Issue Position: Supporting Working Families

Issue Position

Vermont's families are the foundation of our communities and our economy, yet too many are struggling to make ends meet. I am committed to implementing "two generation" solutions: (1) helping parents get livable wage jobs; (2) ensuring that their children have educational opportunities and services they need. A quality education is a ladder out of poverty.

Economic Security: Vermont families are struggling with stagnant wages and income inequality. I want to help working families and those living in poverty gain the financial security that is part of the American Dream. Vermont needs a higher minimum wage so workers can make ends meet, and paid sick leave so no one has to choose between holding a job and caring for their families.

Supporting Our Schools While Controlling Property Taxes: Vermont's school system is one of the best in the nation, but our schools are struggling with declining enrollment and rising costs. The Agency of Education needs to support the unique educational needs of each community and help districts look for new opportunities for equitable and quality education. I support rethinking our school governance structure to enhance educational quality and find efficiencies and cost savings. Under-utilized schools can be repurposed as multi-generational community centers for education and social services. Thinking differently can help us build for the future while controlling costs and stabilizing property taxes.
Provide Early Childhood Education: As a working mother, I know the multiple benefits of early childhood education. Children are better prepared to learn, and parents -- especially women -- can earn an income. Children who have high quality early care and education are more likely to finish high school and continue beyond. With 50% of Vermont's children arriving at kindergarten unready to learn, we must do more to improve education and caregiving for our youngest children -- whose brains are already 80% developed by age 3. I will work to implement universal pre-K and explore public-private partnerships to make high quality, affordable early education, and parenting support available to Vermont families.
Continue Health Care Reform: Rising healthcare costs are burdening the budgets of our schools, communities, businesses and families. We must ensure that Vermont Health Connect works, but we cannot stop there. As Governor, I will focus on containing costs by enhancing primary and preventative care, improving the integration of health care and social services, and supporting the transition to a more efficient healthcare delivery system. Payment reform should reward health outcomes rather than the current system that rewards more visits, procedures and prescriptions.
Addressing Opioids: Vermont faces an opioid epidemic that is impacting our communities, our children, and our state's economic future. The rate of opioid-exposed infants has doubled since 2009. I will invest in programs to prevent and treat opioid addiction and improve drug and alcohol prevention and rehabilitation. We must change prescribing habits, provide early intervention for families with high risk factors for substance abuse, and ensure that schools provide effective drug abuse prevention programs. Addicts need treatment, not jail time.

Strengthening Gun Safety: Gun violence in the U.S. has reached a crisis point and Vermont is not immune. Women are at particular risk: more than half of domestic violence homicides in Vermont involve a gun. In states that require a background check for private sales of handguns, 46 percent fewer women are shot to death by their intimate partners. I favor common sense approaches to strengthening gun safety while protecting the constitutional right of Vermonters to own guns and respecting our hunting heritage. Responsible gun ownership is one of our traditions and I will support requiring universal background checks for gun sales, including those that occur at gun shows, flea markets and private online sales (exempting family sales). The same standards that apply to federally registered firearms dealers should apply to all gun sales.

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