We were extremely disappointed when Gov. Parson announced on July 6 that he would be signing Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 600 (SB 600), legislation that enacts mandatory minimums and stacking of sentences and creates new classes of crimes.  We said so in a statewide press release, in a guest column in the St. Louis...Read More

We at Empower Missouri are extremely disappointed to learn that Gov. Parson plans to sign Senate Bill 600. This reverses the positive direction that his administration appeared to be heading in his 2019 State of the State Address. At that time Gov. Parson said: “As a former sheriff and law enforcement officer for over 22...Read More

Today’s report from Missouri’s State Auditor shows that Missouri is continuing to decline in the revenue strength needed to withstand stresses like the current COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn. It is time that legislators take a serious look at Missouri’s unfair, outdated and inadequate personal income tax system. When “the common good” is inadequately funded, our state is...Read More

Happy Juneteenth! Empower Missouri is among organizations that has begun a discussion about amending our personnel manual to create a paid staff holiday for Juneteenth. We have not adopted that policy yet, but the deliberative process is just one of the many ways that our staff and Board are attempting to fulfill the mandate of...Read More

Whether you have been part of the Empower Missouri advocacy network for a long time or just joined our mailing list this week, there has never been a more important time to be a social justice advocate. Our planet is rocked by three crises simultaneously that interact with each other with synergistic power: The novel...Read More

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the connection between unemployment, poverty and food insecurity has been clear. One of the best indicators of food insecurity is poverty. At the end of 2019, Missouri’s food insecurity rate was 12% while its poverty level was 13.2%, both above the national average. At that point, according to...Read More

To combat the racial disparities, the Coalition is calling not only for an end to racialized policing but also for the passage of the Fourth Amendment Affirmation Act to move beyond data collection to consequences for officers who engage in racial profiling. JEFFERSON CITY, MO. — On Friday, May 29, 2020, Attorney General Eric Schmitt...Read More

In the past few months, we have all watched in shock and disbelief as precious lives have been taken from African Americans as a result of police brutality. We are outraged by these tragic events! The horrific killing of George Floyd, preserved on video, the police shooting of Breonna Taylor and the beating of Marvia...Read More

On May 15, in the final hours of Legislative Session 2020, the Missouri General Assembly Truly Agreed and Finally Passed the Senate Substitute for Senate Bill 600 (SS SB 600). This legislation utilizes several criminal justice policies that have been tried repeatedly and proven to be costly failures: imposition of mandatory minimums increasing the felony...Read More

At Empower Missouri, we subscribe to a daily political newsletter that lists who has recently registered as a lobbyist. A quick search on the Missouri Ethics Commission of “principles” shows that more than 2300 people and/or companies have someone lobbying for them. This list is incredibly diverse. It includes organizations such as auto dealers, grocers,...Read More