Mississippi State Senate
General Information
Party control:	Republican
Session start:	January 6, 2026
Session end:	April 5, 2026
Term length:	4 years
Term limits:	None
Redistricting:	Legislature-dominant
Salary:	$23,500/year + per diem
Members
Total:	52
Democrats:	18
Republicans:	34
Other:	0
Vacancies:	0
Leadership
President:	Delbert Hosemann (R)
Min. Leader:	Derrick Simmons (D)
Elections
Last election:	November 7, 2023
Next election:	November 2, 2027

TheMississippi State Senate is theupper chamber of theMississippi State Legislature. Alongside theMississippi House of Representatives, it forms the legislative branch of the Mississippi state government and works alongside thegovernor of Mississippi to create laws and establish a state budget. Legislative authority and responsibilities of the Mississippi State Senate include passing bills on public policy matters, setting levels for state spending, raising and lowering taxes, and voting to uphold or override gubernatorial vetoes.

The Mississippi State Senate meets in the state capitol building inJackson, Mississippi.

This page contains the following information on the Mississippi State Senate.

• Which partycontrols the chamber
• The chamber'scurrent membership
• Partisan control of the chamberover time
• Elections in the chamber and how vacancies are filled
• Adistrict map
• Howredistricting works in the state
• Legislation currently under consideration
• Legislative session dates
• Legislative procedures, such as veto overrides and the state budget process
• A list ofcommittees

Party control

Current partisan control

The table below shows the partisan breakdown of the Mississippi State Senate as of February 2026:

Members

Leadership

The lieutenant governor ofMississippi acts as president of the 52-member Senate and is given the right to cast a vote in the case of a tie. There are no majority or minority leaders in the Senate.^[1]

Leadership and members

• Senate president:Delbert Hosemann (R)
• President Pro Tem:Dean Kirby (R)

Salaries

See also:Comparison of state legislative salaries

Swearing in dates

See also:When state legislators assume office after a general election

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.^[3]

Membership qualifications

See also:State legislature candidate requirements by state

Section 42 of Article 4 of theMississippi Constitution states, "No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained the age of twenty-five years, who shall not have been a qualified elector of the State four years, and who shall not be an actual resident of the district or territory he may be chosen to represent for two years before his election."^[4]

Historical party control

Trifecta history

Astate government trifecta is a term that describes single party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Between 1992 and 2023, Mississippi was under the following types of trifecta control:

• Democratic trifecta: 2000-2003
• Republican trifecta: 2012-2023
• Divided government: 1992-1999, 2004-2011

Elections

Elections by year

Mississippi state senators servefour-year terms, with all seats up for election every four years. Mississippi is one of only four states to hold elections during odd years, along with Louisiana, Virginia, and New Jersey.^[7]

2027

See also:Mississippi State Senate elections, 2027

Elections for theMississippi State Senate will take place in 2027. The general election is onNovember 2, 2027.

2023

See also:Mississippi State Senate elections, 2023

Elections for theMississippi State Senate took place in 2023. The general election was on November 7, 2023. A primary was August 8, 2023, and a primary runoff was August 29, 2023. The filing deadline was February 1, 2023.

In the 2023 elections, Republicans maintained their majority and Democrats picked up one seat from 15-36 to 16-36.

2019

See also:Mississippi State Senate elections, 2019

Elections for theMississippi State Senate took place in 2019. The primary was on August 6, 2019, the primary runoff was on August 27, and the general election was on November 5. The filing deadline for candidates was March 1, 2019.

2015

See also:Mississippi State Senate elections, 2015

Elections for theMississippi State Senate took place in 2015. A primary election was held on August 4, 2015, and the general election was held onNovember 3, 2015. Thesignature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was February 27, 2015.^[8] The 2015 election did not change the partisan count of the chamber.

InDistrict 37,Robert Dearing (D) defeated incumbentMelanie Sojourner (R) by 64 votes. Sojourner formally challenged the outcome of the general election, claiming that there were irregularities at the polls. A Senate committee took up the challenge in January, and the chamber voted 47-3 to seat Dearing.^[9][10]

Vacancies

See also:How vacancies are filled in state legislatures

If there is a vacancy in theMississippi State Legislature, a special election is required to fill the vacant seat. Thegovernor 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 be given at least 60 days' notice before the election. All qualifying deadlines are 50 days before the election.^[14]

The governor can choose not to issue a writ of election if the vacancy occurs in the same calendar year as the general election for state officials.^[14]

See sources:Mississippi Code Ann. § 23-15-851

District map

See also:Mississippi state legislative districts

The state of Mississippi has 174 legislative districts. Each district elects one representative. The state Senate has 52 districts and the state House has 122 districts.

