Candidate Profiles

There are so many important issues, these are three of the ones I feel are most important. 1) Property Taxes - As a caucus we talked about property tax reform the last couple of years, I understand that it is a very complex issue and believe that this year we will be able to get something meaningful done to help Iowans who are struggling with their growing property tax bill. 2) Affordable Housing - I will advocate to protect Iowa's homebuilders and home buyers against increased government regulations and unnecessary code changes that drive up the cost of home ownership. 3) Education - I will advocate that we make the education funding even more flexible than we already have and allow local school boards decide what and where spending is best for their individual schools. We need to empower teachers in the classroom, giving them the disciplinary tools they need to allow for better learning environments. I will continue to advocate for the availability of mental health professionals in our schools to address the crisis that is happening with our children.

We must maintain control over spending while we phase in tax cuts. Returning Iowa taxpayers' hard earned money should remain priority one while still meeting the priorities of the government. I believe we need to make government better, simpler and faster. There are always areas where we can improve efficiencies.

No, we need to have personal responsibility while driving.

With Iowa’s aging population, we need to work diligently to ensure the appropriate and necessary elder care services will be available when Iowans need it. It’s important that we have discussions with different stakeholders, nurses, industry professionals, etc., and listen to their concerns for the future of long-term service support in Iowa — especially concerning Medicaid funding — and potential solutions to protect Iowans’ continued access to long-term care.

Unfortunately, I believe everyone knows someone who has fought cancer. I believe most know that early detection is key to many for survival. I think we need to identify what is leading to our increased cancer rates and find solutions to those findings. I also think we need to research what barriers exist to prevent timely access to detection and implement evidence-based solutions.

I would continue with the Nutrient Reduction Strategy, which is in its 11th year/ Studies have shown that it is working and Iowa's water quality is improving. We need to continue to reduce the nutrient loads discharged from the state's wastewater treatment plants as well as promoting cover crops and edge of field practices like saturated buffer strips and bioreactors. I would support incentivizing developing technologies and practices that help in nutrient utilization.

We have Iowans struggling in many different ways, across all age groups as it pertains to mental health. I feel we need to focus on prevention, early identification and access to quality care. We need to include mental health professionals, patients and patient families in the conversation on how best to determine effectiveness.

Now that the Heartbeat Bill is in effect, I believe we should focus on fighting for policies that promote life and support strong families in Iowa. There is so much we can do in this regard. For example, we can work to improve our foster care and adoption systems, increase access to quality maternal health care, provide support for women suffering from postpartum depression, provide financial and educational support for new parents, particularly in the case of unplanned pregnancies, and expand access to quality and affordable childcare. I would support looking at ways we can address better access to contraception and support for families struggling with infertility.

I would not support any bill without reading it first.

I served on the Education Committee last session where we met with numerous administrators, teachers and parents. One of the things we heard over and over was the amount of time that was spent on senseless data reporting and regulations. This is across the board in education, including the cooks and bus drivers. We need to focus on educational outcomes and that begins with a classroom environment where students can learn. We need to empower teachers, giving them the disciplinary tools they need in the classroom. We need to continue to make school funding more flexible so that individual school boards can spend available monies on what will be best for their individual school district. We need to look at the school lunch program and allow schools more flexibility in their menus and greater access to fresh and local food. I do believe it is the role of the Iowa Legislature along with the Department of Education to set the education standards to be taught across the state of Iowa.

I believe that we need to continue to be pro-growth and pro taxpayer. We need to reduce the tax burden on families and businesses to position Iowa for long term success.