Jackson Free Press

The following is the text of the Democratic response to the State of the State, as delivered by Rep. Bryant Clark (D - Pickens).

DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE

Rep. Bryant Clark

1/22/13

Good evening.

I’m Bryant Clark, the representative for House District 47, representing parts of Attala, Holmes, and Yazoo Counties. It’s an honor tonight to give the Democratic response to Governor Bryant on behalf of my district, my fellow Democratic legislators, and the Mississippi Democratic Party.

As a young boy, traveling to the Capitol with my father, I learned that the measure of a servant is in the difference he makes in the lives of others.

This year we lost three members of the Legislature who were the embodiment of that servant spirit. Our state will miss the service of Senator Bennie Turner, Senator Alice Harden, and Representative David Gibbs. Now, we must honor their legacy by recommitting ourselves to making Mississippi a better place for all of our families.

It is a sad truth that at this time when so many of our families are struggling with the serious kitchen table issues of paying bills, saving for college, and finding work, Mississippi Republicans are fixated on a divisive agenda aimed at deepening the divisions between us rather than calling us to a common purpose.

If Mississippi is to achieve its potential we must stop playing political games and put a proper focus on job creation.

Those same Republicans who campaigned against the national debt and federal unemployment levels have forgotten that as Mississippi officials, we must take care of home first.

With a 8.6% unemployment rate, excluding those Mississippians who have stopped looking for work, Mississippi has a worse unemployment rate than the national average.

Instead of fighting to put Mississippians back to work, we have spent far too much time on partisan political issues and bills that actually made it harder on our workers.

There’s a simple reason that Mississippi haven’t seen economic growth under the new Republican leadership: they don’t have a jobs plan.

We can do better and Democrats in the Legislature are committed to an agenda that creates jobs by giving small businesses the tools they need to succeed and putting Mississippians back to work building our state’s infrastructure.

A successful economic development plan must include utilizing the appropriations and bonding process to provide funds for roads, bridges, community college and university repair and renovation, and helping our smaller cities and counties who are feeling the pressure of the slow economy.

The truth is, small businesses rely on these programs to keep current employees on the payroll and grow their businesses.

And the good news is that we can meet these goals without raising taxes. Thanks to years of responsible budgeting, we will have more than 198 million dollars in cash reserves. These dollars represent tax payments from Mississippi families that were sent to Jackson to keep the government running. Instead of putting that money to work, politicians are parking that money in accounts to make themselves look better.

This is not what being good stewards of our state resources looks like and we should not ask our workers and education and healthcare systems to suffer while we have money in the bank that can help.

The appropriations process is about values and as we move through the 2013 session, we have to make sure our state resources are being used to create jobs and grow Mississippi’s economy.

If we ever hope to get out of Mississippi’s double-dip recession, we will have to have a renewed focus on our economy.

According to one of our state economists, while other states saw economic growth in 2012, Mississippi was one of the only states in the country that went backwards and actually slipped into a recession.

It’s not hard to diagnose the problem. During last year’s session, you paid 174 legislators to spend countless hours of committee time and floor debate on the personhood issue, an issue that was overwhelmingly rejected by Mississippi voters during the 2011 election. In fact, there were 13 bills filed by members of the Legislature that were designed to address personhood and unfortunately, almost all of these proposals found their way on to a committee agenda.

We also wasted time on an immigration bill that didn’t even have the support of law enforcement, business leaders, or our cities and counties.

We cannot afford to waste any more time helping would-be statewide candidates build their resume. It’s time to get real and focus like a laser on our state economy.

We’ve all heard politicians talk about education during elections. Mississippi is no different. Every single candidate for Mississippi’s Legislature promised that if elected, they would go to Jackson and help fix our education system.

Unfortunately, our legislative leaders forgot to talk to parents, educators, and tax payers about their plans. That’s why we spent so much time talking about a charter school bill that wasn’t vetted by anyone except out of state groups who want to profit off of Mississippi’s education system.

But we can’t just say no. That’s why the Democratic Party’s education plan is to seek out innovations that improve education in underserved parts of the state and strengthen those districts that are getting it right.

In addition to these priorities, Mississippi has an opportunity to grow its economy using the proposed formula changes to the Medicaid program.

Right now 25% of all Mississippians are currently enrolled in the Medicaid program. New changes will allow states to increase Medicaid coverage by using an index of 133% of the poverty level. That means a Mississippi family of four with a household income of $29,326 would be eligible. By allowing these hard working families to have access to healthcare, we can save the state nearly half a billion dollars a year in funds currently paying for uncompensated care. As an example, $68 million of your tax dollars went to the University Medical Center to help cover uncompensated healthcare costs associated with folks who needed emergency services but didn’t have health insurance.

By giving some of these Mississippians access to health coverage, thousands of people will no longer have to use our emergency rooms like a doctor’s office and can instead receive the kind of ongoing care that will help prevent some of the diseases that currently create a drain on our economy.

Medicaid changes could also help some people come off of overpriced plans that cost Mississippi taxpayers too much. As an example, by moving qualified individuals off the state insurance plan and on to a Medicaid plan, the state will save considerable money.

Medicaid also offers Mississippi a rare opportunity to fix some recent budgeting errors. During the 2012 session, Republicans moved $70 million from the budget in the name of ending the inventory tax. There was no effort to replace these funds.

The Medicaid change could provide $6.4 billion in the first 3 years that would be put to work by improving our healthcare system and creating jobs.

In the fourth year, we could provide our assessment of $160 million and receive an additional $1.6 billion annually to revolutionize Mississippi’s healthcare and put Mississippians to work.

This 10 to 1 investment is math that works for Mississippi by improving healthcare and growing our economy. It has the added impact of making up for some of the sloppy budget work done over the last several months.

It’s not enough to simply say the things that you are for and against, you have to provide solutions. That’s why Democrats in the Mississippi Legislature have 5 priorities:

1. Legislation to fund infrastructure like roads and bridges, small cities and counties, and our community colleges and universities;
2. Education reform that targets failing school districts;
3. Taking advantage of changes to the Medicaid program that will improve healthcare and create jobs;
4. Making sure that we use all available resources to help our state. It simply doesn’t make sense to hoard taxpayer funds while Mississippi’s children and working families suffer. And when we do use savings accounts, it should be in accounts that give the state a preferred rate.
5. Finally, Mississippi Democrats are proud to stand by our state employees— those first responders, classroom teachers, and public servants who help make Mississippi great. We remember the promises we have made to these employees and will not allow those promises to be broken in the name of political expediency.

We have an opportunity to bridge the partisan divide and usher in a time of sustainable growth for all Mississippians. We ask all Mississippians to join us in that effort.

Together, Mississippi can and will do better.

God bless you and your family and God bless the great state of Mississippi.