With just four weeks to go in Missouri’s legislative session, our Senators and Representatives are hard at work debating legislation that could have long-term consequences for all Missourians. Many of these bills have had the benefit of long committee hearings, with many folks traveling from around the state to speak with their legislators about the...Lee mas

Missouri is in the midst of reckoning with one of the many long term consequences of mass incarceration: a rapidly growing number of elders incarcerated in state prisons. The aging prison population primarily consists of individuals who received lengthy sentences for offenses committed decades ago. Increasing numbers of elderly incarcerated people leads to significant increases...Lee mas

In 2022, we saw the worst inflation in nearly 40 years. Inflation, rising property taxes and rising rents are leaving many of our neighbors, particularly seniors and individuals with disabilities, on the brink of ruin. The economic uncertainties following 2020 have made it more likely for the costs of day-to-day living to exceed the income...Lee mas

A bipartisan group of Missouri lawmakers have proposed evidence-based policy that will help close to half of Missouri’s growing families. They seek to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage from 60 days to a full year – to give one year of uninterrupted access to healthcare after a person’s pregnancy ends.   Despite the fact that the bills...Lee mas

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