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Rep. Noah Sanford
Both houses of the Mississippi legislature adjourned for the year on Friday, March 29. One of the most important jobs at the end of each session is setting the next year’s budget.
Each session, the budget does not become final until the last revenue projections are made. Economists work with the best data available to them to project how much money the state will collect in tax revenues for the next fiscal year, which this year will begin July 1, 2019, and end June 30, 2020. Those projections are then used to set the next year’s budget.
Tax revenues have increased the last several months, which indicates a growing Mississippi economy. The last week of session, economists made their final predictions on revenues; a projection of an additional $202 million was then adopted by a joint committee of both representatives and senators. Then came the job of deciding how to spend this additional $202 million.
Of the $202 million in increased anticipated revenues, approximately $65 million will go toward the Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) to cover increased contribution requirements from public entities; approximately $75 million will go toward raising teacher and teacher assistant pay; and the remainder will be used to give a three percent pay raise to all other state employees and to give slight increases to most other state agencies, including universities, junior and community colleges, K-12 public schools, and the Departments of Mental Health, Public Safety, and Health.
Another trooper school was approved and funded for the state Highway Patrol. This has been badly needed in order to fill the high number of vacancies caused by retirements over the last several years.
In addition, approximately $3 million of additional funding was allocated to the Department of Public Safety to hire more employees for driver’s license facilities. The problem of long lines at these facilities has been ongoing for years but has gotten much worse in the last year.
We are fortunate that our economy has grown enough to give pay raises. Still, however, most recognize that we still have work to do. Mississippi’s average teacher salary, for example, is about $44,000 while the Southeastern average is closer to $50,000. Whether its teachers or any other public or private employee, the same is true: Talent will usually flock to where the money is. For that reason, we must pay competitive salaries or we will find it harder and harder to attract talent.
I appreciate the opportunity to serve. Please contact me if I can be of assistance.
Rep. Noah Sanford represents parts of Covington, Simpson, and Jefferson Davis Counties in the Mississippi House of Representatives. He can be reached at 601-765-4122 or NSanford@house.ms.gov.
