Haircuts. Car repairs. Bus fares. Netflix and audiobooks. These could all get more expensive if plans to impose new taxes on services and phase out the income tax go into effect.  And who would take the biggest hit? Working class Missourians, who already pay a higher share of their incomes in state and local taxes...Read More

Date: January 12, 2026 To: Representative Mayhew, Chairman, and Members of the House Corrections and Public Institutions Committee From: Gwen Smith-Moore, Criminal Justice Policy Manager, Empower Missouri Re: Support for HB 2302 As the largest and oldest anti-poverty non-profit in our state, Empower Missouri is committed to improving the quality of life for all Missouri...Read More

A sample of programs from Empower’s annual conference throughout the years. This week is a big one for Empower Missouri: the start of another legislative session and the start of our 125th Anniversary year. From our origins as a conference of 41 people in January of 1901 (the Missouri Conference on Charities and Corrections), through...Read More

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...Read More

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...Read More

Daphne is a 58 year old resident of St. Louis, Missouri. Over the course of fifteen years, she has watched her health, the cost of living, and her neighborhood shift around her. Most notably, the Covid-19 Pandemic of 2020 caused a dramatic shift in her life. She has witnessed how difficult it can be to...Read More

Hear from Rev. Dr. Cassandra Gould (she/her/hers), the Director of Cultural and Political Engagement for Faith in Action, about the need for Clean Slate in our state! Why do you believe Clean Slate to be an important and necessary policy solution for Missouri?  As a Black faith leader, I believe Clean Slate is essential because...Read More

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...Read More

Imagine going to the grocery store hungry, knowing you can buy a frozen burrito but not a warm, ready-to-eat one—even if both cost the same. That’s the reality for millions of Americans who rely on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps. Under current federal law, SNAP recipients are prohibited from...Read More

We thank Governor Kehoe for taking swift action to support Missouri families during the ongoing federal shutdown. We appreciate the expedited transfer of $10.6 million to Missouri’s Area Agencies on Aging to ensure continued meal access for seniors, as well as the early release of $5 million in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding...Read More