State Rep. Steven Roberts Archives

Senator Nasheed reflects on 14 years at the Missouri Capitol; emphasizes importance of bipartisanship (AUDIO)

January 4, 2021 By Brian Hauswirth

A veteran Missouri lawmaker who served for 14 years in Jefferson City is most proud of her ability to build relationships.

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, served all 14 years in the minority party. Her final day in the Senate was New Year’s Eve. She says relationships are the key that unlock the doors to success for elected officials.

State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, speaks on the Missouri Senate floor in Jefferson City on January 28, 2020 (file photo courtesy of Harrison Sweazea at Senate Communications)

“I knew going into this that the Republicans controlled the House, the Senate and the Governor’s Mansion when I got there (2007), that I had to find that middle course and work across party lines,” Nasheed says.

Nasheed was first elected to the Missouri House in 2006 and served three terms. She was then elected to the Senate in 2012 and re-elected in 2016.

She says some of her closest friends to this day are Republicans she met, while serving in the Legislature. Nasheed says bipartisanship is critical for Missouri and the nation.

Education was one of her top priorities. Nasheed says one of her biggest successes happened in 2008, when the Legislature approved her bill ensuring the benefits of the A+ scholarship program for high school students in Missouri’s unaccredited school districts.

“So I was able to pass a piece of legislation in the House that basically stated that if you meet all the requirements, even though you’re in an unaccredited school district, you should still be able to apply for the A-plus scholarship,” says Nasheed.

Because of the bipartisan bill, thousands of students became eligible for free tuition to two-year Missouri colleges and technical schools.

Senator Nasheed is also proud of her legislation that authorized historically black Harris-Stowe State University in St. Louis to offer graduate programs for the first time since its founding in 1857.

Nasheed frequently served on Senate-House budget conference committees, and was outspoken about the need for more Harris-Stowe funding. She tells Missourinet that to this day, Harris-Stowe is not receiving its fair share of higher education funds.

Another issue Senator Nasheed has emphasized is the importance of protecting crime victims, and St. Louis’ increasing murder rate.

St. Louis’ homicide rate in 2020 was its highest in 50 years, with 262 murders. The “St. Louis Post-Dispatch” reported this weekend that the 2020 homicide rate in St. Louis is 30 percent higher than the city has seen in the past 50 years.

Nasheed passed legislation that allows Missouri prosecutors to redact information about crime witnesses.

“Because I’m a firm believer that if we don’t solve the murders, then individuals will be emboldened. And the only way that we can solve the murders is to protect witnesses,” Nasheed says.

There have been witnesses to St. Louis homicides in recent years who were murdered, before they could testify at trial. That includes the highly-publicized “St. Louis murder mom” conspiracy case.

As for disappointments during her 14 years, Senator Nasheed says she wanted to see Obamacare (the Affordable Care Act) expanded. While she pushed for expansion, it didn’t happen.

One thing she won’t miss is standing up for hours on the Senate floor in Jefferson City, filibustering. Senator Nasheed says it’s bad on the knees. She describes filibustering as a negotiation tactic to make bills less harmful.

Senator Nasheed says she voted her district.

As for her future, Nasheed says she plans to continue to serve her neighbors and residents in her district, as a private citizen.

Nasheed will be replaced in the Missouri Senate by State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, this week.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Sen. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, which was recorded on December 31, 2020:

St. Louis Police residency requirement legislation heading to Missouri House floor

August 17, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Legislation that eliminates the residency requirement for St. Louis Police officers has been approved by the Missouri House Judiciary Committee. Monday afternoon’s vote was 12-4.

State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, testifies before the Missouri House Judiciary Committee on August 17, 2020 (photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

The bill is a key part of Governor Mike Parson’s special session call on violent crime.

State Rep. Ron Hicks, R-Dardenne Prairie, the bill sponsor, presented his bill and testified before the committee on Monday. Hicks tells State Rep. Justin Hill, R-Lake St. Louis, that improving public safety in St. Louis will help the entire state.

“This is a statewide thing,” Hicks testifies.

“St. Louis is our economic hub, and we have a crime problem,” Hill tells Hicks. “And we’ve identified that policemen that are being forced to live in there are making decisions to move out so that their families can feel safer.”

House Bill 46 was amended during the hearing. It now also eliminates the residency requirements for St. Louis firefighters and EMS personnel, and has a three-year sunset clause.

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden traveled to Jefferson City to testify for the Hicks bill, saying his department is more than 100 officers short. Chief Hayden tells state lawmakers that St. Louis has had 169 homicides this year, compared to 125 at this time last year.

