In my two terms as your State Representative, I have consistently supported our schools at all levels.

As House Chair of the Appropriations Committee, I made sure funding for education through the budget process has been a priority. This year these initiatives included:

- Funding schools at 55% in the budget, so that RSU 5 can count on that support

- Increased the minimum pay for ed techs and other support staff

- Helping public school buildings become more energy efficient and weatherized

- Expanding resources for preschoolers with disabilities

- Promoting high-paying careers by increasing access to apprenticeship programs

- Continued funding (over 100 million dollars) for universal free breakfast and lunch programs

- Continued funding for free community college for high school graduates from classes 2020-2024

- Increased teacher retirement coverage

We also made historic investments in childcare, with financial support at all levels - families, teachers, and centers- to allow families and children to thrive.

Maine’s natural resources are among our greatest assets. I have been an active champion of legislation to combat climate change and keep these vital resources healthy for generations to come.

I have a 100% lifetime score by Maine Conservation Voters and endorsements from MCV, Sierra Club, and Defend Our Health. These past two sessions I worked for or helped pass bills to address climate change, including measures to ramp up land conservation efforts, support climate resilience and emission reduction projects, address the issue of PFAS, provide weatherization funding, divest from fossil fuel companies, establish a "green bank" for municipal and business access to financing. reform for our recycling system, and others.

It was particularly important to me this past session as Chair of the budget process that community grants for climate resilience, and funds to combat climate change were fully funded. Freeport has successfully obtained some of this grant funding, and it has made a difference for our community's efforts to plan for the future.

Every Mainer deserves access to quality, affordable health care. Comprehensive care should not be limited by age, gender, race, pre-existing condition, or income.

Comprehensive care means just that: comprehensive. That includes abortion care and other reproductive health care, mental health and dental care, as well as basic health care needs.

I was honored to receive an award in 2023 from Maine Family Planning for my decades of work in providing and supporting access to reproductive health care. I sponsored and passed a bill this session to ensure continuity of care after a merger or acquisition of a health care entity (requiring the new entity to keep providing reproductive care regardless of affiliation. This is critically important, especially in rural Maine.)

I also voted to increase funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, ban debt collectors from charging interest on medical debt, lower the cost of prescription drugs, invest in veterans’ homes and nursing facilities, increase access to mental health care, and create a Paid Family and Medical Leave program.

Health care is a human right, and protecting and expanding access to care is my commitment to you.

As former Chair of the Freeport Town Council, I know that state actions to support local property tax relief are important.

This past session, we fully funded municipal revenue sharing at 5%, which is critical for Freeport. I sponsored and passed a bill to require the state to reimburse communities more quickly this year, so that we can form our local budgets based on real numbers. We also kept Maine’s commitment to fund 55% of K-12 education, and increased the Homestead Exemption reimbursement, with more money sent directly to Freeport.

Through the budget we increased both the Property Tax Fairness Credit (with an expanded benefit for seniors) and the senior Property Tax Deferral program. This is in addition to other tax relief measures, such as a refundable Dependent Child Tax Credit and expanded pension deductions. In the past five years, the State of Maine will be providing more than half a BILLION dollars per year in tax relief by Fiscal Year 2026-27. I am committed to providing real, meaningful relief to those in need, such as working families and older Mainers.