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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.

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

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 facto 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)

Past composition of the Senate

List of presidents pro tempore

Since 1833 the Senate has had 52 Presidents pro tempore:^[31]

	Name		County/District	Term of service
1		Charles Lynch		1833–1834
2		Parmenas Briscoe	Claiborne	1834–1836
3		W. Van Norman		1836–1837
4		Alexander McNutt		1837–1838
5		Adam Lewis Bingaman		1838–1840
6		George Baldwin Augustus	Noxubee	1840–1842
7		Jesse Speight		1842–1843
8		G. T. Swan		1846–1848
9		Dabney Lipscomb	Lowndes	1848–1851
10		James Whitfield		1851–1854
11		John J. Pettus		1854–1858
12		James Drane		1858–1865
13		John M. Simonton		1865–1869
14		William M. Hancock		1870–1872
15		Joseph Bennett		1872
16		Finis H. Little		1872–1875
17		John Marshall Stone		1875–1876
18		William H. Sims	Lowndes, Oktibbeha, Clay	1876–1878
19		Reuben O. Reynolds	Monroe, Chickasaw	1878–1888
20		J. P. Walker		1888–1890
21		Robert Aaron Dean		1890–1896?
22		James T. Harrison	25th	1896–1900
23		J. R. Densmore		1900–1904
24		E. H. Moore		1904–1908
25		John L. Hebron Jr.		1908–1912
26		A. C. Anderson		1912–1916
27		Carroll Kendrick	37th	1916–1920
28		John Fatheree		1920–1924
29		Mark Perrin Lowrey Love	42nd	1928–1932
30		W. C. Adams	37th	1932–1936
31		John Culkin		1936–1940
32		W. B. Roberts	30th	1940
33		Oscar O. Wolfe Jr.	30th	1941–1952
34		James Orville Clark	37th	1952–1956
35		Earl Evans Jr.	18th	1956–1960
36		George Yarbrough		1960–1968
37		Merle F. Palmer		1968–1971
38		Marion Smith		1971–1972
39		B. G. Perry		1972–1976
40		William B. Alexander	12th	1976–1984
41		Thomas Norman Brooks		1984–1985
42		Glen Deweese	33rd	1986–1992
43		Ollie Mohamed	21st	1992–1994
44		Pud Graham		1994–1996
45		Tommy Gollott	50th	1996–2000
46		Travis Little		2000–2008
47		Billy Hewes		2008–2012
48		Terry W. Brown		2012–2015
49		Giles Ward	18th	2015–2016
50		Terry C. Burton	31st	2016–2019
51		Gray Tollison	9th	2019–2020
52		Dean Kirby	30th	2020–Present

See also

• Mississippi State Capitol
• Mississippi Legislature
• Mississippi House of Representatives
• List of former members of the Mississippi State Senate

References

External links

• Mississippi Legislature
• State Senate of Mississippi at Project Vote Smart
• Mississippi State Senate at Ballotpedia

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