Free State influence

Elections are over; winning candidates have been sworn into office; and the 2024 legislative session is off to a running start. Committee chairmen and memberships were recently announced in both the House of Representatives and Senate.

How did Jones County lawmakers fare? Pretty dang well, if you ask me.

Of Jones County’s six lawmakers, five were appointed to the so-called “money committees” (appropriations and ways and means), meaning the Free State has an outsized voice in allocating state dollars over the next term. Let’s take a closer look.

Under the helm of Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann, the Mississippi Senate includes leadership positions for both Free State senators. Democrat Sen. Juan Barnett, who has served in the Senate since 2016, was appointed chairman of the corrections committee, where he will continue overseeing criminal justice and related bills. Lt. Gov. Hosemann also appointed Barnett to the appropriations, economic and workforce development, and public health and welfare committees.

Sen. Barnett shared that his main goal over the next term is to be “helpful to all his district” while also building on his legacy of criminal justice work. For example, he will be evaluating legislation that allows prison inmates “to learn skills so that, upon release, they can help enhance the state’s workforce pipeline.”

Sen. Robin Robinson, who served in the House before her election to the senate, was appointed as vice chair of the tourism committee despite her status as a freshman. This is particularly important to Laurel, where tourism revenues have skyrocketed as the “Home Town” boom continues. Robinson, a Republican, was also appointed to serve on the appropriations, education, and economic and workforce development committees.

“I am honored Lt. Gov. Hosemann has appointed me vice chair of tourism. This allows me to advocate strongly for Jones County, a leading driver of tourism not only in the Pine Belt but the entire state,” Robinson said. “By serving on both the tourism and appropriations committees, I am positioned to effectively represent the Free State in the Senate.”

Let’s turn to the House of Representatives, which is under the new leadership of Speaker Jason White. He appointed Republican Rep. Donnie Scoggin of Ellisville as chairman of Universities and Colleges and a member of powerful committees like appropriations, public health and human services, and workforce development.

As chair of the committee overseeing higher education, Rep. Scoggin will have a leading voice in determining policy decisions that govern bodies like Jones College and the University of Southern Mississippi. And his membership on the appropriations committee helps ensure Jones County educational institutions are given proper resources. 

“Mississippi is blessed with the top performing community college system in the nation, not only in terms of academics but also workforce development. Our system is responsive to industry, providing training that meets local industry needs, whether that’s pipe-fitters on the Gulf Coast or nurses in the Delta,” Scoggin explained.

Scoggin also spoke highly of Mississippi universities and plans to work closely with them to ensure grant programs meet the needs of kids who lack resources to attend college. “We’ve got to make sure universities have access to resources, such as cutting-edge technology and adequate faculty pay, while keeping our systems affordable for all Mississippians.”

Finding a balance will be important to Rep. Scoggin in 2024 as he champions these issues and works to steer additional resources to higher education.

Republican Rep. Noah Sanford, whose district includes part of Jones, was appointed chair of Apportionment and Elections, which oversees elections and related laws. He also serves on important committees like business and commerce, energy, and public health and human services, in addition to the large and powerful ways and means committee. This group oversees tax bills, such as elimination of the state income tax.

Rep. Sanford told me he was ready to tackle his chairmanship with an open mind – and a few ideas of his own, including making the position of election commissioner non-partisan. “It’s a small thing that could help maintain confidence in the integrity of our elections,” Sanford explained.

In a presidential election cycle this year (and coming off the heels of last year’s legislative elections), I for one am pleased to see Rep. Sanford address the importance of election integrity.

Long-time member Rep. Omeria Scott was also appointed to meaningful committees, including appropriations, Medicaid, public health and human services, and the newly-created state affairs committee. Rep. Scott has served since 1993 and is known around the Capitol as a Democrat unafraid to represent her district or speak her mind (a quintessential Jones Countian quality).

Rep. Scott told me her primary focus was healthcare for the working poor – and keeping it top of mind while the Legislature grapples with other issues, including economic development packages. 

“Since the Charity Hospital closed here in Laurel, I have advocated for access to healthcare for the working poor … given the environment in which we are operating in, my priority is to make policy that would make the state of Mississippi help the taxpayers of Mississippi,” she said.

The Free State’s newest legislator is Chuck Blackwell, a Republican who was elected to serve as District 88’s representative in the Mississippi House. (This seat will always be personally important to me, as my late uncle Gary held it for many years.). As a freshman, Republican Blackwell was named to committees important to Jones County like education, county affairs, and wildlife, fisheries and parks. 

Blackwell spent 14 years in public education serving as both a teacher and a coach before transitioning careers. He told me God opened the right doors for him to attend law school and ultimately become a practicing attorney. Blackwell’s experience in education and law make him well-equipped to advocate on behalf of parents and teachers, ensuring state laws protect the interests of both when dealing with issues like gender identity.