Use the interactive map below to find your district.

Redistricting

See also:Redistricting in Mississippi

In Mississippi, both congressional and state legislative district boundaries are drawn by thestate legislature. Congressional district lines are approved as regular legislation and are thus subject to veto by thegovernor. State legislative district boundaries are approved as a joint resolution; as such, they are not subject to gubernatorial veto.^[15]

If the legislature cannot approve a state legislative redistricting plan, a five-member commission must draw the lines. This commission comprises the chief justice of theMississippi Supreme Court, theattorney general, thesecretary of state, and the majority leaders of theMississippi State Senate and theMississippi House of Representatives.^[15]

TheMississippi Constitution requires that state legislative district boundaries be contiguous. State statutes further require that state legislative districts "be compact and cross political boundaries as little as possible."^[15]

2020

See also:Redistricting in Mississippi after the 2020 census

On July 3, 2025, the state filed a notice of appeal to theU.S. Supreme Court of part of a May 7, 2025, federal three-judge panel decision that led to redrawn districts and special elections. The state said the appeal would not affect the special elections.^[16]

A legal challenge to the state legislative maps had resulted in a three-judge panel ordering the state to add two new majority-Black Senate districts and one new majority-Black House district by the end of the 2025 legislative session.^[17] The legislature approved the new maps on March 5, 2025.^[18] On April 15, 2025, a three-judge panel ordered the legislature to redraw the Senate district in DeSoto County and gave the State Board of Election Commissioners seven days to submit a new map.^[19] The panel approved revised maps from the Mississippi Election Commission on May 7, 2025, and special elections in the affected districts were scheduled for November 4, 2025.^[20]

Mississippi enacted new state legislative district boundaries on March 31, 2022, when both legislative chambers approved district maps for the other chamber.^[21] Legislative redistricting in Mississippi is done via a joint resolution and did not require Gov.Tate Reeves' (R) approval.^[21] Emily Wagster Pettus of theAssociated Press wrote that "Republican legislative leaders said the redistricting plans are likely to maintain their party's majority in each chamber."^[22] Pettus also wrote that "Senate President Pro Tempore Dean Kirby of Pearl said the Senate redistricting plan keeps the same number of Republican-leaning and Democratic-leaning districts as now."^[22]

Redistricting of thestate Senate was approved by the Senate on March 29, 2022, by a vote of 45-7, with 31 Republicans and 14 Democrats in favor and five Republicans and two Democrats voting against.^[23] Thestate House approved the Senate's district boundaries on March 31, 2022, by a vote of 68-49. Sixty-two Republicans, three Democrats, and three independents voted in favor and 35 Democrats and 14 Republicans voted against.^[24]

New district boundaries for theMississippi House of Representatives were approved by the House on March 29, 2022, by an 81-38 vote. Seventy-three Republicans, five Democrats, and three independents voted to enact the new map and 36 Democrats and two Republicans voted against it.^[25] TheMississippi Senate approved the House map—41 to 8—on March 31, 2022, with 34 Republicans and seven Democrats voting in favor and all eight votes against by Democrats.^[26]

District map after 2020 redistricting

This map took effect for Mississippi’s 2023 legislative elections.

2010

See also:Redistricting in Mississippi after the 2010 census

Mississippi received its local census data on February 3, 2011. The state's population grew 4.3 percent, with several of its 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. The legislature was given a deadline of June 1, 2011, for redistricting. This deadline was created for the plans to be done in time for the2011 elections, and allow 60 days for review by the Department of Justice as required at the time by theVoting Rights Act. The deadline passed without a plan, meaning any new maps would not take effect until 2015, and elections were held with the previous maps. The House passed a new map on April 26, 2012, with the Senate following in May.^[27] On September 14, 2012, the U.S. Department of Justice approved Mississippi's new legislative districts.^[28]

Sessions

Legislation

The legislation tracker below displays all legislation that the Mississippi State Senate has approved in its most recent legislative session—this includes legislation that has been sent from the Senate to the House and legislation that has already been approved by the House and signed by the governor after its passage in the Senate. The table below includes the bill number, its name, progress, most recent action date, and sponsor. Scroll up and down and side to side to see more. Click the bill number to read the bill text and see its voting history. Click the headings to sort the content. Rearrange the order of the headings by clicking and dragging them. Click the magnifying glass in the bottom left corner to search for specific terms. The legislation tracker is maintained and updated byBillTrack50.

