A Platform for the People

 

I got into politics and advocacy to help ensure healthcare for all, but I’m by no means a one-issue candidate. In fact, the reason I decided to run for elected office is because I’m equally passionate about a variety of local, national and global challenges.

Growing up in poverty and raising my children as a single mother taught me to fight, but it also taught me the importance of strong social programs that help Americans reach their full potential. With the help of food stamps, WIC and Medicaid, I was able to work myself through college and become the first person in my family to earn a degree. Later, as a CFO in the non-profit sector, I fought to ensure federal funds for HUD programs and Medicaid reached those that needed it most.

My formal entry into politics and advocacy came in the wake of my daughter, Shalynne's, death at the hands of our nation's profit-driven healthcare system, but my campaign is about much more than Shalynne, and it's about much more than healthcare. It’s about fighting to put people over profit, whether it's in education, housing, energy, criminal justice, the climate, or our democracy itself. I believe we have a responsibility to ourselves, to our children, to future generations, and to our planet to leave this world a better place than we found it. And that’s what I hope to achieve with a platform that is truly for the people.

 
 

Education

Outcomes continue to decline as for-profit companies pocket public dollars and young people exit our colleges and universities, facing the world with paralyzing debt. Adherence to Common Core and the attainment of a traditional higher education degree are not for everyone. Our students do not respond to one-size-fits all programs.

Our educators are suffering a lack of support, funding, training and investment in higher salaries. Many pay out-of-pocket for basic school supplies, while working a second or third job and still struggling to make ends meet. Americans deserve a robust public education system that is every bit as good, if not better, than its private counterparts, and educators deserve dignity and respect for the vital work they do preparing new generations for the future ahead.

  • Public money for public education. Public money must be channeled out of the pockets of for-profit ventures masquerading as public options and into the classroom, where it is needed most. I will resist any attempts to move to public money into private pockets, from unaccountable charter schools to private school vouchers to for-profit higher education scams, like Trump University.
  • Universal Pre-K. I support universal preschool for our youngest scholars. I will fight to preserve the Child Care Tax Credit, which is essential to helping families afford child care, early childhood education and helping low-income families overcome the deficits of poverty.
  • Stop teaching to the test. I will work to put the “Testing Industrial Complex” out of business. This wasteful, corporate giveaway has no place in American education. Programs such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top reward high-achieving schools at the expense of students who would benefit from the added resources. specially among Republicans and Independents.
  • Individualized Education Programs.The advancement of Individualized Education Programs (EIPs) have helped many students with disabilities flourish in school, but they are limited to those in Special Education programs. I will advocate incorporating IEPs more broadly so that every student’s unique needs are met and in order to address disparities in educational outcomes.
  • Promote trade schools and magnet programs.Traditional education is not for everyone. I will advocate for public investment in trade and magnet school options so that every student has a path to prosperity.
  • College For All.I will work to make a wide range of publicly funded tuition-free colleges, universities, and trade schools available for all of our young people.
  • Federal student loan cancellation.College students today are being crushed by student loan debt. We must enact federal student loan forgiveness, cancellation or readjustment and unleash the potential of an entire generation.
  • Tax-free tuition waivers.I will fight for graduate assistants and the invaluable work they perform by insisting waived tuition remains tax-free. I’ll oppose a proposal to gut the Higher Education Act by capping the amount grad students can borrow from the U.S. government and putting an end to loan forgiveness, including the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.

Housing

Affordable housing remains a challenge in Southern Nevada, as Las Vegas is once again among the national leaders in home appreciation, as it was a decade ago before the housing bubble burst, rendering Nevada the epicenter of the mortgage meltdown and foreclosure crisis.

Homelessness is increasing while the supply of affordable housing in Nevada remains drastically insufficient, with 12 affordable units per 100 low-income families, about a third of the national average of 35. The Mortgage Interest Deduction reduces government revenue by roughly $70 billion a year and primarily benefits high-income earners. By contrast, the government only spends $30 billion on Section 8 housing subsidies for low-income Americans. Housing is a fundamental need and basic human right. All Nevadans deserve affordable housing and bold policies that provide long-term housing options and a permanent solutions to our housing crisis.

