NASHVILLE - The Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators will hold a town hall meeting in Chattanooga on Monday as lawmakers continue a statewide tour touting their achievements in this year's General Assembly while also seeking input on issues for next year.
The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center, according to Rep. JoAnne Favors, D-Chattanooga, the Black Caucus's vice chairwoman.
"The Caucus believes these meetings will help inform Tennessee citizens of issues vital to the growth and health of their state and we all look forward to a great turnout," Favors said in a news release.
Rep. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, the group's chairwoman, said citizen input helps inform caucus members' decisions on what issues to pursue at the state Capitol.
"We tailored some of our comprehensive criminal justice reform package after hearing input from people across the state on how desperately reform is needed," Akbari said. "Similarly, we'd like to take the feedback we gather in these town hall meetings and use that information to help build our statewide agenda for the 2018 legislative session."
The Black Caucus held its first town hall in Memphis last month. Following Monday's Chattanooga event, the caucus will hold meetings later this summer in Knoxville, Nashville, Bolivar and Oak Ridge.