Dates of legislative sessions in Mississippi by year

2025

See also:2025 Mississippi legislative session andDates of 2025 state legislative sessions

In 2025, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 7, 2025, and adjourn on April 3, 2025.

Click [show] for past years' session dates.

2024 See also:2024 Mississippi legislative session andDates of 2024 state legislative sessions In 2024, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 2, 2024, and adjourn on May 4, 2024. 2023 See also:2023 Mississippi legislative session andDates of 2023 state legislative sessions In 2023, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 3, 2023, and adjourn on April 1, 2023. 2022 See also:2022 Mississippi legislative session andDates of 2022 state legislative sessions In 2022, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 4, 2022, and adjourn on April 5, 2022. 2021 See also:2021 Mississippi legislative session andDates of 2021 state legislative sessions In 2021, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 5, 2021, and adjourn on April 1, 2021. 2020 See also:2020 Mississippi legislative session andDates of 2020 state legislative sessions In 2020, the legislature was scheduled to convene on January 7, 2020, and adjourn on October 10, 2020. Effect of coronavirus pandemic See also:Changes to state legislative session dates in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, 2020 Coronavirus pandemic Select a topic from the dropdown below to learn more. Political responses overviewState reopening plansDocumenting America's Path to RecoveryElection changesChanges to vote-by-mail and absentee voting proceduresFederal responsesState responsesState executive ordersStay-at-home ordersMultistate agreementsNon-governmental reopening plansEvictions and foreclosures policiesTravel restrictionsEnacted state legislationState legislative session changesSchool closuresState court closuresInmate releasesLocal government responsesDiagnosed or quarantined politiciansBallot measure changesArguments about government responsesThe 1918 influenza pandemicPandemic Response Accountability CommitteeUnemployment filingsLawsuitsBallotpedia's polling on the coronavirus pandemicSubmit Several state legislatures had their sessions impacted as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic. TheMississippi 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.[29][30][31][32] 2019 See also:2019 Mississippi legislative session andDates of 2019 state legislative sessions In 2019, the legislature was in session from January 8, 2019, through March 29, 2019. 2018 See also:2018 Mississippi legislative session andDates of 2018 state legislative sessions In 2018, the legislature was in session from January 2, 2018, through March 28, 2018. To read about notable events and legislation from this session, clickhere. 2017 See also:Dates of 2017 state legislative sessions In 2017, the legislature was in session from January 3, 2017, through March 29, 2017. The legislature will begin a special session on June 5. 2016 See also:Dates of 2016 state legislative sessions In 2016, the legislature was in session from January 5 through April 21. A one-day legislative special session on February 4, 2016, called byMississippi Governor Phil Bryant (R) resulted in the largest economic development announcement in a single day in the state’s history, according to the governor. Legislators approved millions in state aid for a shipyard project and for a tire plant projected to be the largest such facility in North America. Lawmakers estimated that a total of 3,500 jobs could be created by the package of loans, tax breaks, and other incentives.[33] 2015 See also:Dates of 2015 state legislative sessions In 2015, the legislature was in session from January 6 through April 2. Major issues in 2015 Major issues in the 2015 legislative session included education funding, tax relief, and contract reform.[34] 2014 See also:Dates of 2014 state legislative sessions In 2014, the legislature was in session from January 7 through April 2.[35] Major issues in 2014 Major issues in the 2014 legislative session includedCommon Core, Medicaid expansion, teachers' pay, and prison sentences.[36][37] 2013 See also:Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions In 2013, the legislature was in session from January 8 to April 7.[38] Major issues in 2013 Major issues in the 2013 legislative session included creating a budget,charter schools, and Medicaid expansion.[39] 2012 See also:Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions In 2012, the legislature was in session from January 3 through May 3.[40] 2011 In 2011, the legislature was in session from January 4 through April 7.[41] 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 from April 22nd to April 23rd.[42]

About legislative sessions in Mississippi

TheTenth Amendment of theU.S. Constitution declares that any power not already given to the federal government is reserved to the states and the people.^[43] State governments across the country use this authority to hold legislative sessions where a state's elected representatives meet for a period of time to draft and vote on legislation and set state policies on issues such as taxation, education, and government spending. The different types of legislation passed by a legislature may include resolutions,legislatively referred constitutional amendments, and bills that become law.

