State Rep. Raychel Proudie joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jaclyn Driscoll to talk about the jarring end to the 2020 special session on violent crime, which saw some of Gov. Mike Parson’s policy priorities fall by the wayside.
Proudie is a Ferguson Democrat who represents the 73rd District, which includes parts of Ferguson, Berkeley, Kinloch, St. Ann and Hazelwood. She was first elected in 2018 and is unopposed for reelection in November.
Here’s what Proudie talked about on the show:
- Her reaction to the end of the special session last week. Her House colleagues declined to take up several initiatives that Parson championed, most notably a bill that would have allowed the attorney general to intervene in St. Louis homicide cases under certain circumstances.
- Her opposition to an early childhood education sales tax that was the subject of a committee hearing in Jefferson City. St. Louis County Council Chairwoman Lisa Clancy, who sponsored that proposal, talked about that issue on last week’s episode of Politically Speaking.
- Alternative ideas to allocate more funds for early childhood education, including examining whether to use excess money from the Special School District of St. Louis or the Children’s Services Fund. She also talked about whether state lawmakers could help in developing an alternative plan.
- A need to put pressure on public property owners, including the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County, to clean up the historically Black community. Proudie recently organized a cleanup effort in Kinloch that attracted prominent Missouri elected officials from both political parties.
Proudie is a Ferguson native who received her undergraduate degree in elementary education from Grambling State University and her master’s degree in mental health counseling from Southern University and A&M College. She is a doctoral candidate at Grambling State.
She spent some of her classroom-teaching career in Louisiana and also served as a school counselor in the Riverview Gardens School District. She earned teaching certifications in Missouri, Illinois, Louisiana and Texas.
Proudie is the chairwoman of the House Urban Issues Committee. She also serves on the House committees dealing with elementary and secondary education and higher education.
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Jaclyn Driscoll on Twitter: @DriscollNPR
Follow Raychel Proudie on Twitter: @rcproudie
Music: “Back That Thang Up” by Juvenile
