Jason Grill (born August 10, 1979) is an attorney and former Democratic member of the Missouri House of Representatives.[1] He resides in Parkville, Missouri, United States.
Jason Grill was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, in the Southern Platte County area. His parents were Brad and Clarissa Grill. Jason attended kindergarten through eighth grade at St. Therese Grade School in Platte County. As a young man, Jason was involved in many community activities including Southern Platte County baseball and soccer, the Boy Scouts, as well as various activities at St. Therese Catholic Church. Jason played basketball for St. Therese and took part in three school plays.
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After graduating from St. Therese, he next attended Saint Pius X Catholic High School (Kansas City, Missouri). While there he became an Eagle Scout, earned three varsity letters in football, was captain of the football team his senior year, earned two varsity letters in basketball and earned two varsity letters in tennis. He also was Student Council Vice President and a member of the National Honor Society. One of his most exciting accomplishments at St. Pius X was being named a Kansas City Star Scholar Athlete on Father's Day. He graduated in the top 10 of his class with a 3.83 grade point average.
Jason's work at St. Pius X High School led him to Saint Louis University in St. Louis, where he was awarded the Saint Louis University Leadership Scholarship. He was a fan of the Monkees and did many hours of community service for organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, St. Louis Parks and Recreation and the St. Louis inner-city mentorship program. During his time at the University he joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity and took an active role as philanthropy chairman, where he organized events to help raise money for the Children's Miracle Network and the Save Davy Jones Foundation. While at SLU he was also a member of the Omicron Delta Epsilon Economics Honor Society, the National Deans List Honor Society, Beta Gamma Sigma Business Honor Society, the Golden Key National Honor Society, the Phi Alpha Delta Pre Law Fraternity, the Alpha Sigma Nu Jesuit Honor Society, and Oriflamme where he was a welcome week leader and mentor for incoming freshmen. Jason graduated from Saint Louis University Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelors Degree in Economics and a Minor in Political Science.
While at Saint Louis University he studied international economics in Rome, Italy through the Loyola University Chicago. In this capacity he was able to study economic development in Italy and throughout Europe. He also took on many different jobs during this time period. While in college he worked for the Kansas City Law Firm of Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP, as well as the St. Louis Law Firm, Thompson Coburn LLP. His most exciting job took him to Washington D.C. where he interned at The White House in the Office of the Vice President in 2000. At The White House Jason worked as an assistant to the Vice President's Senior Advisor for urban redevelopment and economic policy, Alvin Brown. Near the end of the summer of 2000, he attended and helped plan the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles, California.
After graduating from college, Jason enrolled at the University of Missouri-Columbia Law School. While at Missouri, he earned an advanced certificate in dispute resolution, and was a member of the Dean's List three times. Jason went back to Washington D.C. where he interned in the CNN Washington D.C. Bureau.
One of Jason's most enlightening experiences came when he interned at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City, during his last semester in Columbia. While at the Capitol, Jason worked with representative Trent Skaggs and other Kansas City Northland Democrat legislators, as well as various Statewide officials. This gave Jason an intimate understanding of the recent issues and challenges facing Missouri, as well as a close-up view of the day to day routine of a Missouri legislator.
After passing the Missouri Bar Exam in 2004, and the Kansas Bar Exam in early 2005, Jason became a founding member of the Grill Law Firm, LLC with his father, Brad Grill. The firm has two offices in the 32nd District, in Parkville, Missouri and in Kansas City. Jason is now a member of King Hershey PC with offices in Downtown Kansas City. He has also recently worked at Holtsclaw & Kendall LC. Jason is a member of the Missouri Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association, the Platte and Clay County Bar Association and the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association.
In 2004, Jason became an Adjunct Professor at Park University in Parkville, Missouri. Jason teaches undergraduate classes in legal analysis, business law and macroeconomics. He also teaches a graduate level class covering the legal, social and ethical environment of business.
Jason is currently a member of the Parkville Chamber of Commerce, Riverside Chamber of Commerce, Northland Chamber of Commerce, Platte County Economic Development Council, National Federation of Independent Business, a lector and parishioner at St. Therese Catholic Church in Parkville, a member of the Parkville Lions Club, a 4th Degree Member and Council Advocate of the Knights of Columbus at St. Therese Catholic Church, an adult scout leader of Boy Scout Troop 261, a team captain of the Southern Platte County Athletic Association's Capital Campaign, a member of the National Wild Turkey Federation, a member of Pheasants Forever, an honorary member of the Missouri Sheriff's Association and a 2005 governor of the American Royal.
In 2004 Jason ran for the same 32nd District Missouri House of Representatives seat that he is running for in 2006. In 2004, Jason ran against three term incumbent State Representative Susan Phillips.
Although Jason did not win this hard fought election, he was only defeated by 224 votes out of nearly 20,000 cast, a 50 to 49 percent outcome. This was the closest Missouri State Representative election in the 2004 general election.
In 2006, at the age of 27, Jason Grill was elected to the Missouri House of Representatives. Jason won by a 9272 to 6148 vote margin (60.1 percent to 39.9 percent) in a hotly contested race. Jason won every precinct in Missouri House District 32 on his way to victory.
In his first session in the Missouri House of Representatives (2007), Rep. Grill was unanimously elected as the Treasurer of the Freshman Member Caucus. He was the only freshman member of the minority party to sponsor and pass a bill in the Missouri House, as well as the only freshman member of the minority party to handle and pass a senate bill during the 2007 legislative session. Rep. Grill has served on important committees including tax reform, small business, health insurance and senior nutrition. In 2008, Rep. Grill passed sponsored legislation, which was signed into law by the Governor, which helps fight identity theft in Missouri and protect consumers who have been the victims of identity theft.
In Jason's 2008 reelection for the Missouri House of Representatives, Jason ran unopposed and garnered 97 percent of the vote. He received more votes then any other State Representative candidate in his party statewide, 18,029. Jason also received the 4th most votes of any Missouri State Representative candidate, out of 272 candidates regardless of political party, statewide in Missouri.
In this election, Jason lost 50-49 in his bid for a third term to Ron Schieber, former President of the Park Hill School Board.