Photo Credit: Sarah Warnock/The Clarion-Ledger via Associated Press

In their first full week on the job, Gov. Tate Reeves and Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann have begun making their priorities for the 2020 Legislative Session and the next four years clear.

Reeves spent most of his week addressing the Mississippi prison crisis that has resulted in numerous inmate deaths over the last several months. He along with interim Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Tommy Taylor toured Parchman in search of solutions.

“We know that there are problems in the system,” Reeves said. “We don’t want to hide them. We want to fix them.”

In addition, Reeves signed HB1, the first piece of legislation for the 2020 Legislative Session, on Thursday. The bill will correct the shortage in the teacher pay raise legislation passed during the 2019 Legislative Session.

“We are proud of the work Gov. Reeves is already doing for our state,” Mississippi Farm Bureau Federation President Mike McCormick said. “We appreciate him jumping right into some difficult issues on behalf of our citizens.”

Back at the Capitol, Hosemann spent the week participating in Senate committee meetings, making it a point to meet with each senator. He made it a priority to discuss his expectations for each committee with the chairmen and vice chairmen.

House of Representatives Speaker Philip Gunn also made some progress regarding committees. On Thursday, he appointed all of the chairmen and vice chairmen of each committee. Chairman Bill Pigott and Vice Chairman Vince Mangold retained their positions on the House Agriculture Committee.

Mac Huddleston was named chairman and Donnie Scoggin was named vice-chairman of the Universities and Colleges Committee. Bill Kinkade was named chairman and Shane Barnett was named vice-chairman of the Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks Committee. Scott Bounds was named chairman and Brent Anderson was named vice chairman of the Public Utilities Committee. Jim Beckett was named chairman and Dan Eubanks was named vice chairman of the Apportionment and Elections Committee. Angela Cockerham was named chairman and Thomas U. Reynolds was named vice chairman of the Judiciary A Committee. Nick Bain was named chairman and Noah Sanford was named vice chairman of the Judiciary B Committee.

To view the full list of House committee appointments, click here.