Democrats, freshmen dot Reeves’ committee chairs
Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves revealed his committee assignments Friday morning.
There were no major surprises. Democrats will chair 17 of the Senate’s 39 committees. Of those 17, the most powerful are probably Judiciary B, chaired by Hob Bryan; and Highways and Transportation, chaired by Willie Simmons.
Five Senators in their first terms will serve as chairs. Melanie Sojourner, D-Natchez, leads that list as head of the Forestry Committee.
The old Fees and Salaries Committee is now the Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency Committee, chaired by Nancy Collins, R-Tupelo, who is serving her first term.
The old Oil and Gas Committee and the old Public Utilities Committee have been merged, creating the new Energy Committee.
“This was an incredibly difficult task,” Reeves said. Reeves said he wanted to include Democrats for chairmanships to properly reflect the make-up of the Senate and the state. “That hasn’t happened in the past in the other chamber,” he said, referring to former House Speaker Billy McCoy appointing only Democrats to chairmanships.
Here’s the full list of committees, and their chairmen and vice chairmen:
Accountability Efficiency and Transparency
Nancy Collins, Chairman
J.P. Wilemon, Vice Chairman
Agriculture
Billy Hudson, Chairman
Russell Jolly, Vice Chairman
Appropriations
Buck Clarke, Chairman
Terry Burton, Vice Chairman
Business and Financial Institutions
Gary Jackson, Chairman
J.P. Wilemon, Vice Chairman
Compilation, Revision and Publication
Derrick Simmons, Chairman
Dean Kirby, Vice Chairman
Congressional Redistricting
Merle Flowers, Chairman
Chris McDaniel, Vice Chairman
Constitution
Michael Watson, Chairman
Will Longwitz, Vice Chairman
Corrections
Sampson Jackson, Chairman
Lydia Chassanoil, Vice Chairman
County Affairs
Nickey Browning, Chairman
Billy Hudson Vice, Chairman
Drug Policy
David Jordan, Chairman
Michael Watson, Vice Chairman
Economic Development
John Horhn, Chairman
Steve Hale Vice, Chairman
Education
Gray Tollison, Chairman
Nancy Collins, Vice Chairman
Elections
Chris McDaniel, Chairman
David Blount, Vice Chairman
Energy
Merle Flowers, Chairman
Giles Ward, Vice Chairman
Enrolled Bills
Alice Harden, Chairman
Kelvin Butler, Vice Chairman
Environmental Protection, Conservation and Water Resources
Tommy Gollott, Chairman
Deborah Dawkins, Vice Chairman
Ethics
Bennie Turner, Chairman
Gary Jackson, Vice Chairman
Executive Contingent Fund
Robert Jackson, Chairman
Gray Tollison, Vice Chairman
Finance
Joey Fillingane, Chairman
Merle Flowers, Vice Chairman
Forestry
Melanie Sojourner, Chairman
Giles Ward, Vice Chairman
Highways and Transportation
Willie Simmons, Chairman
Perry Lee, Vice Chairman
Housing
Hillman Frazier, Chairman
Chris Massey, Vice Chairman
Insurance
Videt Carmichael, Chairman
Rita Parks, Vice Chairman
Interstate and Federal Co-op
Kenny Wayne Jones, Chairman
Sampson Jackson, Vice Chairman
Investigate State Offices
Albert Butler, Chairman
Videt Carmichael, Vice Chairman
Judiciary A
Briggs Hopson, Chairman
Bennie Turner, Vice Chairman
Judiciary B
Hob Bryan, Chairman
Chris McDaniel, Vice Chairman
Labor
Kelvin Butler, Chairman
Robert Jackson, Vice Chairman
Legislative Reapportionment and Congressional Redistricting
Merle Flowers, Chairman
Local and Private
Perry Lee, Chairman
Tony Smith, Vice Chairman
Municipalities
J.P. Wilemon, Chairman
Bill Stone, Vice Chairman
Ports and Marine Resources
Brice Wiggins, Chairman
Public Health and Welfare
Dean Kirby, Chairman
Hob Bryan, Vice Chairman
Public Property
David Blount, Chairman
Sally Doty, Vice Chairman
State Library
Deborah Dawkins, Chairman
Albert Butler, Vice Chairman
Tourism
Lydia Chassanoil, Chairman
Sean Tindal, Vice Chairman
Universities and Colleges
Terry Burton, Chairman
John Polk, Vice Chairman
Veterans and Military Affairs
Haskins Montgomery, Chairman
Philip Moran, Vice Chairman
Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks
Giles Ward, Chairman
Angela Hill, Vice Chairman