  • House the homeless. The simplest way to get homeless folks off the street is to give them housing. I will fight to direct federal funding to local and state programs, modeled on the success in Utah, that address the crisis of homelessness we are facing in Las Vegas and across the nation.
  • Housing For All. Diagnosing our housing crisis is easy: the market has failed. The solution is simple: a public option. I support federal funding of new and upgraded municipal housing units, to be made available to all, not just those at the bottom of the economic ladder. This public option is a permanent solution to the dual problems of affordability and homelessness, and will provide necessary corrective pressure on the overall housing market.
  • Blight removal. Public investment in housing goes hand-in-hand with a broader investment in our communities. I’ll advocate for blighted property — in addition to surplus government land — to be used as sites for new public housing and other community development projects.
  • Local leadership. The federal government can and should direct federal funds towards solutions to our housing crisis, but these projects must be conceived of, lead by and executed locally. Our communities know how to fix themselves, and I will fight to empower them to do so, just as we did during the New Deal.
  • Mortgage Interest Deduction. The Trump Administration/GOP Tax Overhaul caps the mortgage deduction to help pay for tax cuts for the wealthy. I’ll fight to redirect that revenue to low-income rent assistance and down payment assistance for home buyers.

Energy & Climate Justice

A glance at recent headlines reveals climate change is a reality, not the hoax Donald Trump and the GOP would have you believe. In fact, the Department of Defense believes it to be a bona fide national security threat. Yet, our elected leadership has failed to do anything consequential to set us on a more sustainable and just path.

Energy investments made today will determine our path for the next century. America can and should be a global leader in developing innovative and transformative solutions. Nevada, in particular, has enough open public land and natural resources to be a global leader in renewable energy technologies. We cannot afford to wait.

  • Environmental stewardship. Over the past few years, we have seen brave Water Protectors and activists standing up for indigenous and climate justice. And they are right. Water is life. I will use my platform to advocate that we learn from our native brothers and sister and instill a national sense of environmental stewardship.
  • Renewable energy. I will support grants and incentives for innovations in renewable energy production, storage and technology.
  • A Green New Deal. I will fight for a Green New Deal to expand renewable energy production and make the U.S. a world leader in green technologies – from solar and wind to geothermal and hydroelectric – with reliable policies that instill confidence, foster investment and put Americans back to work.
  • Getting off fossil fuels. As a member of Congress, I will support the Off Fossil Fuels Act, the Keep it in the Ground Act, and a national ban on fracking on public lands.
  • Paris Climate Deal. I will fight to restore America’s international influence, making sure we stick to our word on the Paris Climate Deal and lead the way on global justice issues like climate change.

Indigenous Justice

For far too long, our Native American and indigenous brothers and sisters have been denied the fundamental rights and dignity that should be extended to everyone in America. Tribal treaties and sovereignty are ignored by the government, and tribal lands often lack the basic infrastructure to adequately provide services, like healthcare and education, to residents. These are the first peoples to live in America, and they have every right to a seat at the table in 2018 and beyond.

  • Tribal sovereignty. As your congresswoman, I will fight to ensure federal and state governments respect our indigenous brothers’ and sisters’ treaty and sovereignty rights.
  • Healthcare. Healthcare is a human right, and I pledge to fight to ensure that that right is extended to all residents in America, including in our indigenous communities and on tribal lands.
  • Education. We all have a right to a good, public education. I will fight to ensure that quality education and educational facilities are available to our indigenous communities and on tribal lands.
  • Prioritize cleanup of the Anaconda Copper Mine. I stand with the Yerington Paiute Tribe in their demands for the Anaconda Copper Mine to be added to the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priorities List.

Immigration Justice

The failure of Congress to clear a pathway to citizenship for the millions of undocumented immigrants who make invaluable contributions to our country every day is nothing short of a travesty. Families have been ripped apart, careers have been destroyed and lives have been needlessly ruined. Our immigration system must foster respect and dignity for all people, regardless of their national origin. Instead, our policies engender fear, mistrust and the issuance of arbitrary orders. Investment in human capital reaps valuable dividends and pays for itself. We must make the resources available that will help transform our nation’s newcomers into contributing, wage-earning, tax-paying members of our society.

Those that come to this country without proper documentation often do so because they have no other choice. American foreign policy has played a role for decades in creating many of the conditions that force migration, and these folks are just looking for a better life for their families. The immigration crisis we see portrayed in the media is distorted and largely manufactured for the benefit of corporations (who have a vested interest in the cheap labor that undocumented Americans are coerced into providing) and their bought-and-paid-for politicians (who benefit from the vilification and scapegoating of immigrants election cycle after cycle). The consequences are devastating.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has only been around since 2003. It was founded by the Bush Administration — alongside the Iraq War and the PATRIOT Act — under the xenophobic and racist notion that undocumented Americans are a threat to our national security and needed to be removed. In Las Vegas, the Department of Homeland Security is delegating immigration authority to officers of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department under the supervision of ICE, leaving countless Nevada families living in fear. We need bold progressive warriors in Congress who will fight for immigration justice and immigrants’ rights.

