LobbyComply Blog

Due to a court order, Mississippi was required to hold seven special elections to allow for more majority minority districts in the Legislature. Another three special elections were held due to the incumbent’s resignation. Democrats made gains in both the state House and Senate, with three seats in the House and one seat in the Senate. The results broke a Republican supermajority in the Senate, leaving the Republican majority in the Senate at 34-18.

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The Mississippi Legislature adjourned early following tensions between the House and Senate concerning the state’s budget. The House adjourned following the Senate’s decision to ignore a deadline set by the House to consider extending the session. This decision puts the responsibility onto Gov. Tate to call a special session prior to July 1 so that both houses can reach an agreement. This does affect lobbying reporting. The lobbyist end-of-session-activity report is due 10 days after the legislative session adjourned.

Both the state House and Senate have approved redistricting plans. The new plan splits several districts in half and pushes several current representatives and senators out of their district. In total, the redistricting changes will cause 15 special elections, 10 in the House and five in the Senate. The schedule for the elections includes a primary election August and a general election in November. The exact dates of the special election will be forthcoming in the affected districts.

The Mississippi Legislature adjourned sine die on Saturday, May 4.

Notable bills passed during this session include House Bill 1664, which included agents and owners of utility companies in the definition of covered person for the purposes of political contribution and gift restrictions.

Lawmakers also succeeded in passing a $7.9 billion budget.

Notable bills that did not pass included a bill to require lobbyists to disclose whether any client is a foreign principal of a foreign adversary and a bill requiring disclosure if the lobbyist had a material financial interest in a business that may benefit from an issue or bill.

Lawmakers are convening a special session called by Gov. Tate Reeves to finalize a $10 billion economic project on January 25.

The project’s aim is to create two large scale data centers.

The name of the company will be announced after the session concludes.

This session is similar to a previous special session held last week for an equally impactful economic project.

As before, this special session could last as little as one day.

Lawmakers are convening a special session called by Gov. Tate Reeves to finalize a huge economic project in an effort to bolster Mississippi’s job market and economy.

Reeves said the project will create 2,000 jobs in Marshall County with an average annual salary of $66,000.

The special session is occurring during the regular 2024 legislative session and is predicted to last only a single day.

Republican Andrew Stepp has secured an easy majority in Mississippi House District 23 with 72% of the vote.

He bested his opponents Andy Clark (I) and Danny Lampley (D) in the special election.

Governor Tate Reeves has won the 2023 Mississippi gubernational election by a narrow margin against Democrat Brandon Presley.

Gov. Reeves secured a slim majority of 51.8% of the votes in Mississippi and his opponent secured 46.9% with 95% of votes having been cast.

Gov. Reeves was predicted to have an easy victory but faced steep competition from his opponent.

A late endorsement from former president Trump may have pushed Reeves ahead.

The Mississippi online campaign finance system has been disabled due to recent concerns over its reliability.

Issues have been reported with the filing system and include incorrect itemization, missing signatures, and no filings appearing to be filed with the Office of Secretary of State when they had actually been filed by the candidate or committee.

The office is currently working to replace the outdated system.

Candidates and political committees must now file their campaign finance reports via email, in person, mail, or through fax.

The next campaign finance report due date is July 10.

The Mississippi Legislature adjourned sine die on April 5 after a little over 90 days in session.

This session was highlighted by increased funding for hospitals, roads, and bridges, along with a $100 million dollar increase in educational funding.

The lobbyist end-of-session activity report is due April 15.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves called a special session to be held to address a possible $2.5 billion business investment.

The session will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, November 2, with the expectation it will adjourn at the end of the day.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves called a special election to be held to replace House District 23 Rep. Jim Beckett.

House District 23 covers portions of Grenada, Calhoun, Lafayette, and Webster counties.

The seat became vacant when Beckett resigned to become the director of the Mississippi Public Utilities Staff.

The special election will be held on January 10, 2023.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves has scheduled a special election for state House District 119 on July 19 due to a vacancy created by the resignation of Rep. Sonya Williams-Barnes.

The primary will occur on June 7. A primary runoff will take place on June 28, if necessary.

Williams-Barnes is stepping down to begin work as Mississippi policy director for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The Mississippi Legislature adjourned sine die on April 5 after over 90 days in session.

This extended session was highlighted by lowered state taxes, redistricting, and the creation of a medical marijuana program.

This does affect lobbyist reporting.

The lobbyist end-of-session activity report is due April 15.