St. Louis legislators to attend White House reception

The three: State Reps. Tishaura O. Jones, D-St. Louis, and Rep. Clem Smith, D-Velda Village Hills, and Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University city.

All three are among 600 participants from around the country who are involved in the network, which seeks to provide training and support for young progressives holding elected office.

According to Jones (left), a small group of network members are “invited to the White House to discuss important issues facing states and localities.” President Barack Obama is scheduled to appear at the reception.

Chappelle-Nadal said the network’s mission “is to unite and support progressive elected leaders who share a passion for building communities that reflect values of freedom, fairness and opportunity.

“I am deeply honored to be invited to participate in this event and hope to return with innovative ideas to
implement in Missouri,” she said.

The trio expect to participate in a policy briefing conducted by the Obama administration. Chappelle-Nadal (right) said the topics are to include “housing, immigration reform, innovation, energy and the economy.” The president will host the reception.

“I look forward to learning more about the administration’s efforts to address some of the vital issues facing the nation and our state,” said Smith (left), D-Velda Village Hills. “I expect this will be an invaluable experience.”

Said Jones: “A quality education is the key to economic recovery, and I applaud the president on his progress in both areas. I’m very interested to discover his plans for our continued economic recovery and how we start preparing our children to compete in a global economy.”

Network executive director Andrew Gillum said the network’s attendees at the reception “are on the front lines of progressive change, fighting for the values of fairness, equality and opportunity in their home communities…We’re tremendously proud to be able to help the president get to know our communities and discuss the issues affecting states and localities across the country.”