Ratifying a new state flag, negotiating a teacher pay raise, and criminal justice reform are topping the priority lists of Mississippi lawmakers as they convene under the Capitol dome today in Jackson.
Republican and political strategist Austin Barbour says there was a push for a teacher pay raise during last year's session, but that effort fell short after the coronavirus pandemic began to impact state spending.
"Let's get the teacher pay raise across the finish line," says Barbour. "Not just because we owe it to them, but, because of the job that they do every single day. Particularly in tough times they've had to deal with because of COVID-19."
Mississippi has had some of the lowest teacher salaries in the nation for generations. According to the Southern Regional Education Board, the average teacher salary in the U.S. for 2018-19 was more than $62,000. For Mississippi, the average was just over $45,000.
Democrat and former Member of the House Brandon Jones says criminal justice reform was also top of mind during the previous session, citing Senate Bill 2123 which was ultimately vetoed by the governor. Jones believes parole reform will remain a priority for lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
"We are overrun in our prisons and we are desperately understaffed," says Jones. "And so creating a path to parole would be sound moral policy, then it would also be sound fiscal policy. And I think you'll see Democrats and Republicans, hopefully, working across the aisle to see if we can get a package together that the governor will sign."
The 174 members of the Mississippi legislative body will convene today at noon.
