Governor Spells Out Priorities in State of the State Address

In the 2009 State of the State Address, Governor Haley Barbour outlined his priorities, and how the financial crisis is affecting Mississippi. MPB’s Cari Gervin and Stephen Koranda have a team report. First we hear what the Governor had to say, and then a reaction from legislators.

Stormy economic times are ahead for Mississippi, but that doesn’t mean lawmakers should rush to dip into the state’s Rainy Day Fund.

That’s the message Governor Barbour delivered to the legislature in his annual speech Tuesday night. He said the challenging economic times facing the state were no reason to offset budget cuts with the fund. The Rainy Day Fund has about three hundred-sixty-two million dollars in it.

“If there is one point I want to emphasize tonight, it is essential for the Rainy Day Fund to last us four years. It would irresponsible to spend at a faster rate than that,” Governor Barbour said.

Barbour said the shortfall in tax revenues will require cutting the state’s formula for funding K through 12 education, known as M-A-E-P.

“I can no longer exempt the Mississippi Adequate Education Program from cuts, as I did in the November round. Cutting all departments and agencies five percent, excluding court-ordered spending, yields only about 120 million dollars if no cuts are made to MAEP.”

Barbour said that cuts would be less than five percent of M-A-E-P’s budget. He said that other programs, like early childhood literacy, should maintain their current levels of funding.

The governor touched on multiple ways to save money, including changes to Medicaid. Barbour also used his speech to push for a voter identification law.

“It’s past time we catch up with our sister states, with business, medical, financial, the rest of the government world by requiring a picture ID to vote,” Barbour said to loud applause.

Still, the focus of the speech remained the economy and the ways Mississippians can deal with the recession. Barbour said job training and workforce development programs must remain priorities for the state to attract top employers.

“Know I consider job creation the number one goal of my administration, especially in a nation recession. It won’t be easy. But while I’m concerned about the global economy, I’m optimistic about Mississippi.”

LEGISLATIVE RESPONSE

Not every lawmaker agrees when the Governor says all state services will need to be cut. Representative Brandon Jones of Pascagoula delivered the Democratic response.

“There are some places we’re not going to be complicit in cutting,” said Jones. You do not dig your way out a hole by defunding education.”

Barbour says districts have more than 500 million dollars in reserves to help them handle any funding cuts. House Democratic Majority Leader Tyrone Ellis of Starkville doesn’t agree. He says any cuts would be passed on to taxpayers.

“The burden is being placed on the supervisors of the local counties,” said Ellis. “They’re having to increase their millage, so again you have another tax increase.”

The State’s Rainy day fund is topped off at more than 350 million dollars. Barbour believes this money will need to last four years … Republican Senator Joey Fillingane of Sumrall.

“If we find we’re out of the recession in two years instead of four, then we’ve got extra money we can do other things with,” said Fillingane.

Workforce development should be a focus according to Governor Barbour. LT. Governor Phil Bryant also believes lawmakers need to keep workforce training well funded.

“The concern is we won’t be able to continue the workforce development,” said Bryant “So when we come out of this recession, the workforce won’t be there for the new economic development opportunities.”

Even if the governor and democratic lawmakers don’t agree on many of the issues, Representative Brandon Jones says they’ll work hard to move forward.

“I think it would be very small and petty if we were to focus on our narrow, partisan differences during a time when so many people are hurting,” said Jones.

It remains to be seen if the State’s tight finances will fuel a spirit of compromise, or cause lawmakers to disagree on spending priorities.