Mayor Tishaura O. Jones Testifies at Missouri Senate Interim Committee on Emerging St. Louis Regional Issues

Today, Mayor Tishaura O. Jones testified at the Missouri Senate Interim Committee on Emerging St. Louis Regional Issues on the invitation of the chair, Senator Elaine Gannon (SD-3), on the state legislature’s relationship with the City of St. Louis. Mayor Jones focused on the ways the state legislature’s policies on gun laws and abortion rights impede St. Louis’ ability to fight violent crime as well as attract businesses and talent to the region.

“From the iconic Gateway Arch to our landmark universities, arts venues, health systems, sports facilities and more, St. Louis is the cultural and economic hub of our region, but the State of Missouri has not always been an active partner with our City,” said Mayor Tishaura O. Jones. “From easing commonsense gun safety laws to pushing increasingly strict abortion bans, one-size-fits-all policies from Jefferson City inhibit St. Louis’ ability to protect and provide for our residents, and I’m ready to have the hard conversations about how these harmful policies impact our city.”

Mayor Jones also emphasized the work her administration is doing to reverse decades of disinvestment, address violent crime and improve public safety. That includes allocating $11.5 million in federal American Rescue Plan funds for community violence intervention programs, youth jobs and programming, and social workers. Mayor Jones also highlighted her administration’s ongoing talks with key business, civic and community stakeholders to present a positive and inclusive, not punitive, vision for downtown St. Louis that will be released later this week. An overview of the issues Mayor Jones’ touched on can be found in her recent opinion piece for the Missouri Times.