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Saturday, November 2, 2024

AG Fitch Delivers Testimony at Senate Study Group onWomen, Children, and Families

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Attorney Lynn Fitch | wikipedia

Attorney General Lynn Fitch delivered the following testimony during the Senate Study Group on Women, Children, and Familieshearing where she discussed her Empowerment Project and gave a preview of her legislative priorities in the 2025 Session. 

Excerpts of AG Fitch's remarks arebelow, and video can be found here.On Foster Care and Adoption:"A system that does not connect children with loving families as quickly aspossible is broken and we must fix it. First, we have to help mothers andsupport families to keep their homes from becoming environments wherechildren are at risk or where they cannot thrive. Second, when that is notpossible, we must streamline the pathway from foster care to forever homes.""The Attorney General’s Office has long been involved in representation ofChild Protection Services (CPS) for many years, but in only one portion of thejourney a child in foster care takes: terminations of Parental Rights orTPRs. In the past 9 months, our team of attorneys has legally cleared 418children for adoption.""I am proud to be working with Commissioner Sanders on a pilot project thatbrings our attorneys into the other parts of the foster care legal process. We are now working in youth courts and before referees in counties selectedby CPS to demonstrate that consistent representation throughout the processis in the best interests of children.""In addition, AGO attorneys are taking on adoptions throughout the state,rather than relying on private parties to come in and complete the child’sjourney. We have already taken on more than 250 of these cases since thefiscal year began. The first interests of the child must be our first, last, andevery priority.

"On Child Support:"

Of the nearly 6 million parents due child support in the most recent year forwhich data is available, not even half received full payment - NOT EVENHALF. That is the difference between a child getting a good dinner and a childgoing to bed hungry.""The Legislature wrote this into the Lottery law. We withhold winnings when

the lucky ticket holder is in arrears in child support payments. We should begarnishing other gaming winnings to help that child as well.

"On Public Assistance Reforms:"

We need to be bold in how we look at our public assistance programs. Wewant them to be a hand-up and not a hand-out. But that means we need to putall the options on the table and think creatively about how we meet thesestruggling parents where they are. Childcare cannot simply be a one-size-fits-all model. We need to look at how we can structure our public assistanceprograms to give parents the ability to use whatever family care model worksfor them.""We need to look at how we help people meet their transportationneeds. There are too many parts of this State where a functioning vehicle isvital to getting groceries, to getting medical care, to getting education, and togetting employment.""This is not the time to be timid in looking at how we can use the flexibilityafforded to states through TANF and other federal public assistanceprograms to help break down the barriers to a person’s success. We must bebold in our thinking and even bolder in our actions.

"On a Parents’ Bill of Rights:"

But I ask that the Legislature continue to give parents the support they needto protect their children. They need their government to be their ally, not theiradversary. Let’s make it clear in our laws that parents are best suited to directthe education, care, and upbringing of their children.

"On Maternity Leave:"

Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina,Louisiana, and Virginia have all authorized paid parental leave for stateemployees. Our friends in Alabama came very close in this last legislativesession, passing it through their Senate but not making it to the House beforesine die. I ask you, Senators, to consider this important step in this nextlegislative session, as well."The Senate Study Group on Women, Children, and Families was created byLieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann in 2022 and is chaired by SenatorNicole Boyd (R-Oxford). The bipartisan group was constructed to host hearingsand welcome written input from the public in the wake of the Mississippi Dobbscase.The Empowerment Project is AG Fitch's policy initiative focused onempowering women and promoting strong Mississippi families. TheMississippi Legislature has since supported and passed nearly a dozenEmpowerment Project priorities.

Original source can be found here.

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