The Mississippi Public Service Commission (MPSC or PSC) is a government agency which regulates telecommunications, electric, gas, water and sewer utilities in the U.S. state of Mississippi. It is led by three commissioners, with one commissioner elected by voters in each of the state's three Supreme Court districts. Commissioners are elected to four year terms in the general election of the same year that other state and county officials are chosen. The current commissioners are Brandon Presley (Northern District), Brent Bailey (Central District) and Dane Maxwell (Southern District). History On March 11, 1884, legislation was signed into law creating the Mississippi Railroad Commission. During its early years the commission was tasked with regulating various enterprises, including railroads, telephone and telegraph companies, express companies, and some motor carriers. The new state constitution in 1890 explicitly authorized the Mississippi State Legislature to empower a commission to regulate such industries. The first commissioners were appointed by the governor of Mississippi and then selected thereafter by the legislature to serve two-year terms until 1892. From 1886 to 1906 the body served as the Board of Control of the Mississippi State Penitentiary. During the legislature's 1938 session, the Motor Carrier Regulatory Act was passed. The law changed the name of the Railroad Commission to the Public Service Commission and gave it full responsibility for regulating motor carriers. In 1956, the Utility Act was adopted, giving the commission jurisdiction over electric, gas, and water utilities. Sewer services were added to its purview in 1968. The Public Utilities Reform Act of 1983 provided for the hiring of additional staff and tasked the commission with monitoring large contracts and construction projects undertaken by utility companies. In the late 1980s, the Public Service Commission became embroiled in a corruption scandal. In January 1988, Commissioner Lynn Havens resigned from office before pleading guilty in June 1989 to conspiracy charges related to an attempt to coerce a power company to settle a lawsuit. Commissioner D.W. Synder was also convicted for his involvement in the scheme and resigned. In response, the legislature floated several proposals in 1990 to reform the commission. They rejected a plan to have the commissioners chosen by appointment and instead opted to move the Public Utilities Staff—responsible for supplying the commissioners technical advice—to a new Public Utilities Staff agency under the control of an executive director appointed by the governor. The legislation also barred commissioners from having private