State Sen. Brian Williams is the latest guest on the Politically Speaking podcast. The University City Democrat joined St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum to talk about his priorities for the 2020 session — and what to expect when the General Assembly hits the home stretch.
Williams represents Missouri’s 14th Senate District, which takes in a slew of municipalities in central and northern St. Louis County. That includes places like University City, Ferguson, Normandy, Bridgeton and Hazelwood.
On the program, Williams talked about:
- Legislation that he’s working on this session, including a bill he introduced that would reduce the time and cost to expunge court records.
- Issues he plans to be involved in as the 2020 session continues. Williams recently put out a statement expressing his opposition to creating “recovery charter schools” in Kansas City, which would be targeted toward high school students with substance abuse disorders.
- Measures making their way through the Missouri Legislature that would loosen some of the state’s gun laws.
- The upcoming election cycle — and whether he’s interested in being a part of it by entering the Democratic primary for St. Louis County executive.
Williams is a Ferguson native who worked many years for U.S. Rep. Lacy Clay, D-University City. Among other things, Williams was responsible for communicating with local and state legislative officials on issues that Clay was working on — such as moving the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to north St. Louis.
He was elected to the Missouri Senate in 2018, defeating two other Democrats in a competitive primary. Since the 14th District is heavily Democratic, winning that primary was tantamount to election.
Follow Jason Rosenbaum on Twitter: @jrosenbaum
Follow Brian Williams on Twitter: @BrianWilliamsMO
Music: “Biggest Part of Me” by Ambrosia
