Maryland House of Delegates District 33C

A: As chair of the Health Committee, I am working to provide better efficiency in our systems, and to ensure we have the technology necessary to capture every federal match dollar in our waiver programs. We did a lot of deliberative work this session on cost containment in our healthcare system and in investment in technology to make us more efficient. I look forward to continuing to partner with our Appropriations Committee, Ways and Means Committee, and Economic Matters Committees to advance comprehensive policies to close the gap, ensuring we are not only paying our bills but delivering the services which impact the quality of life for all Marylanders - healthcare, childcare, education, transportation, workforce development, environmental impact, and agriculture.

A: When I’m talking to constituents, affordability is the overarching theme - whether it’s the high cost of housing, healthcare and prescription drugs, energy, groceries, childcare or the growing salary gap. As more and more jobs enter the gig economy, working families are feeling the pinch. People don’t have capacity to consider the broader issues of our democratic institutions when they don’t know how they’re going to pay for their mortgage or rent, prescriptions, and other necessities. Beyond the cost of living, Maryland is facing a stalled economy and a significant vulnerability with the uncertainty coming from Washington, D.C., as a state with a significant federal workforce and an economy dependent on federal contracts, so we need to decouple not only policy but our economy from the federal government. Additionally we are suffering from an aging technological infrastructure which doesn’t have capacity to meet the needs of our citizens.

A: We have taken significant steps in the recent sessions to reduce the cost of living for Marylanders, including the creation of the Prescription Drug Affordability Board and authorizing legislation to establish upper payment limits for Medicaid and private payers; the reinsurance program, which created subsidies for young adults to enter the insurance market; and innovations such as school-based health centers and the collaborative care. This session, our committee passed the Commission on Re-Imaging Healthcare for Maryland. We also prioritized a comprehensive energy policy which combines short-term savings with long-term investments in generation, and took action on longstanding inefficiencies which have cost us federal match dollars, and made record investments in childcare grants to ensure more families will have access to quality childcare. We need to hold data centers accountable to their own generation and infrastructure, go after price gouging, and also look at how we can grow our economy by diversifying and decoupling from the federal government with investments in technology, cybersecurity, biopharmaceuticals, education, healthcare, clean energy, and hospitality. Finally, we have to grow our inventory of affordable housing to grow our tax base because home ownership is becoming out of reach for too many families.

A: We are starting to see the return on investment for the blueprint and that means it is time to re-evaluate what is working, what needs improvement, and what might be extraneous. I’m a big believer in data-driven decision-making and look forward to the report and recommendations from the Accountability Implementation Board. The short answer to the question is yes - we will likely see a combination of both - a need to raise revenue by growing our economy and a need to roll back programs that aren’t demonstrating the return on investment we had expected. However, I will not speculate on the best approach because we were intentional in ensuring accountability was built into the blueprint to help us make those decisions, and as a legislator and educator, I want to see the data before I make a decision.

A: I want them to see that I show up for them, that I never forget whom I serve, and that I do not shy away from the difficult conversations, that I am transparent and accessible, and that I always consider the will of and the impact on our community in every decision I make and every vote I take. I have leaned into our shared values and have represented every member of my district with my whole heart, with an open-door policy for everyone regardless of whether they voted for me. Besides the election, I want constituents to know that I will always have their backs, and that they can expect responsive, compassionate, high-level service regardless of party and that the person who shows up to the candidate forum is the same person who will show up to a ribbon cutting, a community event, a celebration or a memorial. I want them to review my job performance in community pages, at ribbon cuttings, during bill hearings, and when they’re talking to their friends, family, and neighbors. Democracy is a team sport and I want to make civic engagement a part of our everyday activity.