The 2024 Mississippi Legislative Session is officially underway. On Tuesday, January 2nd, the state legislature gaveled in to begin their first session in a new term. Despite multiple bomb threats and evacuations of the Capitol building, the legislature still was able to conduct their first week of business and inaugural activities for the Speaker of the House and the Lieutenant Governor went on as planned. Inaugural events for Governor Tate Reeves will be next week with the swearing in ceremony and inaugural gala being held Tuesday, January 9th.

In this first year of a new legislative term, the session will run 125 days and then 90 days in the remaining sessions of the term. Due to the extension of the session, all legislative deadlines are pushed back to give both chambers time to organize. The first major deadline, to request general bills, currently is set for Wednesday, February 14th. In the interim, we are awaiting House of Representatives and Senate leadership to assign committees and committee chairmanships. There is also talk of two potential special sessions for economic development projects in the state.

On Tuesday, after swearing in 25 new representatives, the House wasted no time in unanimously electing Representative Jason White (R-West) as the new Speaker of the House. In his remarks, Speaker White vowed that the House would spend this next term focusing on education, fixing the Public Employees Retirement System (PERS), and discussing health insurance access for working Mississippians. Speaker White also informed the body that he would be creating four new Appropriations committees to ensure a more comprehensive approach to the appropriations process. He also vowed to have the House budget ready by April 15th, weeks before the actual budget deadline. Along with Speaker White, the House voted unanimously to elect Rep. Manly Barton (R-Moss Point) as Speaker Pro Tempore.

Speaker White also said he would be creating additional committees, a Committee on State Affairs, a Business and Commerce Committee, and a Housing Committee, though he did not give much information on the scope of those committees. A resolution passed on Friday creating those committees, as well as the four new Appropriations committees and changing the number of members on several other committees. The idea would be to dive deep into these budgets and curb unnecessary spending.

The Senate also gaveled in on Tuesday at noon swearing in seven new senators and reelecting Senator Dean Kirby (R-Pearl) as President Pro Tempore. Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann announced the formation of a new seven-member Senate committee on Government Structure. While no chairman was announced for the committee, Hosemann stated that it would focus on the restructuring and efficiency of state government. Some of the hot button issues, like PERS, are likely to run through this committee in the Senate.

On Thursday, January 4th, Lt. Governor Hosemann and the rest of the statewide officials were sworn in during a joint session of the House and Senate. During the Lt. Governor’s remarks, he highlighted some policy issues that he intends the Senate to focus on over the next four years. Hosemann spoke on education and adequate funding, workforce and the labor force participation rate, and healthcare staffing and access issues. Leadership in both chambers spoke on working together over the course of the next legislative term to achieve their goals. Other statewide officials sworn in on Thursday were Secretary of State Michael Watson, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, State Auditor Shad White, State Treasurer David McRae, Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney, and Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson.