JACKSON, MS (Mississippi News Now) -
Several Mississippi workers groups have a message for lawmakers.
"We're asking for a task force and an immediate increase up to 520 weeks instead of the 450," said Jaribu Hill of Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights. "We're asking for that to be immediate, but in the long run we're asking for a lifting of the ceiling."
Currently, state law allows 450 weeks in workers' compensation benefits, even if the person has been permanently injured.
The Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights, immigration groups and unions say lawmakers efforts to pass a new worker's compensation bill hurts those who have to punch a time clock.
"We've never seen a pro-worker, pro-poor people government in the state of Mississippi, under either party," Hill said.
The Mississippi House is considering a Senate bill that would change the state's workers' comp law.
Supporters of the hotly debated legislation say it would remove an existing bias toward workers.
Opponents believe it would make it harder for workers to get paid for injuries.
Meanwhile, the small group that gathered on the state capitol for a worker's rights rally says they will continue to gather signatures on a petition to push for reform.
"I think we build momentum by really going deep into the organizations that represent workers and challenging them to bring their people out," Hill said.
The Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights says it holds the rally every fourth Saturday in April, the closest Worker Memorial Day.
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