  • Here to stay. I will fight to ensure that innocent immigrant children who know only one home — America — are welcome to remain, contribute and prosper as valued members of our society. Our brothers and sisters living in the shadows deserve the opportunity to come out and feel safe to pursue the American Dream that was promised.
  • No Ban. I oppose the Trump Administration’s attempt to pass “travel bans” against muslims or residents of muslim- or arab-majority nations. This proposal is cynical.
  • No Wall. I will fight any effort to build or fund — either privately or publicly, or with domestic or foreign funds — any border walls, fences, or other barriers. This proposal is naive, impractical, and short-sighted, but also deeply racist and it should offensive to our values as Americans.
  • Clean DREAM Act and TPS. I will fight for passage of a Clean DREAM Act and to protect recipients of Temporary Protected Status (TPS). This is a no brainer.
  • Pathway to citizenship. I will fight for immediate permanent legal status and a humane pathway to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented Americans already living here.
  • Support and protect Sanctuary City and State designations. I will support the rights of municipalities to protect the liberty of their residents. I will oppose any efforts at the local, state or federal level to block the designation of Sanctuary Cities and States. I will advocate for Las Vegas and Nevada to enact sanctuary status, and I will ensure that our brothers and sisters living in the shadows have the opportunity to come out and feel safe to pursue the American Dream that was promised.
  • Sever 287(g) Agreement between DHS and LVMPD. I will use my platform to oppose the renewal of the Section 287(g) Memorandum of Agreement allowing the Department of Homeland Security to delegate immigration authority to officers of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, so Nevada families can stop living in fear.
  • Oppose ICE Detention Centers in Nevada. I will fight any efforts to locate, fund or build any ICE Detention Centers in Nevada — in the 4th district or otherwise.
  • Abolish ICE. ICE was founded on false pretenses and has millions living in fear as they carry out their mission of ethnic cleansing. I will fight tirelessly to defund and abolish ICE. We cannot have our communities continue to live in the shadows. Immigration — undocumented or otherwise — is not a threat to our nation's security.
  • Increase U Visas. I will support any measure to increase the amount of U Visas available each year so that more immigrant women will be empowered to stand up to their assaulters. I will also support government initiatives to expand research of sexual assault within minority and immigrant communities, which have been largely underreported and ignored.

Disability Justice

People with disabilities often rely on the assistance of Home Care Workers, who enable individuals to retain their independence and at a fraction of the cost to the public of expensive institutional care. However, our nation is experiencing a Home Care crisis. Home care workers, who earn minimum wage, can no longer afford to care for our loved ones at the expense of their own families.

As the mother of two children with special needs, one who received Early Childhood Intervention and one who did not, I am well aware of the developmental advantages conveyed by these programs. As I have in my personal and professional lives, I will serve in Congress as a champion for people with disabilities.

  • Mental healthcare. I’ll insist that mental health care and disability assistance are essential aspects of Medicare for All.
  • Americans with Disabilities Act. I will staunchly oppose the Trump Administration and GOP efforts to rollback important protections in the Americans with Disabilities Act.
  • Medicaid and Social Security. I’ll fight to ensure the preservation of critical benefits such as Medicaid and Social Security.
  • Home care workers. I pledge to ensure that home care workers receive a livable wage and the pay they are due, in accordance with federal wage and overtime laws.
  • Preschool. I will fight to preserve funding for federal grants to states that provide free preschool to children with disabilities, developmental delays and medical problems that may delay development.

Criminal Justice Reform

The cost of incarceration is eating state tax dollars, fattening the coffers of for-profit prison industries, and disproportionately affecting minority communities. The expense to taxpayers of housing an inmate for a year far exceeds the cost of college tuition, yet “correction facilities” ultimately release inmates who are woefully unprepared to succeed on the outside.

The United States incarcerate more people per capita than any other nation on the planet, and there are clearly documented racial disparities when it comes to sentencing. Criminal justice reform must address systemic and generational racial and economic oppressions in a comprehensive and intersectional way.

  • End the War on Drugs. The War on Drugs is a failure. We must prioritize prevention and treatment, covered by healthcare, for those who suffer from addiction, and prevent the despair that perpetuates it by investing in publicly-funded affordable housing, education, and job training in our most impoverished and vulnerable communities.
  • End the school-to-prison-pipeline. I will work to end the school-to-prison pipeline by championing investment in early childhood education, eradicating institutionalized discrimination and demanding our juvenile justice systems adhere to treating, not punishing, our youth.
  • Rehabilitation and restorative justice. I will advocate for rehabilitation of adult offenders and for restorative justice practices that help them and their communities heal and grow, like job training, adult education, and community reintegration.
  • Free nonviolent drug offenders. Mere possession of cannabis or other drugs, should not be a prison sentence. I will fight to get nonviolent drug offenders out of prison.
  • End mandatory minimum sentencing. I will advocate for an end to mandatory minimum prison sentencing practices that have helped fuel the explosion in our prison population.
  • Ban the Box. I will work to “ban the box” on employment applications, allowing offenders who have served their time to re-enter the workforce and lead happy and productive lives.
  • End for-profit prisons. I will support the Justice is Not For Sale Act, which seeks to end the private for-profit prisons.

