About Working Families!

In Jefferson City, I will fight for workers and their families. The working class keeps our communities, state, and country moving–we should all be able to thrive, not just survive. Individual workers and working families are being hurt by the rising cost of housing, food, child care, medications, and other necessities--not to mention the overall economic impact when one can't afford things like entertainment, travel, and non-essential items that support local businesses. Working Missourians and their families deserve better than what the Republican supermajority has wrought upon us over the past two decades.

Going beyond “paycheck to paycheck”

Many workers and working families in the 87th district are struggling to make ends meet with stifled wages, inflation, and exorbitant healthcare costs. Too many of us struggle to survive from paycheck to paycheck. I will fight hard to ensure that people are able to take care of themselves and their families with increased wages that reflect their professional background. I will also fight to protect employee pension systems and Social Security benefits to help people earn and plan for their retirement. I will promote and support access to programs such as WIC to help support their family’s nutritional needs, as well as other programs and subsidies that support workers, parents, children, and families in Missouri.

Access to health care and paid leave

We all deserve high-quality healthcare that won’t bankrupt us. Pregnant workers and new parents should have paid leave, and people need to be able to support themselves and their families through an illness, whether acute or chronic. We all know people who have returned to work before they or their loved one were medically cleared because they didn’t have sufficient paid leave and they needed their paychecks. We also know too many stories of people rationing their medications (or going without), or someone who can’t afford new glasses or dental work, or someone who can't afford modifications to safely enter and navigate their home due to disability, injury, or aging. I will fight for all Missourians to have access to affordable, high-quality healthcare, including the medications, supplies, and accessibility tools they need. This includes fully supporting and properly funding Medicare and Medicaid-- something Republicans continue to fight, despite the majority of Missourians supporting expanding accessibility.

Child care for families

Child care is another hurdle for working parents. Child care costs can often be almost as much as a mortgage or rent payment, or the bulk of a parent's paycheck. I will work to make child care more affordable for working parents. This includes fighting for universal pre-K and child tax credits, increasing eligibility for child care subsidies, improving access to before- and after-school child care, and ensuring child care workers are professionally compensated to help address issues with understaffing that make quality child care hard to find.

Affordable housing

There are a lot of great neighborhoods, subdivisions, and communities in the 87th District. However, for many of us, rent payments have increased dramatically in recent years, and it has also been harder for people to become homeowners. As a legislator, I will work to preserve existing affordable housing, create more affordable housing, and ensure that landlords aren’t taking advantage of tenants by overcharging or inflating rent. I will also advocate for subsidies to help people manage their rent or mortgage payments, especially for first-time homebuyers.

Everyone pays their fair share

As we all know, taxes are crucial for funding vital public services in our communities, but all too often, our lower- and middle-income residents pay more than their fair share in taxes, while wealthier citizens and corporations often skate by without paying as much as they could or should. I will vote to ensure the tax code is fair for all Missourians, with an emphasis on cutting taxes for lower- and middle-income residents. I will fight to ensure that corporations and our wealthiest individuals pay their fair share of taxes.

Fighting corporate greed

Another cause of rising costs boils down to greed on the part of corporations and their executives. We’ve seen prices for food, household items, and other basic necessities go up and up and up, and at the same time, we’ve seen corporations boast greater and greater quarterly and annual profits, and executives get exorbitant bonuses and pay raises while their employees struggle to get by, and consumers struggle to afford items at the grocery store. I will fight corporate greed by making sure corporations pay their fair share of taxes and pay all of their employees a professional, living wage, and I will work to make sure corporations are not price-gouging consumers. We need to look at things such as supply chain disruptions and see what we can do to improve those, as we know those drive up the cost of everyday items.

I’ll work for YOU in Jefferson City!

As a legislator, I am interested in serving on the Children & Families Committee and the Pensions Committee, as well as any subcommittees, joint committees, or other House committees focused on issues impacting Missouri’s workers and working families.  I can’t wait to get to work on behalf of residents in the 87th District and for all Missourians.