Date: April 2, 2026 To: Chair Stinnett and Members, House Health and Mental Health Committee From: Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, Chief of Policy Staff, Empower Missouri Re: Support for HB 2370 Empower Missouri is the largest and oldest anti-poverty non-profit in our state. We view the experience of poverty holistically, with impacts in all areas of an...Lee mas

Missouri lawmakers are advancing a proposal that would fundamentally change how Missourians pay taxes. The plan would eliminate the state income tax and replace it with higher sales taxes and new taxes on services, giving the wealthiest Missourians a tax cut while raising taxes for most everyone else. In January, our partners at the Missouri...Lee mas

Date: March 24, 2026 To: Chairman Ben Brown and Members, Senate Committee on Emerging Issues & Professional Registration  From: Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, Chief of Policy Staff, Empower Missouri Re: Support for SB 920 Founded in 1901, Empower Missouri is the largest anti-poverty advocacy organization in the state. As part of our work, we convene a statewide...Lee mas

Date: February 9, 2026 To: Committee Chair Brad Christ, and members of the House Emerging Issues Committee  From: Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, Chief of Policy Staff, Empower Missouri Re: Support for HB 2830 Founded in 1901, Empower Missouri is the largest anti-poverty advocacy organization in the state. As part of our work, we convene a statewide Affordable...Lee mas

Date: January 13th, 2026To: Chair Pollitt and Members, House Legislative Review CommitteeFrom: Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, Chief of Policy Staff, Empower MissouriRe: Our opposition to HJR 154 On behalf of our staff, board, and coalition members convened by Empower Missouri, I stand in opposition to HJR 154. Empower Missouri believes that access to healthcare is a human...Lee mas

When Congress returns in January, the U.S. Senate will face a series of votes that will determine the future of federal housing programs Missourians rely on to stay housed. In late December, Senate leaders made progress in negotiations to prevent a February shutdown. The negotiations focused on an early January vote on a “minibus” bill...Lee mas

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 16th from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.  We’re just four weeks away from the start of the 2026 Missouri legislative session. Prefiling began...Lee mas

Homeless prevention programs are the latest anti-poverty program under threat from the federal government. On November 13th, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced that it would disregard the existing two year planning process (2025-2026) and require homeless prevention programs to reapply for funding for 2026. This change, announced only seven weeks before...Lee mas

The Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, commonly known as WIC, is under threat of significant cuts by the federal government. Right now, the House Appropriations Committee has advanced a budget proposal that follows the Trump administration’s plan to slash WIC benefits. Specifically, it would cut the fruit and vegetable portion of WIC...Lee mas

The 2025 Missouri legislative session ended last week with some controversy and tension as the Senate invoked Previous Question, or “PQ”, to cut off debate. The Senate employed this “nuclear option” to force a vote on two bills that were in direct contradiction to laws passed by the majority of Missouri voters in the November...Lee mas