Under The Dome with Empower Missouri

The week of February 9th: Housing Trust Fund Hearing and What It Means

Host Sarah Owsley and Empower Missouri policy staff recap this week’s Jefferson City updates. They talk about the Missouri Housing Trust Fund hearing (HB 2830), testimony from housing and substance use disorder advocates, and local impacts discussed during committee testimony. The episode also covers opposition to grocery tax changes, food security policy priorities, and a preview of the upcoming Day of Action where advocates will meet lawmakers to push food-as-medicine bills and other anti-poverty measures. And there's another dog. 

Voting Rights, Clean Slate, and props for our Comms Team: The week that was Feb 2nd 2026

Empower Missouri’s update from Jefferson City centers on their anti-poverty agenda: advancing voting-rights restoration for people on probation or parole, building momentum for the Clean Slate expungement campaign, and pushing to increase funding for the Missouri Housing Trust Fund.
The episode highlights recent committee hearings, a voter-protection lobby day, a Clean Slate town hall, community testimony, and upcoming bill hearings—calling listeners to engage, contact lawmakers, and join the day of action. We've also got some more t-shirt ideas for you, all of them terrible. 

Week of Jan 26: Clean Slate Gains Momentum

Welcome to Under the Dome, an update from Empower Missouri on key happenings in Jefferson City focused on anti-poverty policy. This episode covers the strong Clean Slate hearing, efforts to eliminate the state grocery tax, concerns over proposed sales taxes on services, the SNAP ban for people with certain felony records, and debates around mandatory minimums and prison expansion. Staff discuss recent committee hearings, fiscal impacts, advocacy events, and upcoming actions to support fair, evidence-based policies.

Week of Jan 19th: Juvenile Records, Certification, and Oversight

Empower Missouri's Under the Dome covers this weeks legislative developments with a focus on criminal legal reform and anti-poverty work. Hosts discuss a controversial juvenile justice bill that would create youth criminal-history databases and expand prosecutor involvement, and they explain concerns about youth certification and solitary confinement. They also preview a push for prison oversight (HB 1616) to create an independent Office of Transparency and Accountability, recap a screening of the documentary The Alabama Solution, and warn about proposed bills that would raise mandatory minimums and time-served percentages.
The episode closes with a brief budget update and calls for continued advocacy around youth privacy, prison transparency, and sentencing reform.

Missouri Eyes Prison Oversight and Reentry IDs

Welcome to Under the Dome: Empower Missouri’s weekly Jefferson City update focused on anti-poverty policy. Host Sarah Owsley and policy staff discuss reentry improvements like HB2302 to provide IDs and work documents at prison release, concerns about prison healthcare after a $3 million fine to the contractor Centurion, and growing calls for independent oversight of DOC.
They also cover affordable housing developments including a proposed tax credit for domestic violence survivors and opposition to a bill allowing landlords to apportion water/sewer bills to tenants. Finally, reactions to the governor’s State of the State.

Hope, Hustle, and Housing: Inside Empower Missouri’s 124th Summit

Empower Missouri staff and partners gather at the organization’s 124th annual summit to share memories, discuss anti-poverty policy priorities, and build connections across coalitions focused on housing, criminal justice, and food security.
Hear highlights from some of our staff around keynotes, breakout sessions, personal stories of engagement, and a renewed sense of hope and collective action for the year ahead.

Missouri’s Budget Time Bomb: Tax Cuts, Federal Cuts, and the Shortfall

In this episode, Empower Missouri’s Sarah Owsley and Gina Aitch of the Missouri Budget Project explain why Missouri faces a growing budget shortfall: one-time federal pandemic funds have ended, large state tax cuts have reduced general revenue, and new federal changes will shift more costs for Medicaid and SNAP to states.
They break down how those pressures could affect schools, health care, and local services, why replacing income tax with sales tax would deepen regressivity, and which policy options (eliminating loopholes or ballot measures for fair-share taxes) might help close the gap.

Missouri Special Session Explained: Who’s Messing with Your Ballot?

Empower Missouri’s Advocacy Director Sarah Owsley, Chief of Policy Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, and Executive Director Mallory Rusch break down the governor’s special session in Jefferson City. The legislature passed a controversial congressional redistricting proposal that will split Kansas City and the high-profile push to change Missouri’s initiative petition process.
They explain the components of the initiative petition changes — from bans on certain foreign contributions and new signature-fraud penalties to requiring public comment and printing full ballot texts — and focus on the most significant change: a new vote threshold that would require a majority in every congressional district for citizen-led constitutional amendments, a move critics say would effectively block ballot initiatives while leaving legislative amendments unaffected.

Missouri Special Session: Who Controls the Ballot?

In this episode of Under the Dome, Empower Missouri’s Sarah Owsley, Lucas Caldwell-McMillan, and Mallory Rusch explain the Governor’s special session in Jefferson City, focusing on contested U.S. congressional map changes and a proposed constitutional amendment aimed at restricting citizen-initiated ballot measures.
After a brief discussion of the redistricting, the team shifts to discussing the proposed changes to the initiative petition process. They break down the five proposed changes (including “ballot candy” items), highlight the core threat — requiring initiative amendments to win a majority in every congressional district as well as statewide — and outline what voters and advocates can do next, noting that citizens will ultimately have the chance to approve or reject any constitutional change on the ballot. Ballot nerds unite! 

A crash course in energy assistance for low income households in Missouri

Welcome to the latest episode of "Under the Dome," a podcast by Empower Missouri focused on the anti-poverty agenda in Jefferson City. Host Sarah Owsley is joined by Lucas Caldwell McMillan and Sandy Padgett to address the challenges of rising utility rates in Missouri, and the vital role of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). The episode explores how these increases are impacting vulnerable communities, including families with children, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The discussion highlights the ongoing appropriation challenges at the federal level and emphasizes the importance of advocacy for maintaining funding for these crucial services amid energy inflation.
Join us for an insightful conversation on how public policy and community support can help stabilize households against the backdrop of increasing living costs and legislative changes.