Herald . p. 2.
  26. Taggart, Andy; Nash, Jere (November 11, 2007). "The 2008 Mississippi Legislature: Is it 'back to the future?'". Clarion-Ledger . p. 59.
  27. "State Sen. Mettetal joins Republican Party". The Natchez Democrat. January 30, 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  28. "Sen. Hyde-Smith joins Republicans". Daily Leader. December 29, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  29. Farrell, David A. (February 25, 2011). "Lee switches parties". The Picayune Item. pp. 1, 3.
  30. "Mississippi Election Results". The New York Times. November 7, 2023. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 10, 2024.

32°18′14″N90°10′56″W / 32.30389°N 90.18222°W / 32.30389; -90.18222