My Priorities
Improving Education
As a former public school teacher, I know first-hand the critical needs that exist currently in our schools. The legislatures's negligence in creating a sustainable education system affects me personally because it affects my former students. But large class sizes and inadequate resources don’t just affect kids in Detroit, where I taught. They affect every student and school in the state, urban and suburban and rural. All public schools, including our local districts of Berkley, Detroit, Oak Park, Ferndale and Royal Oak, will benefit from funding and policy reforms.
Michigan’s Failing Education Policy Needs Reform NOW:
Funding by the State of Michigan for public schools has increased more slowly than in any other state.
Low wages, low morale and large class sizes have resulted in a teacher shortage.
There are fewer than half the number of new teachers entering the profession than there were in 2004.
There are about 100,000 certified teachers living in Michigan who have moved on to other professions.
This is how Michigan can have the best public schools in the country:
Funding increases for per-pupil minimum funding
Institute an equitable funding system to better service students with the greatest needs. I support the recommendations of the School Funding Research Collaborative.
Placing limits on class sizes and teacher-student ratios.
Abolishing exploitative for-profit charter schools.
Holding charter schools to the same standards as public schools.
Tuition reimbursement programs for university students entering the teaching profession
State funding for school facilities
Investing in Communities
The State of Michigan currently ranks 50th out of 50 when it comes to investing tax dollars back into local communities. We see the results of that lack of investment in our crumbling roads and infrastructure, lack of public amenities, and municipal crises. We need to do better.
As your State Representative, I will continue to fight to:
Increase revenue sharing with local communities so that our tax dollars are reinvested in our neighborhoods.
Amend Proposal A and the Headlee Amendment to ensure that local governments have adequate revenue following economic downturns, such as the 2008 recession.
End unfunded mandates that require local communities to divert scarce resources to cover the costs of new state requirements.
Increase funding into local communities to support economic development efforts, public transit, and affordable housing.
Protecting Our Environment
Access to clean air and water is a human right. Not only are these essential rights threatened by pollution, but global warming is a threat to our very existence. I believe we can protect our planet while growing industry and employment.
Several states have passed a Global Warming Solutions Act, and it’s time for Michigan to join them. We must, and can, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase our use of renewable resources, and reduce air and water pollution.
As your State Representative, I will continue to fight to:
Expedite the closure of all coal power plants.
Invest in renewable energy sources to create new jobs and ensure energy security for future generations.
Increase funding and staffing of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
Hold corporate polluters accountable by raising reporting standards and requiring them to pay to cover the cost of environmental mitigation.
Increase transportation choices: bicycling and pedestrian infrastructure, trails, bus, and passenger rail.
Enact Anti-Racist Legislation
We live in a country that was built upon the foundation of slavery, that was fortified with Jim Crow laws, planned segregation, and institutional racism. The only way to dismantle institutional racism is to institute anti-racist policies and legislation to begin the work to undo the centuries of inequality that exist in our country. There is so much work to be done to accomplish these goals. Here is some of the most critical work that we need to do now:
Enact strong criminal justice reform, including ending mandatory minimum sentencing, expunging past marijuana possession charges, abolishing cash bail, and eliminating pre-trial detention except in extreme cases when necessary to prevent imminent violence or fight risks.
Increase requirements for every police department in Michigan so that all officers regularly participate in anti-bias training and deescalation training, and so that every officer goes through a thorough background check.
Create state-wide standards for police use of force policies that include banning choke holds, banning shooting at moving vehicles, banning no-knock warrants, requiring comprehensive reporting, and intervention requirements when other officers are using excessive force.
Provide funding for body cameras for local police forces.
Increase funding for community efforts such as mental health services, education, job training, entrepreneurship, health care, and affordable housing.
Protect our schools from baseless attacks attempting to limit or eliminate the teaching of African American history and the history of social movements in American and world history.
Common Sense Gun Reform Now
Thoughts and prayers are not enough to prevent gun violence - we need to immediately enact strong legislation. We should not have to live in a world where students have to practice lockdown drills and parents fear sending their children to school. As your State Representative, I will continue to take action to help prevent further gun deaths in Michigan.
Like most Americans, I support a ban on assault weapons. Seven states, plus Washington DC, have banned these weapons of war. It’s time for Michigan to join them.
I also support...
Banning “NFA” weapons such as short-barreled rifles/shotguns, automatic firearms, silencers, and explosive ordnance.
Mandatory background checks for private sales of long guns, not just handguns. I introduced legislation this term to require universal background checks.
Red flag laws to prevent dangerous people from possessing firearms. Red flag laws allow police or family members to petition a state court to temporarily confiscate guns from people who may cause harm with them, including domestic abusers.
Allow local communities, schools, and places of worship to ban guns from their buildings.
Enact a Fair Tax System
It will cost at least $3.4 billion per year to maintain our aging roads and bridges. The state needs even more revenue than that to ensure the proper functioning of government services and schools. It is time that high-income earners start paying their fair share. That is why I commit to continue to fight to enact a fair tax system.
As your State Representative, I will continue to fight to:
Repeal the pension tax which disproportionally hurts seniors.
Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Amend our State Constitution to create a graduated income tax that lowers taxes for 95% of Michiganders and raises taxes for high-income earners. According to the Detroit Free Press, Michigan has the third lowest tax rate, 4.25%, for a state using a flat income tax. 78% of states with an income tax use a graduated income tax.
Create fair tax rates that will result in more robust funding for critical services while providing a boost to the economy.
Fix Our Broken Healthcare System
Healthcare is a human right. Every person in Michigan should have access to quality, affordable healthcare. The COVID-19 pandemic has made all too clear the need for a robust, accessible healthcare system that prioritizes public health over profit. Our state needs to reassess how it supports the physical and mental health of its residents, and should devote more resources to keeping Michiganders healthy and safe.
As your State Representative, I will continue to fight to:
Create a public healthcare option in Michigan to provide affordable and quality healthcare services to residents. I hope that as more states push for increased public coverage to create pressure on the federal government to enact Medicare for All.
Uphold the right to safe, legal abortion and a patient's right to make their own decisions when it comes to their reproductive health.
Work with the Department of Health and Human Services to draft bills that strengthen the safety net for children, families and those needing mental health treatment.
Combat racial disparities in medicine by requiring implicit bias training and tracking of inequitable health outcomes.
Address nutritional health by supporting food aid programs and increasing access to fresh, affordable food in low-availability areas of the state.