“As of today, (the) St. Louis Police Department is down 143 officers from its authorized strength. We continue to be challenged by meeting the demands of this ongoing gun violence, continuous demonstrations. Our officers have had to endure 12-hour shifts,” Hayden says.

Chief Hayden says there were 53 St. Louis homicides in July, and 16 so far in August.

He also says six St. Louis police officers have been shot in the past few months, and that retired Police Captain Dorn was shot and killed.

Advocacy group “Empower Missouri” testified against the bill. Former State Rep. Jeanette Mott Oxford, D-St. Louis, is the organization’s policy director. She says when officers live in communities and know their neighbors, they can create partnerships and strategies for reducing crime and unhealthy living conditions.

Mott Oxford testifies that Empower Missouri would rather see more investment in St. Louis schools.

“And the solution is for us to invest in communities, so that we all have safe communities and good schools,” says Mott Oxford.

Oxford also notes St. Louis residents will be casting ballots in November, on residency requirements. She says Missouri lawmakers should recognize the right of St. Louis City to govern itself.

Chief Hayden has testified that the residency requirement is the greatest challenge that his department has with recruitment and retention.

The four no votes were from Democrats: State Reps. Gina Mitten, D-Richmond Heights, Ian Mackey, D-St. Louis, Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, and Robert Sauls, D-Independence.

The Judiciary Committee also unanimously approved two other crime bills on Monday.

The committee voted 17-0 for witness protection legislation from State Rep. Jonathan Patterson, R-Lee’s Summit. It would create a pretrial witness protection services fund, to be administered by the state Department of Public Safety (DPS) to law enforcement agencies. The money would be used to provide security to witnesses, potential witnesses and their immediate families in criminal proceedings or investigations.

The Judiciary Committee also voted 17-0 to approve legislation from State Rep. Barry Hovis, R-Cape Girardeau, that increases penalties for witness and victim tampering.

Missouri House GOP leaders will handle crime bills as single-subject bills; full House to return August 24

August 11, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

The top three Republican leaders in Missouri’s GOP-controlled House say they intend to simplify the process during the special session on violent crime, with single-subject bills.

Missouri House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, addresses Capitol reporters on May 15, 2020 in Jefferson City (Tim Bommel at House Communications)

All Missouri House committee hearings originally scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday have been canceled, and the full House isn’t scheduled to return to Jefferson City until Monday August 24.

“In an effort to protect the integrity of the lawmaking process, and to ensure these important issues are thoroughly vetted, we intend to simplify the process with single-subject bills so we can focus on the merits of each bill individually to produce legislation that makes our streets and neighborhoods safer. Given the fact the governor expanded the call as one of our committees (the House Judiciary Committee) was considering the bill he originally proposed, we think it’s important to take a step back and give additional thought and attention to each part of the plan. This will provide a more deliberative process that will allow us to craft the kind of policy that will better protect Missourians from the scourge of violent crime,” the statement from House Speaker Elijah Haahr, R-Springfield, House Speaker Pro Tem John Wiemann, R-O’Fallon and Majority Leader Rob Vescovo, R-Arnold, reads.

The committee hearing that Haahr, Wiemann and Vescovo referenced took place Monday afternoon. Late Monday afternoon, Governor Mike Parson (R) expanded his special session call on violent crime, to include a provision to help with what he calls the growing backlog of murder cases in St. Louis.

The governor wants Missouri lawmakers to allow the state attorney general’s office to take on some murder cases that haven’t been prosecuted yet by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner (D). The governor emphasizes that this isn’t about taking away authority, and that it’s about fighting violent crime. Governor Parson says there have been 161 murders in St. Louis City this year, and that charges have been filed in only 33 cases.

Circuit Attorney Gardner issued a statement on Monday, criticizing the governor’s plan.

“This allows the governor and his cronies to make a mockery of judicial checks and balances and demolishes any notion of a free and independent judicial system,” Gardner’s statement reads, in part.

The Missouri Senate approved the crime bill last week, by a bipartisan 27-3 vote.

Speaker Haahr tells Missourinet that he spoke by phone with Senate Majority Leader Caleb Rowden, R-Columbia, earlier today, before the Haahr announcement. Rowden told Haahr that he would speak to Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz, R-Sullivan, to fill him in.

The governor has emphasized that the special session is about violent crime.

St. Louis has had 163 homicides in 2020. The city had 194 murders in 2019. Across the state in Kansas City, there have been 122 homicides. There were 90, at this point in 2019 in Kansas City.

