ISSUES

Along with many of my neighbors in Fr anklin County, I have learned a lot about data centers this year. Not one, but 2 hyperscale data centers have been proposed within HD 119. These would take up hundreds of acres of farm land and have left the people of my district with many questions. The county commissioners who are supposed to look out for the good of the citizens have been slow to listen and still have not provided a time for questions and answers. As citizens ask about their safety, environmental impacts, financial impacts, and the way of life they expected when choosing to live in Franklin County the commissioners remain quiet. My race is a state race, and currently the fight is a local one. Unfortunately, we are not alone in this fight. Data centers are trying to force their way in across the state.

This is complex issue which calls for more study. Ideally, Missouri would declare a moratorium on data centers so that we all can learn more about the pros and cons. However, with the heavy support from the governor and some lawmakers, a moratorium seems unlikely. If elected, a priority would be to sponsor or support a bill at the state level which would provide some basic protection or Missourians who find themselves fighting to be heard by local officials. Ideally there would be legislation to keep the citizens from paying increased utility bills to cover expansion of the grid required by the data centers, protect our water both from pollution and depletion, and protection from pollution including light and noise pollution.

I have been fighting for healthcare since we put the Medicaid Expansion on the ballot in 2020. I gathered signatures for the ballot initiative to allow Missourians to vote on the issue. It was an honor to have the opportunity to travel to Washington D.C. in 2025 to lobby for Medicaid while the bill to cut Medicaid for many was being debated. I got to join others overnight to protest the bill while the Congress met under the cover of darkness to pass a bill that did not help Missouri or America.

Quality, accessible, and affordable health care is every Missourian’s right. But every year Missouri families must make increasingly difficult decisions for how they prioritize spending on prescription drugs and medical bills over the basic costs of living.

Missouri ranks 40th of the states in life expectancy. The average life expectancy in Missouri has gone down for the last several years. We need to look at our practices and those of states with the longer life expectancies and see how we can improve our system to keep us all healthier for longer.

As your state representative I will make providing access to top notch medical care a priority.

Every Missouri child should have access to free, quality public education regardless of their zip code. As your representative, I will work to strengthen our public schools and fully fund our commitment to our kids. I will not use tax payer money for vouchers which weaken the education system by taking money that could be used for public education and allowing it to be used by schools that do not have serve all students or meet state regulations.

I will support universal early childhood education, because investing in our kids from an early age is the best way for us to invest in our future. As an elementary teacher of nearly 30 years, I have seen first hand what a difference early exposure to childhood experiences can make. I will also support investment in higher education and workforce training, to ensure all Missourians have the opportunity to gain the skills to compete in our economy. Education is important not just because taking care of our children and setting them up for success in the future is the right thing to do, but it also helps our state grow. A strong education system not only makes young adults more likely to stay in the state, but it can help attract new businesses to our state.

A strong economy is one that works for everyone. As your state rep, I’ll fight for those who truly build up our economy—our workers—for the wages, benefits, and protections they deserve. I’ll support investments in educational opportunities to support a 21st century workforce.

I’ll work for policies that support local businesses who provide good jobs in our state and keep our economy growing. And I’ll work to bring new businesses here that want to capitalize on our skilled Missouri workforce and quality of life. But I’ll always put workers’ interests before the special interests of large corporations.

Central to the role of government is to fairly enforce the law, and to provide protection for its people. I will support our law enforcement officers in their difficult jobs, while also demanding accountability when they overreach.

I will support tough sentences for violent criminals, while also seeking ways to reduce our prison population and reintegrate folks into society after they have served their time. I’ll also support drug treatment courts and diversion programs that find alternative ways to punish and rehabilitate non-violent criminals without simply throwing them in prison.

No matter where you live in Missouri, the root causes of crime are the same: a lack of educational and work opportunities, along with drug addiction and poverty. Addressing these basic issues must always be central in any conversation about crime.

