Healthcare
Healthcare is a Human Right. Every person deserves access to high‑quality, affordable healthcare. After more than twenty years as a registered nurse taking care of patients in a hospital, I’ve seen firsthand how policy failures show up at the bedside — in delayed care, unaffordable prescriptions, and families forced to make impossible choices. My work in the Legislature is shaped by that lived experience, and by a commitment to building a healthcare system that puts people, not profits, first.
What I’ve done:
In my time in the Legislature, I’ve championed legislation focused on expanding access, lowering costs, and strengthening care delivery across Minnesota, including:
Protected reproductive freedom and ensuring Minnesotans can access the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare without political interference.
Strengthened patient protections, including measures to improve transparency, reduce surprise billing, and support continuity of care.
Expanded mental health resources, particularly for youth and rural communities, through increased funding and improved coordination across schools, clinics, and community providers.
Supported the healthcare workforce, championing safe staffing standards, workplace protections, and investments in training pipelines to address shortages.
Advanced prescription drug affordability, including efforts to increase oversight, improve price transparency, and expand programs that help Minnesotans afford essential medications.
Improved long‑term care and home‑care services, with a focus on aging Minnesotans, people with disabilities, and the workers who support them.
Created the Prescription Drug Affordability Board, to hold Big Pharma accountable for high drug prices. I’m proud to serve on this as one of the legislative representatives.
Protected families from crushing medical debt, through the Debt Fairness Act.
Goals for the Future:
I am committed to continuing the work of building a healthcare system that truly serves Minnesotans, including:
Healthcare for all — advancing policies that move Minnesota toward a universal healthcare system where everyone has access to the affordable care they need and deserve starting with removing private health plans from our public programs.
Lower prescription drug prices — expanding state tools to hold pharmaceutical companies accountable, eliminate middlemen, and ensure all Minnesotans can afford the medications they need.
Mental health access for all ages — increasing community‑based services, crisis response capacity, and school‑linked supports.
Reproductive healthcare access — protecting and expanding access to abortion, contraception, prenatal care, infertility and maternal health services.
Stronger rural healthcare — safeguarding hospitals, clinics, and emergency services that are essential to rural communities.
A sustainable, supported workforce — ensuring nurses, direct‑care workers, and behavioral health providers have safe working conditions, competitive wages, and opportunities for advancement.
Integrated care that treats the whole person — expanding models that connect physical, mental, and social health needs, especially for families facing economic or housing instability.
Protecting & Expanding Democracy
Every Minnesotan deserves a voice in their government. My work is shaped by years of listening to families, workers, and communities who want a government that reflects their lived experiences and protects their freedoms. I believe that safeguarding democracy is essential to protecting every other right and opportunity Minnesotans rely on.
What I’ve done:
In 2023, I passed the Democracy for the People Act into law. I’ve championed and advanced legislation aimed at strengthening Minnesota’s democratic systems and protecting the right to vote including:
Expanded voter access, including measures that simplify registration including automatic voter registration, improve early voting options, and reduce barriers for first‑time voters.
Protected election workers, ensuring local officials have the resources, training, and security needed to administer elections safely and independently.
Strengthened election security, supporting modernized systems, audits, and safeguards that maintain public trust and protect against interference.
Increased campaign finance transparency, backing reforms that improve public access to information and strengthen ethical standards for elected officials.
Defended democratic norms, including efforts to prevent political overreach, protect constitutional rights, and uphold the independence of Minnesota’s institutions.
Goals for the Future:
I’m committed to continuing the work of protecting and strengthening democracy in Minnesota including:
Ensuring access to the ballot — expanding automatic voter registration, improving early voting, and ensuring every eligible voter can participate without unnecessary hurdles.
Stronger protections for election workers — increasing support, training, and security for our neighbors who make elections possible.
Modern, secure election systems — continuing to invest in technology, audits, and best practices that keep Minnesota’s elections among the most trusted in the nation.
Increase public funding of campaigns — this strengthens our democracy by reducing the influence of big money and ensuring every Minnesotan has an equal voice in our elections.
Ending corporate spending and dark money in our elections — continuing the work on my Corporate Reset bill to functionally overturn Citizen’s United and remove the power of corporations to spend money in Minnesota elections.
