Mississippi legislators: Education, infrastructure, healthcare, income tax break among top priorities for 2023 – Mississippi’s Best Community Newspaper

NATCHEZ — The 2023 Common Session of the Mississippi Legislature begins very shortly after the New Yr vacation, at midday on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

With the session so shut on the horizon, we requested legislators representing Adams County their tackle just a few hot-button subjects, beginning with what their priorities are for this session.  

One factor on every of their minds is directing $300 million left within the American Rescue Plan Act fund and a $1.4 billion surplus in state funds to assist Mississippi residents in the very best means, however their concepts differ on what these methods ought to be.

Earnings Tax

District 97 Home Rep. Sam Mims V, R-McComb, mentioned he plans to make use of his place as a member of the appropriations committee to concentrate on methods to assist Mississippi residents who’re struggling as a consequence of inflation.

“Our economic system is doing very nicely. Nonetheless, we now have to be very conscious of what’s on the horizon,” Mims mentioned. “I’ve by no means seen extra of a disconnect between what is occurring at Jackson and what’s occurring in Washington, D.C. Now we have to know individuals are nonetheless struggling as a consequence of inflation. Gasoline costs and mortgages are greater, and there are provide chain disruptions that have an effect on everybody. I plan to focus quite a lot of my time on appropriations as a member of that committee on how we spend our regular state price range.”

Mims mentioned he helps the elimination of the state’s revenue tax, which might each assist these fighting inflation and make Mississippi extra enticing to these on the fence about shifting right here.

“In 2022, We handed the 4% revenue tax fee by 2026. It’s a begin,” he mentioned. “We had been in a position to get a $240 million per yr instructor pay increase and nonetheless lower our revenue tax. Our eco is in nice form. I believe it’s time we begin our state’s revenue tax additional. I assist eliminating the revenue tax and I believe we’ll proceed to have some good discussions on that in 2023. I believe we do want to present our taxpayer’s a reimbursement.”

District 37 State Sen. Melanie Sojourner, R-Natchez, agreed with Mims on the elimination of the state’s revenue tax. 

“Greater than something the folks of Mississippi deserve a significant long-term tax lower,” she mentioned. “We will do this by eliminating our state revenue tax.  Our state is on strong monetary footing and now could be the time to make this transfer. Sadly, Lt Gov Hosemann is the one statewide official who hasn’t supported this coverage so we haven’t been profitable in getting it handed. Now’s the time to present hardworking Mississippians a break and permit them to maintain extra of their hard-earned cash.”

On the flip aspect, District 94 Home Rep. Robert Johnson III, D-Natchez, mentioned there are a number of points in Mississippi — significantly in healthcare and infrastructure — that can require some huge cash to repair. These ought to take precedence over slicing out the state revenue tax, he mentioned. 

“I believe we must always maintain our wants first,” Johnson mentioned of additional decreasing the revenue tax. “Hospitals take cash.”

District 96 Home Rep. Angela Cockerham, I-Magnolia, mentioned she feels the state’s revenue tax will likely be a sizzling matter this session.

“One of many main causes we pay taxes is to offer companies, via authorities businesses, for our residents. The state presently has a income surplus,” she mentioned. “We should be sure that our state businesses, in addition to the companies supplied, will likely be sustained. There will likely be continued discussions relating to the elimination of state revenue tax and a evaluation by  

committees within the upcoming session.”

Infrastructure and Healthcare

Johnson mentioned he hopes to direct ARPA funds to infrastructure wants, significantly towards drainage points in Natchez and Adams County. 

“Natchez and Adams County have a number of quick wants that I wish to tackle,” he mentioned. “That’s excessive on my precedence record. One other is to handle pressing wants going through hospitals, particularly rural hospitals in Natchez and Fayette which are near closing. Not solely these however we now have to handle the emergency wants of hospitals throughout the state.”

When Mississippi voted down Medicaid enlargement, Johnson mentioned, “We turned down $1 billion federal {dollars} a yr, 100% funding from the federal authorities to verify working folks have entry to healthcare protection in our state.”

Johnson mentioned the “most everlasting” factor Mississippi might do to enhance healthcare entry — and create jobs as a state with one of many “lowest doctor-per-patient ratios within the nation” — is to simply accept these federal {dollars}. Johnson additionally helps including 12-month postpartum protection for girls on Medicaid. 

Cockerham agrees with Johnson on the Medicaid subject.

“I assist rising Medicaid protection for 12-month postpartum care for girls and Medicaid enlargement,” she mentioned. “The well being care of ladies, particularly moms, ought to be prioritized. Extending the protection for postpartum care would offer further assist for moms in our state.

“The Mississippi Financial Council has studied the impact of Medicaid enlargement on our state. Medicaid enlargement would be sure that Mississippians have entry to well being care, assist in holding rural hospitals open and enhance enterprise growth in Southwest Mississippi. Moreover, a long-term funding answer for rural hospitals is required.”

