The Extra Mile Podcast: Legislative Session
State Senator Jenifer Branning

(Drew) MDOT presents The Extra Mile Podcast: Legislative Session.

(Paul) Welcome into another episode of The Extra Mile podcast: Legislative Session, presented by the Mississippi Department of Transportation. I’m MDOT Deputy Director of Public Affairs Paul Katool. And as always, I’m joined by my co-host Will Craft. He handles government and constituent affairs here at the agency. And before we get started, I want to make a note. The session moves quickly. We’re recording this episode on February 13th.

We’re very excited to welcome back to the show State Senator Jenifer Branning. She represents district 18. That’s Leake, Neshoba and Winston counties. And, very relevant to the show, she is the Highways and Transportation Chair in the Senate. And last time we saw Senator Branning, we were on location 98˚F weather in Neshoba County Fair. So, thank you, Senator Branning, for coming and joining us in the AC today.

(Sen. Branning) Thank you for the opportunity to be here. It feels much different inside - nice and cool. Today I think it’s about 70˚F. Sun is shining - much different from the weekend - we had a lot of rain - but much different than the Neshoba County Fair. So, thank you for having me back here in the studio.

(Will) No doubt.

(Paul) Of course. Of course.

(Will) The weather changing, uh, it’s always a Mississippi thing - from the south - it’s no big deal. But it was 34-ish when I left my house this morning as you just mentioned. Now it’s 70˚F. So, I think everybody’s probably experiencing that same type of deal across the street. But, yeah, we’re inside today so, we’re free from both elements and the frisbees flying if you remember back to the Neshoba episode. We almost caught a stray frisbee there.

(Sen. Branning) I remember that.

(Paul) Oh, yeah.

(Sen. Branning) Oh, yeah. Good day.

(Paul) Good stuff.

(Will) That was a very funny episode. Well, we are here again as we just beat that horse to death. We are back in the studio. Let’s just keep going into the session thus far. As Paul mentioned, we’re flying by. We’re already, what, halfway look end of February?

(Sen. Branning) Yeah. So, I think this begins week seven if I’ve got my math down correctly. I was just thinking about that on the drive over, which means we’re just past the midway point. We have gotten general bills off the floor in each respective chamber, and so I guess we’ll be looking at some appropriations work.

We’re about two weeks out from the next deadline, which will be the general bills that we look at coming over from the House. The House will be looking at our general bills that we sent from the Senate. And so, we’re about to start the whole process over again.

(Will) It’s flying by. Today is the motion to reconsider, right?

(Sen. Branning) That’s right. We have to take up “motion to reconsider” from bills that we handled last week.

(Will) So, that would just be if there was something that was last week. For folks out there that may not know what’s that little deadline right there?

(Sen. Branning) So, there is a motion that can be made once bills pass a floor where any member can stand and make a motion to reconsider for any measure that has passed. And that just gives one last opportunity for the body to reconsider. And so the deadline to bring those “motions for reconsider” back up and dispose of that motion is today.

(Will) Okay so that’s a, I feel like this is a perfect part you hear people talk about. Is this bill dead or is it “dead-dead” or is it “dead-dead-dead”?

(Sen. Branning) That’s right.

(Will) You’ve got several opportunities for a bill to keep moving, and so this is just another one of those today.

(Sen. Branning) It’s just part of the process. That’s correct.

(Will) Any major, uh, bills - things got going on right now?

(Sen. Branning) Well, as always, I’m watching for things in the transportation world. We did pass legislation, actually, in both chambers that dealt with autonomous vehicles. Something that’s very, very new. A lot of people had not heard of it. You guys may be aware there were a couple of autonomous vehicles that came in that were part of, on the grounds of the capitol for people to look at, so that’s something a little bit new on the policy side of transportation.

Of course, I’m working on things on the funding side. I certainly would like to see us grab as much of these spare dollars that we have laying around in the state as possible to go to a road or bridge. So those are things I’m working on mainly on the funding side.

(Will) Yeah. A little bit everywhere. Paul.

(Paul) Absolutely. Yeah. So, someone near and dear to our hearts at MDOT, former Central District Transportation Commissioner Dick Hall, you know, recently passed away. Uh, and, you know, we honored him here, uh, recently. I hear there’s something in the works kind of to honor him, as well, in this - in the – uh, in the legislature.

(Sen. Branning) That’s correct. You know there was a bill that came through the Senate to name the welcome center over in Vicksburg in his honor. And I was very glad to offer that bill to do so. So, Commissioner Hall was my commissioner. I’m from Neshoba County, and he represented my family for many, many years. And so, this is just one additional way that we can honor what he has done for us as a state, not just as a commissioner, but he served in various capacities in state government. We certainly want to give honor where honor is due.

(Paul) That’s amazing.

