My Policy values
HEALTHCARE
I believe every Montanan deserves access to quality, affordable health care. Nobody should have to choose between paying rent and buying prescriptions, or have to wait for months to see a doctor.
Access to health care - including mental health care - is what keeps our families, neighbors, and communities healthy. It allows people to go to work, parents to care for their kids, and our communities to grow and thrive. We must, as a state, continue to invest in Medicaid, mental health care for both adults and children, and reproductive health care.
ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Our state’s social safety net is frayed beyond belief. Hard-working Montanans who experience a financial crisis often have few resources available to keep them in their homes and out of bankruptcy. I believe we should build and maintain systems that support low-income Montanans, including SNAP, housing support, paid sick days, and more.
Montana shouldn’t be a state that only works for the wealthy. I will work to ensure that low-income Montanans are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.
VOTING RIGHTS
Voting rights have been under attack during the last few legislative sessions. Policy makers passed voter suppression laws under the pretext of preventing voter fraud or safeguarding election integrity. Montanans deserve to have access to the ballot without cumbersome barriers.
I will support policies that will expand satellite voting offices for rural communities and same-day voter registration, as well as fighting back continued attempts at voter suppression.
Public education
I was raised by two people deeply invested in public education. My mother was a library director and my father was a college math teacher. Together, they demonstrated to me the importance of access to quality education and investing in our teachers.
The youth of this state are the future and deserve to receive the best access to education and training. I will continue to fight for public education funding for k-12 and college programs across our state, as well as listen to students on what they feel is best for their futures.
TRIBAL RELATIONSHIPS
It is essential that we work alongside the twelve tribal nations in Montana to pass policies that support and honor Indigenous communities both within and outside of Montana’s seven reservations.
I will support state-tribal policy that upholds and protects tribal sovereignty. I will continue to advocate for strong communication with tribal and Indigenous leaders about policies on tax & revenue, our shared economy, and health care.
Public safety
Our criminal legal system is in serious need of reform. There are too many people ending up in prison or jail for crimes related to poverty, mental illness, substance use, or homelessness. This is having a detrimental impact to our communities, as well as our local and state economies.
I will support economically smart public safety policies that will reduce our reliance on incarceration, while simultaneously increasing access and availability to jobs, services, and housing.
In addition to prevention instead of punishment, I am against all forms of government or private funded surveillance systems, like Flock. I believe these are an infringement to our safety and privacy, and except in specific, limited instances, believe these should be banned.
climate and public lands
Montanans have a constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment. Threats to this right impact our health and economy. Growing up in Billings, I was lucky to have the opportunity to fish the Yellowstone River and hike the Beartooth Mountains with my family. These opportunities should be protected and preserved for the next generation and the generations after that. Our outdoor heritage is part of what makes Montana so special, and I will work to keep it that way.
The legislature over the last few sessions has seen many attacks to environmental protections and common-sense regulation of polluters. I will continue to fight against any further attacks and work with my colleagues to create forward-looking climate policy that will protect the Montana we know and love.
