Dr. Sandra Carr Melvin, epidemiologist and public health advocate, writes that “the health, wealth and economic sustainability of Mississippi” remains at stake since state legislators refuse to expand Medicaid, which would close the health-insurance gap.
Rhea Williams-Bishop, director of Mississippi and New Orleans programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, believes that the richness of Mississippi’s soil should be passed down to every young person in the state, cultivating generations of healthy eaters.
Kyra Roby, a policy analyst at One Voice Mississippi, believes state lawmakers should properly use the extra funds from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act to foster a better future for all Mississippians by fully funding public education, creating affordable health care, and providing affordable housing and solid infrastructure.
Providing yet another tax break for the state’s wealthiest—particularly during a global health crisis and economic recession—should not be a policy priority of state lawmakers. Nonetheless, state lawmakers are still considering eliminating the state individual income tax. State lawmakers’ top priority right now should be all Mississippi residents, particularly those facing hardship.
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The Mississippi Free Press is a project of the Mississippi Journalism and Education Group, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit journalism organization (EIN 85-1403937).
