Democratic Lieutenant Governor nominee Jamie
Franks is stopping by courthouses across the state today to promote what he
believes are important and needed goals for his first day as lieutenant
governor.
“On Day 1 of my service as Mississippi’s next lieutenant governor, I will
guide to passage legislation to fully fund education and cut the sales tax
on groceries,” Franks said. “New Senate rules will include an Ethics
Committee, and we’ll introduce legislation for insurance policy holders.”
Franks said all state senators, including veteran and newly elected
lawmakers, know enough about education funding and the sales tax on
groceries that they should be able to approve both when his term of office
begins.
“Education is our top priority if we are going to bring Mississippi up from
the bottom,” Franks said. “By fully funding education first, we send a
strong message to our people and the nation that we mean business when it
comes to educating Mississippians.
“We should cut the sales tax on groceries immediately. It should have passed
the past two legislative sessions, but it was killed by hostile senators
both times. The working people of Mississippi deserve a grocery tax cut.
It’s appalling to me that we live in one of the poorest states in the nation
yet charge one of the lowest taxes in the nation on groceries. Cutting the
grocery tax helps everyone.”
Franks said he has spoken out strongly since the beginning of his campaign
on the need for a Senate Ethics Committee. “Working with the senators, I
will see that the Ethics Committee is established during the rules adoption
process,” he said.
Legislation establishing the “Insurance Policy Holder Bill of Rights” will
be introduced on his Day 1, Franks said. The bill will require insurance
companies to use “plain language” when issuing and explaining insurance
policies, among other consumer-friendly measures. “We just can’t let our
policy holders pay for something they won’t receive in the case of a
disaster,” Franks said.
“Historically, nothing much happens in the Legislature the first month of a
new term,” Franks said. “But that will change when I become lieutenant
governor. We serve in the Legislature for one reason: to make Mississippi a
better place to live, work and raise a family. I’ll make sure we do just
that on my Day 1.”
MS Democratic Party
11/2/7
Magnolia Tribune
