Each year, the months of September and October seem to serve as conference season. In the last 60 days, each staff member from Empower Missouri has attended at least one summit, gathering, or conference on a variety of topics. JMO, our executive director, and Christine Woody, our Senior Policy and Advocacy Lead, recently attended a...Read More
The image used in this article is from NBC News. Matthew Charles embodies the mission statement of Empower Missouri’s Criminal Justice Issues Team. We advocate for: Healing rather than vengeance;Community-based alternatives to prison;Increased public safety through preventive activities that address social issues of people at risk; and Systemic and individual responses that enable persons who commit...Read More
On October 26, the Missouri HIV Justice Coalition met for its final strategic planning meeting of the year. Just over half of the group was present in Kansas City and engaged in a full day of activities and conversations looking ahead to the next legislative session and beyond. The underlying theme of the day was...Read More
Empower Missouri has repeatedly called you to action during the past year to oppose proposed regulations from the Trump Administration. Another dangerous proposal has been published in the Federal Register, open to public comment, so we must call you to stand in solidarity with families that are food insecure yet again. We recognize that The-Little-Boy-Who-Cried-Wolf...Read More
On Tuesday, October 8th, The Subcommittee on Health Care Reform held a hearing for “Discussion on Medicaid and Medicaid expansion.” Rep. Helms from District 135 in Springfield is the chair of the committee. I testified on behalf of Empower Missouri, and you can find a copy of my testimony here. You can find our full...Read More
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 19, 2019Contact: Conner Kerrigan, Communications Director815-263-1261 (cell)[email protected] (JEFFERSON CITY, MO)…Yesterday, over 79,000 public comments were submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) from people across the United States in opposition to the Trump Administration’s proposed change in eligibility for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, commonly known as food stamps)....Read More
More than 200,000 Missouri workers are in the “coverage gap,” unable to afford insurance through the Marketplace of the Affordable Care Act and unable to qualify for Medicaid, Missouri’s safety net insurance coverage. If you are unfamiliar with Medicaid, it is a health care program that assists families or individuals with low-incomes in paying for...Read More
12% of our neighbors meet the official USDA definition of “low food security” or “very low food security”. One in eight rely on federal SNAP to help put some or all of the food on their table every day. We should call this what it is - hunger.Read More
Below is an unedited version of the Testimony submitted by Empower Missouri’s Executive Director at a hearing regarding the hundreds of thousands of Missourians dropped from the Medicaid rolls. Find a live Twitter thread of the hearing here. September 11, 2019 To: Members of the General AssemblyFrom: Jeanette Mott Oxford, Executive Director – Empower Missouri...Read More
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