Mississippi State Legislature
| Mississippi State Legislature | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | State legislature |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2013 session start: | January 8, 2013 |
| Website: | Official Legislature Page |
| Leadership | |
| Senate President: | Tate Reeves (R) |
| House Speaker: | Philip Gunn (R) |
| Majority Leader: | TBA (R) (House) |
| Minority leader: | Tyrone Ellis (D) (House) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 52 (Senate), 122 (House) |
| Length of term: | 4 years (Senate), 4 years (House) |
| Authority: | Art V, Mississippi Constitution |
| Salary: | $10,000./year + per diem |
| Last Election: | November 8, 2011 52 seats (Senate) November 8, 2011 122 seats (House) |
| Next election: | November 3, 2015 52 seats (Senate) November 3, 2015 122 seats (House) |
| Redistricting: | Mississippi Legislature has control |
Contents |
The Legislature convenes at the Mississippi State Capitol in Jackson, Mississippi.
The rights, responsibilities, privileges and expectations of the state legislature are defined in Article 4 of the Mississippi Constitution.
As of May 2013, Mississippi is one of 24 Republican state government trifectas.
Sessions
Article IV of the Mississippi Constitution establishes when the Legislature is to meet. Section 36 of Article IV states that the legislature is to convene in regular session on the Tuesday following the first Monday in January of each year. Section 36 limits the length of regular sessions to ninety calendar days, except for once every four years when the regular session can last up to one hundred twenty-five calendar days. The most recent one hundred twenty-five day session was in 2008, and the next session of this kind will be in 2012.
Section 36 also allows the Legislature to extend its sessions for thirty days by a two-thirds vote of both legislative houses. There is no limit on the number of times a session can be extended in this way. In 2010, the Legislature extended its session once, moving the date of adjournment from April 3rd to May 3rd.
Article V of the Mississippi Constitution gives the Governor of Mississippi the power to call the Legislature into extraordinary session. Section 121 of Article V enumerates this power.
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from January 8 through April 7.
Major issues
Alongside creating a budget, legislators will address education issues, namely charter schools, and medicaid expansion.[1]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the Legislature was in session from January 3 through May 3.[2]
2011
In 2011, the Legislature was in session from January 4 through April 7. [3]
2010
In 2010, the Legislature was originally scheduled to be in session from January 5th to April 3rd. However, the session was extended to May 3rd. Additionally, a special session was held that convened on April 22nd and adjourned on April 23rd.[4]
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Mississippi
The five-member Standing Joint Reapportionment Committee handles redistricting, with no veto power afforded to the Governor. Should it fail to finalize a plan on time, a backup commission -- composed of the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court, the Attorney General, the Secretary of State, and the Majority Leaders of both legislative chambers -- would take over the process. Mississippi is required to have its maps pre-cleared by the Justice Department under the Voting Rights Act.
2010 census
Mississippi received its local census data on February 3, 2011. The state's population grew 4.3 percent, with several of its well-known cities (Jackson, Gulfport, Biloxi) losing as much as 13 percent. Most of the state's population loss was in the north-central region and along the western edge.
Republicans controlled the Legislature and governorship at the time of redistricting. Because Mississippi holds legislative elections in odd-numbered years, the legislature was given a tight deadline -- June 1, 2011 -- for redistricting in time for the 2011 elections while allowing 60 days of review by the DOJ. The deadline passed without a plan, meaning any new maps would not take effect until 2015. Elections were held with the previous maps, and the House passed a new map in April 2012, with the Senate following in May.[5] The House plan includes five two-incumbent races, with the Senate having one. As of August 18, 2012, the maps were still with the Department of Justice for pre-clearance.[6]
Legislators
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2013, members of the Mississippi legislature are paid $10,000/year. Per diem is $109/day tied to the federal rate.[7]
When sworn in
Mississippi legislators assume office the first day of the regular session of the year following election. The Constitution requires the Legislature to convene yearly on the Tuesday after the first Monday in January.
Senate
The Mississippi Senate is the upper house of the Mississippi Legislature. The Senate is composed of 52 Senators representing an equal amount of constituent districts. Each member represents an average of 57,063 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[8] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 54,705.[9] Senators serve four-year terms with no term limits.
Like other upper houses of state and territorial legislatures and the federal U.S. Senate, the Senate can confirm or reject gubernatorial appointments to the state cabinet, commissions and boards.
According to the current Mississippi Constitution, the Senate is to be composed of no more than 52 members elected for four-year terms. Elections to the Senate are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November during the state general elections.
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 21 | |
| Republican Party | 31 | |
| Total | 52 | |
House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi State Legislature. According to the state constitution of 1890, this body is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for four-year terms (Section 34). To qualify as a member of the house candidates must (a) be at least 21 years old, (b) have been a resident of Mississippi for at least four years, and (c) have resided in the district in which he/she is running for at least two years (Sections 41, 44 and 45). Current state law provides for the maximum number of members. Elections are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
Each member represents an average of 24,322 residents, as of the 2010 Census.[10] After the 2000 Census, each member represented 23,317.[11]
The Constitution also specifies that the legislature shall meet for 125 days every four years and 90 days in all other years (Section 36 of Article 4).
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 58 | |
| Republican Party | 63 | |
| Vacancy | 1 | |
| Total | 122 | |
Joint legislative committees
- Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review Committee, Mississippi State Legislature
- Reapportionment Committee, Mississippi State Legislature
External links
References
- ↑ Sun Herald, "Mississippi legislative session sets off at saunter, not trot," January 8, 2013
- ↑ StateScape, Session schedules, accessed April 30, 2012
- ↑ Mississippi State Legislature
- ↑ 2010 session dates for Mississippi Legislature
- ↑ The Associated Press, "Mississippi House adopts Senate redistricting plan," May 3, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Dems complain to Justice Dept., August 18, 2012. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
