Senate Proposes $446M Tax Relief Package
Hattiesburg, Miss. (WDAM) - A tax break is on the table in the Mississippi State Senate. “He has proposed between $400 and $500 million worth of tax cuts to Mississippians,” said Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann. Hosemann and Senate Finance Chairman Josh Harkins unveiled a $446.6 million tax relief package to the state senate Tuesday. “I think it’s critical to have tax relief to Mississippians,” Hosemann said. “It’s also critical for us to have our teachers paid, our infrastructure and our roads and bridges repaired, our health insurance paid, our troopers paid a decent salary... all of the things Mississippians expect us to pay.” According to the Lt. Governor, the key takeaways from the nearly half a billion-dollar package include reducing [...]
EDITORIAL: Lt. Gov. Has Right Approach on Federal Relief Funds
Tupelo, Miss. (Daily Journal) - In his State of the State address, Gov. Tate Reeves endorsed Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann’s approach to spending federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act. “I want to echo and appreciate the sentiment from Lt. Gov. Hosemann. We must stay focused on those investments that will have an impact not for one or two years, but for one or two generations. I whole-heartedly support his plan to put the bulk of that money into local infrastructure projects that can put those concerns behind us for years,” Reeves said during his speech. Hosemann has consistently said he believes the bulk of ARPA funds should be spent on what he calls “generational projects.” He also has [...]
Teacher Pay, Infrastructure & Tax Relief Will Dominate 2022 Session, Senate Leaders Say
Kemper County, Miss. (Kemper County Messenger) - The 2022 legislative session, which was set to begin this week is shaping up as one of the most eventful in recent memory. Legislators — 52 senators and 122 House members — will face a litany of issues, any one of which could consume much of the time and energy of a regular session. If this year is like others, many issues that no one is talking about will become controversial and will dominate a large portion of the session. That nearly always happens — such as removing the state flag in 2020 or stripping some of the city of Jackson’s authority over the Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport in 2016. With just [...]
EDITORIAL: Lt. Gov’s Plan for Relief Funds is ‘Wise,’ Forward Thinking
Columbus, Miss. (The Commercial Dispatch) - From the start, Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann has been clear on what the priorities should be for the combined $2 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds provided to the state and local governments: Infrastructure. Infrastructure. Infrastructure. Although Congress passed the $1.9-trillion package in March 2021, cities and counties have been waiting on the Legislature to determine how the state will use its $1.8 billion portion of the funding. Local governments in the state received $268 million, but many of those hoped the money they received directly could be combined with state ARPA funds to dramatically increase the scope of local projects. When Congress passed ARPA, the Mississippi Legislature was nearing the end [...]
PRESS RELEASE: Lt. Gov., Senate Propose $210M Teacher Pay Plan
Jackson, Miss. - Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann and Senate Education Chairman Dennis DeBar are proposing a $210 million investment in teachers over the next two years, raising a teacher’s base pay on average by $4,700. “Chairman DeBar traveled all over the state in the fall for teacher listening sessions, held a committee hearing, and met with teachers in other small-group settings. This plan was devised using the input our teachers on the ground and in our classrooms provided,” Hosemann said. Under the proposal, a Class A teacher with a baccalaureate degree would start at $40,000. Teachers would $500 receive step increases at most every year, including in the first three years of teaching. Step increases are not currently provided until [...]
Hosemann Names 7-Member Subcommittee for Federal Funds
Jackson, Miss. (Press Register) - Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann and Senate Appropriations Chairman Briggs Hopson named a seven-member Appropriations Subcommittee today to make recommendations on expending the $1.8 billion in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds allocated to the Mississippi Legislature. Senator John Polk will Chair the Subcommittee. Other members include Senators Albert Butler, Dennis DeBar, Hillman Frazier, Walter Michel, Rita Parks, and Bart Williams. The Subcommittee is expected to hold a hearing before the 2022 Legislative Session. “The upcoming Session may be the most challenging of our four-year term, with redistricting, the expenditure of the ARPA funds, and a variety of other important items on the agenda,” Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann said. “We need to be as organized as [...]