Our prescription drug epidemic tragically touches too many families in every community across Missouri. Tracking the frequency of prescriptions filled for these addictive drugs would allow for a chance to intervene with high risk users and save lives.

One critical tool our state can deploy to combat the misuse of opioids is the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP). Missouri remains the only state in the entire country without a statewide PDMP, and I will support efforts to finally pass this legislation for our citizens.

Agriculture is the backbone of Missouri, and at the heart of it are our family farms—where many of us call home and why generations before us settled here. But passing down our way of life to future generations is becoming increasingly challenging.

Our local communities used to have a say in how farming was done in our backyards, but the Republican-led state legislature has passed bills favoring large corporate farms and pushing out family farms.

Last year, state Republicans passed a bill taking control from local communities to regulate certain large feeding operations known as CAFOs. This allows large scale operations to buy up local farms, push the production limits of the land, and pollute our communities’ treasured landscape without local oversight.

As your state rep, I’ll advocate for the state of Missouri to protect local control, giving ordinary citizens easier access to have their say on how farming operates in their community.

Government works best when it is closer to the people it serves. I respect the fabric of our local communities and trust them to know best when it comes to overcoming the challenges they face.

In Missouri, we have seen many decisions influenced by special interests, circumventing the will of local communities on local issues by preempting local ordinances with state law or by diluting local opposition to matters by including state-wide votes.

I believe in the saying “show me your budget, and I’ll show you your values.” Our state’s budget serves as a moral contract with our citizens. Every year, it is up to the state government to allocate the tax dollars you pay to maintain and improve our quality of living.

But while our schools are underfunded, our health care costs are on the rise while our taxes increase, and we’re borrowing money to pay for our crumbling roads and bridges, corporations in Missouri are receiving tax cuts and incentive packages.

We simply should not be handing out money to corporations hoping that prosperity will trickle down. As your state rep, I will be a careful steward of your tax dollars in Jefferson City.

I believe you and your family are the economic drivers of our state. Our budget should reflect that by investing in the things that will improve you and your family’s life, rather than lining the pockets of big businesses.

Every person should have the autonomy to make decisions about their body and their life. Republicans have passed extreme abortion bans in recent years, limiting access to abortion even in cases of rape, incest, or medical need.

Mothers die from childbirth in Missouri in numbers far greater than the rest of the industrialized world, and instead of promoting health care, Missouri legislators have placed burdensome restrictions on it.

Republicans have gone so far as to pass legislation that costs hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars to defend against Constitutional challenges, while at the same time blaming budget shortfalls for lack of funding for essential items like school transportation.

As your state rep, I will stand with women for the right to make the best decisions about their health care for their own lives.

Faith in government and the political process is the cornerstone of a functioning democracy. As your state rep, I’ll fight to shine a light on those who conceal their donors and influence our politics with dark money.

Over the years, Republicans have eroded the barrier between special interests and politics. In 2018, Missourians overwhelmingly voted in favor of Amendment 1, known as CLEAN MO. It capped contributions and limited the way money could move in and out of campaign coffers.

Special interests have continued to find loopholes around these laws, pushing ‘dark money’ further into the political process. At the same time, Republicans are advocating for the repeal of Amendment 2.

Ultimately, this campaign isn’t about me. This is your campaign and I want you to be proud of it and the coalition we build along the way. That’s why I’ll provide you easy access to the sources of our campaign money.

Every year for the past two decades, the Missouri Non-Discrimination Act (MONA) has been filed, only to be blocked by Republicans. MONA would allow basic protections to our LGBTQ community by adding sexual orientation and gender identity to Missouri’s Human Rights Act.

Missourians should not have to fear losing their jobs or being denied housing for who they love—discrimination that is currently completely legal in our state.

Meanwhile, Republicans in recent years have also passed legislation that makes it easier for employers, landlords or businesses to discriminate based on race, age, religion or gender—more so than in any other state.

As your state rep, I will work for a Missouri that welcomes people regardless of race, religion, gender, age or sexual orientation, and protects all people from discrimination.