The Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus will push this year to revive an initiative process, ease the restoration of voting rights for former inmates, expand Medicaid, provide oversight for welfare spending and ensure that all parts of the state have access to high-speed internet and safe drinking water, the group’s chairwoman said Wednesday.
“We want to improve the quality of life for everyday Mississippians,” Sen. Angela Turner Ford said as she was backed by other caucus members during a Capitol news conference.
The caucus has 14 members in the 52-person Senate and 39 in the 122-person House, with one vacant seat in a majority-Black House district. Most of the caucus members are Democrats, and Republicans hold a wide majority in both chambers.
Several Mississippi hospitals are struggling to remain open because of financial problems. Turner Ford, a Democrat from West Point, said expanding Medicaid would bring money into the health care system.