MS SC503

Former State Senator Billy Howard Thames died on September 10, 2013, at age 69 after serving 28 years in the Mississippi Senate representing Smith, Jasper, Clarke and portions of Scott and Jones Counties.

Senator Thames authored the 1997 Mental Health Reform Act (Senate Bill No. 2100), which created the Crisis Intervention Center System and made sweeping changes to mental health services in Mississippi.

He served as Chairman of multiple Senate committees including Agriculture, Fees, Salaries and Administration, and was Vice Chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Thames received 29 awards as Legislator of the Year and for outstanding service, and the Mental Health Association created the "Billy H. Thames Award" in his honor for legislators making significant contributions to mental health issues.

The resolution expresses the Legislature's sympathy to his family and thanks them for sharing Senator Thames with Mississippi.