Witness protection and eliminating the residency requirement for St. Louis Police officers are top priorities for the governor.

A key proposal in the governor’s January State of the State Address was $1 million in funding for witness protection. Despite bipartisan support in both the Missouri Senate and House, the measure did not pass this year.

Missouri Legislative Black Caucus Chairman State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, has asked the governor to call a special session on police reform. Governor Parson has told Capitol reporters he’s focusing on violent crime, and wants to wait until January’s regular session to take up police reform.

Other Democrats, including State Rep. Ashley Bland Manlove, D-Kansas City, have called on the governor to address the root causes of crime, such as poverty.

Missouri’s governor calls special session on violent crime

July 15, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

Saying that Missouri has seen rapid increases in crime this year, Governor Mike Parson (R) has called a special session to begin on July 27th in Jefferson City.

Missouri Governor Mike Parson announces he will call a special session on violent crime, as St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden and other law enforcement officers listen (July 15, 2020 photo courtesy of the Governor’s Flickr page)

“As Governor and a former law enforcement officer for more than 22 years, protecting our citizens and upholding the laws of our state are of utmost importance to my administration,” Parson says.

The governor tells Capitol reporters that witness protection will be a key component of the special session call.

“Because one of the things that you have especially in violent crime, especially in some of the areas that we talk about, people don’t want to come forward and testify because they’re scared … they fear for their life,” Parson says.

There have been teen witnesses to St. Louis homicides in recent years who have been killed, before they could testify.

That includes the highly-publicized “St. Louis murder mom” conspiracy case, where a woman was sentenced to 12 years in prison for second degree murder.

The governor says violent crime has escalated in recent weeks, specifically in St. Louis and Kansas City.

“Last night, four people were shot and killed in St. Louis, bringing the number of homicides so far this year to 130, compared to 99 at the same time last year,” says Parson.

Across the state in Kansas City, there have been 101 homicides this year. Governor Parson says that’s a 35 percent increase from 2019.

The governor also says aggravated assaults with a firearm are up 19 percent year-to-date in St. Louis County.

The Missouri Legislative Black Caucus chairman issued a statement on Wednesday, after the governor’s press conference. State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, says Governor Parson should call a special session on police reform.

“The communities he openly identified in his call today, namely Kansas City and St. Louis, have spent decades begging for institutional change in law enforcement. In an open letter to the governor last month, the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus requested that Governor Parson create a database to track officers who have been fired for misconduct, ban the training and use of chokeholds and other restraining techniques by police that can cause life-threatening injuries, and establish new guidelines for accountability by police departments when dealing with excessive use of force. It is disappointing that these requests are not being considered for a special session, especially as such requests have garnered state and national attention in an effort to prompt real and positive change,” Roberts says, in a statement.

Governor Parson says his biggest concern is violent crime and homicides.

Law enforcement from around Missouri joined the governor in the Capitol Rotunda for today’s briefing, including state Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Sandy Karsten and Missouri State Highway Patrol Colonel Eric Olson.

St. Louis Police Chief John Hayden, Kansas City Police Chief Richard Smith, Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams, Arnold Police Chief Robert “Bob” Shockey, Cole County Sheriff John Wheeler and Callaway County Sheriff Clay Chism also attended.

While witness protection will be a key part of the special session call, so will eliminating the residency requirement for St. Louis police officers. Chief Hayden traveled to Jefferson City in January to testify for that provision, saying the residency requirement is the greatest challenge the department has with recruitment and retention.

“We have the greatest need for officers and the most demanding criminal environment in the state of Missouri, yet we have the greatest barrier to becoming an officer by discouraging applicants with the residency requirement,” Chief Hayden testified in January.

He noted that there were 194 murders, 2,600 shootings and 349 carjackings in St. Louis in 2019.

Another component of the special session call involves endangering the welfare of a child. The governor’s proposal modifies the offense of endangering the welfare of a child, for a person who encourages a child to engage in a weapons offense.

Missouri lawmaker emphasizes importance of COVID-19 testing in 63113 zip code, which has 152 cases

May 10, 2020 By Brian Hauswirth

A state lawmaker from St. Louis who’s pushed to expand coronavirus testing plans to host a second testing event on Monday at a mobile site on North Kingshighway Blvd.

State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, (left) and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) Office of Minority Health Staff Chief Joe Palm attended the COVID-19 mobile testing event at the Victor Roberts Building in St. Louis on May 4, 2020 (photo courtesy of Representative Roberts’ Capitol office)

State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, worked with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) and Affinia Healthcare to establish the mobile test site. It’s located at the Victor Roberts Building, at 1408 North Kingshighway.

