Parker, Blackwell to be part of Senate Study Groups
Two DeSoto County state senators have been named to new study groups announced by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann on Tuesday, June 25. Hosemann named a new Labor Force Participation Study Group chaired by Sen. Daniel Sparks today. He also reinstituted the Study Group on Women, Children, and Families, originally created in 2022 and chaired by Sen. Nicole Boyd. The local senators participating in the study groups are state Sen. Dr. David Parker (R-Olive Branch) and state Sen. Kevin Blackwell (R-Southaven).
Parker will be involved in the Labor Force Participation Study Group and Blackwell will be part of the Study Group on Women, Children and Families.
“It is the Legislature’s job to examine how our state laws and appropriations help or hinder Mississippi’s opportunities for positive growth and prosperity,” Hosemann said. “Both of these topics have tremendous potential to move the needle in terms of economic development, tourism, health outcomes, educational attainment, and other major factors which determine our future trajectory as a state and in our communities.”
The Labor Force Participation Study Group is tasked with making legislative recommendations on how to increase the number of people in Mississippi’s workforce and skill-up those who may be unemployed or underemployed. As of April 2024, Mississippi labor force participation rate was 53.7 percent—nine percentage points below the national average of 62.7 percent.
The public is invited to provide input at LaborStudyGroup@senate.ms.gov.
The Women, Children, and Families Study Group heard testimony in 2022 from state agencies and others related to easing adoption and foster care, supporting children who are under the care of the state, maximizing child support, addressing the lack of childcare, and early intervention. The reinstituted group will hear updates about some of the legislation spurred because of their previous work and focus on new issues facing families and young children (birth to 3 years old) in Mississippi.
The public is invited to provide input at WCFStudyGroup@senate.ms.gov.
