State Lawmakers Give Preview Of Upcoming Legislative Session

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI)- Tuesday marks the start of the new legislative session and a new administration in the state of Mississippi.

With a new session comes new legislation that law makers are hoping to pass, and then there’s also current legislation that law makers are hoping to revisit and make potential changes.

As District 43 State Representative Rob Roberson prepares to enter his tenth session at the state capital, he said there are a three core issues he wants to address: improving the state’s infrastructure and healthcare systems, along with increasing teacher pay.

“We need to make sure our teachers are paid a salary that we don’t lose them right after we get them trained to be able to do something,” said Roberson. “We need to make certain that our students not only have facilities that they can be proud of, but when they leave, they will have a first class education.”

Roberson said the recent deaths of multiple inmates at state penitentiaries is a disturbing challenge the state is now facing. That too is another item he plans to address while at the state capital.

“The one thing that I truly believe is that we should have a punishment system and it should not be set up to be something that’s pleasant, but it surely shouldn’t be something that we should be putting people in to be more dangerous than the outside world,” the state lawmaker said. “We can control that world and we just need to figure out how to make certain that it’s taken care of, and taken care of in a better way than it is.

“I’m joining others to that point, asking that we find out what’s going on down there in our state penitentiary,” said Kabir Karriem, District 41 State Representative.

Karriem also wants to address that same concern.

During the 2020 session, Karriem said he wants to look into legislation that would ensure women receive fair and equal pay in the workplace, as well as being an advocate for criminal justice reform.

“Mississippi should be the model for second chances,” Karriem expressed. “We should give people the opportunity to number one, get employment, number two, make it to once they have paid their debt to society, they don’t have to wear the scarlet “F” on their chest for the rest of their lives and let them have full rights as citizens.”

Both Karriem and Roberson said it’s going to take everyone working together, even if it means working across the isle, to get the state where it needs to be.

“I hope that when we walk through those chambers, people look at that as it’s not about being a Republican or Democrat, it’s about what can we do to move Mississippi forward,” said Karriem.

“My biggest expectation is that we’re going to be able to achieve some things and try to get Mississippi in a direction that has a lot more economic development,” said Roberson.

Under the new administration, Tate Reeves will now serve as Governor and Delbert Hoseman will serve as Lieutenant Governor.