The 2020 Legislative Session begins on Wednesday, January 8, and adjourns on Friday, May 15, with a Legislative Spring Break from March 23 to 27. Many factors go into every Legislative Session, some that press on the accelerator and others that push on the brakes. Here are some of the factors that we expect to...Read More

HIV criminalization is a complex issue. In the time when many of the laws concerning HIV were first established, there was widespread public fear about HIV and AIDS along with significant bias against members of the LGBTQ community who were severely impacted by the epidemic. The combination of that fear and prejudice fueled a lack...Read More

Our core belief around hunger is very, very simple – you cannot have life or liberty or be allowed to pursue happiness if you are unsure of where your next meal comes from. Our communities cannot be strong if there are food-insecure members living in them. Nourishment, the simple act of being able to feed...Read More

On Wednesday, December 11, Representatives Holly Rehder (R-Sikeston) and Tracy McCreery (D-St. Louis) held a press conference to discuss legislation they had filed to modernize HIV-specific criminal codes in Missouri for the third year in a row. Senator Shalonn “Kiki” Curls (D-Kansas City), who will sponsor this legislation on the Senate side, prepared comments as...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEDecember 13, 2019Contact: Conner Kerrigan, Communications Director815-263-1261 (cell)[email protected] JEFFERSON CITY, MO…On December 11th, 2019, Representatives Holly Rehder (R – Sikeston) and Tracy McCreery (D – St. Louis) filed HBs 1691 & 1692, respectively. Both bills aim to modernize Missouri’s outdated and medically inaccurate criminal statutes concerning HIV.  Currently, Missouri and more than 30...Read More

On Monday, December 1st, pre-filing began for the Missouri State General Assembly. This means that, if they wanted to, legislators could begin filing the bills that they will be working to pass through the legislative process and turn into law during the 2020 session.  The pre-filing period is an exciting time for organizations like Empower...Read More

The process of making comments on proposed federal rule or regulation changes has been an important but underutilized tool for a long time. In recent months, however, organizations like Empower Missouri have started to urge the advocates we work with to submit these comments on various proposed changes that impact the safety net. Empower Missouri...Read More

Hunger is not a partisan issue. This is one of the messages that was interwoven throughout the Building Blocks for Missouri's Success Conference that was held last weekend in Columbia. It was a conference full of hope and plans of action to move us forward in our fight against hunger in our state!Read More

The St. Louis City Police Department covers one of the largest and most racial diverse jurisdictions in Missouri - roughly half of the city’s population is Black, and the other half is White, according to census data from 2010, the most recent available.Read More

I have been learning about and advocating on safety net programs since I started at Empower Missouri 13 years ago, but have never really learned the history and inner workings of the TANF program.Read More