Cannabis & Hemp

Americans have voted overwhelmingly in a number of states, including Nevada, to legalize, regulate and tax cannabis, allowing law enforcement to focus attention on black market sales to children. Now, the top law enforcement official in the nation is threatening to wipe out an entire industry he doesn’t like. Ramping up the failed War on Drugs will only lead to more injustice and is an assault on our liberty and right to self determination.

The criminalization of cannabis also stifles manufacturing as well as medical research and development. The versatility of industrial hemp could transform manufacturing industry and provide sustainable alternatives to current harmful practices, and the untapped potential of marijuana’s medical properties could revolutionize healthcare in America and lead to innovations that could be spread overseas.

  • Federal legalization. I will support the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act, which removes marijuana from Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substances Act, and legalizes it federally, to finally end an era of discriminatory enforcement and open up new industries and economic opportunities for all communities.
  • Let cannabis businesses use banks. I will fight to ensure that federal legalization legislation addresses anti-trafficking banking laws that are currently preventing small cannabis businesses from adequate banking. Our small businesses should not be burdened the risks associated with handling and storing large quantities of cash.
  • Prioritize economic opportunities for nonviolent offenders. I will fight to implement policies that empower those with prior nonviolent drug offenses to lead and shape an emerging industry with policies like prioritized dispensary permits, and clearing criminal records for cannabis possession and nonviolent distribution charges.
  • Medical research. Already we have seen the wide range of life-saving medical applications of cannabis. I will work to allow doctors and researchers to fully study cannabis and unleash all of its potential medical applications.
  • Industrial hemp. Like cannabis, hemp has a wide range of applications for industry and manufacturing. I will advocate for an expansion of hemp production and use in Nevada and across the nation.

Wall Street & Financial Corruption

While our most marginalized communities face unique challenges, the American people face a national struggle for a better life. The greed and naked corruption of Wall Street and the American financial sector has devastated America.

Ten years ago, Nevada was the epicenter of the housing market meltdown, a scheme perpetrated by greedy investors, predatory lenders and allowed to flourish by obtuse lawmakers and lax regulators. We’ve got to address the greed and corruption among Wall Street, corporate America, and the rest of the 1%.

The vast majority of Americans work hard to support themselves and their families, but many of the wealthiest among us continue to get even richer off of passive income from investments, capital gains, and inheritance.

  • Reinstate Glass-Steagall. I support a 21st Century Glass-Steagall Act, modern anti-monopoly policies, and a return to progressive taxation — that will lift the 99% and put us back on the path to prosperity.
  • Postal banking. I will fight to make financial services more accessible to low-income communities via postal banking.
  • Tax capital gains. As your representative in Congress, I will support taxing capital gains as income.
  • Robin Hood Tax. I support the Robin Hood Tax campaign and will fight to pass a financial transaction tax in the form of the Inclusive Prosperity Act, which would invest the proceeds in our families and communities.

Jobs, Labor & Wages

When the American economy plunged into the Great Depression the leadership and vision of the Labor Movement and the New Deal provided the foundation for a broad middle class that became the envy of the world. Now in the aftermath of the Great Recession, the Democratic Party needs to empower unions to fight for bold reforms that will transform our economy back into one where everyone shares in prosperity.

Right now we have two parties that fight to represent corporate interests/capital. We need elected officials who will never waiver in their support for organized labor and workers’ rights to collective bargaining.

  • A Living Wage. The minimum wage must be a living wage — $15 an hour or more, now. I support any federal efforts to enact a true living wage for all residents in America, including the Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour .
  • Jobs for All. American workers can rebuild our crumbling infrastructure - from bridges that are failing to replacing outdated and dangerous water systems. I will be an enthusiastic supporter of the Federal Jobs Guarantee.
  • Close the Gender Wage Gap. I will fight to end the Gender Wage Gap. As Nina Turner would say, ‘I want my whole damn dollar!’”
  • Repeal Taft-Hartley As your congresswoman, I will advocate for the full repeal of the Taft-Hartley ACt, which paved the way for the dismantling of organized labor.
  • Federal Ban on Right-to-work. I will support any legislation that enacts a federal ban on “right-to-work” Laws, such as Protecting Workers and Improving Labor Standards Act.
  • Workers’ Rights. I will fight to pass the Workplace Democracy Act, which protects the rights of workers to associate and seek representation.
  • Local Labor. I will work to ensure large scale development projects using public money are required to employ a significant percentage of local workers.

