Issues

Families

"I am always looking out for working families. That’s why I worked to pass the child tax credit and expand access to childcare and early childhood education across the state. I also voted to fund advocacy centers for victims of child abuse, reform foster care, and crack down on child labor."

Public Safety

"I am working to strengthen protections for victims of domestic violence and abuse. I have voted for laws to make it easier to file restraining orders and to protect stalking victims, including cracking down on publicly providing personally identifiable information or sexually explicit images of someone on the internet without their consent."

Education Funding

My wife taught at Centennial Elementary School for many years, and my daughter currently works at Springfield High School. This is why I strongly believe in providing our schools with the funding they need and will push for additional funding as your representative. Despite the additional resources provided by the Joint Student Success Act, which I supported and was approved in 2019, adequate funding for education in Oregon, continues to be a challenge. These increased resources were targeted at early learning opportunities, reducing class sizes, enhancing high school Career and Technical Education, expanding support for mental health services, and improving high school graduation rates. However, the challenges during the COVID outbreak delayed the impact of this increased funding on providing adequate learning opportunities.

Much work is being done to improve the funding distribution formula, and once the areas of need are identified, I will push to get more funding to get our school district back on track. Additionally, we need to support Springfield’s students post-graduation. Increased funding for Oregon community colleges and universities is needed to stabilize in-state tuition and help Springfield's graduates continue to flourish.

Jobs

Springfield's economy faces ongoing challenges in meeting the demand for skilled employees across critical sectors such as behavioral health, nursing, childcare and so many other areas. “As your Representative, I have advocated for increased funding to expand training opportunities to expand Springfield’s workforce. This investment supports Springfield residents in accessing newly funded College and University programs tailored to meet the evolving needs of our local economy."

Housing

The cost and availability of housing remains a significant challenge for many in Springfield and across Oregon. While various new state and local initiatives are in progress, the time it takes to see results often leaves many struggling to afford or find suitable housing. In Springfield, I have collaborated closely with the City and other stakeholders to secure funding for crucial projects, including the construction of a new mobile home park, repairs to Mill Street, and state funds for sewer installations in Glenwood to support affordable housing development.

Additionally, I have supported statewide efforts to address rising rents, allocate state bond money to match local funds for new housing construction, and provide extra funds for rent assistance. While these programs are positive steps forward, they alone cannot fully resolve housing inequality. That’s why I have also backed further studies to investigate the root causes of rising housing prices in Springfield. These studies will guide the development of new housing solutions tailored to our community’s needs and design strategies, aiming to reduce current costs and ensure sustainable housing affordability in the future.

Healthcare

While more Springfielder’s have health care coverage than ever before, having coverage does not guarantee equal access to treatment or address the high costs associated with obtaining that coverage. We must continue to explore ways to reduce healthcare expenses for all Oregonians, particularly by implementing programs that assist those unable to afford coverage in the first place. Increasing funding for state programs that will entice more people into the healthcare field would help stem the rising costs due to the shortage of providers in Springfield and across the state.

"As your Representative, I have supported healthcare reforms aimed at combating rising costs for insurance, prescription drugs, hospital care, and other healthcare necessities. However, my tenure as your Representative has underscored the necessity of addressing healthcare at the national level. That's why I advocate for national healthcare reform and will encourage my friends in the US House and Senate to do the same."

Environment

The impacts of climate change are the number one environmental issue facing Oregon and our world. Oregon must aggressively pursue strategies to mitigate and reduce our impact. This includes reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, continuing conservation efforts to decrease the long-term need for increased power generation, and providing more opportunities for citizens to travel without increasing vehicle miles traveled. One way to achieve this is by increasing funding for pedestrian-centered infrastructure. Such infrastructure would enable Springfield residents to move around without having to rely on having access to a car. Not only would this reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it would also promote a healthier community and increase access to the wonderful parks and other amenities that already exist throughout Springfield.

Addiction

Oregonians are right to be frustrated with the challenges created due to drug addiction, mental illness and other related factors leading to death, and homelessness. We took an important step forward this year, making changes to the shortcomings of Measure 110. In the most recent 2024 short session, many changes were made to address what were at least perceived to be shortcomings in Measure 110. While it is true the rollout of the measure was hampered by the slowness of government to respond, at the same time other factors, including fentanyl use contributed to the public feeling unsafe. The new approach starting in September 2024 will be carefully monitored to ensure the stated goals are achieved and the mistakes of Measure 110 aren’t repeated. At the same time without additional funds for facilities and providers many of those impacted will still not be able to secure needed treatment and support. I am hopeful that as a state we can do a better job of addressing these challenges while providing more options to help those who need it most. “As your Representative, I have and will continue to work to secure funding ensure we have qualified staff to deliver services that allow people struggling with addiction to get the help they need.”

Across the State

Oregon is a state with regional differences between the Coast, Valley, Central and Eastern Oregon. Potential solutions to address the challenges facing our state need to be reflective of those regional differences and the potential unintended consequences that might be experienced by citizens living in those regions. I've spent my career fighting for what's right for Springfield - not Portland or Medford, Astoria or Pendleton - and I'll continue to advocate for solutions that best fit OUR community.