State Rep. Sam Mims has a ready answer for those who ask what the Legislature’s top priorities are this session: &uot;The budget, the budget and the budget.&uot;

Legislative leaders have estimated $3.8 billion will be available to spend in the fiscal year that starts July 1 &045; almost $1 billion less than agencies’ requests, according to the Associated Press.

Though a balanced budget is the destination, local lawmakers have different views on how to get there.

Mims, R-McComb, and State Sen. Bob Dearing, D-Natchez, maintain cutting state agency waste, not raising taxes, is the key to balancing the budget. Spending one-time money is also a habit the Legislature must break, Mims said.

&uot;It’s going to be a difficult year,&uot; Mims said.

Dearing said cost-cutting measures discussed by lawmakers include not funding employee positions left vacant for a certain amount of time &045; 30 to 60 days, depending on the agency.

They also range from cutting Senate travel to negotiating with one carrier for all state cellular phones.

Dearing favors fully funding education early in the session &uot;because otherwise, when you get down to (the last days of the session), education always takes a big lick.&uot;

Mims said he feels confident education will receive at least the percentage of state funds it received in the last session. &uot;Will it receive full funding? I can’t answer that,&uot; he said.

However, Dearing said, &uot;we know the teacher pay raise will be fully funded.&uot;

State Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, favors raising &uot;sin taxes&uot; on such items as tobacco &045; already discussed by lawmakers &045; and alcohol.

&uot;Our first priority is getting the budget under control, but without sacrificing education and health care for the disabled and elderly,&uot; Johnson said.

Johnson also favors cutting back on an estimated $1 billion in tax breaks for industry.

Will that hurt the state’s chances of landing industry at a time when the Miss-Lou has lost thousands of jobs in recent years?

No, because industries won’t want to locate in Mississippi anyway if schools and health care are sub-par, Johnson said.

&uot;Industry has as much of an interest in seeing this state go forward any individual&uot; and must be willing to contribute toward that goal, Johnson said.

Sen. Kelvin Butler, D-Magnolia, could not be reached for comment Saturday.