Social Security & Retirement

Social Security is not an entitlement but rather a benefit earned by American workers with each paycheck. The Trump tax overhaul passed recently by the Republican-controlled Congress is unsustainable without an unwieldy addition to the national debt or huge cuts to the retirement benefits Americans have earned and on which they deserve to rely.

  • Secure Social Security. I pledge to protect the money you have entrusted to your government’s safekeeping, and insist these benefits are preserved for our seniors in their retirement.
  • Remove the Cap. American workers who earn high salaries should pay social security taxes on their entire income. I will fight to remove the social security tax cap on wages.
  • Strengthen Social Security. We need to ensure that our elderly population can enjoy their retirements with dignity, and I will fight any efforts to raise the retirement age. I will support increasing social security benefits.

Healthcare

My daughter, Shalynne, died needlessly because she didn’t know she had insurance and the emergency room she went to for help failed to provide the minimum care required under federal law. Shalynne is not alone. Far too many Americans are denied care by profit-driven hospitals. Many more are forced to navigate serious illness while constantly worrying how they will pay for it, and more still cannot afford the preventative care that can lead to long term hospitalizations. Our senior citizens, who should be revered and protected, are forced to choose between buying food and prescription drugs. All of this combines to form a draconian healthcare system that all too often results in illness and death.

How can other countries, which lack the wealth of our great nation, provide better care for patients at a fraction of the cost?

Because they know what I know: Single-payer, universal care works. Medicare works. It works for your grandparents, your parents or maybe you.

Access, follow up care, relatively low prescription drug co-pays – Medicare recipients get it all at a relatively low cost because unlike individual doctors and hospitals, the government can efficiently manage care. And, In order to have tru healthcare justice, any reform must be intersectional For the last 40 years, low-income women who rely on Medicaid have been denied the right to choose. The Hyde Amendment, passed in 1976, prohibits the government from covering the cost of abortion. Lastly, Mental health problems must be destigmatized and treated as any physical ailment.

  • Prescription Drugs. I will support Improving Access to Affordable Prescription Drugs Act, which seeks to make prescriptions more affordable, and Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act, the Affordable and Safe Importation Drug Act.
  • Medicare for All. I will fight for Improved and Expanded Medicare For All so that no one has to suffer the needless loss of a beloved child, spouse or family member.
  • Nurse-to-patient Ratios. I support Nurse Staffing Standards for Hospital Patient Safety and Quality Care Act and mandated nurse-to-patient ratios in our nation’s hospitals.
  • Repeal the Hyde Amendment. It’s time to repeal the Hyde Amendment and afford comprehensive reproductive services to all women, regardless of ability to pay.
  • Reproductive Justice. I will support Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance (EACH Woman Act) which prohibits political interference with private health insurance companies’ decisions to cover terminating a pregnancy.
  • Mental Healthcare. I’ll fight to ensure mental health diagnosis and comprehensive treatment are covered under Medicare For All.

LGBTQIA+ Justice

The fight for LGBTQIA+ justice didn’t start with marriage equality, and it can’t end with marriage equality. We have made tremendous strides but much remains to be achieved.

Gender Reassignment Surgery is the accepted treatment for gender dysphoria. Many medical experts consider the surgery to be necessary, not cosmetic, yet some insurance companies have the option to exclude coverage for procedures not considered preventive. While some states and local governments have passed legislation outlawing discrimination against transgender patients, I will work to ensure the rights of all.

  • Healthcare Justice I will advocate for policies in Washington that end discrimination in health care.
  • Equality. I will support The Equality Act, which adds sex, sexual orientation and gender identity to the protected classes of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
  • HIV Prevention. I will fight to ensure that coverage of the use of HIV prevention tools like PrEP is covered under Medicare For All.
  • Gender Reassignment Surgery. I will fight to ensure gender reassignment surgery is covered under Medicare For All.

Nuclear Waste

Science, not politics, should dictate a critical decision such as where to bury the most toxic substance known to humanity. Too many safety questions remain to designate Yucca Mountain as the nation’s only site under consideration for a high-level nuclear waste repository. Additionally, Nevada’s lifeblood – it’s tourism industry – relies on the presumption of a safe, enjoyable visit. Even a miniscule drop in tourism could cost Nevada’s economy hundreds of millions of dollars.

