As we have recovered and continue to recover from COVID, I have been and will continue to be guided by these principles:

SCIENCE: Our path forward to keep our families safe must be guided by science, not politics or partisan warfare. I worked against legislation that discouraged vaccines and masks, and which reduced the authority of public health officials.

PREPARATION: We must be prepared for future public health emergencies. In my first session, I introduced a bill to create a rotating stockpile of PPE to keep our healthcare workers and all of us safe. Also, we must assure that all Montanans have access to affordable healthcare. 

PROTECTION. In my first session, we were largely successful in protecting from the budget knife medicaid expansion and programs which assist public schools, but many other priorities did not get adequate funding, such as programs for children and families, suicide prevention, drug treatment, and vulnerable populations. In the Interim, I have been elected Chair of the Health & Human Services committee, where I will continue to work to maximize health care coverage and improve our mental health systems.

OPPORTUNITY: Thanks to Democrats in Congress, we have received substantial funds that provide an opportunity to re-think our priorities. We must use those funds to create an environmentally sustainable infrastructure, supporting renewable energy, climate smart agriculture, and low emission vehicles. And we must address inequalities in health care access,  family leave, sick leave, and guarantee all Montanans a fair minimum wage. 

ENGAGEMENT: We are in this together and must help one another. Nobody can sit on the sidelines. Government, business, and all of us can work together to accomplish big goals, but. we must all be engaged in the process, which begins by voting.