Mississippi House of Representatives Speaker Jason White, visited Bolivar County on December 4. His visit was highlighted by a talk given to a joint meeting of Cleveland’s Rotary, Exchange and Lions Clubs at the Cleveland Country Club.
White, a Kosciusko native in his second term as 62nd Speaker of the House of Representatives, brought along staff members to Bolivar County for a two-day jaunt which included stopovers and visits at the Port or Rosedale, Terrene Landing as well as the Grammy Museum in Cleveland. It was his fourth visit to Bolivar County during the past three months.
In his talk to the combined civic groups, White spoke about the upcoming 2025 Mississippi legislative session and what he expects will take place, touching on subjects such as Medicaid expansion and grocery tax relief.
“I realize that different regions of the state have varying needs and I want to make sure I can do everything in my power to make sure that places like Bolivar County and Cleveland continue to be a hub for the Delta. I want to publicly commit to that,” said White.
White also touched on Medicaid expansion in Mississippi, noting that 40 other states have expanded the program and alluded to the fact that perhaps our state should be next.
Touting many statistics of possible advantages of Medicaid expansion, White told the audience, “If this was a decision that affected the businesses that you in this room run and own, you would have made it a long time ago. I’m not saying that it’s perfect; but it’s what we have on the table and it’s become a non-partisan issue across the country. It’s time for an adult conversation. It is what is best for Mississippi. And I’ll put my conservative bona fides up against anybody. But we’re beyond that now.”
In closing, White talked about tax reform and indicated that cutting the highest grocery state in any state in the union can also be worked on and modified in a non-partisan manner.
“I think it should at least be cut in half, to three and a half percent, at some point,” said White, who also voiced support for a personal income tax reduction and/or elimination for Mississippians.