POLICY IDEAS

We don’t have a housing crisis; we have an affordable housing crisis. Working families are being priced out of the communities they call home while large corporate investors buy up single-family homes and drive-up housing costs.

I support legislation that limits the ability for large investors to buy up single-family homes and helps protect opportunities for working families to achieve homeownership. I also support programs like first-time homebuyer assistance and down payment assistance that help more Tennesseans get into their first home.

I support workforce housing solutions, so teachers, first responders, healthcare workers, and the people who keep our communities running can afford to live where they work.

Lastly, I support innovative housing solutions, like tiny home communities that provide a safe and stable place to live for Tennesseans experiencing homelessness. These communities can serve as a bridge to permanent housing by connecting people with resources and support to get back on their feet. I support using existing resources, public/private partnerships, and cost-effective housing solutions to invest in long-term stability and reduce the costs associated with homelessness.

Helping people move from homelessness into stable housing is not only the right thing to do, but it’s also a smarter investment that can reduce long-term costs to taxpayers and strengthen our communities.

I firmly believe that every person should have access to quality, affordable healthcare and the medically necessary prescriptions that they need. Our government should be focused on making healthcare more accessible and affordable, not standing in the way of people trying to get the care they need.

That is why I support expanding Medicaid. Hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans fall into the coverage gap, (like my family), earning too much to qualify, but not enough to afford private insurance. Expanding Medicaid would provide health coverage to more working families while helping strengthen our healthcare system.

Right now, rural hospitals are struggling to keep their doors open, and many have already closed their doors. Tennessee has become a maternal care dessert since the overturning of Roe V. Wade in 2022. Medicaid expansion would bring BILLIONS of our federal dollars back to the state instead of sending our money to states that already have expanded coverage. Since the federal government covers 90% of the cost of expansion, it’s one of the most effective ways to improve healthcare access while supporting our hospitals.

I also support lowering the cost of life-saving prescription medications like insulin and inhalers. No one should have to choose between paying their bills and getting the medicine they need. We should establish a Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) and put caps on copays or out-of-pocket costs for medically necessary medications so that no family has to choose between their healthcare or their utilities.

As a mom to two littles, I know firsthand how financially draining childcare can be. Currently in Tennessee, a year of infant childcare costs more than a year of tuition at many public universities. That’s not only unbelievable, it’s unacceptable.

For the first three years of my daughter’s life, I was a single mom. I worked three jobs, attended college full-time, and learned how to be a new mom all at the same time. It wasn’t easy, but I did what I had to do. I relied on my parents, brothers, friends, and neighbors to help care for her so I could work or go to school. Sometimes I even brought my daughter to work with me because I couldn’t find childcare.

When we moved to Clarksville, I turned my home into an in-home daycare so I could help other single moms who were in the same position I had been in—working hard but struggling to afford childcare while just trying to get by.

If Tennessee truly values families, we should invest in the programs that help them succeed. Programs like Head Start and Voluntary Pre-K already serve families across the state, but by expanding access and increasing capacity, we can serve even more.

I support expanding the Voluntary Pre-K program so that every family who wants to enroll their child has the opportunity to do so. I also support expanding childcare assistance and increasing capacity for quality childcare providers so families with infants and toddlers have more affordable options.

When we invest in our kids, we invest in our future. Providing families with the tools they need to succeed can strengthen our communities and our state for generations to come.

Tennessee should be a place where every family can thrive, and our laws should reflect the values of fairness, respect and opportunity.

I believe every adult has the right to marry who they love, live authentically, and be treated with dignity and respect. Every person deserves the freedom to be who they are without fear of discrimination.

I will oppose legislation that targets or discriminates against LGBTQIA+ individuals and will work to protect equal rights and opportunities for all. No one should be denied housing, employment, healthcare, or other basic needs because of who they are or how they love.