2020 Mississippi legislative session

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Some states made changes to 2020 state legislative sessions and legislative activity in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
For a full list of changes, visit: Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020.
Mississippi: The Mississippi State Legislature suspended its session, effective March 18, 2020, through May 7, 2020.
Mississippi State Legislature

Seal of Mississippi.jpg
General information
Type:   State legislature
Term limits:   None
Session start:   January 7, 2020
Website:   Official Legislature Page
Leadership
Senate President:  
Delbert Hosemann (R)
House Speaker:  Philip Gunn (R)
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
Elections
Last election:  November 5, 2019
Next election:  November 7, 2023
Redistricting:  Mississippi Legislature has control

In 2020, the Mississippi State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 7 and adjourn on October 10.

Several state legislatures suspended their sessions or otherwise limited legislative activity in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The Mississippi State Legislature suspended its session, effective March 18, 2020. The suspension was originally set to expire April 1, 2020. It was subsequently extended to May 18, 2020, but the legislature reconvened earlier, on May 7, 2020.[1][2][3][4]

At the start of the 2020, Mississippi was one of 28 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Following the 2019 election, Republicans had a 36-16 supermajority in the Senate and a 75-46 majority over Democrats in the House and one independent member. The party also controlled the governorship, creating a Republican state government trifecta.

At the beginning of the 2020 legislative session:
  • Republicans held a supermajority in the Mississippi state Senate and a majority in the state House.
  • Mississippi was one of 21 Republican state government trifectas.
  • Mississippi’s governor was Republican Tate Reeves.

    • Black.png Click the links to read more about the 2023 state Senate and state House elections.
    Black.png Click the links to read more about the 2019 state Senate and state House elections.

    Partisan control in 2020

    See also: State government trifectas

    Mississippi was one of 21 Republican state government trifectas at the start of 2020 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

    Mississippi was also one of 28 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

    The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Mississippi State Legislature in the 2020 legislative session.

    Mississippi State Senate

    Party As of January 2020
         Democratic Party 16
         Republican Party 36
    Total 52

    Between 1991 and 2020, partisan control of the Mississippi State Senate shifted from being heavily Democratic to a Republican majority. Democrats went from having a 26-seat advantage following the 1991 elections to being at a 20-seat disadvantage after the 2019 elections. The rapid partisan change in the chamber coincided with the American South's shift from over a century of Democratic dominance to being solid Republican in the early 21st century. The table below shows the partisan history of the Mississippi State Senate following every general election from 1991 to 2019. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Mississippi State Senate election results: 1991-2019

    Party 91 95 99 03 07 11 15 19
    Democrats 39 34 34 27 28 21 20 16
    Republicans 13 18 18 24 24 31 32 36
    Other 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

    From 1991 to 2006, Senate Democrats controlled the Mississippi State Senate. Democrats had their largest majority following the 1991 election when Democrats had a 26-member majority. In 2007, two Democratic members switched their party affiliation to Republican, giving Republicans a 27-25 majority. This was their first majority in the Senate since Reconstruction.[5] Democrats rebounded in the 2007 elections and held a 28-24 majority until state Sen. Nolan Mettetal switched his party affiliation from Democratic to Republican in 2008. This gave Democrats a 27-25 majority.[6][7]

    Prior to the 2011 elections, state senators Cindy Hyde-Smith and Ezell Lee switched their party affiliation from Democratic to Republican in 2010 and 2011, respectively. This gave Republicans a 27-25 majority heading into the 2011 election. Republicans picked up four seats in the 2011 election and won a 31-21 majority. The Republican gains in 2011 and 2015 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    Following the 2019 elections, Republicans held a 36-16 majority.


    Mississippi House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2020
         Democratic Party 46
         Republican Party 74
         Independent 1
         Vacancies 1
    Total 122

    Between 1991 and 2020, partisan control of the Mississippi House of Representatives shifted from being heavily Democratic to a Republican majority. Democrats went from having a 66-seat advantage following the 1991 elections to being at a 29-seat disadvantage after the 2019 elections. The rapid partisan change in the chamber coincided with the American South's shift from over a century of Democratic dominance to being solid Republican in the early 21st century. The table below shows the partisan history of the Mississippi House of Representatives following every general election from 1991 to 2019. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Mississippi House of Representatives election results: 1991-2019

    Party 91 95 99 03 07 11 15 19
    Democrats 93 86 86 75 75 58 49 46
    Republicans 27 33 33 47 47 64 73 75
    Other 2 3 3 0 0 0 0 1

    From 1992 to 2011, House Democrats held large majorities in the chamber, the largest following the 1991 election when Democrats held a 66-seat advantage. In every election between 1991 and 2007, Democrats either lost seats or gained no seats. From 1991 to 2003, House Democrats had more than the 82 seats required to override gubernatorial vetoes.

    Republicans took control of the Mississippi House of Representatives in the 2011 elections. Before the 2011 election, the last time that Republicans controlled the state House was during Reconstruction.[8] Republicans picked up 10 seats in that election and won a 64-58 majority. The Republican gains in 2011 and 2015 were in line with a national trend toward Republican state legislatures during the presidency of Barack Obama (D). From 2009 to 2017, Democrats experienced losses in state legislative elections, totaling 968 seats all together.

    Following the 2019 elections, Republicans held a 75-46 majority with one seat held by a non-major party.


