| Senator Brian Williams has proudly represented the 14th Senatorial District in St. Louis County since 2018, and currently serves as the Assistant Minority Floor Leader. Senator Williams is the first Black male to serve in the Missouri Senate in two decades.
Sen. Williams was drawn to public service after studying government and public health policy, a passion that eventually led him to the U.S. Congress. He worked as a congressional staffer for several years, and oversaw the Missouri rollout of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace under President Obama's administration.
In his time as a senator, Sen. Williams has created legislation allowing those with sickle cell anemia to access needed pain medication prescriptions; protected individuals' MO ABLE funds for disability costs; and leads the Capitol's annual human trafficking awareness day.
During the 2021 legislative session, Sen. Williams passed into law comprehensive police reform, S.B. 53 and 60. These sweeping criminal justice reforms-
- Established the strongest use of force database in the country;
- Prohibit law enforcement from using a respiratory chokehold without deadly force authorization;
- Ensure adequate feminine hygiene products at no cost to female offenders while in a correctional facility or jail;
- And shortened the delay to request an expungement for those who have paid their debt to society.
Sen. Williams also added a provision that helps set innocent people free from wrongful imprisonment. This provision allows prosecutors and circuit attorneys to file a motion to vacate convictions if they believe the convicted person is innocent, a change that was instrumental in the 2021 release of Kevin Strickland, who was wrongfully convicted for over 40 years.
In addition to legislative duties, he serves as a board director for People's Health Center, where he helped develop a behavioral healthcare center for underserved children. He is also a member of the advisory boards for St. Louis Crisis Nursery, Simmons Bank, iHeart Media, Nurses for Newborns, and the University City Children's Center.
Senator Williams currently resides in University City, and is a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity. |