Power Profile: Representative Steve Butz
Representative Steve Butz, D-St. Louis, represents the 81st District in the Missouri House of Representatives. His district includes parts of the City of St. Louis. Photo provided by Tim Bommel/House Communications.
South St. Louis City has been home to Rep. Steve Butz for decades, and his work in Jefferson City is about more than policy debates. His focus is on helping the community continue to grow, modernize and provide opportunities for families.
“You have both a respect for the history and a commitment to seeing that city you love prosper and do well,” Butz said.
First elected in 2018, Butz represents the 81st District in the Missouri House of Representatives and has made infrastructure and economic development the cornerstones of his legislative work. He said ensuring his district has a strong voice in statewide decisions is what keeps him focused in a Capitol often dominated by rural interests.
One of the most significant measures he recently supported was Senate Bill 4, the wide-ranging utility bill signed into law earlier this year. Butz called the legislation a turning point for Missouri’s energy future and a chance to deliver long-term job opportunities for workers.
“Lots of good jobs were tied up in that bill,” he said. “If we don’t accept the fact that we have to dramatically upgrade the power grid, and that just has to happen, then we won’t be able to move forward as a region.”
He pointed to projects such as burying utility lines, upgrading the grid and replacing aging infrastructure as essential for both reliability and economic growth.
As Missouri transitions away from coal, Butz supports an energy mix that is both affordable and dependable. He sees natural gas as a necessary bridge fuel and believes nuclear power should remain part of the conversation, especially as new technologies emerge.
“We have to use every affordable alternative source of energy,” he said. “Natural gas is cleaner than coal, and it makes perfect sense to me. And for those that say we’re not going to go down the road of nuclear, I just think that’s short-sighted.”
Butz stressed the importance of innovation, such as small modular nuclear reactors, as key to keeping energy reliable while meeting future demand. He believes maintaining flexibility in the state’s energy policy will be critical in the years ahead.
His views on policy are also shaped by decades in business. Butz has been president of Crawford-Butz Insurance for 25 years, leading the company his father founded “with nothing but a telephone and the white pages.” Running the agency with several of his siblings has been one of the most rewarding experiences of his career, he said.
“Honestly, I’ve been here 42 years now, and we’ve only had about four bad days in all that time,” he said.
That business background, he added, taught him the importance of practical problem-solving. It also reinforced his focus on workforce development, which he has made a key part of his legislative work.
“Good jobs are good jobs,” he said. “Anything that raises the skill set of Missourians and raises their family’s economic future is also my top priority. For some people, those kinds of careers create generational change.”
Serving in the minority party, Butz said compromise is central to how he approaches policy. He believes progress comes when lawmakers focus less on ideology and more on results.
“Compromise is 100% of life,” he said. “Nobody gets left behind, but nobody gets everything they want.”
Butz said he hopes to carry that same spirit into the Missouri Senate, where he is running to represent the 4th Senatorial District, which spans parts of both the city and county of St. Louis.
“We have to work together more as a region,” he said. “And I think most voters don’t want to endlessly fight about far-left or far-right positions. They want compromise in the large middle. If we don’t get more politicians to reject extremism, we’re headed to a dark place.”
For Butz, politics and public service remain grounded in the same values that have guided his personal life. The oldest of 11 siblings, he grew up in a household where negotiation was part of everyday life. He married his high school sweetheart, Angie, and together they raised six children. Today, they enjoy spending time with their 10 grandchildren.
“At Thanksgiving when we all get together, which is like 110 of us, we just say, ‘No politics for the next three hours,’” he said. With that rule in place, he added, gatherings are about enjoying family time.
When he is away from Jefferson City, Butz often heads to Eagle Hurst Ranch in Steelville, Missouri, where his parents first bought property when he was a child.
“I’m a country boy at heart, a country boy stuck in the city,” he said. “We’ve got a couple horses, a tractor, a hay wagon. I fish, and it’s a great place to take the kids and grandkids.”
From business to public office, Butz said the same principles apply: focus on people, look for common ground and invest in the future. For him, that means better infrastructure, stronger communities and more opportunities for the next generation.
To learn more about Rep. Butz and his work in the Missouri House, please visit his official House webpage.