Census data show that Missourians’ median income has dropped, growing numbers of Missourians are poor, unemployment is high, and record numbers are uninsured. However, situations vary broadly across Missouri. Click here to see how these metrics compare across Missouri’s congressional districts.

The Missouri Senate rejected a provision that would eliminate more than 105,000 low-income seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities from eligibility for a modest tax credit that is critical to keeping them in their homes. To learn more about the credit and the vote to maintain it, click here.

Missouri lawmakers will soon consider a bill that would eliminate more than 105,000 Missouri seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities from a modest tax credit that is critical to keeping them in their homes and would remove millions from local economies throughout the state. To see by senate district the total dollar amount of tax credits received by renters, as well as the number of people qualifying for the credit as renters, click here. 

The tax credit package to be debated at a special session in September includes a $52 million cut to the Circuit Breaker Property tax credit program, which enables seniors and those living with a disability to remain in their homes. If passed, the measure would impact more than 100,000 Missouri seniors and people living with a disability. To learn more, click here.

The U.S. Congress has provided federally funded unemployment insurance benefits to provide workers who have been hardest hit by the recession with extended benefits. However, a small group of Missouri senators is preventing passage of a measure that allows Missouri to accept these funds, which would provide benefits for 66,000 Missourians.  To learn more, including how many people in your county will be impacted, click here.

The Missouri House of Representatives, Committee on Tax Reform recently held a hearing on House Bill 581. The Bill would create a state earned income tax credit for Missouri, one of the most cost effective and proven economic stimulus measures in the nation. Click here to read the MBP’s testimony that was presented to the committee. 
 

Unless Congress acts, federal extended unemployment benefits will end on November 30. Two million Americans and more than 44,000 Missourians will lose the benefits that help them keep food on the table, pay their rent or mortgage and keep utilities connected. Click here to to find out what is at stake in the most recent Policy Pulse.

Like most states, Missouri experienced significantly high levels of unemployment during the recession, causing the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund to be depleted. As a result, Missouri and 30 other states turned to the Federal Unemployment Trust Fund to make ends meet. As of August 27th, Missouri has borrowed more than $722 million from the Federal Fund to finance benefits for unemployed Missourians. The amount of this debt is projected to increase to as much as $1.8 billion by 2013.
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Growing numbers of Americans and Missourians live in poverty according to new data released by the Census Brueau. The number of persons without health insurance also continues to increase.  Click here to read the details.

Several constitutional amendments that propose to eliminate personal and corporate income taxes and replace them with a greatly expanded sales tax have been introduced this year in the Missouri Legislature.  Click here to read a policy brief on these proposals.  Click here to read a fact sheet on how this would impact Missouri families and here to learn how it will impact seniors.  Click here... Read more >

Missourians trapped in vulnerable financial situations are at risk of falling into the cycle of debt brought about by unrestricted payday lending. Click here to learn more about payday lending and why it is important for the Missouri Legislature to enact stricter regulations on this industry. 

Senate Joint Resolution 29 and House Joint Resolution 56 would place a constitutional amendment on the ballot to dramatically change the state’s revenue structure by eliminating individual  and corporate income/franchise taxes and replacing them with a greatly expanded sales tax. The new statewide sales tax would both increase the current sales tax rate and expand the base of the state sales tax to include all purchases and services. Click here... Read more >

A new analysis by the National Employment Law Project shows that over 20,000 unemployed Missouri workers will become ineligible for federal unemployment insurance benefits in March unless Congress passes an immediate extension of the unemployment programs from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. By June, more than 90,000 unemployed Missouri residents are set to run out of their jobless benefits with no further support.  Click here to read a news release on this topic.

While the current recession has caused significant hardship for Missouri families, a review of the economic data from the last decade indicate that the decline for working families started a decade ago. Missouri families were worse off even prior to the recession than they were in 2000. Click Here to Read More.

Concerns Grow About Economic Conditions in Missouri:
Click here to see a recent conference presentation given by MBP Executive Director Amy Blouin and Andrew Nicholas of the Center on Budget & Policy Priorities on how Missouri is faring during these difficult economic times.

Click here to read about median income and insurance status of individuals in each Congressional District.

Poverty increases substantially, the number of Uninsured Missourians continues to grow, and Missouri Families see the third largest decline in median income in the nation. Click here to read more about what the latest Census data says about Missouri.

Missourians facing unemployment in these difficult times are now eligible for extended benefits. Click here to read more.

Click here to read about Federal Unemployment Benefits that will assist more 15,000 Missouri workers.
Click here to learn how a State Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) would benefit Missouri’s economy.
Click here for more information about how fully funding state services is a critical component of restoring our state economy.

Click here to read more about why an extension in unemployment benefits is critical for many Missourians facing difficult economic times. 

Click here to read a fact sheet on the ramifications of the 2009 TABOR bill. 

Click here to learn more about the amount of Missourians living in poverty according to the 2008 U.S. Census.
Click here to for more information on what the 2008 Census reported about the number of uninsured Missourians.