Below is the testimony that Smart Sentencing Coalition member Kenya Brumfield Young presented to the Senate Judiciary Committee on January 22, 2021 about the passage of Senate Bill 60. Senate Bill 60 puts into place new policies that aim to increase police accountability and build trust between police and the communities they serve. Empower Missouri...Read More

While Missouri hasn’t had a unified plan to tamp down the spread of COVID-19 in our state, municipalities have put in place many different response strategies. From mask ‘suggestions’ all the way to strict stay at home orders and shuttering of non-essential businesses, all of us have been impacted by the pandemic and response in...Read More

Missouri lawmakers returned to the Capitol in Jefferson City on January 6th with challenges posed by an ongoing pandemic. The Missouri legislative session began at noon last Wednesday with a new General Assembly; eleven newly-elected Senators and six returning Senators were sworn into office. In the house, 161 Representatives took the oath of office. With...Read More

As always, the happenings in Jefferson City these past two months have been full of twists, turns and surprises. And it is not over yet, so keep taking those motion sickness pills! It all began back on July 15, 2020, when Governor Parson issued a proclamation to convene an Extraordinary Session on Violent Crime. Thus,...Read More

Today the Missouri House of Representatives gave final passage to five of six bills heard by House committees on August 17. The bills were crafted as a response to Gov. Mike Parson’s call to a Special Session on Violent Crime, but none address the root causes of violence. We believe that the witness of the past...Read More

Note: The following blog contains links to stories that include photos and descriptions of actions that are traumatizing. Recently, I have heard a number of people speculate that living through the COVID-19 pandemic is bringing uncommon unity to people in the U.S. that “we are all in the same boat now.” Despite the longing that...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

As a statewide advocacy organization, Empower Missouri is keeping an eye on what the state is doing or not doing regarding the issues we work on as they relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. As Empower Missouri has always done, we continue to work in coalition around these issues and advocate for evidence-based public policy wherever...Read More

On Tuesday, March 3, HB 1691 was heard in the Judiciary Committee. Sponsored by Rep. Holly Rehder, this bill would modernize our outdated and harmful HIV-specific statutes that criminalize people for acts that pose no risk of HIV transmission. The hearing was scheduled for 4 p.m. or “upon adjournment” of floor debate. With the floor...Read More