My Platform

Address Our Housing Crisis & Restore Property Tax Fairness for Homeowners.

As our state faces inevitable population growth, the cost of housing is increasing and outpacing wages. It’s the start of an eviction and housing epidemic much like our neighboring states. However, unlike our neighbors we still have time to get ahead of the problem and need to start coming up with state-centered solutions to support communities’ efforts to prevent and end homelessness. This is my area of expertise and has been my focus in the Capitol. Property tax reform, landlord-tenant policies, and boosting our housing stock are just a few of the things I have worked on.

Invest in Public Education.

My mom taught in Idaho’s schools for 30 years, and I saw first-hand how limited our schools’ funding mechanisms are. Quality, public education for our kids is something everyone should be able to get around. I hope to bring some common sense solutions to the table to get Idaho to commit to educating our kids better. Did you know supplemental levies have to foot the bill for 30% of our public education system? Fully funding public education at the state level will also help lower property taxes.

In recent years, there has been a big push to pass private school vouchers in the Legislature, which I oppose. Across the country, private vouchers have been proven to cost states hundreds of millions of dollars without improving education systems.

Preserve Open Spaces.

I grew up enjoying Idaho’s lands and our state’s beauty is embedded in my bones. I’m committed to protecting our open spaces. I've worked with rural communities to protect communities as out-of-state companies attempted land grabs, and our state is facing a similar threat from outside investors. I have worked to implement greater protections for our public lands, keeping them accessible and open to Idaho’s people.

Fiscal Responsibility

As an Idaho Democrat, I believe a balanced budget is vital for our state. I also believe in tax fairness, and want to improve decisions the state has made about tax burden. Idaho provides many tax exemptions to lobbyists and corporations, while passing off much of the tax burden to working families. There is work to be done there.

At the same time, the state economy is in the midst of unprecedented growth, and we have an opportunity and need to make investments that will reap dividends in the future, and prevent problems that will cost our state more down the line. I have remained committed to working with stakeholders to make sure the investments we are making in the state are well-placed, and that we don’t waste money on unnecessary spending which does not benefit all Idahoans (like school vouchers) and lawsuits.

Improve Our Criminal Justice System.

The effects of the criminal justice system ripple out and affect thousands of families around our state, preventing people from moving on to find housing and employment. Our policies are causing our state’s prisons to overcrowd and local governments are paying the bills. There are many opportunities to implement reforms that make our criminal justice system more restorative and cost-efficient. Juvenile Justice Courts and Drug Courts are just a couple of examples of good policy that have already reaped many benefits for the state and people.

Ensure Access to Health Care.

Through my work in the nonprofit sector, I’ve seen too many families struggle with physical and mental health, which impacts their ability to thrive. Medicaid expansion was a great first step, but I continue to support solutions at the state level that ensure our neighbors get access to the quality health care resources they need. Having a healthy population will ultimately will save our state tens of millions in the future.

Separately, continue to be concerned about the effects of Idaho’s abortion ban, which is preventing women from receiving abortions even when the fetus has no chance of survival, and women’s health, fertility, or even lives are at risk.