Mississippi News
Tax cut, teacher pay raise proposals sail through House
Major tax cut, teacher pay raise proposals sail through House with bipartisan support
In less than 45 minutes Wednesday afternoon, the House approved legislation that would provide the largest tax cut in the state's history and one of Mississippi's largest teacher pay raises.
Both bills now go to the Senate, where members are working on their own tax cut and teacher pay raise bills. While the House passed both bills in only the second week of the 2022 session, it is likely that the final outcome for both proposals will not be known until much later in the 90-day session.
Still, House Speaker Philip Gunn said his chamber's members sent a strong message on Wednesday.
“These two items were top agenda items,” said Gunn, a Republican from Clinton. “We intended to roll both out early. We are glad to get them passed in short order. I think both had overwhelming support.”
Indeed, they did. The Mississippi Tax Freedom Act, touted by the speaker for two years, passed 97-12, with all the no votes coming from a minority of the 43-member Democratic caucus. Nine Democrats either did not vote or voted present. The START Act (the Strategically Accelerating the Recruitment and Retention of Teachers) passed 114-6, with six members of the 77-member Republican caucus voting against it.
House Ways and Means Chair Trey Lamar, R-Senatobia, who presented the tax bill to the House members, pointed out that passing both bills on the same day sent a message that the Legislature could enact the historic tax cut and still meet the needs of the state.
READ MORE: Gunn's hallmark plan to eliminate income tax, reduce food tax
READ MORE: The House's massive teacher pay raise proposal
House Education Chair Richard Bennett, R-Long Beach, said the teacher pay proposal would provide a raise of $4,000 for all teachers — and more than $6,000 for some teachers — starting July 1. He said the increase is needed because pay is the top reason young people are not entering the teaching profession.
“We are competing with other states for our teachers,” Bennett told members.
Of the tax bill, Lamar said, “I believe it is time for historic, transformative, game changing legislation. This is absolutely transformative.”
The tax bill would phase out the state income tax in an estimated 10 years to 12 years, reduce the sales tax on food from 7% to 5.5% this July and ultimately reduce it to 4% and cut the car tag tax by 35%. To partially offset the massive cut, the bill increases the sales tax on most retail items from 7% to 8.5%.
When fully phased in, it is estimated that the bill will cut taxes $1.5 billion in today's dollars. The current state-support budget is about $6.6 billion.
Rep. Zakiya Summers, D-Jackson, unsuccessfully offered an amendment to the tax bill that would have given low-income “working families” an additional tax break. They would have been eligible to receive from the state 15% of the earned income tax credit they receive from the federal government. The earned income tax credit provides funds to low-income working families, based on a number of conditions such as their income and their dependents.
Lamar said he did not rule out working with Summers later in the process to incorporate her proposal once he receives more information on the program.
Rep. John Hines, D-Greenville, said he supported the tax cut bill because “it is an opportunity to give people some relief on buying their groceries and car tags. In Washington County, the biggest complaint we get is on the cost of car tags.”
Plus, he added the passage of the bill is an opportunity to work on “building consensus” in the House. Hines said the bill needs “to be tweaked,” but there is time in the process to do that.
Lamar said there is money to do both the teacher pay raise and tax cut because of last year's unprecedented 15.9% revenue growth and anticipated double-digit growth for the current fiscal year.
While there was little debate of the proposal on the House floor, One Voice, a nonprofit advocating for working families, said of the proposal: “Working families in the state will still be left to shoulder an even greater burden of replacing lost revenue from the tax cut with increased sales taxes on everyday items. These families already pay, on average, a larger share of their income in sales and property taxes than wealthier households.”
The teacher pay raise proposal, costing about $219 million, would move the starting teacher pay in Mississippi from $37,000 to $43,124 annually compared to $39,897 for the region and $41,163 for the nation, according to information provided by the House leadership.
The bill also provides a $2,000 salary hike for teacher assistants.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Mississippi News
Pearl River woman pleads guilty to stabbing tribal member
SUMMARY: Telinah Kowi Tek Farve, a woman from Pearl River, pled guilty to assaulting a tribal member with a knife in the Pearl River Community of the Choctaw Indian Reservation. Court documents show that in 2023, she stabbed the tribal member, causing serious bodily injury. Farve was indicted by a federal grand jury and pled guilty to assault resulting in serious bodily injury. She is scheduled to be sentenced on August 6, 2024, facing a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. The Choctaw Police Department and the FBI investigated the case, and a federal district judge will determine her sentence based on sentencing guidelines and other factors.
The post Pearl River woman pleads guilty to stabbing tribal member appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
HOA president speaks after shots fired into Brandon home
SUMMARY: Brandon police are searching for two suspects who fired multiple shots into a home in the 100 block of Faith Way. No one was inside the home at the time of the shooting. Homeowners Association President Ben Luther expressed shock at the incident, stating it was unprecedented in the neighborhood. Surveillance video shows two individuals approaching the home and firing shots. Police urge anyone with information to contact them. Luther emphasized that the shooting does not define the community and hopes it is not how people perceive them. Residents are asked to keep those affected in their thoughts and prayers.
The post HOA president speaks after shots fired into Brandon home appeared first on www.wjtv.com
Mississippi News
CPD makes Aggravated Domestic Violence arrest
SUMMARY: On April 27th, Columbus Police responded to a gunshot victim in the 800 block of North Lehmberg. Courtney Stewart Wiggly was arrested for shooting her husband, Daryl Wiggly, who sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was flown to Jackson for treatment. Courtney is in custody at Lowndes County Adult Detention Center awaiting her Initial Appearance. The incident is being investigated as aggravated domestic violence. Follow updates on Facebook for more news.
The post CPD makes Aggravated Domestic Violence arrest appeared first on www.wcbi.com
-
Local News3 days ago
Sister of Mississippi man who died after police pulled him from car rejects lawsuit settlement
-
Mississippi Today3 days ago
At Lake High School in Scott County, the Un-Team will never be forgotten
-
Mississippi News7 days ago
Forest landowners can apply for federal emergency loans
-
Mississippi News1 day ago
One injured in Mississippi officer-involved shooting after chase
-
Mississippi News6 days ago
Cicadas expected to takeover north Mississippi counties soon
-
Mississippi News5 days ago
Viewers make allegations against Hatley teacher, school district releases statement – Home – WCBI TV
-
Mississippi News Video4 days ago
Vehicle struck and killed man lying in the road, Alcorn County sheriff says
-
Mississippi Today6 days ago
On this day in 1892