Healthcare
All Floridians deserve access to high quality, low cost health insurance, and as your State Representative, I will fight to enact legislation to accomplish this goal. I will fight to have Florida accept the money the federal government is willing to allocate to the state in order to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. By expanding Medicaid, 1.3 million Floridians- children, working families, and seniors- will have access to health insurance. This would save Florida taxpayers millions of dollars, by not having to cover the costs of these otherwise uninsured individuals when they have to eventually receive medical care in the emergency room.
I will fight to provide affordable dental care to the 1.5 million poor children who were recently placed onto managed dental care and will subsequently be unable to afford dental care. Florida currently ranks last in the nation in providing dental care for children in low income households. This reality is an embarrassment, and must be resolved immediately.
I will fight for a woman's right to choose. I believe that women should have the power over their own bodies, and own healthcare choices, and that no one has the right to force a woman to have procedures performed on them against their will.
*To read a more in depth explanation of my healthcare policy proposals CLICK HERE
I will fight to provide affordable dental care to the 1.5 million poor children who were recently placed onto managed dental care and will subsequently be unable to afford dental care. Florida currently ranks last in the nation in providing dental care for children in low income households. This reality is an embarrassment, and must be resolved immediately.
I will fight for a woman's right to choose. I believe that women should have the power over their own bodies, and own healthcare choices, and that no one has the right to force a woman to have procedures performed on them against their will.
*To read a more in depth explanation of my healthcare policy proposals CLICK HERE
Education
The education structure in Florida is a failure. I will fight to reform and restructure the education system away from destructive aptitude based standardized tests. I will fight to give teachers the freedom and flexibility to actually teach the curriculum they were hired to teach rather than teach to the test. By focusing on curriculum rather than aptitude, teachers will have the creativity to create lesson plans tailored to the children in their classroom and focus on their individual learning styles.
I will fight to decouple testing performance from school funds and teacher salary. The current system creates a disincentive structure whereby schools funnel resources to only a few select subject areas such as Algebra and Geometry, while disregarding other higher level subjects such as Algebra II and Trigonometry. This is because grades from higher level subjects are not used to calculate whether a school will receive increased funds.
I will fight to increase school funding and teacher pay. If we wish to attract businesses to Florida, we must increase the quality of our schools, and provide students and teachers with the resources necessary to compete with the rest of the country. This includes not only new technology, but also up-to-date textbooks, lab equipment, and school supplies. Increased pay will not only benefit those individuals who work tirelessly to prepare our children for the future, but will further incentivize other qualified individuals to enter the teaching profession.
I will fight to provide continuing education seminars for current teachers to provide them information on new and effective teaching strategies to help implement in the classroom. This will also help to improve certain struggling teachers who may still need guidance in the classroom.
I will fight to increase funding for the arts in school, and require increased arts education as part of the Middle School and High School curriculum. This includes but is not limited to band, chorus, drama, visual arts, and dance. Students with a creative outlet receive higher grades in school, and develop interpersonal, and group skills that will be invaluable later in life.
*To read a more in depth explanation of my education policy proposals CLICK HERE
I will fight to decouple testing performance from school funds and teacher salary. The current system creates a disincentive structure whereby schools funnel resources to only a few select subject areas such as Algebra and Geometry, while disregarding other higher level subjects such as Algebra II and Trigonometry. This is because grades from higher level subjects are not used to calculate whether a school will receive increased funds.
I will fight to increase school funding and teacher pay. If we wish to attract businesses to Florida, we must increase the quality of our schools, and provide students and teachers with the resources necessary to compete with the rest of the country. This includes not only new technology, but also up-to-date textbooks, lab equipment, and school supplies. Increased pay will not only benefit those individuals who work tirelessly to prepare our children for the future, but will further incentivize other qualified individuals to enter the teaching profession.
I will fight to provide continuing education seminars for current teachers to provide them information on new and effective teaching strategies to help implement in the classroom. This will also help to improve certain struggling teachers who may still need guidance in the classroom.
I will fight to increase funding for the arts in school, and require increased arts education as part of the Middle School and High School curriculum. This includes but is not limited to band, chorus, drama, visual arts, and dance. Students with a creative outlet receive higher grades in school, and develop interpersonal, and group skills that will be invaluable later in life.
*To read a more in depth explanation of my education policy proposals CLICK HERE
Environment
I will fight to protect Florida's fragile ecosystem. Currently, countless invasive species devastate the Everglades due to their lack of natural predators. I will fight to enact legislation to further crack down on the invasive species pet trade, while also fight to increase the resources to programs meant to eradicate the invasive species that have made their home in the District.
I believe that every Floridian should have access to clean air, water, and food, and I will fight the special interests who wish to deregulate environmental protection thereby threatening the health of all Floridians.
*To read a more in depth explanation of my environmental policy proposals CLICK HERE
I believe that every Floridian should have access to clean air, water, and food, and I will fight the special interests who wish to deregulate environmental protection thereby threatening the health of all Floridians.
*To read a more in depth explanation of my environmental policy proposals CLICK HERE
Energy
I believe that if Florida is going to be a leader in 21st century America, then as a state we should be the number one national producer of alternative energy. I will fight to provide incentives for individuals who retrofit their homes to be more energy efficient. I will introduce legislation to make it affordable for every new and existing homeowner to install solar panels on their homes.
I support the Sugarland Wind Project which will create hundreds of jobs in the district, and will provide 60,000 homes with clean and affordable electricity .
*To read a more in depth explanation of my energy policy proposals CLICK HERE
I support the Sugarland Wind Project which will create hundreds of jobs in the district, and will provide 60,000 homes with clean and affordable electricity .
*To read a more in depth explanation of my energy policy proposals CLICK HERE
Seniors
I believe that Social Security and Medicare are not entitlements, but rather rights that every American has earned. As a society we have formed a pact with our seniors to provide them with a high quality of life and these programs are the backbone of that pact. I will always fight to secure and strengthen these programs, as opposed to those who wish to cut benefits and transform them into voucher systems.
*To read a more in depth explanation of my policy proposals for Seniors CLICK HERE
*To read a more in depth explanation of my policy proposals for Seniors CLICK HERE
