Legislative session a wrap

*Appeared in the Laurel Leader Call newspaper in Jones County

Last week, the Mississippi legislature wrapped up its regular session.  Lawmakers passed a balanced budget with a full savings account (or “rainy day fund”), along with modest, up-to-three percent salary increases for state employees and a $1,000 teacher pay raise – all without raising your taxes. But what else did they do? 

I would be remiss not to mention (what seemed to be) the biggest fight of the session – Speaker Gunn’s proposal to eliminate the income tax and reduce the grocery tax, while raising the sales and other tax rates. Despite garnering bipartisan support from the House, this bill died in the Senate due to lack of support from senate members. 

 

For now, Mississippians will see no reduction in their income taxes – but also, no increases, either. I say that’s a mixed bag result.  High-growth states like Texas, Florida, and Tennessee levy no income tax, and I agree with leaders like Speaker Gunn and Gov. Reeves that eliminating this tax-on-work would do more to promote our economic growth than most other legislative proposals. I don’t love the tax increases included in the Speaker’s proposal, and I’m not convinced they are necessary for passage of major tax reform…but I’d much rather pay a sales tax than an income tax.  After all, we should be encouraging more employment – not monetarily penalizing people for working.  

 

I had the chance to speak with Jones County Rep. Donnie Scoggin (Republican – District 89) about some of their accomplishments during the session. He noted passage of a transportation bill to increase weight limits on harvest loads from 84,000 to 88,000 pounds, which will ease the process of transporting commodities such as sand, gravel, dirt, and agricultural products.  This bill is particularly important to the Free State due to our large presence of poultry producers. 

 

Readers may recall Initiative 65, which paves the way for a state medical marijuana program, passed during the last general election.  However, I-65 is currently being challenged in court, so lawmakers “tried to put in place a contingency program in case the Supreme Court strikes the law down,” explained Rep. Scoggin. He said there was much confusion about legislation designed to make the medical marijuana program constitutional, and ultimately this bill died. 

 

While Rep. Scoggin is pleased with the state’s budget increasing state employee pay raises by up to three percent, he says we must do more for the state’s working poor, citing low salaries for nurses aides at Ellisville State School as an example.  

 

Occupational licensing was a big issue, and lawmakers made progress by passing legislation that allows Mississippi to reciprocate certain professional licenses from other states.  For example, if a nurse in Alabama wants to practice in Mississippi, his or her license will be recognized by Mississippi licensing authorities – so long as the state of origin has similar standards. 

 

According to Rep. Scoggin, Jones County fared well in the state’s budget and bond bill, receiving some $1.2 million for resurfacing at Howard Technology Park; $200,000 for the City of Laurel for parks and recreation; and a new fire truck for the City of Ellisville. 

 

Lawmakers’ budget work isn’t over quite yet, though.  The American Rescue Plan passed by Congress and signed into law by President Biden will provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding to Mississippi.  Jones County and its cities are slated to collectively receive about $20 million in federal dollars under the Act, which Rep. Scoggin hopes will be used in part to fund a new law enforcement complex near the existing jail. 

 

The legislature is expected to come back later this summer to deal with these federal dollars.  Until then, Mississippians can breathe a collective sigh of relief. 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

Hobnobbing an annual tradition that keeps on growing

*First appeared in the Nov. 5, 2014, edition of the Laurel Chronicle newspaper

More than 1,800 business leaders, elected officials, and others in search of a serious networking opportunity attended the 18th Annual Hobnob Mississippi hosted by the Mississippi Economic Council last week.

It was a record crowd that drew folks from all across this fine state.

While the event is usually held in an outdoor location – specifically, under a big tent at the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum – the political rally-styled event was moved indoors to the Mississippi Coliseum this year. (Organizers opted not to tempt Mother Nature who was threatening inclement weather.)

My hobnobbing started somewhat late this year, and I missed a few of the early speakers. That being said, I’ll give you a recap of the ones I saw, just in case you missed the annual event.

I arrived just in time to see Speaker of the House Philip Gunn deliver comments to the large crowd. Gunn’s comments focused largely on the efforts of the Republican-majority Legislature to improve the quality of education for Mississippi’s kids.

He cited the MEC-led Blueprint report that endorsed charter schools, saying Republicans have implemented charter schools since taking control of the House and Senate.

Charter schools are about making sure parents have a choice in where to send their children to school. “You’re not bound to your hometown for your doctor, your lawyer, your mechanic – but when it comes to schools, you haven’t had that flexibility,” said Gunn of the state’s education system.

He touted the state’s early childhood pilot program and said Republicans had increased teacher pay along with implementing the first-ever performance-based compensation component. Importantly, he noted the Legislature’s funding commitment to education, saying public schools had received significant increases even when other state priorities saw cuts in their operating budgets.

“Don’t let anyone mislead you into questioning” the Legislature’s commitment to public education, Gunn said, a not-so-subtle reference to the current efforts by Democrat-aligned groups to paint Republicans as anti-education.

Jackson Mayor Tony Yarber spoke next with boundless enthusiasm about the city’s future. The Mayor told the business crowd that Jackson plans to lead on several fronts. “Crime is down” and the capital city is “starting a national conversation on infrastructure improvement.” (That was good to hear, since my water color alternates between a watered-down Lipton tea and a more stout Earl Gray.)

Both Travis Childers and Sen. Thad Cochran spoke at the event, but I won’t recount their comments. By the time you read this column, that race will be over…I think.

Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves dug in hard at the left-wing policies of the President, saying Obamacare, with its continuous rollout of regulations and fees, was like “death by 1,000 cuts” on Mississippi businesses, causing them to reduce wages, invest less in their company, or sometimes both.

Reeves touted the Republicans’ educational achievements, saying Mississippi “is a leader, not a laggard” on teacher pay. By getting the state’s fiscal house in order, the GOP Legislature has been able to put more money into priority areas like education – to the tune of a quarter of a billion dollars more over the last three years.

To make sure our children are ready for the next wave of innovation and jobs, taxpayers expect results from the state’s educational entities. “That’s why reforms must drive our spending,” explained Reeves, who also said educational opportunity should not be dictated by a child’s zip code or the parent’s profession.

If you looked up “fiscal hawk” in the dictionary, you’d likely find a picture of Reeves; so, it’s not surprising he spent a large portion of his speech on financial issues. In the last year, two out of every three state employees have had a pay raise, causing Reeves to ask: Isn’t it time for taxpayers to get a pay raise (through tax cuts)?

He said it would be difficult to do, particularly given that state agencies have already asked for over a billion dollars in new spending for the coming fiscal year. But, he said, “I’m sticking with my conservative principles to get our state’s fiscal house in order, which means having the courage to say no.”

Gov. Phil Bryant spent the majority of his speech combatting any negative perceptions about Mississippi by highlighting positive rankings the state has amassed over the past few months.

Mississippi ranks among the best in the nation for economic development; our cost-of-living is significantly lower (meaning our dollar goes further here than in, say, Washington, D.C.); and we come in at number five in the nation in terms of women-owned businesses. The Magnolia State is even ranked the best county in which to practice medicine (thanks, tort reform!).

Miss Mississippi Jasmine Murray entertained the crowd right before lunch, and that’s when I skirted off to the next thing. Overall, it was a pretty enjoyable Hobnob – so enjoyable, in fact, that I’ll be sure to attend again next year.