State Legislatures in the Deep South

State Legislatures in the
Deep South
By Ben Yelin
Dan Feintuck
Theresa Lindstrand
Alabama-Statistics









Total Staff: 496 (422 permanent, 74 session only)
Session Length: 30 meeting days within 105 calendar days
Operating Expenditures: Fy04-05, as of 9/30/05: $47,098,180
Salary: $10/day plus $2,280/month plus $50/day for three
days during each week that the legislature actually
meets during any session
Turnover in 2002: 14% in the Senate 25% in House of
Representatives
Estimated Work Time: 60-70%
Percentage of Women Seats: 11%
Qui ckTime™ and a
ncompr essed) decompressor
Percentage of African American Seats: 25% TIFFare(Uneeded
to see thi s pi cture.
No Term Limits
Mississippi-Statistics








Total Staff: 195 (150 permanent, 45 sessoin only
Session Length: 90 Days
Operating Expenditures: $22,599,406
Salary: $10,000 a year, plus $91/day per diem
Turnover 1994-1996: 18% (Latest data available)
Estimated Work Time: 50-60%
Percentage of Women Seats: 12.6%
Percentage of African American Seats: 26%
QuickTi me™ and a
TIFF ( Uncompressed) decompressor
are needed to see thi s pi ctur e.
Georgia-Statistics
 Number of legislators: 180 Representatives, 56 Senators
 Session length - 3 months: 1/10-4/10
 Operating Expenditures:
 2005: $32,854,358
 Salary: $16,524 Per diem: $128/day
 2002 Turnover rates:
 Senate: 29%, House: 22%
 % time on the job: 60-70%
 % Women: 18.6%
 (House: 37, Senate: 7)
 % African American: 21%
 (HoR: 49, Senate: 10)
South Carolina- Statistics
 -Permanent: 247; Session-Only: 174; Total During Session: 421






(2003)
-Session Length: January 10 to June 1
-$10,400/year, $95/day (vouchered) for meals and housing, for
each statewide session day and committee meeting tied to
federal rate.
-Turnover: Senate and House 16%
-Amount of Time on the Job: 60-70%
-Women: 8.8% (14 House, 1 Senate)
Blacks: 19% (24 House, 8 Senate)
-No term limits
Case Study: South Carolina
 Passed 100 Bills: Budget that fully
funded education for the first time in
years, Medicaid Reform, Tort Reform.
 “Govern around the edges.” Without
urgency due to term limits, they didn’t
tackle many important issues:
 Poverty
 Roads
Case Study: South Carolina
 Lack of Party Competition: Parties are
similar in ideology on state level,
largely work together.
 Less competitive races due to lack of
term limits eliminates some of the
need for partisanship
Case Study: South Carolina
 Successes: Passed Budget without support of the
Governor. Overrode governor’s veto 100 times in
2005. Legislature was very effective.
 Like Tennessee, the unprofessional legislature in
South Carolina “speaks to the value of simple
qualities such as civility that have been largely lost
in the legislatures that have rushed towards
professionalism” ( Mathesian 86)