(Will) Oh, absolutely.

(Paul) Thank you so much for spearheading that.

(Sen. Branning) Sure.

(Will) And it’s, uh, you know right there in Vicksburg where Commissioner’s from and lived in that area. So, I think it’s perfect, kind of, as folks coming to the state, he’ll, you know, his namesake at least, will still be there, kind of greeting them into Mississippi, right?

(Sen. Branning) Absolutely. And I had a conversation with his wife, Jennifer, just a couple of weeks ago as she learned that we were bringing the bill forward. And she just said there really are no words to describe how thankful that she and the rest of the family are to see this coming forward.

(Will) We certainly appreciate y’all doing that. Uh, moving right on into the next big one here. I know that you guys are, since last time, since Neshoba, ERBR, right? Emergency Road and Bridge Program. What is it looking like right now?

(Sen. Branning) So, that’s one of my favorite programs in the world of transportation. I have to say that it just works very well. I’m very pleased with the way MDOT administers that program. I think that things just run very smoothly. Very pleased with the way the board chooses those projects is purely data-driven, purely data-driven. So, I have filed a bill this year for $250 million additional money into that fund. Well, it works. I mean, it works.

(Will) Right.

(Sen. Branning) We’re still in position now where we’re trying to address a critical infrastructure. And all that sort of came to a head in 2018. And that’s when ERBR was formed and signed into law. And since that time, we’ve made such great progress. So, I just think that we need to continue this very good thing.

(Will) Are we feeling good about that 250 number?

(Jenifer Branning) It’s really hard to say at this point. You know, certainly, it’s a statement that I wanted to make because I feel very passionately about that program. Again, I think it works, and we need to stay with it. We’ll know more toward the end of the session, once we get the budget sort of a little more final. But I do think that we’ve got the money and what we should be making a huge impact in the world of transportation. We’ve got the money to do that. What better way to spend it, um, then on transportation.

(Will) Yeah. Amazing.

(Paul) We’re certainly on board with that.

(Will) Oh absolutely. I would just add, you know, just adding everything you just said about how great it is, how efficient the process works, the need is still there. I mean, every year, I think this will be year four, maybe?

(Sen. Branning) This would be four.

(Will) Four?

(Sen. Branning) So, we started out the initial round of funding was from bonds: $250 million in the special session of 2018. Then we had $89 million that came in in 2021. We had a $100 million last session. And so, $250 million is the bill that I have filed. Certainly, we’ve got a long way to go in the process. But we just want to make sure that this is important, that we keep this in front of everyone at the capitol.

(Will) Yeah. And just add ingredients to that. I mean every year now, as you just mentioned, the number that we funded it with, that has been funded, we get applications in excess of it every time. So, just even the need is absolutely still there. Be it emergency, emergent, you know, or not. But I love the focus on transportation infrastructure. Get the dollars out there.

(Sen. Branning) It’s so important, so very important.

(Paul) That is, that is the truth, for sure. So, another conversation we - referencing the Neshoba County Fair - we’re talking a little bit about the need for a sustainable funding mechanism. So, I know, uh, I know that’s on your mind. Any, any thoughts on that?

(Sen. Branning) Yeah. So, I filed a bill, uh, and it died in committee, but we did it - I did it - for the purpose of just really starting the conversation. And what the bill would do in years that we are able to fund the budget and we are, our revenues exceed what we had planned on - and this is one of those years - the first $100 million off the top, after the 2% set aside, would go toward capacity in our state.

And that was sort of one idea that I have for trying to address a situation where, you know, there may come a point in time where the fuel tax is no longer sufficient. You know, we’re - EVs that we’re seeing, that, that talk all around the nation whether you like that or you don’t like that. I think it’s a reality that we need to be thinking about. But that’s one idea that I had to make sure that we are making transportation a priority. I mean, after all, it’s a core function of government. So, I think that the bill that I filed, which is my way of making a statement that we should be thinking about this.

(Will) On that same conversation, is there a look at, you know, we capture the fuel tax, right? When you go to the pump to pay, it’s the equitable share of everybody paying for infrastructure. How, how do you see that happening with EVs?

(Sen. Branning) That’s the $1 million question.

(Will) Good question.

(Sen. Branning) That’s a $1 million question that’s being talked about. I don’t have the answer on that one, but I can tell you that the conferences that I go to that deal with transportation, the information, the research that I do, the jury is still out on how to capture that. So, hopefully as time rocks on, we’ll figure out that piece.

(Will) One, one other on the same topic there. Did you take a ride in the autonomous vehicles that were out?

(Sen. Branning) I didn’t take a ride, but I did crawl up inside of it and have a look. And I’m telling you the technology is really mind-blowing.

(Will) I’m sure.

