BLACK CAUCUS PLANS FORUM FOR THURSDAY

CHARLESTON -- Southeast Missouri residents can learn about recent legislative issues Thursday when Missouri lawmakers participate in a legislative forum in Charleston.

A panel discussion led by members of the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Foundation Inc., will begin at 7 p.m. at the Bowden Center, 700 Elm St.

Topics discussed will include education, health, welfare reform and the state budget.

Spokeswoman Cheryl Dozier said the forum is held annually to inform residents of recently passed legislation and to allow urban legislators to hear regional concerns.

The group needs to keep rural people informed and let them interact with legislators, she said.

State Rep. Lanie Black, R-Charleston, is the only local lawmaker to participate. Others scheduled to attend are state Sen. Mary Groves Bland, D-Kansas City, and state Reps. Charles Quincy Troupe, D-St. Louis; Vernon Thompson, D-Kansas City; and former state Sen. Phil B. Curls, president of the Black Caucus Foundation.

During a visit prior to last year's forum, lawmakers toured Southeast Missouri communities, including Hayti Heights, Howardsville, Lilbourn and Wilson City. They said they saw a need for more economic development and better housing in the region and would support legislation that addressed those needs.

"This is an area that can benefit from the sensitivity of all in the state," said then-senator Curls. "We are here to pledge our support in terms of helping this area receive economic benefits, especially in terms of economic development and health."

In the past, Carter, who chairs the House's health and mental health committee, has advocated legislation to increase education funding and expand health benefits for children, both of which she said would benefit poverty-stricken communities in Southeast Missouri.

This year, Carter will speak on behalf of the Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Project sponsored by the Lincoln University Cooperative Extension Missouri Center on Minority Health. The project was initiated because of the increasingly high number of deaths from cancer in the Southeast Missouri area.

"Rep. Carter will discuss the importance of screenings which can lead to early diagnosis and treatment," Dozier said. "She's seen there is an identified need in Southeast Missouri, and she has signed on to help address this serious issue."

Participants also will encourage business owners and students from the region to attend the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Foundation Conference July 8 through 11 at the Lake of the Ozarks. The conference will hold a summit on business and economic development. Health care, education and new welfare-to-work programs also will be discussed.

For more information about the legislative forum or the conference, call 1-877-JEFF CITY or (573) 636-9194.