District 70 Rep. William “Bo” Brown plans to focus on economic development, education and criminal justice reform issues during the 2021 legislative session.
“I have some objectives and goals I would like to bring forth this term,” said Brown, who plans to get input from his constituents, officials in his district and others about important issues.
A former Jackson City Council member whose district includes Belhaven and Belhaven Heights, Brown plans to support issues put forth by Democrats and the Black Caucus. The 2021 session will mark his second term in office.
He would like to see more start-up businesses locate in Hinds County and he plans to work on legislation that would provide more opportunities for them and minority-owned businesses. “That’s something I’m going to support,” he said.
He believes additional revenue should be spent to improve infrastructure such as streets, drainage and environmental issues in Hinds County. “A city can’t have growth unless infrastructure is in place,” he said.
Last session, Brown supported a bill by principal author District 67 Rep. Earle S. Banks that would have authorized the issuance of state general obligation bonds to provide funds for the city of Jackson to pay the costs of making repairs, upgrades and improvements to the city’s water and sewer systems. The bill died in committee.
Public school teachers need a pay raise, Brown said. During the last session, the Senate passed a bill that would have given each public-school teacher a raise of $1,000 but the House of Representatives did not take it up because of budget concerns during the pandemic.
Brown plans to introduce a bill similar to the one from last year that would require the state Board of Education to develop a civics curriculum for public, middle and high school students. The bill died in committee last year.
“Civics is a course needed now to teach young folks how to get along,” he said.
He also plans to introduce a bill similar to the one from last year that would require the state Board of Education develop curricula and courses of study to promote vocational and technical education, home economics and character education objectives for all middle and high school students and students assigned to an alternative school. The bill died in committee last year. “I think we have a demand for that,” he said.
Brown believes more funds should go into mental health initiatives in Hinds County and throughout the state. “They’ve been underfunded and we certainly need to put more resources in that area,” he said.
Improvements to facilities that are part of Mississippi’s criminal justice system are needed, he said, and so are additional training and rehabilitation programs.
The 2020 legislative session included the historic accomplishment of the change of the state flag of which Brown is proud. “That went across party lines,” he said.
Brown, who earned a B.A. in political science from Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in public policy and administration from Jackson State University and has done post-graduate study in urban affairs at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, said being a member of the Legislature is a constant learning process.
“There’s a learning curve involved in serving in the state Legislature,” he said. “You have to learn first and foremost the rules of the House and the Senate and the constitutional provisions that go along with serving in the Legislature. It’s a constant learning process. You can’t learn it all in one year.
“One thing I’ve learned is to tag along with somebody who has been there and knows the ropes,” he said. “Piggyback with legislators with experience.”
