When I talk to ordinary families, the thing I hear most is how the increase in fixed costs is hurting their family. In times of economic hardship, most families cut back on spending to save money. However, we live in a society increasingly plagued by fixed costs that are out of our budgetary control: rent or mortgage, utility bills, transportation costs (including gasoline and car insurance), medical insurance, loan repayments, and taxes. These bills show up every month (or more), and families can’t control their spending because they are essential products at mostly fixed rates. Good public policy can reduce these costs, which saves families money each month and eases the burden of monthly bills. 

​

As your Senator, I will:

​

1.Lower taxes for working- and middle-class families to reduce the share of hard-earned money taken by government.

​

2. Ensure that tax dollars are spent effectively and in ways that lower costs and improve services for working families rather than on frivolous pork barrel projects.

 

3. Support the bipartisan expansion of Medicaid to provide health coverage to over half a million North Carolinians.

​

4. Properly fund our schools through the passage of the first school construction bond in 20 years to reduce the competition for housing in better school districts, eliminate miscellaneous fees for underfunded services like sports and band, and improve the health and safety of buildings used by our kids and teachers.

​

5. Lower the cost of gasoline and utility bills by supporting policies which fosters greater energy independence, including policies which expand our use of natural gas, offshore wind, nuclear, and solar.

​

6. Work with my colleagues to lower the cost of public universities, including support for the NC Promise program and an evaluation of a free community college program, similar to the one offered in Tennessee.

​

7. Raise the tipped minimum wage of $2.13 an hour to reduce the added cost for consumers and provide stability to restaurant workers, which 34 other states have done.