Policy Platform of the Mid-Missouri Chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America

Adopted: August 10, 2026

  • Workers in Missouri find themselves politically homeless. Neither of the major parties are willing to speak to working class issues or act as representatives of the working people of this state. Both the Republican and Democratic parties are fundamentally beholden to the capitalist class, the wealthiest fraction of a percent of the population. The result is that workers face a government in this state captured at all levels by a ruling class, an oligarchy of bosses and landlords.


    It is long past time for an alternative to this government of, by, and for the deep-pocketed. It is time for a vision of a Missouri that belongs to those who toil, not those who profit off of the toil of others. It is time for policies that reflect the needs of the working people of this state.

    This policy platform is the beginning of such a vision for Mid-Missouri DSA. Many of the policies presented here are not new. They represent longstanding issues that have been neglected and ignored by a political system that is designed to neglect and ignore them. By adopting these policies, our chapter aims to uproot that system and plant the seeds of a new one. We have no doubt that this will entail a long and difficult struggle, but if we ever want to see these seeds bloom, that struggle must be undertaken. This platform then represents our commitment to that struggle. 

    Solidarity Forever!

    1. A Workers’ Bill of Rights, including:

      1. A minimum wage pegged to two-thirds of the median income

      2. An end to at-will employment

      3. Card check and legally enforced prompt, good faith bargaining for workplaces subject to state labor law

      4. Binding arbitration for public sector workers

      5. Unemployment benefits pegged to the median income, and benefits duration raised to 52 weeks

      6. Paid sick leave for all workers in Missouri, at a minimum one hour for every 20 hours worked

      7. Paid family leave for all workers in Missouri, minimum of 12 weeks with weekly benefits pegged to the median income

      8. A right to stable, full time scheduling

      9. A 32 hour work week, with no reduction in pay or benefits

    1. Universal public education from birth through university, including childcare and pre-K

    2. Reinvestment in public universities with declining enrollment; creation of a fund to take private universities at risk of closure into public ownership

    3. Full funding for the Foundation Formula

    4. A minimum wage for teachers equal to the state median income

    5. Universal free breakfast and lunch at all primary and secondary schools in Missouri

    6. Protection and expansion of interventions and services for children and youth with disabilities to ensure free appropriate public education for all children.

    1. Universal public healthcare, with no premiums, copays or deductibles. Guarantees for reproductive and gender-affirming care.

    2. A fund to guarantee that hospitals at risk of closure can be taken into public ownership

    3. A prescription drug affordability board, empowered to negotiate drug prices, set legally enforceable maximums, and arrange for manufacturing of otherwise unaffordable drugs.

    1. A Renter’s Bill of Rights, including,

      1. Universal rent control

      2. A right to buy and repair

      3. A right to counsel for all tenants

      4. A right to form tenants’ unions

    2. Creation of a state owned housing developer

    3. Investment in public housing at all levels of the housing market, including accessible housing based on ADA requirements and universal design.

    1. Establish a right against discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodation on the basis of race, gender, gender expression, disability, immigration status

    2. Establish a universal right to gender affirming care

    3. Protect the right of Missourians to change their personal information, including gender identity on all official government identification documents

    4. Repeal legal prohibitions on sex work

    5. Repeal anti-BDS laws

    6. Establish and protect the right to self-determination for all national groups in Missouri, including BIPOC communities

    1. Meaningful public oversight of police through civilian review boards legally empowered to audit the use of public funds on policing, review and impose consequences for specific incidents, and review department policies

    2. Unarmed alternatives to police responses to people experiencing mental health crises

    3. Review sentencing and recidivism prevention policies to reduce the number of people in prison

    4. End cash bail

    5. Overturn anti-loitering, disguised anti-panhandling, and similar ordinances designed to target the unhoused

    6. A ban on private prisons

    7. Restore the right to vote for Missourians with felony convictions

    8. Prohibit local and state police from collaborating with ICE or any other Department of Homeland Security officials

    9. Demilitarized police

    1. Create a rural health service operating hospitals and clinics in otherwise unserved areas

    2. Publicly owned and operated grocery stores in otherwise unserved areas

    3. A guarantee against the closure of schools and libraries

    4. Public works programs and employment guarantees for economically disadvantaged areas

    5. Establish a right to repair for all agricultural machinery and equipment

    6. Create a state seed development program to provide public alternatives to private seed monopolies

    1. Implement the Missouri SATP

    2. Expand funding for accessible public transportation, including paratransit. 

    3. Establish transportation lines between cities, including bus and rail lines

    4. Increase pedestrian safety through pedestrian-focused policy and infrastructure.

    1. Establish a state power authority to invest in low emission power generation

    2. Create a fund to support green transition for municipal and cooperative utilities

    3. Ban the opening of new fossil fuel power plants, and halt the renewal of licenses to existing ones

    4. Establish a goal of 100% renewable energy use within 10 years

    1. Establish a progressive tax system, including taxes on wealth, income and inheritance

    2. Taxation on the value of land and natural endowments

    3. Transfer wealth to low income households and those unable to work

    1. A unicameral state legislature elected by proportional representation

    2. Public matching funds for small-dollar donations

    3. Ban corporate election spending

    4. Protect the right of Missourians to change their legal system through ballot initiatives and constitutional amendments