Economic Security Issues

The American Rescue Plan (ARP), signed into law March 11th, includes $1 billion dollars in Pandemic Emergency Assistance (PEA) funds that can be used to help families with the lowest incomes address immediate hardship or cover additional expenses related to the pandemic. Over Read More

Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) cash assistance is designed to help lift families and children out of poverty. What’s more, boosting the income of families with low wages has been shown to improve children’s academic performance, as well as economic and Read More

The federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) has long provided hardworking families the ability to achieve a better future and a pathway to the middle class. Though most families receive the EITC only temporarily, it has profound long-term benefits for families and communities. Read More

Nearly 46,000 Missourians were overpaid unemployment benefits in 2020, largely due to administrative errors tied to the unprecedented volume of unemployment claims related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the hardship repayment would place on families who are already struggling Read More

A state Earned Income Tax Credit would provide a much-needed boost for hardworking families. This bottom-up tax cut builds the middle class, spurs local economic growth, and provides long-term benefits to families and communities. Updated February 2021 Read More

By directing a small portion of remaining federal COVID relief funds to Missourians who have exhausted their regular state unemployment benefits, state lawmakers have the opportunity to stimulate local economies and help Missourians struggling to pay their bills – while Read More

Last week, Missouri legislators convened a Special Legislative Session to discuss allocation of the remainder of the Coronavirus Relief Fund in Missouri. While the Governor’s Supplemental Budget request and House Bill 14, the corresponding supplemental appropriations bill, both Read More

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) plays a vital role in reducing food insecurity and provides a critical boost to local economies throughout the state. Learn more about SNAP eligibility and benefits, who utilizes SNAP, and its impact on health and other Read More

Each day, essential workers provide healthcare, put food on our tables, deliver essential supplies, or provide the transportation, childcare, and other services necessary to keep us all safe and healthy during the pandemic. Yet too many workers in these industries do not have the Read More

The drastic increase in unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic will contribute to rising demand for food assistance as an increasing number of Missourians struggle to make ends meet. To meet this surge in demand, the federal government is providing an additional $26.8 Read More