Mississippi State Senate
Mississippi Legislature
Type
Type	Upper house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 2, 2024
Leadership
President	Delbert Hosemann (R) since January 14, 2020
President pro tempore	Dean Kirby (R) since January 7, 2020
Minority Leader	Derrick Simmons (D) since July 31, 2017
Structure
Seats	52
Political groups	Republican (36)   Democratic (16)
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article IV,Mississippi Constitution
Salary	$10,000/year + per diem
Elections
Last election	November 7, 2023 (52 seats)
Next election	November 2, 2027 (52 seats)
Redistricting	Legislative Control
Meeting place
State Senate Chamber Mississippi State Capitol Jackson, Mississippi
Website
Mississippi State Senate
Rules
Senate Rules

TheMississippi State Senate is theupper house of theMississippi Legislature, thestate legislature of the U.S. state ofMississippi. The Senate, along with thelowerMississippi House of Representatives, convenes at theMississippi State Capitol inJackson. TheLieutenant Governor of Mississippi serves as President of the Senate.

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, theRepublican Party holds 36 seats while theDemocratic 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.

According to the currentMississippi Constitution, the Senate is to be composed of no more than 52 members elected for four-year terms with noterm 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]

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 theMississippi 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]

The President of the Senate isMississippi Lieutenant GovernorDelbert Hosemann, who isRepublican. ThePresident pro tempore is RepublicanDean Kirby.^[17] The Minority Leader is DemocratDerrick Simmons.^[18]

TheLieutenant Governor of Mississippi serves as thePresident 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 the absence of the lieutenant governor, thePresident Pro Tempore presides over the Senate.^[21] ThePresident 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]

Although theDemocratic Party retained their majority in the Senate after the 2003 general election, aparty switch by Democratic Senator James Shannon Walley ofLeakesville in January 2007 threw control of the chamber to theRepublicans.^[27] Because the Lieutenant GovernorAmy Tuck was a Republican, this gave Republicans control of the Senate for the first time sinceReconstruction and a de facto majority only on a tie vote.^[28] In the November 6, 2007 statewide elections, Democrats won back control of the chamber,^[29] however party switches from SenatorsNolan Mettetal in February 2008 andCindy Hyde-Smith in December 2010 gave the Republicans a de facto majority, with Lieutenant GovernorPhil Bryant holding the tiebreaker vote.^[30][31] After another party switch in February 2011, the Republicans expanded their majority to 27–24, with one vacancy.^[32]

As of 2024, the Mississippi Senate has 36 Republican members and 16 Democratic members.^[33]

Since 1833 the Senate has had 55 Presidents pro tempore:^[34]

	Name		County/District	Term of service
1		Charles Lynch		1833–1834
2		Parmenas Briscoe	Claiborne	1834–1836
3		William Van Norman[35]	Amite	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		George T. Swann		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	9th	1870–1872
15		Joseph Bennett	11th	1872–1874
16		Finis H. Little	22nd	1874–1875
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	20th (Lauderdale)	1888–1890
21		Robert Aaron Dean	7th	1890–1896
22		James T. Harrison	25th	1896–1900
23		John R. Dinsmore	16th	1900
24		William Gwin Kiger[36]	12th	1902–1904
25		E. H. Moore	30th	1904–1908
26		John L. Hebron Jr.	29th	1908–1912
27		Albert C. Anderson	36th	1912–1916
28		Carroll Kendrick	37th	1916–1920
29		John Fatheree	3rd	1920–1922
30		Fred B. Smith[37]	36th	1922–1924
31		Mark Perrin Lowrey Love	42nd	1924–1928
32		Homer Casteel[38]	18th	1928–1932
33		W. C. Adams	37th	1932–1936
34		John Culkin	12th	1936–1940
35		W. B. Roberts	30th	1940
36		Oscar O. Wolfe Jr.	30th	1941–1952
37		James Orville Clark	37th	1952–1956
38		Earl Evans Jr.	18th	1956–1960
39		George Yarbrough		1960–1968
40		Merle F. Palmer		1968–1971
41		Marion Smith	30th	1971–1972
42		B. G. Perry		1972–1976
43		William B. Alexander	12th	1976–1984
44		Thomas Norman Brooks		1984–1985
45		Glen Deweese	33rd	1986–1992
46		Ollie Mohamed	21st	1992–1994
47		Pud Graham		1994–1996
48		Tommy Gollott	50th	1996–2000
49		Travis Little		2000–2008
50		Billy Hewes		2008–2012
51		Terry W. Brown		2012–2015
52		Giles Ward	18th	2015–2016
53		Terry C. Burton	31st	2016–2019
54		Gray Tollison	9th	2019–2020
55		Dean Kirby	30th	2020–Present

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

• Mississippi Legislature
• State Senate of Mississippi atProject Vote Smart
• Mississippi State Senate atBallotpedia

32°18′14″N90°10′56″W / 32.30389°N 90.18222°W /32.30389; -90.18222

• Mississippi Legislature
• 1817 establishments in Mississippi
• State upper houses in the United States

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