Scott DeLano

* * *

Mississippi State Representative
for District 117 (Harrison County)

In office
January 2010 - January 2020
Preceded by  |  Michael W. Janus
Succeeded by  |  Kevin Felscher

* * *

Born  |  September 20, 1971
Hendersonville
North Carolina
Citizenship  |  American
Political party  |  Republican
Spouse(s)  |  Robin DeLano
Children  |  Matthew and Emily DeLano
Residence  |  Biloxi, Mississippi
Alma mater |  Long Beach Polytechnic High School
University of Southern Mississippi
Occupation  |  Engineer
Religion  |  Presbyterian

Scott DeLano (born September 20, 1971), is a commercial real estate developer in Biloxi on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, who is the Republican former state representative for District 117 in Harrison County,[1] a post that he filled from 2010 to 2020.

A native of Hendersonville, North Carolina, DeLano graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School in Long Beach in Harrison County and received a bachelor's degree in accounting at the University of Southern Mississippi at Hattiesburg.[2] He is a Presbyterian.[1] He and his wife, Robin, have two children, Matthew and Emily.[2]

DeLano was first elected to the Mississippi House for a partial term in a special election held in the fall of 2009 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Republican Michael W. Janus, who instead became the city manager of D'Iberville in Harrison County.[3] He ran without opposition in the general elections held on November 8, 2011,[4] and November 3, 2015.[5] DeLano sits on these House committees: (1) Technology (chairman), (2) Appropriations, (3) Education, (4) Gaming, and (5) Insurance,[2]

Representative DeLano voted in 2012 to require photo identification as a condition for voting in Mississippi and co-sponsored the bill to permit prayer in Mississippi public schools.[6] In 2013, as the then chairman of the House Constitution Committee, DeLano rebuffed conservatives who urged him to permit a vote on proposed legislation that would have attempted to neutralize federal laws opposed in Mississippi. DeLano compared the bill to revival of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, which had unsuccessfully sought in the 1960s to block school desegregation in the state.[7]

DeLano voted in 2013 to make the position of state superintendent appointed, but the House rejected the conference report on the matter. In 2014, DeLano voted to restrict abortions to twenty weeks of gestation and to permit "wrongful death" lawsuits when an unborn child is killed. In 2016, DeLano voted against dismemberment abortions. He opposed the expansion of exemptions for compulsory school vaccinations. He voted to grant civil and criminal immunity to those reporting what they believe are instances of terrorism. He voted to permit churches to have designated personnel with firearms for the overall protection of the congregation. He supported the bill to guarantee within Mississippi protections for religious beliefs and matters of moral conscience.[6]

In 2015, DeLano, while still chairman of the Constitution Committee, argued for the continuation in the Mississippi Constitution that forbids an atheist from holding public office in the state. The provision has been rendered unenforceable by the United States Supreme Court, but DeLano said he favored keeping it in the state constitution as a matter of principle.[8] In 2017, he supported the legislation which authorizes additional methods of execution in Mississippi and co-sponsored the measure to classify the killing of first responders as first-degree murder. He voted to increase identification requirements for Medicaid.[6]

## See also[edit]

Other Mississippi Republican state House members:

* William Tracy Arnold
* Dana Criswell
* Steve Hopkins
* Trey Lamar
* Shane Aguirre
* Jeff Hale
* Dan Eubanks
* Robert Foster
* Ashley Henley
* Rob Roberson
* Karl Oliver
* Bill Kinkade
* Vince Mangold
* Brent Powell
* Cory Wilson
* William Shirley
* Shane Barnett
* Chris Johnson
* Noah Sanford
* Timmy Ladner
* Patricia Willis
* Brad Touchstone
* Roun McNeal
* Doug McLeod
* Charles Busby
* Greg Haney

## References[edit]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Scott DeLano. Billstatus.ls.state.ms.us. Retrieved on October 16, 2017.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Scott DeLano's Biography. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on October 16, 2017.
3. ↑ Michael Janus. Ballotpedia.com. Retrieved on October 16, 2017.
4. ↑ Election Returns. Mississippi Secretary of State (November 8, 2011). Retrieved on October 13, 2017.
5. ↑ General election returns. Mississippi Secretary of State (November 3, 2015). Retrieved on October 16, 2017.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Scott DeLano's Voting Records. Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on October 16, 2017.
7. ↑ State Rep. Scott DeLano, R-Biloxi, kills Mississippi sovereignty bill in committee. blog.gulflive.com (February 4, 2013). Retrieved on October 16, 2017.
8. ↑ Hemant Mehta (January 7, 2015). Mississippi Rep. Scott DeLano Says Law Preventing Atheists from Holding Public Office Should Remain in Constittuion. Patheos.com. Retrieved on October 16, 2017.