Jackson, Miss. (AP) – Women represent half of the US population, but it is still scarce that in some states they have a leading role in determining taxes or budgets.
For example, take Mississippi. Currently, only one woman is busy in the 14-member joint legislative committee for legislative budgets. The Elite Group gives the first recommendations on how much money the state should spend on schools, prisons, medicaid and other programs and give these legislators considerable influence on their colleagues and the lives of people who apply government services.
The second senator Nicole Akins Boyd was by Lt. Governor Delbert Hosemann, a Republican, called to the committee who did not consider whether he should choose a balance of men and women.
“I don’t look as much as ‘We need a woman here’ or something like that,” said Hosemann. I think Nicole Boyd is excellent. “
According to the Center for American Women and Politics, a little more than 2,400 women serve in state legislators in the USA or about 33% of the sum. Almost 1,600 are democrats, a little more than 800 Republicans and the others are impartial or independent.
Last year, when 31% of state legislators were nationwide, they kept around 30% of the seats in committees that monitor taxes, income and other financial affairs, according to a review by the Associated Press.
However, participation varies greatly from the state and session. In Utah, women held only 5% of these seats in 2024. This year they hold 28%. In Nevada, 62% of the financial -related seats were held by women when the legislator last met in 2023.
Jean Sinzdak, deputy director of the Center for American women and politics, notes that people who serve in legislators for a long time tend to receive the committee’s desired committees.
“Everything that has to do budget and noticeable is always at the top,” said Sinzdak. “And so part of the challenge is to get more women that women do not serve as long and in the necessary numbers.”
Women ‘add to conversation’
According to the center, Mississippi has the third lowest percentage of women in its legislation with 15%. The only states behind it are South Carolina with 13%and West Virginia with 11%.
Overall, women keep just more than 11% of the seats in the five money committees of Mississippi: joint legislative budget, house and senate funds, household ways and funds and funds from the Senate.
Mississippi has never had a woman as a governor. Decades ago, only two women were elected governor of the lieutenant. All of these roles are crucial for the determination of taxes and budgets.
“Look, I want to see more women there because I think we add the conversation,” said Boyd. “We work together differently and I think these are all good things for the legislator.”
For example, women in the legislation of Mississippi teamed up in 2023 to secure money for evidence in rape cases if a gap in the state crime laboratory delayed the attempts.
“Our male colleagues supported us just as much,” said Boyd.
Money committees are not the only way to serve
In West Virginia, the Republican delegate Kathie Hess Crouse said that he believes that women generally receive the committees they ask for. The diminutive number of women in tax and household committees is not only due to the fact that only a few serve in legislation, but also because female legislators sometimes prioritize other committees, she said.
This is the case for Hess Crouse, which has the chair of the House Committee on Workforce Development and last year in other committees in relation to energy, manufacturing and government organization. She said that the legislative has talks with all GOP lawyers before the session begins and asks what its interests are. She always received her top picks; It just happens that finance is none of them.
“Do I like money? Yes, ”said Crouse. “I do my house budget. I don’t really like it, but I do it. I normally put my own taxes. I am working on these things, but it’s not my main interest. Do I want to serve for finances? No, I have interests elsewhere. “
Women take the lead in some countries
The balance is different in Nevada, which in 2019 was the first state in which the majority of legislators were women.
This is reflected in vital committees. Women have most seats in the income and methods of the assembly. And they have seven out of eight seats on the Senate Finance Committee, including the entire democratic delegation of the committee.
The chairman, Senator Marilyn Donnero Loop, said that there could be areas such as breast cancer financing in which the legislator may rather draw up taxpay money on this topic due to her personal connections. But she said she was not approaching her work when she thinks about gender.
“Whenever I vote and my other colleagues coordinate,” said Dondero Loop, “we only do it as a Nevadan and do things better.”
Elizabeth Steiner was the co-chairman of the paths and middle committees of the legislature of Oregon, who handled money matters and has members from the house and the Senate before he was elected state treasurer last year. She said it was vital that the personal and professional life experiences of women are brought into government decisions.
“If you do not involve 50% of the population, the perspective of 50% of the population in their decision -making, then they all disadvantage all: men and women and certainly children,” said Steiner, Democrat.
Other states also have women in prominent roles. In Alaska, a Republican woman was one of three co-chair of the House Finance Committee last year. Connecticut has two democratic women who cite the appropriation committee and another co-chair of the Finance Committee. Vermont had two democratic women for the organization committees for 2023-24.
South Carolina has never had a chairman of a money a money committee. Three was used in the 25-person committee for house and medium-sized values in 2024. A Republican woman rose in the 23-member Senate Financing Committee, but she opposed a total abortion ban and, together with the only two other Republicans, lost her area code in the Senate of South Carolina.
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Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Leah Willingham in Charleston, West Virginia; Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City; Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey; and Claire Rush in Portland, Oregon.
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