February 17, 2010

I am writing this while we are taking up 54 appropriation bills.

This morning the Ways and Means Committee had an hour-and-45-minute hearing on the Soda Tax Bill I introduced.  The proceedings were very interesting.

I was able to lead off and presented figures on the extent of the obesity problem and how much the problem was costing us.

For a complete breakdown, you can go to this website

www.blog.msgovt.org/modules/cms/images/thumb/270.pdf

On page 19 are the figures I used.

My ending point was that people who choose to drink sugared up drinks, to be couch potatoes, to eat until they fall asleep are free to do that; that their eventual health care falls on those who choose to be healthy; and finally that is charged with encouraging a healthy citizenry and should be good stewards of the taxpayer's money. 

Why should healthy people be required to pay the medical needs of those who choose to be unhealthy when through my bill the people who chose to do unhealthy living can also assume some ownership and responsibility For their unhealthy lifestyle?

We just took up an amendment to the appropriation for the legislature.  The amendment said that if we come to Jackson or go elsewhere as a member of a taskforce we could not be paid.

I voted "no."  In a few days we will be voting to cut our salary 10 percent. In addition we will be reducing our constituent days for coming here.

Most members are allowed four days a month to come to Jackson; six if you are chairman.

They are called discretionary constituent days. I see both of those being cut two days.  I was chair of two Task Forces this summer.  I used my discretionary days to make those meetings.  In addition, I also come here for other meetings which I do not ask for reimbursement.

We are taking up a series of amendments now. One says no pay for out-of-state travel...I voted yes. A second says you must travel in your own car on your discretionary days and sign an affidavit that you did that---I  voted yes on that one, also.

Before we leave here, I believe we will be cutting our pay including travel for coming to Jackson by (at least for myself) $3,380 assuming we pass the 10 percent pay cut

and eliminate two days a month (for which we can claim pay) to do work in Jackson.

The elimination of the task force days would not have an impact on me since I do not claim them as extra.  Others will be reduced more or less depending on travel reimbursement.

Back to the soda tax bill.  And, I have forgotten where I was. We spent nearly an hour on the legislative appropriation bill above.

I was very satisfied with the hearing.  I doubt the bill will be voted on, but we started.  My answer to those people who acknowledge that we have a problem with obesity and have to "do something" but not this soda tax is, "What is your plan and why have you not put forth something for us to consider?"

I am not saying much about all of these appropriation bills simply because we are way a ways from adopting and most of these figures are to get us into conference committee where a real amount will be determined.

I will say on the MAEP program there is a nine percent reduction from the budget adopted last session (not from the cuts that have been made this year).  There is a prohibition against out-of-state travel at the district level.

The total proposed budget is $5,701,650,914.  Here's a breakdown where that is

expected to come from:

            General Funds                                     $4,534,826,975

            Education Enhancement Funds                304,765,618

            Health Care Expendable Funds                208,600,000

            Tobacco Control Funds                              20,000,000

            Stimulus Funds                                         383,191,332

            Hurricane Disaster Reserve                      30,404,260

            Budget Contingency Funds                      219,862,952

Estimated General Fund Balance June 30, 2011               $223