Below is a quick summary of key issues for Empower Missouri in the upcoming legislative session. If you would like to learn more, please register for our Legislative Preview Webinar on December 17th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.
I am quickly approaching my first legislative session as Chief of Policy Staff with Empower Missouri, but I will not be the only person in Jefferson City with a new job. The November election will bring in fifty-five new members in the House and ten in the Senate. I am excited to work with Empower Missouri’s policy team, community partners and coalition members to educate lawmakers, new and returning, about real solutions to improve Missourians’ lives and reduce poverty. Our vision for Missouri is one where:
- Every child has a full plate so they can reach their full potential.
- Housing is affordable, and fair policies ensure families can stay securely housed.
- The criminal legal system is cost-effective, fair, and supportive, paving the way for successful community reentry for those who have served their time.
The challenges are real, but we are, collectively, ready for this moment and the opportunities to make real change. Here are the key issues and legislation Empower Missouri will focus on during this session:
Community Justice Policies
We will continue to focus on our campaign to pass Clean Slate, a campaign to automate the expungement of criminal records in Missouri. Missouri’s current expungement process fails 99% of those eligible, hindering their ability to secure jobs and housing. Automating this system will unlock opportunities for thousands of Missourians. We will also work to pass a bill for independent oversight of the Department of Corrections. Independent oversight is key to accountability, improved conditions, and reducing taxpayer waste in the Department. Other issues we are working on include improving parole eligibility and opposing “truth in sentencing.”
Seguridad alimentaria
This year we will focus on reducing child hunger by expanding access to free school meals. We will work towards expanding free school meals to children who currently only receive a reduced price. This means that children in a family of 3 would qualify for free school meals with income up to $47,767 instead of the current income cutoff at $33,566. We will also be working towards Missouri joining the 29 states that have reinstated SNAP benefits for individuals with drug felony convictions. Access to SNAP is important for successful reentry and reducing food insecurity, supporting public safety and individual stability.
Vivienda asequible
We will be focused on increasing funding to the Missouri Housing Trust Fund, Missouri’s most flexible source of funding for affordable housing construction, home repair, and homelessness prevention. The funding, a $3 recording fee on real estate transactions, has not been increased since 1994. Another important issue we expect to work on is to preserve our local cities and county’s ability to ban discrimination in housing through source of income discrimination prohibitions. Finally, with last summer’s Supreme Court decision upholding a local Colorado law criminalizing homelessness, we are prepared to oppose any efforts to criminalize homelessness and support a “housing, not handcuffs” approach to the issue.
Other issues we expect to work on during this legislative session include: food pantry tax credit fixes, SNAP restaurant meals program, opposing restriction on the use of TANF funds, opposing increased reporting requirements for SNAP and Medicaid households that are working, senior property tax relief, maintaining local control of policing, and Medicaid coverage for hearing aids and cochlear implants. We will also work with our partners at Missouri Family Health Council to support the women’s healthcare bill that was introduced last year with bipartisan support. The bill makes important improvements for maternal-child health, including preventing congenital syphilis.
This legislative session offers both opportunities to reduce poverty and threats to the progress we’ve made. As we prepare to face these challenges, I am reminded of our collective strength and recent victories, such as the successful passage of land bank enabling legislation last session.
You can help us make a difference:
- Join us for our virtual Week of Action (February 3rd-5th) and our Day of Action at the Capitol (February 25th).
- Consider joining one of our coalitions to strategize, collaborate, and advocate with others committed to these issues.
Together, we can build a Missouri that works for everyone.
For a deeper dive into our legislative priorities, don’t miss our Legislative Preview Webinar on December 17th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Register aquí.
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