In 1996, Congress passed the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), sometimes known as the welfare reform bill. Buried deep within that sweeping legislation was a provision that hardly received any debate, but has had lifelong implications for millions of Americans. This provision imposed a lifetime ban on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program...Lee mas

Register From employment, to housing, to higher education, a conviction record can cause a lifetime of blocked opportunity. For people returning to their communities after the completion of their sentence, these collateral consequences hold them back from meaningfully contributing to their families, community, and the broader state.  Join Empower Missouri, Criminal Justice Ministry, the Jewish...Lee mas

This year’s Week of Action is a choose-your-adventure. We’ll have virtual content on April 4th, 6th, and 7th and we’ll be live and in person on Tuesday, April 5th from 10AM- 3PM to sharpen your advocacy skills– or build new ones! During our in-person day, you will learn how a bill moves through the legislative...Lee mas

At the end of May, the Missouri General Assembly adjourned after a legislative session that began in January. State policymakers survived the drama of the session while producing some good and bad legislation.  In May, join Empower Missouri and other panelists as we give you the scoop on what went on in Jefferson City this...Lee mas

Empower Missouri is dedicated to ending poverty within our state. In our day-to-day work, we focus on three key areas: affordable housing, criminal justice, and nutrition access. It also means we have to look beyond those issues, to wages, systemic racism, unchecked capitalism, healthcare, education and more–including family planning. Access to reproductive healthcare is an...Lee mas

I’ve been with Empower Missouri nearly 4 years now, and since I started every legislative session we work against work hour tracking for SNAP. It feels almost like a bad cartoon at this point, as we go ‘round and ‘round on the same issue: Work Requirements. On the surface it may sound good, individuals who...Lee mas

In over 120 years, Empower Missouri has advanced and passed many successful policies. One of the most impactful was a significant decrease in the food sales tax led by our Hunger Task Force back in 1999. Our leaders identified that issue because our task force members were keenly aware of how sales tax is an...Lee mas

Police budgets are a hot topic in Missouri, so this month’s Friday Forum will be a discussion with national experts about police budgets and local control. Some of the topics we’ll explore include: “How can we approach law enforcement funding?” and “What are the pillars of an equitable budget process?” and “How can we work...Lee mas

This session, five bills have been filed pertaining to funding for the Kansas City Police Department.  For those who are not familiar with the issue, here’s a quick primer.  The Situation in KC Kansas City is the only municipality in Missouri that doesn’t currently have control of its own police department.  Under Missouri statute, the...Lee mas

Clean Slate Town Hall: Date & Time: Monday, December 13, 2021 from 4:00pm – 5:30pm From employment, to housing, to higher education, a conviction record can cause a lifetime of blocked opportunity. For people returning to their communities after the completion of their sentence, these collateral consequences hold them back from meaningfully contributing to their...Lee mas