  • Research and Development. I pledge to explore the potential for Nevada’s testing facilities to help develop technologies for on-site processing of existing nuclear waste, while keeping in mind safety and economic concerns for the residents of Nevada.
  • Dry Storage Casks. If elected, I will fight changes to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s review standards for repository design and support legislation that accelerates the transfer of spent fuel to dry storage casks, where it is more secure from potential threats.

Democracy & Voting Rights

Two of the last five presidential elections have been won by the candidate who did not receive the most votes. That’s not how elections are supposed to work! The disillusionment of millions of young people across the country is easy to understand. How do we tell them every vote counts when the outcome proves otherwise? The Electoral College no longer serves the purpose it once did. Other industrialized nations, all of which hold one-person one-vote elections, avoid the ambiguity we’ve come to dread.

Big money is also working to further erode our democracy by giving wealthy mega donors and corporations an outsized voice in our electoral process. Corporations are not people, and corporations shouldn’t be allowed to silence people through campaign finance loopholes and super PACs. Furthermore, you shouldn’t have to be rich or sell your campaign to wealthy donors to run for office. Publicly financed elections mean that individuals, not corporations or special interests, decide who represents them. Many cities and states have already adopted different models of public financing, successfully limiting the power of big money in politics.

Our most basic right as Americans, the right to cast a ballot, remains under attack in communities of color and the LGBT community. All across the United States, entrenched interests scheme to disenfranchise voters. No eligible voter should be prevented from exercising their most fundamental right in a representative democracy: the right to vote.

  • Eliminate the Electoral College. If elected, I will support an amendment to eliminate the Electoral College.
  • Overturn Citizens United. I support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, the Supreme Court case that lets corporations and special interests buy elections.
  • Publicly financed elections. I support a move to public financing in elections, which empowers everyday Americans to have their voices heard.
  • Eliminate superdelegates. I support eliminating the role of superdelegates in within the Democratic Party.
  • Support open primaries. I will advocate for open primaries across the country.
  • Automatic Voter Registration. I will work to pass a federal Automatic Voter Registration law.
  • Restore the Voting Rights Act. I will support full restoration of the Voting Rights Act.
  • End voter photo ID requirements. I pledge to end discriminatory photo ID requirements, which disproportionately affect marginalized communities.
  • Re-enfranchise ex-felons. Ex-felons who have served their sentences should not be made to feel like second-class citizens and deserve to participate. I support restoring voting rights for ex-felons.
  • Oppose “crosscheck” programs. I will fight against “crosscheck” programs in which Republicans seek to purge voters and relegate them to casting a provisional ballot.
  • Representation for D.C. I support the rights of District of Columbia voters to choose their U.S. Representatives.

Infrastructure

Few disagree that America’s crumbling and dangerous bridges, outdated railways and aged public buildings must be upgraded. The disagreement focuses on how to finance the improvements. In the past, governments have sold bonds to finance infrastructure projects. Now, private equity groups and other financiers are investing.

  • Support public investment in infrastructure. I will oppose any effort by Donald Trump to finance improvements through private equity and public/private partnerships – financing options that increase the cost of projects three to six times!
  • Prioritize good jobs and sustainable development. I will support plans that create good publicly-funded jobs, improve safety and reduce our carbon output.
  • Jobs for All. I will fight to pass the Federal Jobs Guarantee, which will allow American workers to prosper from the rebuilding of America’s critical infrastructure.

Public Lands

The Trump Administration and the GOP are removing hard-fought protections from public land monuments in western states, Nevada among them. These lands will be exploited for their natural resources and profits will flow to out-of-state corporations. Public lands belong to all of us. They shouldn’t be sold off to the highest bidder.

  • Protect public lands. I will oppose efforts to eliminate these designations, and will work to preserve the public lands that have come to represent the vast wilderness of the Golden West and the pristine places that connect residents and visitors alike with the treasures of our past and the promise of our future.

Information, Technology & Privacy

Modern life depends on information and technology — particularly the internet — yet internet service providers and telecommunications companies have effectively become monopolies via acquisitions and mergers.. The FCCC, under the Trump Administration, is attacking net neutrality in an effort to let these monopolies increase their profits further by implementing special internet “fast lanes.” Social media companies, like Facebook, are becoming more and more integral to our lives, but are controlling our access to information via complex and opaque algorithms. Meanwhile, folks in rural Nevada have access to limited broadband, or, in many cases, no access at all.

