Reproductive freedom. With legal abortion access facing threats at the national level, we must elect a state legislature that will stand strong to protect it. I am 100% pro-choice and will do everything in my power to ensure that all Pennsylvanians maintain access to safe and affordable reproductive healthcare. All women deserve the freedom to control their own bodies, protect their own health, and build the families they want.

Access & affordability. Healthcare is a human right. Far too many of us have felt significant financial burdens simply by caring for our health and the health of our families. We must lower healthcare costs, push back against the unchecked power of pharmaceutical companies, decrease prescription drug costs, and make necessary, life-saving medical care accessible and affordable for all Pennsylvanians.

Mental health & addiction treatment. I believe mental health requires a similar level of care and attention as physical health. We must do more to increase the accessibility of mental health services, including trauma-informed care and crisis intervention, to all Pennsylvania families. Additionally, the stigma surrounding addiction leaves far too many families vulnerable and without the support to care for loved ones who are suffering. We must do more to build community support to help those suffering from the unending opioid epidemic across our country and commonwealth.

Fair funding. As a mother of four daughters who currently attend our local public schools, I am personally invested in protecting our public education system. Here in the 151st, we are privileged to have excellent public schools. However, Pennsylvania still ranks 44th in the country for the state share of education funding and far too many schools across our commonwealth simply cannot afford to provide their students with adequate supplies, properly maintained facilities, the support staff, and teacher:student ratios necessary to provide the high-quality education every child deserves. It is time to invest even more in our schools and our students to ensure the future is bright for every child in PA, no matter their zip code.

Early childhood education. I firmly believe expanding opportunities for early childhood education is an essential investment in our futures. All children, no matter their family’s financial means, deserve to start kindergarten ready to learn and grow into successful students. The benefits of these investments in both widening access to and increasing the quality of our child care system are undeniable. Not only do these programs strengthen our children’s social, emotional, and intellectual development, they also enable young parents to rejoin the workforce at a much greater rate, boosting our economy and increasing the labor supply.

Our teachers. Our public educators are invaluable members of our community and not only deserve our respect and admiration, but wages that reflect their talents and responsibilities. Without the necessary support and funding to do their jobs well, our educators are burning out and taking their talents to other sectors. This pattern will inevitably lead to a teacher shortage that will hurt our entire public school system. Now more than ever, we need to be uplifting our teachers, paying them well, and fighting to get them the resources they need to support our children.

Charter school reform. By continually failing to hold our charter schools accountable for their allocated funding, our legislature is overburdening our local taxpayers and leaving our public school system without the necessary resources to meet the needs of all our children. As our local school districts struggle to keep up with growing costs, significant reforms in our funding system are necessary to ensure Pennsylvania’s charter schools are accountable both to our students and our local taxpayers.

Affordable childcare. It is undeniable that the pandemic has created a childcare crisis across our country and commonwealth that has left many families struggling to access safe & affordable care for their children. Investment in rebuilding these supports for working families is essential to ensuring the sustainable health of our workforce and our economy.

Living wages. Pennsylvania’s current minimum wage is an embarrassment. Our commonwealth absolutely needs to increase the wage significantly in order to ensure all workers are able to earn a living wage. No one employed full-time should struggle to pay for their family’s most basic needs.

Workers’ rights. As a union wife, I firmly believe that unions are vital to our economy and play a central role in the health of our workforce. Making sure workers have the ability to communicate their needs through collective bargaining will be key to understanding the moment we are facing. We must empower workers to advocate for proper compensation and safe working environments.

Gun violence. Guns are now the leading cause of death for children in our country. Every day, countless families are shattered by senseless gun violence. Our legislators have the power to stop this perpetual loop of horror and heartbreak. Inaction against gun violence is no longer an option. I believe we need to adopt sensible gun legislation to better protect our communities and schools from the deadly violence that has become all too common across our country and commonwealth. It is time to hold those legislators who continue to put guns before people accountable for their inaction.

Supporting our police. I believe in keeping our communities safe by fully funding our police & first responders, and investing in the mental health and social services that help address the root causes of crime and homelessness. I believe that we should all feel safe in our neighborhoods, which includes ensuring all members of our community are treated fairly and bad cops are held accountable for their actions.

Public health. I believe in science and in listening to the recommendations of those who have devoted their lives to understanding medicine, especially when fighting deadly viruses. On matters involving public health, including COVID-19 mitigation, I believe our legislators should be following and enforcing the guidelines set forth by our foremost public health experts.

I am dedicated to fighting for social progress and true equality for all Pennsylvanians – no matter their race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or socioeconomic status.

Racial justice. Racially marginalized groups in Pennsylvania are more likely to face racially motivated discrimination on a daily basis. Our Black and Brown communities are especially vulnerable to the underlying systemic racism that persists in our society. I believe that our legislators should be actively fighting against systemic racial injustice, working to forward meaningful criminal justice reform, and centering voices from marginalized communities in conversations about creating a more equitable society.

LGBTQIA+ rights. All Pennsylvanians, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserve respect and protection under the law. Whether this is the right to healthcare, housing, or employment, I believe our legislature must do more to actively eliminate discrimination in our commonwealth. Our entire LGBTQIA+ community deserves to know they are valued members of our community and to be treated as such.

Women’s rights. In light of the overruling of Roe v. Wade, women’s rights have become more precarious than ever. Instead of meeting this moment with efforts to protect the women of Pennsylvania, our legislators took immediate steps to future strip our rights. Beyond the fight for safe and legal abortion, I am committed forwarding legislative effort to decrease the gender wage gap, empower our mothers and growing families, and protect women for harassment and unfair treatment in their workplaces.

Climate change. I believe climate change is a real threat to our community and will support all sustainable legislation that aims to curb its effects. It is imperative that our leaders consider the long-term consequences of their actions – or inaction – on the climate crisis. Our entire country continues to experience record high temperatures and increasingly extreme weather. A year after we faced the destruction of the tornado caused by Hurricane Ida, far too many of our community members are still coping with devastating losses. We must not only do more to curb the effects of climate change, but to directly support communities facing unprecedented natural disasters.

Clean water. The Pennsylvania Constitution is unique in its promise to provide “clean air and pure water” to its citizens, but state level politics have long been dominated by the interests of the oil & gas industry. Our local leaders must continue to prioritize the health of our air & water supply and the health of our families. I will be a fierce advocate in the fight for equal access to safe & clean water across our region, holding companies accountable for water contamination. Our government should be doing everything in its power to protect our natural resources for future generations.

Small businesses. As COVID-19 has shone a new light on the difficulties faced by our small businesses, with far too many of them forced to temporarily or permanently close. As such, it is crucial to support our local small business community and ensure they have the resources necessary to recover from these additional challenges. I believe our legislators must work to level the playing field to ensure our small businesses can flourish, that large corporations are paying their fair share, and creating an environment where local businesses can create good jobs as we rebuild our economy post-pandemic.

Workforce shortage. There are many creative approaches that our government can take to alleviate the causes that lead to workforce shortages. Beyond expanding access to child care, I believe our local leaders must work with businesses to develop a pipeline to attract talent to skilled worker sectors. Investing more in expanding our public transportation system and regulating housing rates can also be helpful tools in increasing the availability of workers.

Taxes. I believe our legislators must do more to protect local taxpayers by closing loopholes that big corporations frequently exploit, adjusting rates to account for the sky-high cost of living, and allowing our seniors to retire comfortably. We must push back against corporate special interest by holding corporations accountable and relieving overburdened local taxpayers.