Issues
• Investing in Public and Higher Education
• Economic Development and Financial Security
• Affordable Health Care
• Building Bipartisan Support

Utah’s population is growing at a minimum of an additional 10,000 students every year. This growth is expected to continue well past 2016. If we provide funding for each additional student at the current rate that we are spending now, we will need a $50 million increase every year for those 10,000 students. This is without addressing pressing education needs like lowering class size, the widening education gap between white and minority students, or the competition for and loss of Utah’s quality teachers.

Yet, Utah’s spending per student is the lowest in the nation, and we continue to face the same challenge of higher student population growth every year, year after year. We need to address long-term funding for education, without cutting that funding based on short- term surpluses.

While educating a growing population is a challenge, it is also a great opportunity with many benefits. When Utah invests in a quality education for our students and our children’s education, we also invest in a quality workforce. An educated workforce builds long-term sustainable economic development because the workforce is well prepared no matter what the needs, challenges, or conditions are in the future. Investing in quality education now means a positive return in the future for our children and ours.

Investing in Children
A quality public education system benefits all of us. As your state representative, I will make quality public education for every child my top priority by investing in:

• early childhood development programs
• excellent teachers, with needed resources and support
• small class sizes, that give more individualized attention
• increased opportunities
• long term sustainable plan

We must draw on the experience and expertise of parents, families, and community members to support young people's learning and return our schools to the center of our communities. We must reconnect our families and communities with our schools. Children need champions.

Wise Use of Limited Resources
We know that healthy children learn better. Spending resources wisely with money towards preventive care such as the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) saves $9.00 of every $10.00 as opposed to money spent in the emergency room. In addition, the Federal Government will provide an 80-20 match, meaning for every $2.00 Utah spends, the Federal government gives Utah $8.00 towards prevention on Children's Health.

Expanding health insurance coverage to uninsured children and providing access to regular check-ups and prescription medications when they are sick will save money and prevent more costly care in the future.

Long Term Care
As Utah's population ages the need for nursing homes, assisted living, and home health care will increase dramatically.

If we are going to meet the needs of our parents and grandparents in a way that sustains their health and independence without destroying their financial well being, we must start work now to develop, invest, and expand a caregiver network to meet the increased need for long term care.

Low Cost Perscription Drugs
In addition to working hard and saving for retirement, citizens can hardly keep up with the escalating costs of prescription drugs.

Through free market negotiations and its bulk purchasing power, Utah can substantially lower prices for prescription drugs both for the uninsured and for the state Medicaid program saving hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in the process.

Jobs, Economic Prosperity and Security
In order to "make it", a family today has to be concerned with many factors. A secure job that pays a good wage, the prospect of getting a little ahead, and the hope that their children will have the option of finding jobs and making their lives in Utah.

The only way you can have a strong economy is to have a well-educated workforce. We must invest in education and vocational training if we're going to grow jobs, and we must provide credit to business entrepreneurs for creating good jobs. If we do that we'll be able to build jobs for today and for our economic strength in the future.

Environment
The Olympics showcased to the world why many people come to visit and enjoy living here in Utah. Utah is rich in environmental beauty and the people here have traditionally shown respect for the land and the qualities of life it brings.

Yet as winter inversions and summer droughts continue while our population grows, we need to make long term plans to balance urban development with Utah's fragile environment so that our children and our children's children have the opportunity to enjoy Utah's natural beauty.