The Mississippi Link Newswire,
As Senate Minority Leader, Mississippi State Senate, Minority Leader Derrick Simmons stated, “ I stand in full support of my colleagues in the Senate Democratic Caucus who voted “No” or “Present” during the special session. These votes are not taken lightly, but they reflect a deep concern regarding the continued lack of transparency and inclusiveness in the budgeting process.
The people of Mississippi deserve a legislative process that is open, accountable, and representative of all communities in our state. Unfortunately, in this special session, critical budget decisions were made behind closed doors with minimal input from many legislators and no input from members of the Senate Democratic Caucus. This approach not only undermines the principles of good governance but also erodes public trust in the legislative process. Our caucus believes that every member of the Legislature should have a seat at the table when allocating taxpayer dollars, especially when those decisions have far-reaching consequences for our schools, hospitals, infrastructure, and economic development. We cannot support a process where transparency is sacrificed and where some communities are left in the dark about how and why funding decisions are made.
Our votes were a statement—a principled stand for a better process. We remain committed to working in good faith with our colleagues across the aisle, but we will continue to speak out and act when the process fails the people we are elected to serve.
Senator Derrick T. Simmons
Minority Leader, Mississippi
State Senate
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