Article IV of the Mississippi Constitution establishes when theMississippi State Legislature, of which the Senate 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 was 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 3 to May 3.

Article V of the Mississippi Constitution gives theGovernor of Mississippi the power to call the Legislature into extraordinary session. Section 121 of Article V enumerates this power.^[44]

Legislative roles and procedures

Every state legislature throughout the country features its own internal procedures that it uses to govern itself and how it interacts with other parts of state government. Ballotpedia's coverage of internal state legislative procedures includesveto overrides,the role of the legislature in the state budget,procedures for filling membership vacancies, andredistricting.

Veto overrides

See also:Veto overrides in state legislatures

State legislatures can override governors' vetoes. Depending on the state, this can be done during the regular legislative session, in a special session following the adjournment of the regular session, or during the next legislative session. The rules for legislative overrides of gubernatorial vetoes in Mississippi are listed below.

How many legislators are required to vote for an override? Two-thirds of members present in both chambers.

How can vetoes be overridden after the legislature has adjourned?

Authority:Article IV, Section 72 of theMississippi Constitution.

Role in state budget

See also:Mississippi state budget and finances

Mississippion

Check outBallotpedia articles about policy in your state on:

Budgets •Civil liberties •Education •Elections •Energy •Environment •Healthcare •Pensions

The state operates on an annual budget cycle. The sequence of key events in the budget process is as follows:^[47]

1. Budget instructions are sent to state agencies inJune of the year preceding the start of the new fiscal year.
2. State agencies submit their budget requests to thegovernor inAugust.
3. The governor submits his or her proposed budget to thestate legislature byNovember 15. This deadline is extended toJanuary 31 for a newly elected governor.
4. The legislature typically adopts a budget inMarch or April. The fiscal year beginsJuly 1.

Mississippi is one of 44 states in which the governor hasline item veto authority.^[47][48]

The governor is legally required to submit a balanced budget proposal. Likewise, the legislature is legally required to pass a balanced budget.^[47]

Committees

See also:List of committees in Mississippi state government

Every state legislature and state legislative chamber in the country contains several legislative committees. These committees are responsible for studying, amending, and voting on legislation before it reaches the floor of a chamber for a full vote. The different types of committees include standing committees, select or special, and joint.

• Standing committees are generally permanent committees, the names of which sometimes change from session to session.
• Select or special committees are temporary committees formed to deal with specific issues such as recent legislation, major public policy or proposals, or investigations.
• Joint committees are committees that feature members of both chambers of a legislature.

Ballotpedia covers standing and joint committees. The Mississippi State Senate has 41 standing committees:

Constitutional amendments

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

The methods in which the Mississippi Constitution can be amended:

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

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

TheMississippi 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

Anindirect initiated constitutional amendment is acitizen-initiated ballot measure that amends astate's constitution. There are two states –Massachusetts andMississippi – that allow citizens to initiate indirect constitutional amendments.

While a directinitiated 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, thenumber 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 theMississippi 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.

Legislature

See also:Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

Atwo-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one legislative session for theMississippi State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 77 votes in theMississippi House of Representatives and 35 votes in theMississippi 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.

See also

Elections	Mississippi State Government	State Legislatures	State Politics
Mississippi State Senate elections, 2023 Mississippi State Senate elections, 2019 Mississippi State Senate special elections, 2017 Mississippi State Senate elections, 2015	Mississippi State Legislature Mississippi House of Representatives Governor of Mississippi Mississippi Supreme Court	State legislative elections:2024,2023,2022,2021,2020,2019, and2018	State government trifectas State government triplexes State executives State courts Ballot measures The State Legislative Decade

External links

• Mississippi Legislature

Footnotes

	v • e State ofMississippi Jackson (capital)
Elections	What's on my ballot? |Elections in 2026 |How to vote |How to run for office |Ballot measures
Government	Who represents me? |U.S. President |U.S. Congress |Federal courts |State executives |State legislature |State and local courts |Counties |Cities |School districts |Public policy