  • Support net neutrality I support net neutrality because I believe access to information via the internet should be a basic right. I will fight to restore a neutral internet.
  • Increase rural broadband availability. I support net neutrality because I believe access to information via the internet should be a basic right. I will fight to restore a neutral internet.
  • Support municipal broadband. I support municipality’s right to develop their own broadband to best serve their residents.
  • Regulate the internet as a public utility. The internet was developed and funded by the government and taxpayers; it should be regulated like the public utility that it is.
  • Break-up tech and advertising monopolies. I will fight to apply antitrust laws to ISPs, telecommunications companies, and social media platforms and break up their strangleholds on our access to information. This will lead to stronger competition and more consumer choice.
  • Repeal the PATRIOT Act. The PATRIOT Act has opened the door to government surveillance of the American people in the name of safety and security, but it’s not making us any safer. I will fight to repeal the PATRIOT Act and restore Americans’ rights to personal privacy.
  • Abolish the NSA. Even without the PATRIOT Act, the National Security Agency will still have broad and unchecked power to surveil Americans. This agency needs to be reigned in by Congress and eventually dismantled entirely. We cannot give up our rights and liberties in the face of supposed security threats.

Veterans & Military Families

Those who defend our freedom we owe a debt that can never be repaid. Our military veterans deserve the best our country has to offer – physical and mental health care, educational opportunities, job training and housing assistance – yet too often these brave Americans end up alone, troubled and at risk. Few things break my heart like the sight of a veteran who has lost his or her way. The epidemic of suicide among our returning soldiers must be acknowledged and addressed.

When talking about taking care of our veterans, we can’t ignore the needs of those on the front lines helping to ensure we are providing adequate care and resources. Current law prohibits certain VA employees, including registered nurses, from exercising their rights to collective bargaining.

  • Diplomacy first. I will also fight for a foreign policy that spares any more of our brave men and women from the horror of combat and post-traumatic stress disorders.
  • Transition to civilian life. As your representative in Congress, I will work tirelessly to ensure comprehensive care is provided to our returning military and our veterans, with an emphasis on best practices to help vets transition into civilian life.
  • Prioritize mental health. I pledge to ensure that the mental well-being of our veterans is as much a priority to health providers as physical well-being. We owe it to our veterans to ensure the government does more to combat the debilitating effects of post-traumatic stress disorder.
  • Veterans Affairs funding. I will fight to ensure that our Veterans Affairs hospitals are fully and adequately funded.
  • Support VA employees. I pledge to support the VA Employee Fairness Act, which affords bargaining rights to VA employees, such as nurses.

Foreign Policy, International Affairs

We have been at war for longer than my children have been alive. Administration after administration, we find ourselves mired in endless — and often illegal — wars. Just recently, President Trump declared his intent to intervene in Syria “indefinitely.” As a military spouse, I know the toll sending our men and women overseas takes on them and their families. Unfortunately, perpetual war is supported by a bi-partisan consensus.

We need to provide an alternative vision.We can’t just be fighting for progressives values at home. Our foreign policy needs to reflect the same values and emphasis on human rights that inform our domestic policies.

  • Foreign Service Corp. Our State Department has been gutted under the “leadership” of Donald Trump. I will ensure that our vital Foreign Service Corp is re-empowered.
  • Progressive Internationalism. I support Progressive Internationalism – forging alliances with democratic nations around the world to foster cooperative global politics and restore America’s international standing as a leader among peers.
  • Oppose human rIghts abuses overseas. We must stop breaking our own laws, like the Foreign Assistance Act and the Arms Export Control Act, by doing business with nations that engage in human rights abuses, like Saudi Arabia.
  • Stop Arming Terrorists. I will support the Stop Arming Terrorists Act. We must stop providing arms to terrorists, as we have done in Syria, where those weapons have been used against innocent civilians.
  • A Marshall Plan for the Middle East. I will advocate replacing The War on Terror with A Marshall Plan for the Middle East. Instead of spending trillions of dollars on the Military Industrial Complex, we could help bring economic development to war-torn regions of the Middle East, win the hearts and minds of its people and create stability, peace and security for the United States.
  • Repeal Authorization for the Use of Military Force. I will bring the right to wage war and peace back to the People’s House. In Congress, I will repeal Trump’s blank check for war and roll back the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force that he uses to send American troops to undeclared wars from Yemen to Niger
  • No nuclear first strike. I will fight to bring Congressional checks and balances to our nuclear first strike policy so no one person can unilaterally launch a nuclear conflict.
  • Eliminate nuclear weapons. I will support the global zero initiative to achieve the elimination of nuclear weapons by promoting a phased withdrawal and verification system for the destruction of all devices held by all countries who possess nuclear weapons.

Fair Trade

We cannot allow the debate on trade to be limited to so-called “free trade” on one side, and xenophobic protectionism and isolationism on the other. Instead, we can chart a new path, with progressive fair trade policies.