Supporting Families
Families thrive when their basic needs are secure and their opportunities are within reach. Whether it’s childcare, housing, or the everyday costs that strain household budgets, I believe Minnesota must build systems that support families — not leave them to navigate impossible choices. As a nurse, a mom, and a policymaker, she knows that when families are stable, communities grow stronger.
What I’ve done:
I’ve championed and supported major policies that strengthen families and ease financial pressures across Minnesota, including:
Universal school meals, ensuring every child has access to breakfast and lunch at school — no stigma, no barriers, just healthy food to help kids learn. This is saving the average family $1200 per year.
Paid Family and Medical Leave, giving workers the ability to care for a new child, a loved one, or themselves without risking their job or financial stability.
Earned Sick and Safe Time, guaranteeing workers the right to take time off when they’re ill, need to care for a family member, or face unsafe circumstances.
Childcare investments, expanding access, stabilizing providers, and strengthening the workforce that families rely on every day.
Housing affordability measures, supporting programs that help families stay in their homes, prevent homelessness, provide support for first-time homeowners, and expand access to safe, stable housing.
Tax policies that support working families, including the nation-leading child tax credit, putting an average of more than $2,500 back into families' pockets while reducing child poverty by a third; expanding the working family tax credit; and nearly $1 billion in property tax relief for renters, homeowners, seniors, farmers, and local communities.
Goals for the Future:
I’m committed to building a Minnesota where every family can thrive, including:
Universal childcare, ensuring every family — regardless of income or ZIP code — can access affordable, high‑quality care.
More affordable housing options, expanding supply, stabilizing costs, and supporting pathways to homeownership.
Policies that reduce everyday costs, from groceries and utilities to healthcare and transportation, so families can build savings and stability.
Stronger support for caregivers, including parents, grandparents, and direct‑care workers who form the backbone of family wellbeing.
Economic policies that grow opportunity, helping families build wealth, pursue education, and create the futures they envision.
Community‑centered investments, strengthening schools, childcare centers, parks, and local services that make neighborhoods vibrant and supportive.
Thriving Communities
Minnesota’s future depends on the wellbeing of its people and the places they call home. As a nurse and policymaker, I know that thriving communities don’t happen by accident; they are built through thoughtful policy, collaboration, and a commitment to the common good. People of every community deserve the chance to thrive — to be safe, healthy, full of opportunity and be free to live the lives they choose.
What I’ve done:
I’ve championed and supported major policies that strengthen community wellbeing and expand opportunity across Minnesota, including:
Gun violence prevention measures, including safe storage requirements, expanded background checks, and investments in community‑based violence prevention strategies.
Affordable housing investments, supporting programs that expand housing supply, stabilize costs, and prevent homelessness.
Environmental protections, including clean water safeguards, climate‑resilience investments, and support for renewable energy development.
Support for public schools, backing funding increases, mental health resources, and programs that help students succeed in every corner of the state.
Making college reachable, through the North Star Promise which makes state college tuition free to families earning under $80,000/year.
Expanded food supports, by providing millions of dollars to food shelves and emergency food programs so more families can put food on the table.
Protected consumers, through banning junk fees, requiring transparent ticket pricing so consumers know the real price they are paying, and banning price gouging during emergencies.
Goals for the Future:
I’m committed to building communities where every person can thrive, including:
Comprehensive gun violence prevention, advancing evidence‑based policies that reduce harm and keep families safe including a ban on assault weapons at point of sale, a ban of high capacity magazines, a ban of ghost guns, as well as resources for mental health and school safety supports.
Stronger public education, expanding funding, supporting educators, and ensuring every child has access to a world‑class education while educators have opportunities for advancement, higher wages and affordable health care coverage.
Affordable housing for all, increasing supply, decreasing costs, and supporting pathways to homeownership as well as protecting the rights of renters and those in manufactured home parks.
Climate and environmental leadership, protecting natural resources including our water, protecting our clean energy goals, reducing pollution, and building a sustainable future for Minnesota.
Community‑centered investments, strengthening local infrastructure, parks, libraries, and public spaces that bring people together.
Support for youth and families, expanding mental health services, after‑school programs, and community‑based supports.