1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

I stand in strong opposition to SB995 (Gregory), HB3224 (Kimble), and SCS SB944 (May), bills that represent a dangerous continuation of the Missouri Legislature's assault on the local governance and democratic will of the people of St. Louis City. SB995 and HB3224, bills that are not supported by the Senators elected to represent the city, seek to fundamentally alter the office of the St. Louis City Sheriff. These bills are particularly egregious, stripping voters of their right to elect their sheriff and instead placing that power in the hands of a majority of circuit judges. This is a direct attack on local control and self-determination. The Sheriff is a vital local official, responsible for court security, civil process, and jail operations. To remove the people's voice in selecting this leader is anti-democratic and disenfranchising. This move cannot be viewed in isolation. It is part of a sustained pattern: last year, the state seized control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Before that, it undermined the elected Circuit Attorney. Now, it targets the Sheriff. The legislature is systematically dismantling elected local authority in our majority-Black city, overriding the will of its residents at every turn. The Senate Committee Substitute for SB944 compounds this danger by giving the Sheriff unilateral power to set an attorney's compensation without the previous statutory guardrails. Combined with an appointed—and thus less publicly accountable—Sheriff, this creates a recipe for financial opacity and abuse. Additionally, consolidating power over court security (the Sheriff's duty) with the judiciary that appoints him raises serious concerns. We have seen at the federal level how enhanced security for the Supreme Court preceded decisions that stripped away fundamental rights, like bodily autonomy. Concentrating these intertwined powers erodes checks and balances. The proponents point to past misconduct by a sheriff, but the answer to bad democracy is not less democracy. The solution is accountability, transparency, and reform, not state-led disenfranchisement. The solution lies with St. Louis voters, not Jefferson City politicians overriding voters' choices. I urge you to reject these bills. Uphold the right of St. Louisans to govern themselves and elect their local officials. Stop the state's continued hostile takeover of the city.