  • Support fair trade policies. America’s trade policies fail to put our nation’s workers first. Corporations have benefitted while their workers and the environment suffer. Factories have closed, jobs have been shipped offshore and communities have disappeared. I pledge to oppose the pending Trade in Services Agreement (TiSA), the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).
  • Restore American manufacturing. I will champion fair trade doctrines that put American workers first and help rebuild our manufacturing sector.

Gun Safety

On October 1, 2017, for reasons we may never understand, a deranged shooter robbed 58 people of their lives, their families of their loved ones and Sin City of its innocence, adding our home to the long list of cities devastated by senseless gun violence.

The Second Amendment grants our citizens the right to bear arms but with rights come responsibility.

The vast majority of Americans discard the notion that automatic weapons, high-powered magazines and accelerants such as bump stocks serve a purpose in our society. The majority of Americans fail to comprehend why a weapon purchased in a gun store requires a background check while a weapon purchase at a gun show can go unchecked. Despite the concerns of like-minded, sensible Americans, the National Rifle Association still manages, through obscene campaign donations, to exert its influence in Congress.

According to former Rep. Gabby Giffords’ group “Courage to Fight Gun Violence” — 95% of Americans support requiring a background check for all gun sales… and 94% of gun owners believe in background checks for all gun sales.

Despite the concerns of like-minded, sensible Americans, the National Rifle Association (NRA) still manages, through obscene campaign donations, to exert its influence in Congress.

As a mom, I have taken Rep. Giffords’ pledge:

“I promise you that if we cannot make our communities safer from gun violence with the Congress we have now, I will use every means available to make sure we have a different Congress, one that puts communities’ interests ahead of the gun lobby’s. I will Vote Courage in November and support candidates who will stand up to the gun lobby and take action to make our communities safer.”

As a member of Congress, I pledge to stand up to the NRA and “Vote Courage” with an agenda to make our communities safer:

  • Assault weapons ban. I support a ban on the sale of military-style assault weapons, including the AR-15.
  • Ban bump stocks and high capacity magazines. I will advocate for a ban on so-called bump stocks, other accelerant devices and high capacity magazines that turn semi-automatic weapons in deadly fully automatic weapons.
  • Full background checks. I support full background checks on all gun sales, including gun shows and private sales.
  • Waiting periods for gun purchases. I support “cooling off” waiting periods on gun sales pending a full background check.
  • Oppose President Trump’s plan to arm school teachers. I will fight against any proposal to arm teachers. The last thing we need is more guns in schools.
  • Support federal grants for individual school districts’ security needs. Each school and school district is different. As part of a national school security plan, we should have a robust federal grant program to improve school safety at the local level.
  • Support “Red Flag” orders. Five states -- Indiana, California, Connecticut, Oregon and Washington -- currently have laws that enable law enforcement to temporarily confiscate weapons from individuals deemed to be a threat to society or themselves. We need a national “red flag” program to allow police to disarm and prevent future weapon sales to individuals suffering from mental illness or making threats to our safety.
  • Prioritize mental health. For too long we have allowed cutbacks to vital mental health care services. Fully funding and treating mental illness will be a key element of our Medicare-for-all national healthcare plan.

Sexual Violence

The #metoo movement has helped our society progress on the issue of violence against women, but we are still not doing enough. In the United States, an American is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds, 1 out of every 6 American women are the victims of attempted or completed rape in her lifetime, and 9 out of every 10 victims of rape are female. Transgender people and Native Americans are also more susceptible to sexual violence in their lifetimes. Victims of sexual violence are highly prone to PTSD and depression, with over 70% experiencing moderate to severe distress, more than any other violent crime.

These figures are disgusting, unacceptable, and it would be morally incomprehensible if Congress continues to standby and do nothing to reverse these trends. We have a duty to protect Americans from heinous crimes like sexual assault, and so it is up to us to build upon the legacy of the Violence Against Women Act.

  • End the backlog of rape kits. I will vehemently fight to eliminate the backlog of hundreds of thousands of rape kits in the United States and make sure that law enforcement is better trained to handle sexual assault cases and evidence.
  • Increase U Visas. I will support any measure to increase the amount of U Visas available each year so that more immigrant women will be empowered to stand up to their assaulter. I will also support government initiatives to expand research of sexual assault within minority and immigrant communities, which have been largely underreported and ignored.
  • Raise statute of limitations. I will work to raise the statute of limitations in all states regarding sexual assault, so victims have enough time to process their grief and report their assault to law enforcement on their own time.
  • Support an independent federal council. An independent federal council to investigate allegations of negligence in handling of sexual assault claims by private corporations is needed to ensure the safety and respect of women in the private sector.
  • Me Too. Once in Congress, I will be a staunch supporter of and vote for the ME TOO Act.

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