VIDEO: State Lawmakers Address The Various Issues Mississippi Is Currently Facing

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI)-Several state lawmakers talk politics in Columbus on Wednesday at legislative luncheon.

Legislators recapped the 2017 session and discussed several hot button issues facing the state and answered questions from the audience.

“We know that revenues are down,” said District 16 State Senator Angela Turner Ford. “There are cuts that have been made practically across the board. I wish I could say that I’m hopeful. I know that we’re going to get something the passed, but to say that it’s going to meet the needs of those agencies that haven’t been funded in total, I doubt it.”

One of the biggest issues the state is dealing with is the lack of funding for roads and bridges.

“We have to fix our structure,” said District 17 State Senator Charles Younger. “We’re letting it fall down around us, and if we don’t take care of that we’re going to be losing, because we have all of these big businesses coming into Mississippi, you’ve got to have a great roads to travel on.”

Another issue is finding money for schools.

“Education is always a problem, but it’s our constitutional responsibility as a state to educate it’s children,” said District 38 State Representative Tyrone Ellis. “If we do not educate them, and if we don’t take care of the funding for the education of the children, then it’s going to be shifted to the local level, and I think it will be bordering a constitutional problem there that might get us in trouble.”

Lawmakers believe gas tax, implementing a lottery, or an internet sales tax, are three options the state should consider to help bring in more money to fund these projects.

“Out of those three are favoring the Internet sales tax,” Ellis expressed.

“Gas, fuel tax possibly,” said Younger. “We should’ve already had there and play for like three or four years now because fuel and gas has been down for three or four years.”

“Some of the points that were raised today is that a lottery is not going to be a silver bullet, but in the event that it’s passed I do think we need to make sure that those funds are earmarked for certain projects,” said Ford. “Certainly there is needs for education, there is a need for roads and bridges.”

Governor Phil Bryant has called a special session and is expected to address some of these issues.

The session is set to begin on June 5th.