Mississippi House of Representatives
| Mississippi House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Mississippi State Legislature | |
 |
|
| Type | |
| Type | Lower house |
| Term limits | None |
| New session started | January 3, 2012 |
| Leadership | |
| Speaker of the House | Philip Gunn, (R) since January 3, 2012 |
| Speaker pro Tempore | Greg Snowden, (R) since January 3, 2012 |
| Majority Leader | TBA, (R) since January 3, 2012 |
| Minority Leader | Tyrone Ellis, (D) since January 3, 2012 |
| Structure | |
| Members | 122 |
| Political groups | Democratic Party (58) Republican Party (64) |
| Length of term | 4 years |
| Authority | Article IV, Mississippi Constitution |
| Salary | $10,000/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last election | November 8, 2011 (122 seats) |
| Next election | November 5, 2015 (122 seats) |
| Redistricting | Legislative Control |
| Meeting place | |
 |
|
| House of Representatives Chamber Mississippi State Capitol Jackson, Mississippi |
|
| Website | |
| Mississippi State Legislature | |
The Mississippi House of Representatives is the lower house of the Mississippi Legislature, the lawmaking body of the US state of Mississippi.
According to the state constitution of 1890, this body is to comprise no more than 122 members elected for four-year terms (Art. 4, Sec. 34). To qualify as a member of the house candidates must (a) be at least 21 years old, (b) have been a resident of Mississippi for at least four years, and (c) have resided in the district in which he/she is running for at least two years (Art. 4, Sec. 41, Secs. 44 and 45). Current state law provides for the maximum number of members. Elections are held the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
The Constitution also specifies that the legislature shall meet for 125 days every four years and 90 days in all other years (Art 4, Sec. 36).
The House also has the duty under the Mississippi Constitution to select the Governor of Mississippi if no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote. This has occurred only one time, in 1999 when Ronnie Musgrove was selected (Musgrove had the most votes statewide, but fell a fraction of a point shy of a majority).
The following composition reflects the balance of power after the 2011 elections, which was the first election since Reconstruction to give a majority of seats in the State House to the Republicans.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Composition
| Affiliation | Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
| End of previous legislature (2011) | 67 | 55 | 122 | |
| Beginning session, 2012 | 58 | 64 | 122 | |
| Latest voting share | 47.5% | 52.4% | ||
[edit] Current members
With the February 2009 party switch of Billy Nicholson from Democrat to Republican, the composition became 73 Democrats and 49 Republicans. This also meant that for the first time in the history of Mississippi, the majority of the Democratic members of the House were African-Americans.[2]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||
