State Senator Kevin Blackwell has risen rapidly to the upper echelon in the Legislature and has become the key figure in the drafting of a medical marijuana bill over the past year. In the middle of his second term, Blackwell has represented District 19 consisting of parts of DeSoto and Marshall Counties since 2016.
Serving as Chairman of Elections as a freshman Blackwell now serves as Chairman of Medicaid. In addition to Medicaid, Blackwell serves on the following Senate committees: Accountability, Efficiency, Transparency (AET); Appropriations; Business; Financial Institutions; Elections; Gaming; Insurance; Public Health & Welfare; Technology; and is newly elected Chairman of Performance, Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER).
Blackwell authored the Mississippi Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act; created to provide Trust accounts for individuals with disabilities and co-authored the bill creating the Mississippi Lottery Corporation to administer the lottery. Blackwell is a multiple small business owner and holds a Master of Science in Health Administration from the Medical College of Virginia.