1. Introduction of Bill: A bill is filed by an individual member of either the House or Senate. 2. Committee Review: The bill is referred to one or more committees that specialize in the subject area of the bill. The committee can choose not to take up the bill. 3. Full Chamber Vote: If the committee approves the bill, it proceeds to be considered by the full chamber. Amendments can be made during this stage. 4. Passage in First Chamber: The bill must pass with a majority vote in the first chamber (House or Senate). 5. Repeat in Second Chamber: The approved bill is sent to the other chamber (House or Senate) where it undergoes a similar process of committee review and full chamber vote. 6. Final Approval: If the bill passes both chambers in the same form, it is sent to the governor. 7. Governor's Decision: The governor has three options:

• Sign the bill into law
• Allow the bill to become law without signing it
• Veto the bill

8. Veto Override (if necessary): If the governor vetoes the bill, it can still become law if a two-thirds majority in both chambers votes to override the veto.

Members of the public can get involved in the legislative process in Mississippi in several ways: 1. Contacting Legislators: Citizens can reach out to their elected representatives in the House or Senate to express their opinions on specific bills or issues. This can be done through phone calls, emails, or in-person meetings. 2. Attending Legislative Sessions: Members of the public can attend regular and special sessions of the Legislature to observe the proceedings and understand how laws are made. 3. Participating in Committee Hearings: Individuals can follow specific bills and attend committee meetings where bills are discussed and voted on. This is an opportunity to provide public comment or support or oppose a bill. 4. Advocacy and Lobbying: Joining advocacy groups or organizations that focus on particular issues can help individuals organize and push for legislative changes. These groups often mobilize constituents to contact their legislators or participate in advocacy events. 5. Submitting Petitions or Proposals: Citizens may gather signatures for petitions on specific issues they want the Legislature to address, or they may advocate for new bills to be introduced by their elected representatives. 6. Educating Themselves and Others: Staying informed about the legislative process, current bills, and political issues can help individuals engage more effectively. This can include reading updates, attending informative sessions, or participating in community discussions.

Tracking bills is hard, especially if you rely on state legislature websites, which are often hard to navigate. Thousands of bills get filed in Mississippi every year (and about 180,000 bills nationwide). If you want to be an effective advocate, you need to know where legislation of interest stands, and act quickly.

FastDemocracy's free version allows you to track an unlimited number of bills - no strings attached. We'll send you a daily or weekly email on your priority bills and give you tools to research bills and legislators.

FastDemocracy Professional is for anyone who tracks bills in a professional capacity. It features

• real-time bill, amendment and hearing alerts
• automated reporting
• team collaboration
• bill tagging for clients and stakeholders
• bill similarity detection
• ...and much more

1. Sign up here for a free FastDemocracy account.

2. Head to Tracked Topics to select issue areas you care about.

3. Use the search bar on top if you're looking for something specific.

4. Click "Track Bill" for any legislation you'd like to monitor a bit closer. That's how you add it to your Tracked Bills. You can also click on a bill to learn more, see the bill summary, most recent actions, votes, news and tweets. You can also contact legislators or share your bills on social media.

5. You can track an unlimited number of bills for free and we'll send you a daily or weekly email if your tracked legislation moves.

6. Do you need real-time alerts, outreach tools, bill lists, and professional functions? Then FastDemocracy Professional is the right fit for you.

7. Track bills on your smartphone using our free mobile app.

You can use the Find Your Legislators tool to find them, see their voting records, and contact them.