Biographical Information
County
Montgomery
Occupation
State Representative, PA HD150; VP, Accenture Federal; VP Gestalt; Colonel, USAF (ret); Associate Professor
Education
PhD, George Washington Univ; MA, US Naval War College; MA, Wright State Univ; BS, US Air Force Academy
Qualifications
Incumbent elected 2018 who brings character, work ethic, and both analytics and compassion to the mission of serving our community.
X Handle
What do you see as the most pressing issues facing Pennsylvanians, and how would you address them?
This election is about addressing the future of Pennsylvania --- everything from public education and extreme weather events --- to protecting the right to abortion and reproductive health, to defending democracy. I work every day to fulfill the promise of justice and liberty for every Pennsylvanian.
What changes would you support making to Pennsylvania’s voting laws to expand access, ensure security, and support local election officials and processes?
There are two policy areas important to protecting PA’s voters: first is the administration of voting--funding election services so PA’s counties can do their work. Remember: PA’s elections were audited numerous times and they were secure. But there are also numerous technical changes required for mail-in ballots (including dates, secrecy envelopes, drop boxes) to increase access. See my bill: PA HB 282. The second step is Campaign Finance Reform. Pennsylvania has no limits on campaign contributions, gifts, and no controls on outside money, “dark money,” or foreign-owned, corporate contributions. All of this must be regulated so Pennsylvania’s elected officials serve only Pennsylvania’s interests. I have introduced those bills also.
What legislation would you support to comply with the Commonwealth Court's ruling that Pennsylvania’s school funding system is unconstitutional and must be reformed?
We need to pass Governor Shapiro’s 2024-25 budget request. In this regard, the responsibility of the legislature is not “legislative.” It’s budgetary. The Governor has proposed a five year increase to meet the Constitutional requirement. We should fund $1.5B this year (we have a $14B surplus!). This provides the ability for school districts to adjust (to hire and build the programs required) and it gives Pennsylvania time to grow into its true responsibility over five years. We also need to pass HB1422 in the Senate and control the cost of cyber charter schools. Then, at the very least, we must make all charter schools subject to basic government audits. We should know where every tax dollar is spent. That’s a pretty simple principle.
What changes, if any, would you support making to Pennsylvania’s abortion laws?
Abortion is legal in Pennsylvania. And, because we have a Democratic majority in the PA House, there will be no constitutional amendment to ban abortion in Pennsylvania. Sadly, we now must also make sure women in PA are not subject to legal threats from the states that are criminalizing basic reproductive health needs. HBs 1784 through 1789, which I have cosponsored, represent a package of bills that will prohibit other states from attacking our citizens and our doctors. They protect medical records, home addresses and insurers. Most important: these bills protect the basic healthcare needs of Pennsylvania’s women. We need to pass every one of these bills.