Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said he thinks the bulk of action in the new year’s legislative session in Mississippi, which will begin Jan. 3, will deal with the state’s budget.

How those discussions play out is anyone’s guess, he said.

“It’s not predictable. Anyone who tells you otherwise is just giving you their opinion,” Hosemann said.

The focus of many in the state will be to find ways to keep more money in the private sector, which Hosemann said leads to job growth.

“There’s a strong feeling in Mississippi and in the country that we don’t want to raise taxes on anyone and that feeling is in the legislature, as well,” he said. “We are grappling with roads and bridges, but without having a commensurate income stream…we’ll see how that shapes out.

“I know there has been some discussion on taxing internet sales. Alabama just passed a five percent sales tax on items purchased on the internet. I’m sure there will be discussion about that. And the lottery issue will come up again. Whether those pass is anyone’s guess at this point,” Hosemann said.

He said GDP growth in Mississippi is at 1.7 percent, “which is very modest. Our tax revenues have been slightly below budget. I’m sure the legislature will be looking at their revenue numbers all the way through to March, when they determine the budget.”

The Secretary of State’s office has several items it is looking to the legislature to approve.

“First, we were able to work with the legislature last year to get about half of the election reform package approved that we submitted,” Hosemann said. “The parts missing were campaign finance reform and structuring election commissioner terms so they are actually elected on different years, meaning they would not all leave at once. It is very difficult to run an election when all of the election commissions leave at once.”

He also is pushing for several business-related matters, including the establishment of public improvement districts, known as PIDs, which would be a financing vehicle for public improvements. Hosemann wants to see the state legislature structure a way for overseas funds from corporations that have accumulated to be returned to Mississippi.

“We want to bring that capital back to Mississippi,” he said. “We proposed that two years ago and it was discussed, but not passed. But now, with new President Trump making similar statements about the federal income tax code and bringing that overseas money back in, it’s appropriate to address it at this time.”

Hosemann, a Vicksburg native, said he would be back in Vicksburg in the coming weeks, particularly to learn more programs under way in the Vicksburg Warren School District.

“We are observing closely the programs that Superintendent (Chad) Shealy has put in, particularly Leader in Me and combined high school and junior college curriculum. I think that is a critical component to ensuring our students have gainful employment. There are only three of those schools going now, and I want to be able to speak on that as I go around the state and marshal support for that kind of program.”