MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2023 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Kirby, Frazier, DeBar, Parker, Michel, Seymour, Blackwell, England
A RESOLUTION TO COMMEND AND RECOGNIZE DISTRICT 42 STATE SENATOR CHRISTOPHER BRIAN (CHRIS) MCDANIEL FOR HIS DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN THE MISSISSIPPI SENATE.
WHEREAS, District 42 State Senator Chris McDaniel has announced that he will not be seeking reelection to the Mississippi Senate and will be seeking statewide office. He has represented Senate District 42, which includes portions of Jones and Forrest Counties, for 16 years. In Chris McDaniel, the citizens of District 42 have had effective representation from a dedicated public servant with extensive experience in the practice of law; and
WHEREAS, first elected to office in 2008, Senator McDaniel served in the Mississippi Senate for four terms. Proud of his accomplishments in the Legislature, Chris McDaniel said he has always enjoyed working in the Senate and will miss it when he finishes this year; and
WHEREAS, Senator McDaniel graduated with honors from Jones County Junior College and received a B.S. with honors from William Carey University in 1994. He then entered the University of Mississippi School of Law, graduating cum laude in 1997 with a Juris Doctor degree; and
WHEREAS, in 1997, Senator McDaniel entered a two-year federal clerkship with United States District Court Judge Charles W. Pickering. After leaving that position, he joined the law firm Hortman Harlow Bassi Robinson & McDaniel, becoming a partner in 2003. His areas of concentration include litigation, insurance defense, corporate law, products liability, commercial litigation, consumer products litigation, mass tort litigation, complex multiparty litigation, legislation, Constitutional law, and civil rights. He is licensed to practice law in Mississippi and Texas. In 2010, he was named one of the top 50 lawyers in Mississippi by the Mississippi Business Journal. Senator McDaniel was named 2010 "Citizen of the Year" by the Laurel Leader Call. In 2012, Senator McDaniel led a delegation to the Alamo Mission in San Antonio, Texas, for the dedication of a monument to the eight Mississippians who died when the fort was overrun in 1836; and
WHEREAS, Senator McDaniel is the former host of The Right Side Radio Show on WMXI 98.1 FM in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, nationally syndicated since 2006 by EBN Radio Network and Golden Broadcasters. The show was broadcast nationwide on ABC Radio Networks and the industry standard Starguide III system; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, Senator McDaniel ran for the U.S. Senate seat occupied by Thad Cochran, and proved a formidable challenger; and
WHEREAS, Senator McDaniel is a member of the following civic and professional organizations: Mississippi Leadership Forum; Mississippi Economic Council; Association for Excellence in Education; NRA; Federalist Society; Mississippi Defense Lawyers Association; Fifth Federal Circuit Bar Association; The Hundred Club of Jones County; Rotary Club; and Exchange Club; and
WHEREAS, Senator McDaniel is married to Jill Tullos McDaniel, the 1995 Miss Mississippi USA. They have two children, Cambridge and Chamberlain; and
WHEREAS, at the beginning of the 2023 Regular Session, Chris McDaniel served on the following committees: Environmental Protection, Conservation and Water Resources, Chair; Ethics, Vice-Chair; Accountability, Efficiency and Transparency; Drug Policy; Energy; Enrolled Bills; Finance; Judiciary A; Judiciary B; and Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks; and
WHEREAS, Senator McDaniel's service has been marked by his sound judgment, civility, courtesy and fairness. He has set the highest standard in all of his many roles: husband, father, attorney, radio communicator, statesman, community leader, leader in the Mississippi Senate, and as a true friend. Chris' service honored both the Mississippi Senate and this great state that he loves and serves:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby commend and recognize District 42 State Senator Chris McDaniel for his distinguished service in the Mississippi Senate.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to Senator Chris McDaniel and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.