Chris Graham has worked in recent years for the Legislative Budget Office, helping senators write spending plans for state agencies. He previously worked for the state Ethics Commission and in private law practice. Photo courtesy Governor's Office

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Senate on Monday confirmed an attorney as the new commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Revenue.

Chris Graham has worked in recent years for the Legislative Budget Office, helping senators write spending plans for state agencies. He previously worked for the state Ethics Commission and in private law practice.

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves announced July 13 that he was nominating Graham to lead the Department of Revenue, and Graham has been working in the job while awaiting confirmation.

He succeeds Herb Frierson, who retired as commissioner July 1 after four years in that job. Frierson had a 42-year state government career that included time he served as a legislator.

In addition to overseeing the Department of Revenue, the commissioner serves in a group of experts that help legislators predict how much money the state might have available each year. That number is used as the basis for writing state budgets.