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Mississippi House of Representatives
| Mississippi House of Representatives | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2012 session start: | January 3, 2012 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | Philip Gunn, (R) |
| Majority Leader: | TBA (R) |
| Minority leader: | Tyrone Ellis (D) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 122 |
| Democratic Party (59) Republican Party (63) | |
| Length of term: | 4 years |
| Authority: | Art IV, Mississippi Constitution |
| Salary: | $10,000/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2007 (122 seats) |
| Next election: | November 8, 2011 (122 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Legislature first draws, Commission acts as back-Up. |
Contents |
Sessions
Article IV of the Mississippi Constitution establishes when the Mississippi State Legislature, of which the House of Representatives is a part, 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.
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the Legislature was in session from January 3 through May 3.[4]
Major issues
Republicans control the legislature and governorship for the first time since Reconstruction. They will have to deal with a spending gap of nearly $1 billion and are expected to consider cuts to education, public health, public safety, and nursing homes for veterans. New state legislative maps will also be on the agenda.[5]
2011
In 2011, the House was in session from January 4 through April 7. [6]
2010
In 2010, the House 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.[7]
Elections
2011
Elections for the office of Mississippi's state house representatives will be held in Mississippi on November 8, 2011.
2007
As of the 2000 Census, Mississippi's 122 state representatives each represent an average population of 23,317 people. In 2007, the candidate running for state house raised a total of $6,201,617 in campaign contributions.
| Year | Number of candidates | Total contributions |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 253 | $6,201,617 |
| 2003 | 308 | $4,346,149 |
The top 10 donors were:[8]
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Mississippi House Democratic Leadership | $343,247 |
| Mississippi Republican Party | $248,791 |
| Mississippi Association of Realtors | $113,200 |
| Mississippi Medical Association | $111,200 |
| Reeves, John | $106,730 |
| Lawyers Involved for Mississippi Betterment | $99,503 |
| AT&T | $91,809 |
| Mississippi Bankers Association | $90,500 |
| Mississippi Hospital Association | $86,250 |
| Improve Mississippi | $85,467 |
Vacancies
| How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures |
 |
If there is a vacancy in the House, a special election is required to fill the vacant seat. The Governor must call for an election no later than 30 days after the vacancy happened. After the Governor sets the election date, the counties conducting the election must give no less than 45 days notice before the election. All qualifying deadlines are 30 days before the election[9].
No special election is held if the vacancy happens after June 1st in an election year[10].
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of May 2012 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 59 | |
| Republican Party | 63 | |
| Total | 122 | |
Representatives
Leadership
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body.[11]
Current leadership
| Position | Representative | Party |
|---|---|---|
| State Speaker of the House | Philip Gunn |  Republican
|
| State House Speaker Pro Tempore | Greg Snowden | Republican
|
| State House Minority Leader | Tyrone Ellis |  Democratic
|
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2011, members of the Mississippi legislature are paid $10,000/year. Per diem is $109/day tied to the federal rate.[12]
The $10,000/year that Mississippi legislators are paid as of 2011 is the same as they were paid during legislative sessions in 2007. Per diem has increased from $91/day in 2007 to $116/day in 2010 and decreased to $109/day in 2011.[13][14]
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.
Current members
Standing committees
Mississippi House of Representatives has 46 standing committees:
- Agriculture
- Apportionment and Elections
- Appropriations
- Banking and Financial Services
- Compilation, Revision and Publication
- Congressional Redistricting
- Conservation and Water Resources
- Constitution
- Corrections
- County Affairs
- Education
- Energy
- Enrolled Bills
- Ethics
- Executive Contingent Fund
- Fees and Salaries of Public Officers
- Forestry
- Gaming
- Insurance
- Interstate Cooperation
- Investigative State Offices
- Judiciary A
- Judiciary B
- Judiciary En Banc
- Legislative Budget
- Legislative Reapportionment
- Local and Private Legislation
- Management
- Marine Resources
- Medicaid
- Military Affairs
- Municipalities
- PEER
- Ports, Harbors and Airports
- Public Health And Human Services
- Public Property
- Public Utilities
- Rules
- State Library
- Tourism
- Transportation
- Universities and Colleges
- Ways and Means
- Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
- Workforce Development
- Youth and Family Affairs
It also has three select committees:
- Select Committee on Philanthropic Development
- Select Committee on Utility Cost Recovery
- Select Committee on Poverty
External links
- Official website of the Mississippi State Legislature
- Official list of the current members of the Mississippi House of Representatives
- Project Vote Smart on the Mississippi House of Representatives
- Mississippi House of Representatives on Wikipedia
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ "Mississippi House of Representatives" 2009 Timetable, March 12, 2009
- ↑ StateScape, Session schedules, accessed April 30, 2012
- ↑ Clarion Ledger, "State budget decisions all up to GOP," January 2, 2012
- ↑ Mississippi State Legislature
- ↑ 2010 session dates for Mississippi Legislature
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Mississippi House 2007 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ Michie "Code of Mississippi"(Referenced Statute 23-15-851 (1))
- ↑ Michie "Code of Mississippi"(Referenced Statute 23-15-851 (2))
- ↑ Mississippi House Membership
- ↑ http://www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=22490 Nation Conference of State Legislatures, "2011 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "2010 Legislator Compensation Data"
- ↑ Empire Center, "Legislative Salaries Per State as of 2007"
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