The water crisis in Mississippi is at the forefront of nearly everyone’s minds as it makes national headlines.
District 17 State Sen. Chuck Younger (R-Lowndes County) spoke Thursday to Columbus Exchange Club about the lack of safe and working water in Jackson. He said there is a need for new leadership at the local level including a new mayor and council in order for change to happen.
“We passed Senate Bill 2228, which was (American Rescue Plan Act) funds, and that allows cities to apply for the one-one match for water and sewer projects,” Younger said to club members at Lion Hills Center. “Jackson got $42 million, and they plan to use $25 million for their water situation. … If they don’t get some new leadership in Jackson, it’s going to be just sad. That’s our capital. … Surely this is going to wake up some folks in Jackson where they’ll get some new leadership — their council and their mayor, especially their mayor. He seems to be a joke.”
Younger said the issue about drinking water isn’t just a Jackson issue — many other communities around the state are facing or will face similar issues. He urged county supervisors and city council members across Mississippi to use the federal funds they received through ARPA to make infrastructure upgrades.
“It’s not just Jackson,” Younger said. “All of these older towns, if they don’t use their ARPA money right and try to fix the water and sewage, they are really making a bad mistake. As old as these cities are, they need to fix while they have the money.”
In regards to federal funds, one Exchange Club member asked Younger about his stance on Gov. Tate Reeves’ decision to send federal funds back that were aiding many in the state in rental assistance. The member cited that in his own research he found two-thirds of those using the assistance were employed.
Younger agreed with the member that sending federal aid back “doesn’t make any sense.”
“Sometimes (Reeves) is a genius, and sometimes he’s not,” Younger said.
Younger told those gathered at Lion Hills at noon about the bills the state legislators have passed this year including the teacher pay raise bill, which raised the minimum salary for teachers an average of $5,140; and Buddy’s Law, which requires any child responsible for animal abuse undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
One bill Younger said he was happy to see signed into law is medical marijuana.
“I was for (the bill),” Younger said. “If you get a doctor’s prescription, I think it’s a good thing, especially if somebody’s older and they have aches and pains. It beats the heck out of the hard drugs like hydrocodone and all of the other drugs that have hurt our nation. I think this will help in the long run. … It’s out there on the streets already. It’s there. This will make it legal, make it safer. There will be some hiccups, but I think it’ll be a good thing in the long run once it gets regulated and going.”
Younger was asked about the expansion of Medicaid, especially how it could help struggling rural hospitals as it would increase the number of people who have access to federally subsidized health insurance. Younger said he supports expanding “a little” but then deflected the question to the status of the state’s highways. Younger is a member of the Highways and Transportation Committee.
With the deflection, he did offer news about the updates to Highway 45.
“I’m for expanding Medicaid, but more than anything I’m for fixing our highways and bridges,” Younger said. “… I called (Brad White, executive director of the Mississippi Department of Transportation) up and said, ‘Brad, when is 45 going out of Columbus going north going to be fixed?’ And he said, ‘Well, the contract is released. It’s ready to go.’ Well, I called the contractor and they’re waiting on cable that goes to the traffic lights so when you pull up to the light it’ll change. That’s what they’re waiting on.”
Younger did later expound on Medicaid expansion, though he did not go into detail about the “little” he thinks it should expand. He said 90 percent of the funding would come from federal funds, and 10 percent would be from state funds.
“I’m for it because I think we’re leaving money on the table,” Younger said. “… I think we should expand it some, but how much, I don’t know. I think it would help everything if we expanded it some.”
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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