Mims, a member of the Medicaid committee and in addition the chairman of Public Well being and Human Providers, mentioned he’s additionally extremely involved with the low doctor-patient ratio within the state however believes Medicaid enlargement will not be the reply.

“Sixty-five p.c of births are on Medicaid right now,” he mentioned. “I believe we are able to have a look at different methods to enhance healthcare.”

Mims mentioned he’s engaged on laws that may assist the state retain and rent nurses and docs. 

“Now we have round $300 million left ARPA. We spent about 1.1 billion in 2022. I wish to discover methods to ship a few of that cash to our hospitals to help them. Like the remainder of us, they too have been coping with greater wages, greater materials prices and provide chain points. Their reimbursements aren’t following the identical fee of enhance as the associated fee. Lastly, I believe we have to discover methods to encourage nurses in rural components of our state in positions that can proctor residents in nursing faculty or med faculty. We want extra nurses and physicians in Mississippi.”

Sojourner mentioned, “Now will not be the time to develop Medicaid and push for brand new welfare packages that can solely rob Mississippi households of extra of their revenue.
“To develop the economic system we should give taxpayers a break, reduce the scale of presidency and push again on the federal overreach that’s limiting particular person liberty and stifling small enterprise development in Mississippi.”

Response to Supreme Court docket rulings

Mims mentioned he has been assembly with the Fee on Life and discussing methods to assist moms and new infants in mild of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court docket ruling.

“Due to that, we estimate an extra 5,000 infants to be born in Mississippi,” Mims mentioned. “Now we have 19-20 Federally Certified Well being Facilities. They will present avenues to help these mothers and infants proper now. We have to applicable to these FQHCs. We additionally must make foster care and adoptions simpler. There may be typically purple tape on each. We have to have a look at methods to make it cheaper and scale back the purple tape and discover methods to verify fathers are paying baby assist. We expect they’re however want to verify everyone seems to be.”

Mims additionally challenged the religion communities who’ve been praying for the Roe v. Wade choice for many years.

“I consider that they should step and be part of the answer,” he mentioned.

One factor Johnson mentioned he’s keen about is giving Mississippians again the power to handle points with poll initiatives.

On Might 14, 2021, the Mississippi Supreme Court docket overturned Initiative 65, the 2020 medical marijuana initiative, as a result of the petition didn’t adjust to the signature distribution necessities within the Mississippi Structure, which states, “The signatures of the certified electors from any congressional district shall not exceed one-fifth of the full variety of signatures required to qualify an initiative petition for placement upon the poll.”

Throughout 2001 redistricting after the 2000 census, nonetheless, the variety of congressional districts within the state was decreased from 5 to 4, making a mathematical impossibility to comply with the state’s constitutional necessities regarding poll initiatives.

To right this, the state’s structure would must be amended. 

“The Supreme Court docket dominated that we would have liked to make a change within the regulation and it is vitally vital we achieve this,” Johnson mentioned. “That’s how we had been in a position to ratify the change within the flag and move the medical marijuana invoice. Now we have taken that away and we have to get it again.”

Schooling

Within the final session, a historic instructor pay enhance handed. Cockerham mentioned consideration ought to now be turned to highschool district assist workers, certainly one of her prime priorities this session along with infrastructure, and assist for judges and “the judicial system’s assist for judges and regulation enforcement to deal with their circumstances in a well timed method, in addition to guaranteeing that drug, veterans, and psychological well being courts proceed to thrive in Mississippi.”

One suppose being mentioned by state officers is modifying the college calendar in order that summer season breaks are shorter and extra breaks are added throughout the faculty yr. 

Most really feel that call ought to take within the opinion of these most affected by it.

“The summer season break is utilized by our lecturers and directors to plan and for college kids to refresh for the upcoming faculty yr,” Cockerham mentioned. “The inhabitants that can most be impacted, together with lecturers, dad and mom, directors, and the Mississippi Affiliation of Educators, have to be an integral a part of any discussions to change the college calendar to shorten summer season breaks and add further breaks throughout the faculty yr.”

Mims mentioned, “Earlier than COVID we had been seeing excellent enhancements in training. We noticed our third graders rating excessive on the nationwide stage. I believe our present calendar is smart. I’m not in favor of adjusting our calendar except I see one thing that modifications my thoughts.”

Sojourner mentioned training must be addressed on the college stage.
“We should do one thing to dam the ‘woke’ tradition that’s crippling our society by indoctrinating our younger people who find themselves making an attempt to additional their training,” she mentioned. “There are steps we are able to take to do that and there’s no higher time than 2023. We’re going to begin by introducing laws to get rid of tenure for college professors. We will need to have the power to take away facility members who’re extra all in favour of pushing their private cultural beliefs onto college students as a substitute of merely instructing their course subject material.”