Food Insecurity in the U.S. and Here at Home in Missouri More than 34 million people experience food insecurity in the United States. That includes 9 million children and more than 5 million adults aged 60 and older.   That is 10.2% of Americans in total.  Imagine a room of people randomly selected from any...Lee mas

Among Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs are the lowest and arguably most important necessities humans require to exist; physiological needs. These include basic essentials such as air, water, food, sleep and shelter. Required needs. Not optional. Required. Housing is required for humans to survive, so why do we treat it as a luxury for those privileged...Lee mas

The pandemic and its impact on our economy hit all of us hard, and illuminated the struggles low-wage workers face in ways that we had not seen for a long time. Workers with low incomes were less able to stay home, less likely to have sick leave to care for themselves and their families, and...Lee mas

When pre-filing for the 2023 Legislative Session opened in December, I braced myself for bills that are filed every year, that we fight every year, and that, for the most part, we’ve managed to help keep out of Missouri law. Our team monitors closely, sorting bills by coalition and starting to research the potential implications...Lee mas

The Missouri legislature is seeking to pass some significant changes to our criminal justice system this session. In the months ahead, you are likely to hear some chatter about a renewed interest in “Raise the Age” legislation, so we wanted to provide you with a quick primer on the issue.  What are “Raise the Age”...Lee mas

The initiative petition process is a right we share enshrined in Missouri’s constitution, Article III, Section 49: “The people reserve power to propose and enact or reject laws and amendments to the constitution by the initiative, independent of the general assembly, and also reserve power to approve or reject by referendum any act of the...Lee mas

Investing in Teachers = Investing in Education = Better Outcomes for us All.  Decades of research tell us that increasing our investment in education leads to safer and more prosperous communities. This includes higher salaries for individuals, higher employment rates, more economic opportunity, greater workforce effectiveness, and draws employers to the state who are seeking...Lee mas

Missouri has a severe affordable housing shortage. Our partners at the National Low Income Housing Coalition show 72% of very low income households in Missouri overpay for their housing, and are housing cost burdened. Cost burden occurs when a household pays more than 30% of their income towards housing costs alone, leaving very little for...Lee mas

Last year, we advocated against HB 2085, a bill that would prevent households which receive TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) from withdrawing those benefits in cash. This bill has been re-filed this year as HB 338, despite the fact that cash is a necessary resource, especially for households in poverty. This bill will increase...Lee mas

As we wrap up the year, we’re already deep into planning for the next legislative session that starts in January. Our December Friday Forum covered the highlights of what we’re expecting and prioritizing this coming year, but today, we want to give you a deeper dive into some topics that we expect will come up...Lee mas