Gov. Tate Reeves has allowed large pay raises for statewide elected officials — including the governor — to pass into law without his signature amid his vetoing a handful of other measures.
Starting in 2024, after the next election, Mississippi’s statewide elected officials will see pay increases ranging from $25,000 a year to $60,000 a year, or 22% to 67% increases. The governor’s salary will increase 31%, from $122,160 to $160,000. Lawmakers, with some debate, passed the salary increases at the end of this year’s legislative session. A proposal to raise legislators’ pay died.
Lawmakers this session passed a raise in teachers’ pay that averages $5,140, increasing starting teacher pay from $37,123 to $41,638.
Mississippi’s median household income is $45,081 a year — the lowest in the country.
The increases for statewide elected and other officials taking effect in 2024 are:
Office Current salary 2024 salary Governor $122,160 $160,000 Attorney General $108,960 $150,000 Secretary of State $90,000 $120,000 Insurance Commissioner $90,000 $150,000 Treasurer $90,000 $120,000 Auditor $90,000 $150,000 Agriculture Commissioner $90,000 $120,000 Transportation Commissioners $78,000 $95,000 Public Service Commissioners $78,000 $95,000
The lieutenant governor and House speaker’s salaries will increase from $60,000 a year to $85,000 a year under the new law.
Reeves did not comment on the pay raises. But in a social media post on why he vetoed lawmakers’ spending $50 million on upgrades at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Reeves said: “It is important to ensure that your money is invested wisely: based on creating value for you. This is the first of several spending vetoes that we will share and answer questions on in the coming days.”
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