Remember back in July 2019 when Gov. Tate Reeves campaigned against increasing Mississippi gas taxes by 10 to 12 cents per gallon?

“The reason I am opposed to raising the gas tax is because I believe it would hurt working Mississippi families more so than anybody else in the state,” he told a Clarion-Ledger editorial board. “It ain’t easy for those working families.”

Back then the average price per gallon for regular unleaded in Mississippi was $2.40. This summer, the price has doubled. Over this past weekend it was down a little at $4.30 according to AAA.

Clearly, this $2 per gallon increase not only “ain’t easy” but is devastating for those working families Gov. Reeves talked about.

Meanwhile, state tax collections are soaring, projected as of June 30 to come in $500 million more than the Legislature anticipated.

Last March Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann suggested a six-month gas tax holiday to help offset increased prices at the pump. Such a holiday would reduce prices by 18.4 cents per gallon. That’s far less than the devastating $2 increase, but if 10 to 12 cents was significant, then 18.4 cents is more significant.

Gov. Reeves has the power and state coffers the extra money to give working families a break on gas taxes. A governor truly concerned about them would call a special session of the Legislature to get this done…even if it was Hosemann’s idea.

The Governor could also deal with another important issue in a special session – the obstinate fight between the University of Mississippi Medical Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mississippi over reimbursements. Caught in the crossfire between these two goliaths are patients who can only obtain needed care from UMMC which has the state’s only organ transplant center, Level I trauma center, Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, and more.

Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney has tried to resolve the dispute but has no legal authority to step in and force a resolution. Gov. Reeves and the Legislature could and should provide the Commissioner such authority for use in extraordinary cases. While the Governor has been at odds with UMMC, suffering families should be his priority.

Gov. Reeves could also act on his commitment to give citizens back their right to hold ballot initiatives by putting that in his special session call. “I do think the citizens should have access to the ballot,” he said in January. This is a major freedom issue for Mississippians that has been denied over a legal technicality.

Finally, another special session issue could be the City of Jackson’s seemingly never-ending water crisis. State officials have shown concern about public safety in the Capitol City, particularly crime. Access to clean water is also a vital public safety matter. The state Safe Water Drinking Act should be amended to give the State Board of Health power to resolve this mess. Just as the state has the power to temporarily take over dysfunctional school districts to get them functioning properly, it should have similar power over dysfunctional water plants.

“If you falter in a time of trouble, how small is your strength” – Proverbs 24:10.

Crawford is a syndicated columnist from Jackson