University City — At a time like this it is difficult to know how to respond to the mass killing of innocent souls and impossible to find words to comfort the survivors. Unfortunately, we have had far too many times like this. Each time a gunman enters a school, or a theater, or a mall and begins randomly killing people, our nation grieves and struggles to understand how such tragedies occur. We debate the effectiveness of our mental health programs, we argue over gun control measures, we vow it will never happen again, and then it does. The fact most of the latest victims are young children …

Saturday marks the 40th anniversary of Title IX, a portion of the Equal Opportunity Act which was added to the U.S. Constitution on June 23, 1972. The policy states (in part) that “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity.” The law is one of the most important civil rights successes in American education because it opened the door for young women to be included in the same activities as men. Other than the constitutional right to vote, no …

As a member of the minority party in the Senate it is often difficult to pass legislation. Typically, the majority party will allow a minority member’s bill to be heard in committee and sometimes our bills make it to the floor for debate. However, most of the time the minority party is working to amend legislation onto other bills, filibustering or blocking bad legislation or trying to remove bad provisions from bills likely to pass. This year brought forth many challenges. Although several of the bills I sponsored did not make it to the floor, I was successful fighting for the citizens I …

Sometimes a legislative session is noteworthy because of bills that were sent to the governor that improve the lives of Missouri citizens or make our state a better place to live and work. Sometimes a legislative session is noteworthy because of what did NOT pass, and I think the 2012 session falls into the latter category.  When the session got underway in January, we were told making Missouri a “right-to-work” state and eliminating the prevailing wage laws were key to creating jobs and improving the state’s economy. The truth is that both proposals would result in lower wages for Missouri …

Over the weekend, I helped residents and volunteers during Kinloch’s city-wide cleanup. The city is the oldest African-American community in the state of Missouri and was once home to a vibrant and flourishing black community. However, the city of Kinloch has been neglected for decades and has lost more than 75 percent of its population over the years. The city has very few resources and relies heavily on the work of residents and volunteers working to rehabilitate the area. Congressman Russ Carnahan also volunteered, and I was delighted to see him spend some time with residents in my …

The last week has been somewhat controversial for President Obama and the U.S. Secret Service. What most people have been hearing about is the behavior of the Secret Service members responsible for looking after the president of the United States during his recent visit to Colombia. Since the facts of the situation are widely known, I will forego repeating information that has embarrassed our country.   Last year, I traveled to Cali, Colombia, for the second time in my tenure as an elected official, and more importantly as an official that has a unique perspective when it comes to Afro-Latino…

The Senate spent several hours recently debating a bill (Senate Bill 806) that was originally designed to abolish the current teacher tenure system for public school teachers in Missouri. The bill was an attempt by special interest groups to bust up teacher unions and to micromanage how school districts across the state operate. As a school board member and a friend to many current and retired teachers, I was vocal in my opposition to this bill when it was brought up for debate on the Senate floor. If we want to really reform the education process in Missouri, we need to look at some of the …

Last year’s Good Friday tornado taught us valuable lessons about safety, recovery, rebuilding and insurance. The tornado was one of the worst storms to hit the area in 40 years. We all watched, waited and hunkered down as the storm traveled from Maryland Heights, across Berkeley and through Ferguson, damaging homes and businesses and leaving downed trees and power lines in its path. Some of the worst damage occurred in the communities in North County, where some residences and businesses are still recovering from the damage. It truly was a miracle that no one was killed in our area, and I am …

This session I sponsored legislation (SB 587) designed to educate and protect our children from the dangers of domestic violence. On Wednesday I presented Senate Bill 587 to members of the Senate Education Committee. This bill is not your typical domestic violence measure as it aims to educate and protect a group of domestic violence victims who are often voiceless – our children. Domestic violence is not limited to any specific group of people. The occurrence affects each economic class, every ethnic group and all ages. There is no one face of an abuser or victim. No community is untouched …

It takes an awful lot to anger me. For the last month I have been learning about radioactive waste in North St. Louis County. My friend and environmental stalwart, Kay Drey, told me about this issue a couple of years ago but I did not fully understand the scope of environmental and health ramifications of radioactive waste like I do today. Last week I toured three areas in my new senate district that have radioactive waste – specifically 43,000 tons of radioactive waste (uranium) that was illegally dumped into an unlined municipal dump. I have also discovered that one of the American Water …

I recently learned a lot about an amazing group and the work its members have been doing right here in the St. Louis area for more than 109 years. The Christian Women’s Benevolent Association (C.W.B.A.) has been tirelessly helping the area’s poor, homeless, orphaned, elderly and needy families to survive and thrive since 1899. Although it no longer have an orphanage and its Christian hospitals are now under new management, these women with core beliefs in the teaching of Jesus Christ started a valuable and uniquely American tradition of taking care of those who are need. Since its humble …

A troubling trend of attacking women’s rights is making its way across the country. You may have heard that the state of Virginia recently attempted to pass a law mandating that women undergo an invasive procedure known as a transvaginal ultrasound before being able to obtain an abortion. Also, in Missouri and Washington D.C. legislation has been proposed that would make it legal for employers to deny birth control coverage for their employees if employers say it violates their core religious beliefs. These pieces of legislation are an astonishing threat to a woman’s right to make her own …

There is a segment of our population that is in need of good companionship, love and understanding. They are often overlooked – for reasons I cannot fully understand – and are sometimes not provided with the basic right of leading a full and decent life with dignity and respect. I am talking about our senior citizens, the people who paved the way for everything that we have today. Often, our senior citizens face tough economic conditions and are unable to maintain basic necessities, such as good nutrition, medical checkups, pharmaceuticals and social interaction. Many times family members …

In a landmark 2010 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court in its Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision declared that corporations are people and that the money they spend to influence elections is the same as free speech. By a 5-4 vote, the court ignored precedent and overturned decades of restrictions on corporate campaign contributions, allowing campaign contributions to be unlimited and anonymous. The conservative majority determined that corporations have the same free-speech rights as people and can therefore spend as much as they like on political campaigns. Several …

I have always said that I was elected to speak for the people I represent, and this week in the Missouri Senate I continued that tradition. For the second week in a row, minority members of the Senate and spent many hours standing in opposition to a bad piece of legislation currently under consideration in the Senate. Senate Bill 592 would modify the state’s law relating to the Missouri Human Rights Act and employment discrimination. The bill would roll back decades of achievements in discrimination law, and is aimed at muzzling whistleblowers who risk their jobs to point out the criminal …

Many of us witnessed the beginning of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement several months ago, where protestors marched and camped out in front of the banks and multi-national corporations headquartered in New York City. The protest was organized by citizens who were fed up with bank bailouts, illegal stock swaps, outrageous bonuses and the excessive salaries that are associated with big business in the 21st century. Now the movement is heading to our nation’s capital to “Occupy D.C.”  Protestors have been descending all week on the nation’s Capitol building, nearby congressional offices, the …