Education

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Quality public education must be Mississippi’s top priority. Mississippi Democrats insist upon full funding of our public schools, public colleges, and public universities from pre-kindergarten to the doctoral level. We oppose any transfer of public funds to support private schools. We call for consistent annual pay raises and cost of living increases for public school teachers. We call upon the state to make college education affordable by expanding and increasing the Mississippi Tuition Assistance Grant. We oppose all efforts to close, diminish, or consolidate any of our public colleges and universities, and we condemn as cheap demagoguery the politicization of honest academic efforts to encourage diversity, equity, and inclusion at our public institutions.

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Healthcare

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Quality healthcare must be made available to every Mississippian. We demand that the state expand Medicaid immediately, end the crisis facing our rural hospitals, and emphasize and promote preventive health care and healthy living for every single person living in Mississippi. We call upon the state to encourage greater access to fresh, local, healthy food in every community.

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Equal Justice

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Equal Justice Under Law must be guaranteed to every Mississippian. Democrats demand equality for all regardless of race, color, class, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, population, national origin, immigrant status, disability, or appearance. We recognize that love is love, and we insist that the laws of our state reflect that moral fact. We call upon all law enforcement agencies in our state to consider the horrors of the Rankin County “Goon Squad” as they develop proactive approaches in their training and certification processes to assure equality and justice in their vitally important work.

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Women's Rights

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Equal Rights for Women must be guaranteed by our state and national constitutions. We demand equal pay for equal work. We insist that all women have personal sovereignty over their lives, their bodies, and their health care choices, including those choices involving reproduction.

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Economic Opportunity

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Quality employment and profitable economic opportunities must be afforded every Mississippian. We call upon the state of Mississippi to create a State Department of Labor, to establish a state minimum wage of $15.00 per hour, and to institute robust retention employment and investment initiatives designed to provide opportunities for ambitious and industrious Mississippians to reach their fullest potential without having to leave our state. Further, we insist that the state do much more to foster small scale entrepreneurship and local business development in every community.

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Civil Rights and Civic Duties

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Every Mississippian must enjoy and exercise equal rights and duties as citizens. We demand the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. We demand the automatic restoration of voting rights to former felons upon completion of their sentences. We demand an end to private, for-profit prisons. We demand a restoration of the people’s right to initiative and referendum. We demand an end to gerrymandering for partisan advantage. We demand no-excuse early voting at the courthouse. We demand reforms to the voter roll purging process to prevent disenfranchisement. And just as we demand these rights, we demand that every Mississippian become an informed, engaged, and fully participating citizen, as is our duty. We demand greater emphasis upon civic education and civic engagement at every level of public education and via every possible public and private means.

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Affordable Housing

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Every Mississippian must have access to safe, affordable housing. The rising costs of home ownership, rental, and insurance have climbed beyond the reach of too many of us. The state must adopt creative initiatives to develop affordable housing options for all Mississippians in need. Further, the insurance industry must not be allowed to price policyholders out of their homes.