    Leadership in 2020

    Mississippi State Senate

    Mississippi House of Representatives

    Regular session

    The following widget shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2020 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation met these criteria in 2020. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Mississippi state government


    A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

    At the beginning of the 2020 legislative session, there were 91 standing committees in Mississippi's state government, including two joint legislative committees, 43 state Senate committees, and 46 state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees

    Senate committees


    House committees


    Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the Mississippi Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Article XV of the Mississippi Constitution and Laws governing the initiative process in Mississippi

    Note on Mississippi:

    Mississippi has an initiated constitutional amendment process, including a signature distribution requirement based on five congressional districts. However, the requirements cannot be met, according to the Mississippi Supreme Court, because the state has four congressional districts following reapportionment in 2001. As a result, the process remains part of the state constitution but cannot be carried out in practice.[9]


    Mississippi Constitution
    Seal of Mississippi.jpg
    Preamble
    Articles
    1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15

    The Mississippi Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution—a citizen-initiated process and a legislative process. Mississippi requires a simple majority vote (50% plus 1) for voters to approve constitutional amendments.

    Initiative

    See also: Initiated constitutional amendment

    An indirect initiated constitutional amendment is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends a state's constitution. There are two states – Massachusetts and Mississippi – that allow citizens to initiate indirect constitutional amendments.

    While a direct initiated constitutional amendment is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiated constitutional amendment is first presented to the state legislature, which has various options depending on the state.

    In Mississippi, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment is equal to at least 12% of the total number of votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial general election immediately preceding the signature deadline—not necessarily the gubernatorial election immediately preceding the targeted election date. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.

    Beginning with the day the sponsor receives the ballot title and summary, proponents have one year to circulate petitions and receive certification from the county circuit clerks. Signatures must be submitted to the secretary of state at least 90 days prior to the beginning of the regular session—which begins in the first week of January.

    Once it is determined that proponents of a measure have collected enough signatures, the measure is filed with the Mississippi State Legislature on the first day of the legislative session. The legislature must act on the measure within four months of that date. The legislature may choose to adopt the measure by a majority vote in each house. Whether the legislature adopts or rejects the measure, the proposed amendment proceeds to the ballot. The legislature may also choose to approve an amended alternate version of the measure. In this case, both measures appear on the ballot together.

    An initiative must receive a majority of the total votes cast for that particular initiative and must also receive more than 40% of the total votes cast in that election.

    Note on Mississippi:

    Mississippi has an initiated constitutional amendment process, including a signature distribution requirement based on five congressional districts. However, the requirements cannot be met, according to the Mississippi Supreme Court, because the state has four congressional districts following reapportionment in 2001. As a result, the process remains part of the state constitution but cannot be carried out in practice.[10]

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for the Mississippi State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 77 votes in the Mississippi House of Representatives and 35 votes in the Mississippi State Senate, assuming no vacancies. The absolute number of those voting in favor must be equal to at least a majority of the members elected to each house. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.



    Historical context:

    • A total of 14 measures appeared on statewide ballots in Mississippi from 1995 to 2018.
    • From 1995 to 2018, the number of measures on even-year statewide ballots ranged from zero to two.
    • Between 1995 and 2018, an average of between zero and one measure appeared on the ballot in Mississippi during even-numbered election years.
    • Between 1995 and 2018, about 50 percent (7 of 14) of the total number of measures that appeared on statewide ballots were approved, and about 43 percent (6 of 14) were defeated. One measure was not formatted as a yes or no question; rather, the measure asked voters to select a preferred flag for the state of Mississippi.


    Historical partisan control

    The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Mississippi.

    Mississippi Party Control: 1992-2025
    Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  Fourteen years of Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
    Governor R R R R R R R R D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R[11] D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R R

    See also

    Elections Mississippi State Government State Legislatures State Politics
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    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Mississippi lawmakers to halt legislative session over coronavirus," March 17, 2020
    2. ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Mississippi Legislature will not come back April 1, as coronavirus spreads," March 26, 2020
    3. ↑ Clarion Ledger, "Amid coronavirus pandemic, Mississippi Legislature will reconvene on May 18," April 27, 2020
    4. ↑ WLOX, "Mississippi Legislature to reconvene Thursday," May 5, 2020
    5. ↑ Google Books, "Crossing the Aisle: Party Switching by U.S. Legislators in the Postwar Era," accessed August 31, 2017
    6. ↑ Jackson Free Press, "Dems Bolster Power in Legislature," November 14, 2007
    7. ↑ Natchez Democrat, "State Sen. Mettetal joins Republican Party," January 30, 2008
    8. ↑ The Dispatch, "Brown chosen as No. 2 in Senate," January 3, 2012
    9. ↑ Mississippi Supreme Court, "In Re Initiative Measure No. 65: Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler V Michael Watson, in His Official Capacity as Secretary of State for the State of Mississippi," May 14, 2021
    10. ↑ Mississippi Supreme Court, "In Re Initiative Measure No. 65: Mayor Mary Hawkins Butler V Michael Watson, in His Official Capacity as Secretary of State for the State of Mississippi," May 14, 2021
    11. ↑ Republicans gained a majority in 2007 when two Democratic state senators switched their party affiliation. Democrats regained the majority as a result of the 2007 elections.
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