During the 2023 legislative short session, my colleagues and I provided significant resources to address affordable housing, homelessness, and mental health services. We funded early literacy programs and furnished increased support for our K-12 and higher education systems. We invested in the growth of the high-tech sector to help create thousands of good-paying jobs. We also passed a child tax credit for families that are struggling to make ends meet.
Yet, there is much more work to be done. Here are a few of the issues I am most passionate about:
Economic Empowerment
Oregon's economy remains strong, but we continue to face challenges. The cost of housing, healthcare, food, and other essentials are rising. Many jobs don’t pay a living wage. Parents can’t return to work due to a lack of childcare options. Business owners can’t find enough qualified workers. We can do more to alleviate these problems.
I want to empower people by supporting policies like:
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Increasing the state’s Earned Income Tax Credit to help working families.
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Easing the housing crisis by eliminating the mortgage interest deduction on vacation homes and invest the revenue in affordable housing initiatives.
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Ensuring access to affordable childcare so that parents do not have to choose between their career and growing their family.
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Creating “portable benefit” mechanisms that allow gig and part-time workers to obtain benefits contributed to by multiple employers.
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Investing in industrial site readiness so that our cities and counties have the resources to prepare land for development.
Education
The public school system is the cornerstone of our community. It provides our kids with the skills they need to succeed. It also gives them the opportunity to dream big and become the innovators of tomorrow.
Unfortunately, Oregon’s school system has too often been starved of resources. The Student Success Act of 2019 was a step in the right direction, but it was unable to overcome over a decade of budget cuts. Census data indicates that nearly half the other states spend more per pupil on their students than we do. If this trend continues, our kids will be at a disadvantage when competing for the jobs of the future.
That is why I support policies like the following:
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Providing additional funding for hands-on learning so that students can stay engaged and focused on their future career possibilities.
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Encouraging partnerships between public schools and the private as well as non-profit sectors to multiply the impact of taxpayer dollars.
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Creating a statewide youth apprenticeship program so that high school students can jumpstart their careers.
Equal Justice
It is an unfortunate reality that the justice someone receives is too often tied to how much money they have. Those with resources in civil or criminal cases have a distinct advantage. Those with limited funds can become overwhelmed or exhausted and many give up even though their cause is just.
That is why I want to level the playing field by doing things like:
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Ensuring equal access to justice by increasing funding for legal aid centers – especially those providing services for elder law cases, housing cases, and family law cases involving domestic violence.
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Protecting consumers by adding insurance companies to the Unlawful Trade Practices Act.
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Reforming our laws regarding debt collection to eliminate abuses that keep people in poverty.
Climate Change
The effects of climate change are all around us. In 2021, Oregon experienced over 1,000 wildfires, an ice storm that caused the biggest power outage in our state’s history, and a record-breaking heatwave that killed over 100 people. This type of severe weather is deadly as well as destructive and it’s only going to get worse unless we do something. Failing to do our part is not only immoral, it’s economically short-sighted.
That is why I support policies to protect our community, encourage the creation of “green” jobs, and address the impacts of climate change. Examples include:
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Encouraging the deployment of clean fuels in our trucking and transportation systems.
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Encouraging the decarbonization of buildings through tax incentives.
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Establishing a Disaster Pay Fund to provide paycheck replacement for workers who are unable to work due to natural disasters and extreme weather conditions.