Swan Song: What should we look forward to in 2020?

Hello and welcome to 2020. A brand new decade and depending on your point of view, a year filled with hope and optimism.

It's also a year of intrigue. A presidential race, an impending impeachment trial, and the beginning of a new Mississippi legislative session.

I wonder if there will be any surprises this session like 2019 while a lottery appeared out of nowhere and passed both houses in special session. This year, the session may look a little different.

While the House and its leadership remain mainly intact, the Senate will be under new leadership for the first time in eight years. Delbert Hosemann replaces Tate Reeves as Lieutenant Governor and will preside over the Senate.

He will make new committee appointments and it will be interesting to see how South Mississippi fares. Several high profiled committees are currently chaired by South Mississippi lawmakers. It will be interesting to see if early rumors are true of a Central Mississippi influence this time around.

Also interesting to watch -- any potential conflict between the Senate and the Governor. Hosemann favors some type of expansion of Medicaid; Governor-Elect Reeves does not. Hosemann likes a local option gas tax; Reeves is opposed to any gas tax. It could make for a very interesting session.