East Mississippi Lawmakers Get Top Assignments

Speaker of the House Philip Gunn (R-Clinton) made committee appointments Friday for the 2012-15 term, and East Mississippi legislators received many important assignments. Read here a listing of all House committee assignments for this term.

Rep. Steve Horne (R-Meridian) is the new vice chairman of the Apportionment and Elections Committee, and also will serve on the critically important legislative and congressional redistricting committees. In addition, Speaker Gunn assigned the three term Meridian lawmaker to the Ways and Means committee, charged with taxation and bonding, and one of the two key “money” committees in the House. Rep. Horne also copped several other plum committee assignments, including PEER, Local and Private, Constitution, and County Affairs.

Speaker Gunn tapped Rep. Scott Bounds (R-Philadelphia) to chair the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee, an assignment of great importance to Mississippi sportsmen. Rep. Bounds also was assigned to the Appropriations Committee, giving East Mississippi solid representation on the other key “money” committee. The three term Neshoba legislator also will serve on the Judiciary A, Conservation and Water Resources, and Public Property committees.

Freshmen lawmakers historically have not received much in the way of influential committee assignments. That has not held true this time, however, as Speaker Gunn has entrusted East Mississippi freshmen legislators with significant responsibilities as they commence their legislative service.

Although his is a new face at the Capitol, Rep. William Shirley (R-Quitman) was appointed as a committee vice chairman (Enrolled Bills), a special honor for any freshman. Significantly, Rep. Shirley will serve on quite a few vitally important committees, including Agriculture, Energy, Medicaid, Public Utilities, Workforce Development, and Youth and Family Affairs. Trust me; that is quite an impressive list of responsibilities for any first-termer.

Meridian’s freshman Representative, Charles Young, Jr. (D-Meridian) was included in the mix of important assignments as well. Speaker Gunn appointed Rep. Young to serve on the coveted Universities and Colleges Committee, an especially meaningful appointment given that Chuck’s father, the beloved Charles Young, Sr., chaired that very committee for many years. In addition, Rep. Young joins Rep. Horne on Local and Private, giving Lauderdale County a rare “two-fer” on that committee of great interest. Two other committees of significance to East Mississippians — Corrections, and Forestry — will provide Rep. Young with important places of service for the next four years.

Another fresh but highly capable member, Rep. Randy Rushing (R-Decatur), also fared very well as the Speaker’s committee appointments were revealed Friday. Although new to the Legislature, Rep. Rushing is an important component of the East Mississippi legislative delegation, and will serve on the following significant House committees over the next four years: Agriculture, Constitution, County Affairs, Military Affairs, Municipalities, as well as the crucially important Public Health and Human Services committee.

As for myself, I am greatly honored to have been elected by my colleagues to serve as Speaker Pro Tempore, which is the second highest-ranking officer of the House of Representatives. My duties as Speaker Pro Tempore include chairing the House Management Committee, which oversees all the internal business, personnel and financial affairs of the body. In addition, I serve on the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, which develops the state budget, and on the powerful Rules Committee, which schedules and controls the flow of all legislation. I certainly have a full plate, as do all of our local House members.

This is an exciting time to serve at the Capitol. We have many new members of the Legislature, as well as new leaders throughout state government. As always, however, the priority for each and every legislator is to represent well our constituents back home. For myself, I am pleased most of all that my new positions of responsibility will enhance my ability to serve the citizens of Clarke and Lauderdale counties in the manner they rightly expect and deserve. That is, after all, why they sent me to Jackson in the first place, and may I never forget that.

Category: Legislative Updates