For the past several months, a growing coalition of tenant leaders, housing advocates, legal experts, and community leaders in Springfield has been working toward a game-changing goal: securing a Right to Counsel (RTC) for tenants facing eviction. The problem is clear—eviction courts are fundamentally unbalanced. Across the country, landlords almost always have legal representation, while...Read More

The latest issue to face intense debate in the Missouri Senate is paid sick leave. HB 567, which would remove paid sick leave for workers, passed the Missouri House in March.  Since then it has progressed through the Senate and is now eligible for discussion on the Senate floor. On Wednesday night, multiple Democratic Senators...Read More

This week, Governor Kehoe signed SB 4, an omnibus utility bill that changes financing for utility companies. The bill adds more ways for utility companies to shift costs to consumers and increase utility bills. Empower Missouri denounces this change for these reasons: Consumers Council of Missouri estimates that SB 4 will raise utility bills by...Read More

At its core, Empower Missouri is an anti-poverty organization. You often hear about our priority issues areas; affordable housing, criminal legal system reform, and food security, but we know that to truly end poverty, we have to address the myriad factors that create and sustain it.  Family Planning and the Impact for Families in Poverty...Read More

Date: March 10, 2025 To: Chairman Bromley and Members, House Utilities Committee From: Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, Chief of Policy Staff, Empower Missouri Re: Our opposition to SB 4 Empower Missouri has spent more than 120 years fighting poverty in Missouri. Today, we come to present testimony on a bill which specifically targets our neighbors with the...Read More

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – 11 March 2025 — On Monday, March 10, HB 595 was passed by Missouri’s Senate Committee on Local Government, Elections, and Pensions, moving us one step closer to enshrining discrimination against Missouri’s poorest tenants into state law. HB 595, and its companion bill, SB 507, would prevent municipalities in Missouri from...Read More

Date: February 25, 2025 To: Representative Stinnett and Members, House Committee on Health & Mental Health From: Mallory Rusch, Executive Director, Empower Missouri Re: Our support for HB 398 Empower Missouri is the largest and oldest anti-poverty non-profit in our state. We view the experience of poverty holistically, with impacts in all areas of an...Read More

Date: February 26, 2025To: Senator Brown, Chairman and Members, Senate Economic Workforce and Development CommitteeFrom: Amanda Berry, Food Security Policy Manager, Empower MissouriRe: Our support for SB 57 Empower Missouri is the largest anti-poverty advocacy organization in the state. As part of our work, we organize a statewide Food Security Coalition. This coalition is made...Read More