Every January when the 174 members of the Mississippi Legislature convene in Jackson, there is much talk of bi-partisan cooperation and a desire to represent all Mississippians.
But actions speak louder than words. Usually, any evidence of those noble ideas fly out the window in about a week’s time as the legislators scurry, rat-like, to their tribal holes and proceed, with only the rarest exceptions, along ideological and party lines.
For the eternal optimists, there’s always at least some slim chance that “this year will be different.”
We’ve already seen evidence to the contrary, unfortunately. House Speaker Phillip Gunn pronounced Wednesday that any bill to expand Medicaid would be “dead on arrival” in the House, even though Medicaid expansion was widely supported during the 2019 election campaigns, even by Republican candidates.
Most Mississippians understand the economic benefits represented by Medicaid expansion, especially its role in securing the financial future of the state’s rural hospitals. To put it in medical terms, our rural hospitals are in critical condition.
That one man gets to make the decision is not the way our government should work. To that, Gunn says, in so many words, “tough.”
That aside, another sign of just how tribal our Legislature this year will be revealed in how it deals with an election dispute over who will represent District 40, which is located in DeSoto County.
In the November election, Democrat Hester Jackson McCray defeated incumbent Republican Ashley Henley by 14 votes but Henley challenged the results, claiming voter irregularities. The state Constitution gives the two chambers the authority to resolve any election disputes.
To settle the matter, Gunn chose an even mix of Republicans and Democrats to serve on a committee that will determine who will be seated.
I’m kidding, of course. The Republican Speaker chose four Republicans and one Democrat for the committee.
Among those selected were Starkville Republican Rob Roberson who promised the process would be even-handed, fair and transparent.
We’ll see.
Roberson said he expected the committee to render its decision in three to four weeks, which is not a good sign.
It ought to take one phone call and one question: Did the Secretary of State’s office certify the results on the District 40 election?
It did? OK. Case closed. Welcome to the Legislature, Ms. McCray.
But as it is with a trial, the longer the jury is out, the better it is for the accused.
There is something about District 40 folks should know. It is among the most conservative districts in the state and also the fastest growing, thanks to “white flight” from nearby Memphis.
In 2015, Henley routed McCray for the House seat by almost a 3-to-1 margin. That McCray, who is black, would wipe out that voter deficit to win a narrow victory suggests that District 40 voters were unhappy with Henley’s performance.
Henley’s dramatic decline in support in District 40, as evidenced by the certified results of the election, confirm the will of the people.
Now, we’ll see the will of the Legislature.
Seating Henley would mean nothing in terms of the balance of power in the House, where Republicans have a comfortable super-majority.
It would also be terrible optics for a Legislature whose pledges of “even-handed, fair and transparent” still ring through the Capitol.
Is this the year the Legislature makes good on its promises of bi-partisan efforts to benefit all Mississippians?
I’ll be sure to let you know.
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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