(Sen. Branning) It’s really mind-blowing, so impressed by that.

(Will) I, uh, I had hoped that somebody - I don’t know if anybody actually rode in them. Did they allow -

(Sen. Branning) I’m not sure that they did while they were here. Now, I was invited to go out to Texas and have a ride in one there. I was not able to make that work with my schedule last fall. Although my children thought that was a great idea. We needed to do that. I just couldn’t pull it off. But no, I was just pleased that they brought the vehicles here so that we could just lay our eyes on that and see what we were talking about in the committee. Later that same day, we had a hearing and heard a little bit about the technology. So, we were able to pass the bill out of both chambers. And we’ll see - I believe they do go to conference - we’ll see what the end result will be with that.

(Will) I can’t wait to - I want to get a follow-up at some point after someone’s taking a trip or rode with them, because it still irks me just a little bit if you were in there with no driver at all. I mean, I guess it’s a thing, right? The technology is here, but I still can’t really -

(Sen. Branning) Yeah. It’s hard to get your mind around, but really, where we are as far as the technology goes, it does require a driver to be present in the vehicle. That’s considered level four. What you’re describing is level five. We’re not quite there yet.

(Will) I’m thankful. I’m glad. Yeah.

(Paul) Technology is just a crazy thing. Every single day something new.

(Will) I’m afraid of Skynet going live out there.

(Sen. Branning) Yeah.

(Paul) Yikes. So, let’s take things back to your district, uh, MDOT projects going on there.

(Sen. Branning) Yes.

(Paul) What do you have your eyes on?

(Sen. Branning) Highway 19. We’re in the process of four-laning that major project for us. You know, we’re one of the few, if not the only, county in that area of the state with no four-lane access. And so, having highway 19 as part of the Neshoba County infrastructure has been huge for us. So, I’m doing everything I can to go after that, uh, the second round of funding that we need to complete that project. So, things are looking really good. Very pleased with the progress being made.

(Will) And I think that is included in our three-year plan that we’ve so often discussed in here, if I’m not mistaken.

(Sen. Branning) It is.

(Will) Yeah. Right there in Philadelphia, right outside, um, so looking good - gonna get that thing taken care of at some point too.

(Sen. Branning) Yes.

(Will) I’d love to have it in the map, that’s for sure. Uh, Senator, anything else that we missed? Any topics you want to make sure -

(Sen. Branning) You know, I want to talk about, our focus has been, uh, critical infrastructure, kind of getting that shored up through the ERBR - and I do plan to continue working on that - but, I want us to be reminded, you know, back in the special session last fall the economic development project that was landed in Lowndes County, $2.5 billion capital corporate investment in our state. Largest in state’s history. 1,000 jobs, average wage of $93,000.

(Will) That’s awesome.

(Sen. Branning) I mean, fantastic, and we want more of that, don’t we?

(Will) Yeah.

(Sen. Branning) You have to look at that project, and ask yourself, “Why was that area so attractive?” Well, it was so close to their airport. Their port was right there. Rail access and super four-lane access to that site. And so, I think that we, as a state, and I’m going to use this analogy because we’re just coming right off the heels of the Superbowl -

(Will) That’s right.

(Sen. Branning) I want to see us no longer feel like we are on the defensive for transportation catching up. We’ve got to do that, but I want us to get on the offensive, and start looking at it for more of an economic development frame of mind. We want more of those projects that Lowndes County landed for our state.

(Will) Absolutely.

(Sen. Branning) So, to do that, I think that we need to pay a lot of attention to multimodal, in addition to our road and bridge repair. And so, that conversation is happening at the Capitol, and I’m excited to see maybe what comes, comes from that conversation.

(Will) Absolutely. You know in theory one feeds and helps the other, right?

(Sen. Branning) Absolutely.

(Will) And it’s just a big circle, um, in my head anyway.

(Paul) Oh, yeah.

(Will) Experts might disagree.

(Paul) Big thing on our show. We love when our guests mention, uh, impacts of transportation infrastructure on economic growth and development. We love to hear it.

(Sen. Branning) Yes.

(Will) Absolutely. Now, let’s get to the fun question. The one we’re all looking for and waiting for here. Food. We all like to eat. This has become my new saying as a podcast, as a state, as a people, we like to eat.

(Sen. Branning) Yes.

(Will) Um, so, we’ve had you on and talked a couple of times about food, but now we’ve got kind of a two-fold question for you. Number one: I want you to tell me about this dish that you were describing right before we started the show.

(Sen. Branning) Yeah. So, um, when I’m not legislating or practicing law, I’m usually in the kitchen. I have three sons. Two of them are teenagers, so you can imagine there’s a lot of food that goes in and out of my home. All their friends like to come over. So, my house is the hangout. So, this weekend they requested a dish called ranch chicken, which is basically oven-fried chicken. Well, you can’t have chicken without mashed potatoes, according to my 19-year-old. And then, according to the 17-year-old, you can’t have mashed potatoes without butter beans. So, that was sort of part of our dish there, and then we topped it off with a pound cake and sweet tea.

