Issues
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My Priorities
Getting Our Economy Back on Track We see them all around us in our district—houses in foreclosure, businesses going out of business.
Our economic problems will not be solved overnight, but there are things we can do to help get our economy back on track and to restore economic stability to
My priorities for the legislative session include—
- Keeping taxes low and helping small businesses succeed.
- Addressing our foreclosure crisis by increasing access to credible counseling for those in jeopardy of losing their homes, assisting renters being evicted from foreclosed homes and strengthening our laws on mortgage fraud.
- Creating new jobs for our state through the development of renewable energy.
- Enhancing career and technical education opportunities in our schools.
We Need a Real Commitment to Public EducationBecause I volunteer in my children’s schools, I am in our classrooms frequently and have the opportunity to see first-hand the challenges facing our teachers and students. I currently work for the National PTA, helping to get more parents involved in our schools.
We need to make a real commitment to improving our schools. I strongly support measures to:
- Increase parental involvement in our schools, including working with employers, Chambers of Commerce, and parent organizations to find ways to encourage employers to help their employees be more connected to their kids’ schools.
- Reduce our dropout rate and better prepare every student for his or her chosen career path, whether it includes higher education or going directly into the workforce.
- Make our schools safer by expanding successful "secret witness" programs and strengthening our laws on gangs.
- Expand career and technical education.
- Provide our schools the tools they need to recruit and retain the best teachers.
- Preserve and expand education reforms with a track record of success.
- Demand more accountability from our schools.
The Importance of Developing Renewable Energy To reduce our dependence on foreign oil—and create jobs in our state—we must do all we can to spur the development and use of
Our state needs an energy policy that includes:
- Establishment of a state transmission authority to make sure we can transport renewable energy from the location where it is produced to the areas where it is needed.
- Modernizing
- Clarifying
- Requiring all government agencies to develop a plan and timeline for meeting energy efficiency standards
Improving Health Care in I frequently hear from constituents concerns about the cost of health care and prescription drugs and the quality of medical care. Certainly, the recent Hepatitis C crisis in
My priorities for improving health care will include:
- Protecting NV Check Up to ensure
- Improving transparency in health insurance policies
- Providing the Department of Health the authority to temporarily close a medical facility and provide whistleblower protection to nurses
- Requiring accreditation and improve the inspection process of all facilities where surgery is performed
- Continuing to work to reduce the cost of health care and prescription drugs
- Keeping taxes low and helping small businesses succeed.
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Issues
Getting Our Economy Back on Track
We see them all around us in our district—houses in foreclosure, businesses going out of business.
Our economic problems will not be solved overnight, but there are things we can do to help get our economy back on track and to restore economic stability to
My priorities for the next legislative session will include:
-
Keep taxes low and help small businesses succeed.
-
Address our foreclosure crisis by increasing access to credible counseling for those in jeopardy of losing their homes, assisting renters being evicted from foreclosed homes and strengthening our laws on mortgage fraud.
-
Create new jobs for our state through the development of renewable energy.
-
Enhance career and technical education opportunities in our schools.
-
Continue to work to increase the availability of affordable housing.
We Need a Real Commitment to Public Education
Because I volunteer in my children's schools, I am in our classrooms frequently and have the opportunity to see first-hand the challenges facing our teachers and students. I currently work for the National PTA, helping to get more parents involved in our schools.
We need to make a real commitment to improving our schools. I strongly support measures to:
-
Increase parental involvement in our schools, including working with employers, Chambers of Commerce, and parent organization to find ways to encourage employers to help their employees be more connected to their kids' schools.
-
Reduce our dropout rate and better preparing every student for his or her chosen career path, whether it includes higher education or going directly into the workforce.
-
Make our schools safer by expanding successful "secret witness" programs and strengthening our laws on gangs.
-
Expand career and technical education.
-
Provide our schools the tools they need to recruit and retain the best teachers.
-
Preserve and expand education reforms with a track record of success.
-
Demand more accountability from our schools.
The Importance of Developing Renewable Energy
As I have been walking door-to-door, one of the issues I hear about most frequently is the high cost of gas and the impact it is having on the price of other necessities. To reduce our
dependence on foreign oil—and create jobs in our state—we must do all we can to spur the development and use of
Our state needs an energy policy that includes:
-
Establishment of a state transmission authority to make sure we can transport renewable energy from the location where it is produced to the areas where it is needed.
-
Modernizing
-
Clarifying
homeowners and businesses to install affordable renewable energy systems -
Requiring all government agencies to develop a plan and timeline for meeting energy efficiency standards
Improving Health Care in
As I walk door-to-door, I frequently hear from voters concerns about the cost of health care and prescription drugs and the quality of medical care. Certainly, the recent Hepatitis C crisis in
My priorities for improving health care will include:
- Protecting NV Check Up to ensure
- Improving transparency in health insurance policies
- Providing the Department of Health the authority to temporarily close a medical facility and provide whistleblower protection to nurses
- Requiring accreditation and improve the inspection process of all facilities where surgery is performed
- Continuing to work to reduce the cost of health care and prescription drugs
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Jobs
In these tough economic times, it’s critical that we get Nevadans back to work. I was proud to support a jobs bill to create 8,000 jobs (Special Session 26, Senate Bill 5) as well as incentives for renewable energy development in Nevada.
We need to continue to look for new avenues for job development in our state. Nevada can and should serve as a transportation and distribution hub for the Western United States. A special legislative committee is already working on this issue and we hope to introduce legislation in the upcoming legislative session that moves us closer to this goal.
Education
As the mother of two high school students, an active participant in my kids’ school activities, and full-time employee with the PTA, I understand how important it is to provide all of Nevada’s children with a great education. I know that without quality schools, our state cannot recover from our current economic crisis.
During the one term I have served in the Assembly, I served on the Education Committee and heard hours of testimony on the challenges facing our schools today. I am a strong advocate of meaningful education reform to make sure we start reaching every child—from the student excited about applying for college to the student eager to enter today’s job market right out of high school. We need better career and technical education, as well as strong academic programs to meet the needs of all students---to improve our graduation rate and to produce the well-educated, well-trained workforce that businesses are seeking.
We must continue to encourage parents to get involved in their children’s education. I have seen the positive effects supportive, engaged parents can have in their child’s education. We need to reward schools and teachers for academic performance and reduce bureaucracy. We must also provide parents and the public more information about our education system—how money is being spent and the results of that spending.
During the last legislative session, we were able to restore millions of dollars in cuts to education proposed by Governor Gibbons. In these very tough times, we must continue to protect education to fund quality teachers, smaller classes and innovative programs that truly improve learning.
Government Efficiency and Accountability
As taxpayers, we should all feel confident that our tax dollars are being spent wisely and efficiently. I will support legislation that provides taxpayers with easy-to-read reports from state agencies so we are all clear on how our money is being spent.
We must work now to avoid future economic downturns like the one we are experiencing, which is why I supported the creation of a Revenue Stabilization Fund during the last legislative session. This fund, which is a forced savings account for our state, will help prevent severe budget shortfalls resulting in cuts to essential state services, such as education, health care and public safety.
It is critical that we constantly look for ways to cut costs and make government work more efficiently. I will continue to support measures that—
• limit the use of expensive, outside consultants,
• require more long-term planning,
• set spending priorities,
• make our budget process more transparent,
• track unpaid taxes owed to the state,
• consolidate or share services to avoid duplication where possible, save money and provide efficient service.