MS’s State and Local Government

The Federal System A federal system is where the state government and the federal/national government share the authority to govern. Expressed Powers are those given specifically to the federal government by the U.S. Constitution. Reserved Powers are those granted to the states. Concurrent Powers are those that the state and federal government share.

MS’s State Government Our state government is modeled after the federal government. Our government is divided into three branches. The legislative branch is responsible for making laws. The executive branch is responsible for enforcing the laws. The judicial branch is responsible for interpreting the laws and settling disputes.

The State Legislature MS’s state legislature is bicameral, meaning it has two houses. The Senate has 52 members and the House of Representatives has 122 members. When the legislature is meeting, they are in session. Serving in the state legislature is considered a part-time job.

The Governor MS’s current governor is Phil Bryant. MS’s governor can serve two consecutive four years terms. MS’s governor is considered to be weak because their powers aren’t as broad as the governors of other states.

Lieutenant Governor MS’s current lieutenant governor is Tate Reeves. The lieutenant governor takes the governor’s place if necessary. The lieutenant governor is also responsible for presiding over the Senate. The lieutenant governor can only vote in the Senate if there is a tie.

The MS Supreme Court The MS Supreme Court is the court of highest authority in MS. The MS Supreme Court hears appeals from MS’s various chancery and circuit courts. The only place a decision of the MS Supreme Court can be appealed to is the U.S. Supreme Court.

Circuit Courts and Chancery Courts Circuit courts hear all criminal and civil cases that deal with more than $200 and require a jury. A criminal case involves the violation of a law. A civil case is one over money or property. 1. Chancery Courts are courts of equity, or fairness. 2. Chancery courts hear cases dealing with family matters, wills and estates and cases of insanity.

Circuit and Chancery Districts

Mississippi Judges All judges in MS are elected. Lower court judges are elected to four year terms. Supreme Court justices and Court of Appeal judges are elected to nine year terms.

Financing the State Government Revenue is the money the government receives in taxes. The main source of revenue for the state of MS is the sales tax (39%). An expenditure is something the government spend money on. MS’s largest expenditure is education (61%).

County Government in MS MS counties are governed by a board of supervisors. Each county is divided into five districts called beats. The board of supervisors can operate two ways: The beat system allows each supervisor to run their beat individually. The unit system is when the supervisors establish county-wide policies and then hire people to carry them out. Madison County uses the unit system.

Municipal Government in MS A municipality is a town or city that has been incorporated For an area in MS to be incorporated, two thirds of the registered voters living in that area must sign a petition of incorporation. The petition must contain as much information about the proposed incorporation before it can be circulated. Once the required number of signatures is met, the petition must be submitted to the chancery court for approval. If approved, the area is given a charter, which is a legal document giving it the right to exist.

MS Municipalities The mayor-alderman system is the most common – the municipality elects a mayor and five to seven aldermen and most major decisions are made by the aldermen. The mayor-council is like the mayor-alderman system except that the mayor has more decision making power. The commission system occurs when the municipality elects a mayor and a number of commissioners to run certain areas of the government – only Vicksburg and Clarksdale use this method. The council-manager system is where the municipality elects a mayor and a city council and then they hire a city manager to handle the day-to-day operations of the city. Madison uses the mayor-alderman system.

Financing the Municipal Government The main source of revenue for the municipal government is the ad valorem tax. The ad valorem tax is a tax on the assessed value of both real and personal property. The second largest source of revenue for the municipal government is the state sales tax. The municipality gets a percentage of the state sales tax based on the amount collected there. Municipalities also collect money through various fees and fines. These revenues are used to provide services to the people living within the municipality.