(Will) It’s perfect. I mean, it’s a perfect meal. I’m much like your family. I grew up that way. I want my meat and potatoes, and my sides right there, as well. What about a new food, a new restaurant maybe? You see anything like that?

(Sen. Branning) Well, let me just give a shoutout to my hometown. One of the newer things that we have in Philadelphia is the Ellis Theatre. I’m sure you heard about the grand reopening of the Ellis Theatre, which is phase one of the Marty Stuart Congress of Country Music. That’s one of the newest things that we have in our town. We are so very proud of it. There is a concession stand there, by the way.

(Will) Okay.

(Sen. Branning) And they serve some really upscale charcuterie board type stuff in the concession stand, but we are very thrilled. So, because of that, we do have some new restaurants in town. We have the 4S Steakhouse, which is right there on West Beacon Street next to the bowling alley. And then Yates Downtown will be opening very soon. Yeah. So, we’ve got it going on.

(Will) She was ready for this question.

(Paul) She was.

(Sen. Branning) I like food, so I knew that this would be part of this discussion today.

(Will) That’s perfect. What’s the, the, um, what’s the word I’m looking for? Not the “genre” of food. Uh -

(Paul) The “cuisine”, perhaps?

(Will) Yeah. What type is it - the restaurants you just said? One’s 4S Steak?

(Sen. Branning) So the 4S Steakhouse. So, let me tell you a little bit about that one. The owner there is a friend of mine: Dan Stone. And Dan raises beef cattle, okay?

(Will) Okay.

(Sen. Branning) And so, he - that’s the meat that he serves in the restaurant.

(Will) That’s perfect.

(Sen. Branning) So, it is perfect. I mean, it’s very good. And then, uh, Yates Downtown will be more of - I think - deli style there. Now they may have a different style menu at night. I’m not sure. They’re not open yet, but they will be opening very soon. Just really excited about that. Great things happening at home.

(Will) We’ve got steakhouse plug, we’ve got a sandwich deli plug, and then we’ve got good old home cooking plug. I think this might be the most diverse food conversation we’ve had so far.

(Sen. Branning) Yeah.

(Paul) Love it.

(Will) And we like to eat.

(Paul) We do for sure. Just one more question about – if, besides you, who in the Senate - or maybe the House too - who’s the best cook out there, besides you? Do you know?

(Sen. Branning) I hear Senator Chassaniol knows what she’s doing in the kitchen.

(Will) I can attest. She’s pretty good. Yeah. She does like to cook all the time.

(Senator Branning) Yeah. We share recipes. In fact, I think she used to own a restaurant a long time ago, and I did, as well, many years ago - my husband and I.

(Will) You used to own a restaurant?

(Sen. Branning) I did. I did many, many moons ago in downtown Philadelphia. I actually bought the business - the building rather - to make it into my law office. And what we did, my husband and I ran the restaurant. It was a restaurant when we bought it. And we ran it as such just, just to, until we got ready to move into it. Well, that day never came. We ended up buying a different location. But yeah, we ran the restaurant. I - you know, food’s been a part of my life for a long time.

(Will) You’re not kidding. Yeah.

(Sen. Branning) So, uh, in, in my other life I guess you’d say.

(Will) That is – see, even we get to learn stuff about our guests while we’re on the show. I love that.

(Paul) For sure. For sure. Visit Mississippi: Give us a call. We’ll do your food podcast. We’ll definitely do it.

(Sen. Branning) We’ll build a road. We’ll make you some, some food. A lot’s going on here.

(Paul) One-stop shop.

(Sen. Branning) Yeah.

(Paul) Well, Senator Branning, uh, you know, thank you so much - you get - you’re the - this is your third time on the show, so, besides our executive director, you’ve made it the - you’re the, um, you’re the most reoccurring guest. So, thank you for joining us today.

(Sen. Branning) Thank you for the invitation. I always enjoy coming over. Next time I come, I’ll bring some food with me. How about that?

(Will) That’s fine.

(Paul) That’s what we’re talking about. Drew and Katey over there, they’re excited too. Alright. Let’s go ahead and wrap things up. A jam-packed episode today. Remember you can listen and watch episodes of The Extra Mile podcast by visiting GoMDOT.com/theextramile. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at MississippiDOT is the handle. Speaking of Drew and Katey - our producer, Katey Hornby, our editor, Drew Hall, they do a ton of work behind the scenes. So, thank you so much for all your hard work. And remember, drive smart out there on Mississippi highways.