Thanks to the Legislature’s support of The Empowerment Project last year, we have helped thousands of families find the resources they need to support their families, extended healthcare coverage for new mothers, assisted families who lovingly offer forever homes to a child in need, and offered tax relief to make childcare more affordable. Mississippi has made a meaningful impact in a short time and has inspired other states to follow our example. But as I said before, this is just the beginning.
This year, I am asking the Legislature pass additional Empowerment Project initiatives, including enhancing child support enforcement by requiring past-due child support be collected from gaming winnings and promoting workplace flexibility by enacting paid maternity leave for state employees and creating a state tax credit for employers who provide paid leave for employees for pregnancy, childbirth, adoption, and foster placement. In addition, I am working with Child Protection Services to implement the legislative recommendations of the Legislature’s Task Force on Foster Care and Adoption to help children get to their forever homes faster.
