Make sure to follow us on Twitter @NCJW-STL and keep track of the bills we are following in the Missouri Legislature by clicking here.

Every year, the legislature must pass the Federal Reimbursement Allowance (FRA) in order to fund the state's share of Medicaid.

This bill has been held hostage over basic birth control -- a move that is unlawful and puts the program out of compliance with federal Medicaid law.

Despite attempts to fix the bill, it's still out of compliance, threatening to destabilize the entire state budget, and leave thousands of women covered by MO HealthNet without access to their preferred method of contraception.

Session is racing to the end, so we cannot delay. Contact the Senate now and tell them it is critical they protect the budget and pass a clean FRA.

Click here to tell your state senator to pass a clean FRA.

The health crisis laid bare the lack of structural support and systemic inequalities that have long been present in our nation.

The good news is that The American Families Plan, in tandem with The American Jobs Plan, seeks to invest in children and families with the goal of providing basic resources to those in need, reducing child poverty, and creating a healthier workforce.

Many NCJWSTL priorities are in lockstep with the plans, including paid family and medical leave, investments in child care and education, expanded nutrition assistance, tax credits to lower health insurance premiums, and an extension of the expanded child tax credit (CTC). Unfortunately, Congress has yet to draft any legislation that will bring these plans to fruition.

This is why we need your voice to tell your representative that they must create legislation to rebuild the economy and prioritize our most vulnerable families.

Click here to send a message to your representative encouraging them to adopt American Families Plan legislation.

When: Thursday, May 20 | 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CT

Where: Zoom Meeting

St. Louis is divided along many lines and race plays a role in every one of those divisions. It determines our future because if you make a transparent map of racial segregation and lay it over other maps – political power, cultural influence, health, wealth, education, and employment – the pattern repeats itself. Why was segregation more dramatic here in St. Louis than it was in other Midwestern cities? Why hasn’t it lifted as quickly?

To RSVP, please contact Jen Bernstein at 314.277.9080 or email jbernstein@ncjwstl.org

Everybody who watches crime shows knows that in the United States, you have the right to an attorney if charged with a crime.

Here in Missouri, people who cannot afford counsel can sit in jail for months before receiving a public defender. Some people enter guilty pleas just to go home.

This is another example of how the criminal justice system punishes people for simply being poor. The Missouri General Assembly is on the verge of making an important change by adding 53 more Public Defenders into our system, a transformational number, and one recommended by the State Public Defender Director.

Call your state representative and state senator and tell them to fund the Public Defender System. That means keeping the recommendation of the Senate in HB 12 and providing 53 attorneys at a price tag of $3.6 million. This is an important step both in the courts and in the halls of government.

Click here to look up your state representative and senator and call them today.

We need the EACH Act - bold legislation that ensures that each of us, however much money we make, however we get our health insurance, and wherever we live, has insurance for abortion care.

The EACH Act would have a significant impact on abortion care for people and families who are working to make ends meet and create two important standards for reproductive health.

It would set up the federal government as a standard-bearer, ensuring that every person who receives care or insurance through the federal government would have coverage for abortion services.

It would also prohibit political interference with decisions by private health insurance companies to offer coverage for abortion care.

Click here to send a message to your members of Congress urging them to support the EACH Act.

When: Wednesday, May 12, 2021 | 12:00 PM CT

Where: Zoom Meeting

Join the interfaith community for a conversation on ways systemic racism permeates our city and region. We will learn background from topic experts, hear stories of people directly impacted, and learn ways we can take action together.

The session begins at 12:00 PM CST and will last an hour. All are welcome to stay after the program for discussion.

To register please click here.