Video: Governor Phil Bryant Speaks In Columbus

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COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – State lawmakers will return to the state capitol in about a month for the start of the 2016 legislative session.

On Tuesday, Governor Phil Bryant talked to the Columbus Rotary Club and Lowndes County Republican Women about the top topics they’ll address.

Among them: education, the budget and the state’s foster care system.

Bryant announced Monday that he has appointed State Supreme Court Justice David Chandler to oversee the federally mandated reform of the system.

“It has been falling for a number of years and I intend to make sure we protect those foster children that are suffering and need our help. And that’s exactly why we brought a supreme court justice in at that highest level to report directly to the governor to improve that system,” said Governor Phil Bryant.
The governor says he wants lawmakers to use $37-million dollars in additional funding to meet terms of the “Olivia Y” federal lawsuit settlement.

“Olivia Y” was one of eight children named as plaintiffs abused because Mississippi failed to protect children in foster care.