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Women represent half of the United States. But sometimes they lack influence in budget and tax conversations

Women represent half of the United States. But sometimes they lack influence in budget and tax conversations

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Jackson, Miss. – Women represent half of the American population, but it is still rare that they have main roles in establishing taxes or budgets in some states.

Take Mississippi, for example. Only one woman currently serves in the Joint Legislative Budget Committee of 14 members. The Elite group makes the first recommendations on how much money the State must spend on schools, prisons, medicaid and other programs, giving these legislators a substantial influence on their colleagues and the life of people who use government services.

The senator of the second period, Nicole Akins Boyd, was appointed for the committee by Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann, a republican companion who said she did not consider whether to choose a balance of men and women.

“I don’t look at him as much as, ‘we need a woman here,’ or something like that,” said Hosemann. “I look at the skills and there are many people who have great skills, men and women. Nicole Boyd, I think, it’s exceptional.”

Little more than 2,400 women are serving in state legislatures in the United States, or around 33% of the total, according to the American Women and Policy Center, at Rutgers University. Almost 1,600 are Democrats, just over 800 are Republicans and the others are non -partisan or independent.

Last year, when 31% of state legislators throughout the country were women, had about 30% of seats in committees that supervise taxes, income and other financial matters, according to a review of Associated Press.

But participation varies widely by state and by session. In Utah, women had only 5% of those seats in 2024. This year, they have 28%. In Nevada, 62% of seats related to finance were occupied by women when the legislature met for the last time in 2023.

Jean Sinzdak, associate director of the American Women and Policy Center, points out that people who serve in legislatures for a long time tend to receive the most desired committee tasks.

“Anything related to the budget and appropriation is always one at the top,” said Sinzdak. “And so, part of the challenge of obtaining more women is that women have not been serving so much time and in the necessary numbers.”

Mississippi has the third lowest percentage of women in their legislature, with 15%, according to the center. The only states behind this are South Carolina, with 13%, and West Virginia, with 11%.

In general, women have just over 11% of the seats in the five Mississippi money committees: Joint legislative budget, Chamber Assignments and the House of Representatives, Forms and Media of the Senate Representatives and Finance Chamber.

Mississippi has never had a woman as governor or speaker of the house. Only two women have been elected governor, decades ago. All these roles are crucial to establish taxes and budgets.

“Look, I want to see more women there because I think we add to the conversation,” Boyd said. “We work together differently, and I think those are good things for the legislature.”

For example, the women of the Mississippi legislature joined in 2023 to ensure money for evidence in cases of rape when an accumulation in the state crimes laboratory delayed judgments.

“Our male colleagues supported us with the same force,” Boyd said.

In Western Virginia, Republican delegate Kathie HESS Crouse said he believes women generally receive the tasks of the committee they request. The low number of women in tax and budget committees is not only due to the fact that few serve in the legislature, but also because the legislator sometimes prioritizes other committees, he said.

That is the case of HESS Crouse, who presided over the Committee of the Chamber of Development of the Labor Force and served in other committees focused on energy, manufacturing and government organization last year. She said that legislative leadership has conversations with all the legislators of the Republican party before the session begins and asks what their interests are. She has always received her best options; The finance is not one of them.

“Do I like money? Yes, “said Crouse.” I do my local budget. I do not necessarily like it, but I do it. I present my own taxes. I work on those things, but it is not my main area of ​​interest. So, do I want to serve in finances? , I have interests elsewhere. “

The balance is different in Nevada, which in 2019 became the first state where most legislators were women.

That is reflected in the key committees. Women have most seats in the Committees of Income and forms and Media of the Assembly. And they have seven of eight seats in the Senate Finance Committee, including the entire democratic delegation in the Committee.

The president, Senator Marilyn Dondero Loop, said there could be areas, such as breast cancer financing, where legislators could be more likely to put money to taxpayers due to their personal connections with the problem. But she said she doesn’t approach her work thinking about gender.

“Every time I vote and my other colleagues vote,” said Dondero Loop, “we do it only as a Nevadan and improve things.”

Elizabeth Steiner served as co -president of the Media and Media Committee of the Oregon Legislature, which manages monetary issues and has members of the Chamber and the Senate, before being elected state treasurer last year. She said it is important that women’s personal and professional life experiences are taken to state decision making.

“If you do not include 50% of the population, the 50% perspective of the population in their decision making, then it is really disadvantaged to all: men and women and certainly children,” said Steiner, a Democrat.

Other states also have women in prominent roles. In Alaska, a Republican woman was one of the three co -chants of the Chamber Finance Committee last year. Connecticut has two democratic women leading the Assignments Committee and another co -presidency of the Finance Committee. Vermont had two democratic women in charge of the allocation committees by 2023-24.

South Carolina has never had a woman president of a money committee. Three served in the media and media committee of the Chamber of Representatives of 25 people in 2024. A Republican woman was increasing in the Senate Finance Committee of 23 members, but she took a position against a total prohibition of abortion and He lost his primaries along with the only two other Republicans. Women in the Senate of South Carolina.

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Associated Press reporters who contribute to this report include Beck Bohrer in Juanau, 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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The women of Associated Press in the workforce and the coverage of the state government receive financial support from fundamental companies. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP standards To work with philanthropies, a list of followers and coverage areas financed in Ap.org.

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