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Legislation that I plan to advance if elected includes:
Healthcare: This includes affordability (healthcare costs and medical debt), access to care (protecting the medical and dental safety net providers), and mitigating the impact of private equity and for profit companies.
Climate sustainability and resilience: Minnesota’s capital investment process is a powerful tool for addressing the impact of climate change, and also for promoting clean air and clean water.
Workforce development: As our workforce shrinks due to aging of Boomers and the federally-driven moves against immigrants, we need to promote worker-friendly policies and invest in education and training for all types of employment.
A vibrant economy depends on infrastructure of all kinds. We must expand investment in housing, access to child care, adequate funding for public education, and access to transportation. Regarding inflation, we have less direct control over the causes so we need to help people blunt the costs of federally triggered inflation through food programs including free school meals, healthcare, housing support, expanded child tax credits, and tax benefits for low to middle income seniors.
Addressing racial and ethnic disparities is a moral requirement with economic and social benefits. I consider equity in all policy areas as I draft bills. I’ll also support specific solutions such as targeted maternal and child health programs, and programs that help members of diverse communities become educators. We must consult with and consider the needs of sovereign tribal communities as we make policy. We also need to provide economic assistance to businesses affected by Metro Surge.
Yes, I strongly support the ballot issue to add the ERA to our state constitution. We must protect the rights of everyone, which is exactly what the ERA will do. The Minnesota ERA will prevent wage discrimination, which is a widespread problem. It also ensures reproductive freedom, rights for our LGBTQ+ community, protection for people with disabilities, and stronger legal protections for communities of color.
Legislation to protect drinking water would include further funding to remove lead pipes and steps to address PFAs in local drinking water, including holding polluters accountable. We must prioritize water quality protections in sensitive environments like the BWCA and support communities and farmers through stable Soil and Water Conservation District funding. I also support the cumulative impacts for air quality legislation passed in 2023 to protect disproportionately harmed communities.
Having safe communities requires addressing the epidemic of gun violence. I’m committed to common-sense, evidence-based gun violence prevention legislation that Minnesotans strongly support: banning semiautomatic military-style assault weapons, high-capacity magazines, dangerous modifications like binary triggers, and safe storage. We need to invest in mental health supports, partly through funding and through workforce development so we have the people we need to care for our communities.
Citizens United places barriers to removing big money, but states are able to limit corporate spending on elections. In particular, we can pass legislation that would remove political spending from corporate charters as an allowed expenditure by corporations. In addition, we can expand visibility into donors and maintain Minnesota’s Public Subsidy program for state elections, which amplifies the influence of small donors.
