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.”
The post Amid vetoes, Gov. Reeves lets pay raises for elected officials pass appeared first on Mississippi Today.