The Victor Roberts Building is in the 63113 zip code, which Affinia Healthcare says “is one of the hot spots in St. Louis City.”

A detailed map from the St. Louis City Department of Health shows that there are 152 COVID-19 cases in the 63113 zip code. The only zip code in St. Louis city with more cases is 63116, which now has 164 cases.

Representative Roberts says the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on St. Louis’ African-American community.

“This past Sunday (May 3), St. Louis posted its highest number of new cases for a single day since the outbreak began. Of the residents of the city who have died, 68 percent are African-American. We desperately needed more testing sites accessible in the area where the virus has proven most devastating,” Roberts says, in a statement.

Roberts also cites a recent news article from KMOV-TV. The station reports that while 68 percent of St. Louis City’s COVID-19 deaths are African-Americans, the city’s African-American population is only 46 percent.

Roberts says more than 50 people showed up and received a COVID-19 test last Monday, when the site opened. He describes the Victor Roberts Building as a large site in a centralized location, that makes it easier to provide social distancing.

He emphasizes there is no fee and no referral is needed. Roberts says the aim is to get more St. Louisans tested, which he says is the key to reducing transmission.

Roberts urges residents to get tested, even if they’re asymptomatic.

Because of the success last Monday, Roberts is hosting a second event on Monday from 9 a.m. to noon. He praises the collaboration from DHSS and Affinia Healthcare.

State health officials say there are now 9,844 confirmed coronavirus cases in Missouri, along with 482 deaths. In St. Louis City, there are now 1,484 cases and 85 deaths.

Veteran State Rep. Alan Green, D-Florissant, has also warned that the COVID-19 outbreak is disproportionately impacting African-American communities, “in pockets in north St. Louis County.” Green says black residents in St. Louis City and north St. Louis County are feeling a disproportionate impact of the disease.

Dogan: vehicle stops report highlights largest racial disparity in Missouri history (AUDIO)

July 24, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A Missouri House committee will hear testimony Wednesday morning in Clayton about racial profiling and civil asset forfeiture. The House Special Committee on Criminal Justice will hold the 9 a.m. hearing at the St. Louis County Council chambers.

State Rep. Shamed Dogan, R-Ballwin, speaks on the Missouri House floor on February 7, 2019 (file photo courtesy of Tim Bommel at House Communications)

Missouri’s 2018 vehicle stops report shows African-Americans were 91 percent more likely to be stopped than white motorists. State Rep. Shamed Dogan, R-Ballwin, who chairs the committee, tells Missourinet it’s a continuation of a troubling trend in Missouri.

“We’ve been collecting this data for 20-plus years and when we started out, they found that African-Americans were 33 percent more likely to be stopped in vehicle stops than whites and now it’s all the way up to 91 percent,” Dogan says.

He says that’s the largest racial disparity in Missouri history. His committee will be hearing testimony today, and Dogan hopes to hear from law enforcement officers, prosecutors, community leaders and the public.

“Well we hope to get people’s individual perspectives whether they’ve been racially profiled, suspected they’ve been racially profiled,” says Dogan.

He says there are currently no consequences for racial profiling, in state law.

Chairman Dogan expects the committee to draft a report by December, and wants to see reform legislation filed in January. Dogan says the committee is also looking into civil asset forfeiture, in addition to racial profiling.

“So we’re hoping to find some sort of common ground where law enforcement will, one, admit that there are problems with both of these issues and two, help us find out what some solutions are that are going to be palatable to them,” Dogan says.

He notes State Auditor Nicole Galloway (D) found that $9.1 million in cash and property were seized in 2018 through civil asset forfeiture, compared to $7.1 million in 2017.

The committee will hold a second hearing on August 1 at 9 a.m. at the Robert Mohart Center in Kansas City.

The House Special Committee on Criminal Justice was formed during the 2019 session, to explore ways to reform Missouri’s criminal justice system.

Dogan’s ranking Democrat is State Rep. Steven Roberts, D-St. Louis, who chairs the Missouri Legislative Black Caucus.

Dogan and Roberts worked together with a bipartisan group of lawmakers to pass House bill 192 this year, which revises mandatory minimum sentences. It requires Missouri’s Probation and Parole Board to evaluate those serving mandatory minimums and decide if they should be released.

Supporters say about 48 percent of Missouri’s prison population is serving time for drug offenses and other nonviolent crime.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with State Rep. Shamed Dogan, R-Ballwin, which was recorded on July 22, 2019: