VOTE411 Voter Guide

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I am passionate about tax policy and serve on three tax committees in the state legislature. I saw the pain that was caused during the 2023 Jackson County assessment, and I want to keep that from happening again. I'm particularly proud to have supported the senior property tax freeze in the House and that's also why I support our county having an elected assessor.

Our tax policies should not benefit our most wealthy at the expense of middle and lower income families, which is why I opposed the capital gains tax deduction last year. I am also opposed to raising sales taxes on working families and retirees at a time when costs are already high, which is why I oppose Amendment 5 this year.

As a member of the House Budget Committee I see the impact of poor financial decisions as they are starting to impact the essential services provided by our state such as education, mental health, senior and disability services and public safety. We need sound, balanced fiscal policies.

As a member of the House Budget committee, my top priority will be working on the difficult decisions of how to cut a billion dollars from the state budget, necessitated by fewer federal dollars and reduced state revenue. It is going to be essential to prioritize the resources that are most essential. It is going to be painful, and it is going to force us to focus on identifying and funding the most critical services.

If Amendment 5 passes, I will also be focused on answering the questions left unanswered in the ballot amendment: - Which sales and use taxes will be increased and how do we make sure the changes don't hurt working families and families on fixed incomes? - And how do we make sure that our decisions don't make our impending state budget problems even worse?