Mississippi Legislature underway

The new legislative session is just a few days old and already state senators and state representatives are considering the matters before them.

In their deliberations, we hope they will keep in mind all of the state’s citizens and not just a few that they consider to be friends or supporters. Also, we hope that they will look at special interest groups from all sides with a jaundiced eye.

Too often over the years, those identified as friends or supporters of this legislator or that one and special interest groups have gotten more attention from some legislators than have the residents of this state as a whole.

By this we mean that if a bill more closely affects these people or that interest group, does it also in some way help all the rest of us as well or make our state’s laws clearer and fairer to all of its citizens? That should be the goal of all the bills they consider.

An example of an issue that will come before the Legislature this year is how to better fund the state’s highway maintenance and road building efforts. More money is desperately needed for those purposes, which are a part of the state’s economic development effort.

In the past, the roads have been funded with a tax on the sale of gasoline at the pump. However, with more people driving vehicles that use less gasoline, the income from that tax has fallen. The idea behind the gasoline tax was that users should pay.

Some legislators want to come up with a new way to derive part of those funds. Fine. Let it be fair to everyone, though.

That’s just one example of an issue that could find itself sidetracked or skewed because of special interests. There are many others, though.

Fairness should be the watchword for our legislators as these matters come before them.

 

SportsPlus

News

Hunters, Harvest Needed to Help Deer

News

Pearl River County Hospital to Host DEA National Takeback Event

News

Picayune School District Recognizes Top-Scoring Students at Friday Night Football Game

News

Governor Reeves Approves Deployment of Law Enforcement to North Carolina for Hurricane Helene Response

News

Pearl River Central to Host First-Ever Community Pep Rally Ahead of Home Game

News

Annie Takes the Stage at Picayune Theatre

News

City of Poplarville to Replace Water Meters with Advanced Electronic Models

News

Local Man Arrested for Drug-Related Charges in Picayune

News

Picayune Police Host Annual National Night Out, Fostering Community Engagement

News

Picayune Police Department to Receive New Bloodhound for Investigative Use

News

Picayune City Council Proclaims October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Honors Local Author

News

Keesler Federal Bright Futures Program Provides Supplies to Over 20,000 Kindergartners

News

PRC Blue Devils Secure First Win Under Coach Feaster, Break 17-Game Losing Streak

News

Picayune Police Respond to Multiple Incidents

News

Justice Department Finds Civil Rights Violations by Lexington, Miss. Police Department

News

Two Pearl River Men Face Federal Sentences in Separate Cases

News

Former Mississippi Chief Justice Edwin Lloyd Pittman Dies at 89

News

Senators Wicker and Hyde-Smith Honor James Earl Jones

News

PRCSPCA Urgently Calls for Adoptions Amid Overcrowding Crisis

News

Pearl River County Fair Rodeo Draws Crowds with Thrilling Performances

News

Picayune School District Sees Improvement in School Grades, Implements New Programs

News

Picayune Falls to Gulfport 41-21, Coach Stogner Stresses Improvement

News

Crosby Arboretum Receives Mississippi Gulf Coast National Heritage Area Award at Bug Fest

News

PMHS FOOTBALL SENIOR NIGHT 2024 GALLERY