Area lawmakers gather at Columbus City Hall to discuss plans for 2023

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – The Mississippi Legislature will be back in session next week.

And today, area lawmakers gathered at Columbus City Hall to discuss plans for 2023.

In parts of Mississippi, communities are facing crime, dated infrastructure, and access to quality healthcare. One thing these problems seem to have in common is a lack of funding.

January 3 is right around the corner, and lawmakers will be heading back to Jackson to tackle the state’s business.

State Representative Kabir Karriem said Mississippi has many problems, and solving them won’t be easy.

“To find out the needs and concerns of the city, of course, we can’t wave a magic wand and make things happen, but we do want to know as we enter the 2023 session the needs of Columbus,” Karriem said.

And though the list of issues is long, Karriem thinks criminal justice and infrastructure need to be at the top of that list.

“Well, I am a big proponent of Criminal Justice Reform, but I also know that reform, you have to be strict on Violent Crime. I would like to see our recreation department have better resources for our infrastructure. We have a bad drainage problem that has been going on before my time on the City council, so there is a plethora of issues some of the money can’t solve, but a lot of it can, so we are going to go back to Jackson with those things in mind,” Karriem said.

Newly-elected Representative Andy Boyd is putting an early emphasis on hospitals.

Many areas of the state lack adequate access to healthcare, while in places like Columbus, hospitals are among the main employers.

“I am for healthcare. I am for the hospital. We need to figure out a way to keep the hospitals in our communities, small communities and big ones,” Boyd said.

And voters hope that their state representative will do what they need for their area.

“I am just excited to go and I want to go to work,” Boyd said.

The regular session of the Mississippi Legislature convenes at noon on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.

For 24/7 news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter

Categories: Featured, Local News