Lawmakers share top priorities for 2024 session

by

Will Stribling

• Published on January 8, 2024 • Comments

Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann addresses lawmakers in a joint session of the Mississippi Legislature, moments after reciting the oath of office for his second term, Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024, in the Mississippi House Chamber at the Mississippi State Capitol, in Jackson, Miss. Listening to the speech are from left; President Pro Tempore of the Mississippi Senate Dean Kirby, R-Pearl, Speaker Pro Tempore of the Mississippi House of Representatives Manly Barton, R-Moss Point, Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Jason White, R-West.
(AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

There are 174 members in the Mississippi legislature, and all of them have things they want to see accomplished over the next four months.

Will Stribling

Lawmakers share top priorities for 2024 session

Republican leaders in the House and Senate have been vocal about the need to improve Mississippi's lowest-in-the-nation labor participation rate, which is at 53.8%.

Senator Briggs Hopson, a Republican from Warren County, says that many employers in the state are looking for skilled workers and lawmakers need to help create an environment that gets more people in the workforce.

"We've got some folks that aren't seeking jobs that are able to work, and we need to make sure they've got the training and the push and the drive to get them employed," Hopson said.

Democratic Representative Chris Bell of Hinds County says that expanding Medicaid to the state's working poor is a top priority, and that this issue isn't just about health care, it also affects workforce development.

"For us, it's very important to make sure we take care of all our people here in the state of Mississippi," Bell said. "You can't have a strong workforce workforce with a sick workforce.

Representative Zakiya Summers, who represents parts of Hinds and Rankin counties, says she's excited for her second term. She thinks this is the year some of her top priorities, like establishing online voter registration and changing the conversation around tax relief, could get done.

"I think that we should be looking at programs like the child tax credit and the earned income tax credit, that helps to put money back in the pockets of working families," Summers said.

Summers also says that the new leadership in the House gives her confidence that lawmakers will be able to work more on a bipartisan level this session.