Issues

















Education

As a parent of three students who graduated from District 196 schools, I know that they received a comprehensive education and were well prepared for their chosen paths. As a real estate professional, I know that excellent schools keep our property values high, encourage local businesses, and promote safe neighborhoods. School District 196 has some of the most renowned schools in the nation, with experienced and highly trained teachers who are committed to a safe, welcoming, and productive learning environment. As your Representative, I have supported legislation that ensures our public schools continue to be the best in the nation.

With my full support, the Minnesota Legislature has:

As your State Representative, I will:

















Affordable Comprehensive Healthcare for All

Women’s Reproductive Health:

I am the pro-choice candidate in this race. Private medical decisions should remain private, not controlled by legislators. I voted to protect women’s rights to make reproductive choices for themselves and their families. This freedom is essential to the economic and emotional health of Minnesota families. I support easy and affordable access to the full range of reproductive healthcare and family planning resources. We all know that emergencies can arise at any point in a pregnancy, and that urgent decisions must be made between patients and doctors. It is crucial that women and families in Minnesota remain free to make the best decisions for themselves and their healthcare needs without interference from legislators.

As the Representative of HD 56B, I support legislation that provides for effective and efficient medical care for all Minnesotans. I will continue to work toward the adoption of a healthcare system that does not tie access to healthcare to employment, allowing Minnesotans to stay rooted in their communities rather than needing to relocate for the sake of health coverage. I will also focus on ensuring that small business employers are not financially stressed by providing quality healthcare options to their employees. I have sought input from medical professionals and constituents – not just insurance companies – to inform my healthcare votes.

















Building a Thriving Economy

I value an economy that works for everyone. As your Representative, I have focused my energies towards creating job opportunities throughout Minnesota. Keeping our state at the forefront of economic health and prosperity demands that we improve infrastructure, support independent business owners, amplify the voices of farmers and laborers, and ensure equal pay and opportunities for all Minnesotans.

Most importantly, I value workers. As a former union member and labor leader, I know that collective bargaining agreements improve wages, benefits, and working conditions for all Minnesotans. The types of jobs Minnesotans will have in the future may require that workers possess new skills. I will continue to champion legislation that assists workers in acquiring the expertise needed to be successful in our changing economy.

I am proud that the Minnesota Legislature has made significant progress in meeting my vision of an economy that supports working families by building towards affordable child-care and expansive pre-K opportunities, a smart and accessible public transportation network, excellent educational opportunities, and wages that allow families to pay the bills AND save for the future.

In the 2023-2024 session, the Legislature:

In the legislature, I will continue to seek ways to bolster our economic policies so that all Minnesotans may strive to thrive.

















Public Services & Safety

We all want to be safe in our communities and to know that if we reach out for help, it will come. I am proud of the work we have done to fund and expand policing at the state and local level. I am also proud of the progress made to improve law enforcement response to people experiencing mental health crises by helping individuals find needed resources.

The 2023-2024 Session made important advances in fostering public safety, including legislation that I authored: to recruit, train, protect, and serve our first responder professionals; to provide direct support to County Prosecutors’ offices; and to bolster EMS services across Minnesota. I will always advocate for our first responders and the dedicated professionals who try these cases in court.

I spent 28 years as a public servant in emergency medical services, serving 10 of those years as a volunteer firefighter. I worked alongside police officers for most of those years. Police officers, firefighters, and EMTs have a special place in my heart. We need to ensure that our public servants have adequate training, equipment, financial support, and benefits/pensions. I believe it is also important to note that public service in our communities includes more than emergency medical and fire services. We must recognize the enormous contribution to our communities made by teachers, civil servants, social workers, administrators, maintenance crews, and many, many more who work for us every day. I view these hard-working citizens as family, and I work hard to represent them well in the Legislature.

I was proud to be named Co-Chair of the Legislative Task Force on Emergency Medical Services. Everyone wants and deserves a quick response in a medical crisis, but too many of our fellow Minnesotans have faced longer response times when seconds count. The task force has proposed using “sprint” responders who will go directly to the scene while an ambulance is separately dispatched, creating a new licensing agency with more state oversight (HF4738; 2024 Laws, Ch. 122). Passed with strong bipartisan support.

















Environment & Resources

Now, more than ever, the Minnesota legislature must step up to protect our natural resources and waterways. It will be up to the legislature to ensure that every citizen has clean water, clean air, and safe food. We need to encourage reasonable, sustainable sources of renewable energy and embrace efforts to conserve water quality, reduce usage, and protect natural sources of water. To move Minnesota forward, we need to continue to cut down on carbon emissions and look towards cleaner sources of energy. We must also find safer ways to transport oil and gas. As a member of the Community Advisory Council to Flint Hills Resources Pine Bend Refinery, I represented our shared interests in protecting the environment and increasing safety. This experience of working with energy producers to promote cleaner production has informed many of my votes at the Capitol.

Preserving Minnesota’s environment and natural resources should be a nonpartisan issue, and I will always vote to protect our beautiful state, and more importantly, the health and safety of Minnesotans.

















Veterans

My family proudly served in our nation’s military. My father served in World War II and suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for the rest of his life. My mother served in both World War II and Korea. Sadly, we became a Gold Star family when my brother Ray lost his life while serving in Vietnam.

I have seen first-hand how important comprehensive, compassionate, and convenient veteran services are to support our service members and their families. Our veterans deserve our care, and ensuring their well-being and support is not a partisan issue. We must all work together to address the needs of our veterans. As your Representative, I have championed legislation that helps our veterans, active-duty military, service members, and their families receive the support and recognition they deserve for their service to our country. I am proud to report that the Minnesota Legislature unanimously passed a Veterans and Military Affairs omnibus spending and policy bill that increased base funding by more than $150 million to provide: