Legislative Work

Housing, Stability, and Ending Homelessness 

Everyone deserves a safe, stable, affordable home. Vermont needs more housing, and we must make sure the people struggling most can actually access it. My work connects housing development with affordability, disability rights, and protection for people experiencing homelessness.

I supported Act 47 (2023), which made it easier to create duplexes, accessory apartments, and small apartment buildings in our communities and expanded opportunities to rehabilitate rental housing. I also supported  Act 69 (2025), which strengthened rental rehabilitation programs, created financing for infrastructure needed for housing, and supported manufactured home repairs. These investments help us preserve existing homes while creating more places for Vermonters to live.

Manufactured homes and cooperative communities are an important part of Vermont’s housing future. Act 155 (2026) reduced zoning and tax barriers for manufactured homes and improved access to State funding for mobile home parks organized as limited equity cooperatives.  Act 179 (2026) expanded housing financing options and authorized a pilot program to explore whether modular construction can reduce development costs.

Housing must also support people’s independence and right to live in their communities.  Act 69 (2025) established planning for housing for people with developmental disabilities, and  Act 179 (2026) created a council to better connect housing investments with the services people need. I will keep pushing for accessible homes and voluntary supports that respect people’s choices.

I supported Act 79 (2026), which requires the State to identify underused buildings and land that may be suitable for housing. Public resources should help meet public needs.

Keeping people housed also means addressing the costs they already face. Act 169 (2026) increased the maximum renter credit for claim year 2027 and expanded eligibility for income-based property tax relief beginning in fiscal year 2028. I will continue working for sustained relief for renters and homeowners with limited incomes.

Through my work on Act 143 (2026) in the Human Services Committee, I was a chief architect in creating a coordinated response to homelessness that includes prevention, emergency shelter, permanent supportive housing, and rental assistance to help people move into stable homes.

But passing a law does not end our responsibility. The implementation of Act 143 (2026) by current Governor Phil Scott is departing from the legislative intent I worked to advance and is causing incredible harm in our community and every single corner of our state. I will fight for changes to harmful rules and practices, adequate funding, and meaningful access to shelter and housing. People should not lose essential support because the State has failed to provide a realistic path to a home.

My priority is a housing system that protects people’s dignity, prevents homelessness, and gives every Vermonter the opportunity to live safely and thrive.

Making Health Care Affordable and Accessible

Health care is a human right. Vermonters should be able to get care when they need it without risking their financial security. I am working toward universal health care, starting with universal primary care, while supporting changes that address costs, strengthen community care, and protect patients.

I supported Act 193 (2026), which establishes legislative intent to create universal primary care and requires concrete work on financing, primary care investment, and the possibility of a regional program with other Northeastern states. This is a foundation to build on. I, in collaboration with the Universal Health Care Caucus, will keep pushing to turn that commitment into care everyone can access.

I also supported Act 68 (2025), which requires limits on hospital payment rates, strengthens hospital financial oversight, and creates a statewide health care delivery planning process. Controlling costs must go hand in hand with protecting necessary services and strengthening primary care in our communities.

Prescription costs deserve direct action. I supported Act 127 (2024), which licenses and regulates pharmacy benefit managers, these are the middlemen who administer prescription benefits, and prohibits them from pocketing the difference between what they charge insurers and what they pay pharmacies. I also supported  Act 132 (2026), which establishes a prescription drug discount card program for all Vermont residents and requires qualifying prescription purchases made outside insurance to count toward deductibles and out-of-pocket limits.

I supported  Act 133 (2026) to prohibit private equity groups and hedge funds from interfering with health care providers’ clinical judgment. Decisions about treatment should serve patients’ health. The law also requires disclosure of certain private equity and hedge fund investments in Vermont health care facilities.

Access also means having providers available and being able to reach them. I supported Act 108 (2024) to protect equal reimbursement for the same services delivered in person, by video, or by telephone. I supported Act 172 (2026), which creates a pathway for qualified internationally trained physicians to practice in Vermont, and Act 19 (2025), which establishes licensing and insurance coverage requirements for freestanding birth centers.

Despite all this, there is so much more to do. I support the goals of H.156, which would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from owning or operating pharmacies in Vermont, and H.202, which proposes clearer prescription price information and stronger protections against excessive patient charges. These bills did not become law. I will continue working to reduce conflicts of interest, protect community pharmacies, and make prescription pricing more affordable and easier for patients to understand.

Defending Reproductive and Gender Affirming Health Care

Everyone deserves the freedom to make decisions about their own body and get the care they need. I will defend access to abortion, reproductive health care, and gender affirming care, including against efforts to punish patients and providers for care that is lawful in Vermont.

I cosponsored  Act 14 (2023), Vermont’s health care shield law, and supported Act 15 (2023). Together, these laws strengthen protections for patients and providers, protect sensitive health information, and establish insurance and Medicaid coverage requirements for abortion-related and gender affirming services. Act 15 (2023) also expands access to emergency contraception and prohibits misleading advertising by limited-services pregnancy centers.

I supported Act 20 (2025) to strengthen those protections further, including safeguards for providers’ personal information, additional protections against cooperation with investigations targeting legally protected care, and a pathway for prescribing medication abortion through an adaptive medical questionnaire. I will continue working to ensure these rights remain meaningful, accessible, and protected as threats from the federal Republican administration change.

Protecting Dignity and Civil Rights

Everyone deserves safety, dignity, and the freedom to live as themselves. I have supported legislation that strengthens protections against discrimination, abuse, and exploitation, and I will keep working to make those protections meaningful in people’s daily lives.

I cosponsored Act 117 (2026), which became law in 2026 and established standards for gender identification, searches, and housing placement for transgender, gender-diverse, and intersex people in Vermont’s correctional facilities. It also requires legislative review of gender-affirming care in correctional settings. Being incarcerated does not erase a person’s humanity or right to safety.

I supported Act 92 (2024), Vermont’s law prohibiting race-based hair discrimination. It explicitly includes hair texture, hair type, and protective hairstyles in Vermont’s protections against racial discrimination. People should not have to change or conceal their identity to be treated fairly at work or in public spaces.

Through the Human Services Committee, the policy committee of jurisdiction, I worked on Act 181 (2023) adult protective services provisions, which updated Vermont’s response to abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable adults. Protecting older Vermonters and people with disabilities must go hand in hand with respecting their autonomy, choices, and right to live in their communities.

Protecting our rights also means protecting our most personal information. I cosponsored Act 135 (2026), which became law in 2026 and strengthens protections for people using direct-to-consumer genetic testing services. It requires consent for uses beyond the requested testing service, safeguards against unauthorized access, and a way for consumers to request deletion of their genetic data. Companies should not have unrestricted control over information about our bodies and families.

I also supported Act 145 (2026), Vermont’s comprehensive consumer data privacy law. Beginning January 1, 2028, it will give Vermonters rights to access, correct, and delete personal information held by covered companies and to opt out of its sale or use for targeted advertising. It also limits unnecessary data collection and requires consent to process sensitive data. Vermonters deserve meaningful control over their personal information.

I also wholeheartedly support Proposal 4, which voters will consider on their ballots this November. It would strengthen the Vermont Constitution with an explicit guarantee of equal protection and prohibit the State from denying equal treatment based on race, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or national origin.

There is more work ahead. I will pursue stronger State protections for disability rights, including the right to receive services in the community reflected in the Olmstead decision. Vermonters’ access to support, independence, and equal treatment should remain protected regardless of changes at the federal level.

Standing Up for Workers and Livable Wages  

Working Vermonters deserve wages that meet their basic needs, safe workplaces, and a meaningful voice on the job. Our economy should support the people whose labor keeps our communities and economy running.

I support Proposal 3, the constitutional amendment Vermonters will vote on this November. It would protect employees’ right to organize and bargain collectively over wages, hours, working conditions, and workplace safety. These rights give working people the power to negotiate together and protect their livelihoods. I encourage Vermonters to vote YES on Proposal 3.

I also cosponsored H.743, which proposed raising Vermont’s minimum wage to $18.60 per hour beginning in 2027, using Vermont’s calculated livable wage as its starting point and retaining annual inflation adjustments.

H.743 did not become law. Raising wages remains unfinished business, and I will continue pushing for a minimum wage that reflects what people need to live and meet their most basic needs. Working people should be able to afford housing, food, transportation, and other essentials without being forced to work more than 40 hours a week just to get by.

Higher wages also strengthen Vermont’s economy. When working Vermonters have more money in their pockets, its a fact that they then spend more at local shops, restaurants, and other businesses, helping those businesses thrive and keeping money circulating here in our communities. Raising wages helps ensure that more of the wealth workers create stays with Vermont households instead of flowing to the profits of corporations headquartered out of state.

Strengthening Public Schools and Supporting Students 

Public schools are the heart of our communities. Every student deserves a strong education, a safe and welcoming learning environment, and the support they need to thrive. I have supported legislation that addresses students’ everyday needs while investing in the future of Vermont’s schools.

I supported Act 64 (2023), which established ongoing funding for universal school meals. Free breakfast and lunch help ensure that students can learn without hunger and that families have one less expense to worry about. Universal access also removes the stigma of separating students based on their families’ ability to pay.

Strong schools need safe, accessible buildings. I supported Act 149 (2024), which created grants to help school systems develop facilities master plans and began the work of designing an updated State school construction aid program. These are steps toward addressing aging buildings and planning repairs and improvements, rather than leaving communities to shoulder those needs alone.

Act 170 (2026)  established seven cooperative educational service areas, or CESAs, through which school systems can share services and expertise. This approach offers opportunities to strengthen student support and reduce duplication. My priority is cooperation that helps schools meet students’ needs while preserving meaningful local participation. I will continue pressing for fair construction funding and careful scrutiny of changes to school governance and financing.

Every child should be able to attend school without fear. I supported Act 125 (2026), which protects student privacy and establishes protocols for immigration enforcement at schools. It prohibits schools from collecting students’ immigration or citizenship status unless required by law and requires identification and a judicial warrant before officers conducting immigration enforcement can enter nonpublic school areas.

I also supported Act 53 (2025), which allows schools to stock and administer FDA-approved intranasal epinephrine alongside other approved delivery systems, expanding options for responding to life-threatening allergic reactions.

Learning and community support extend beyond the classroom. Act 127 (2026) opened additional funding opportunities for public libraries to provide early education, afterschool, and summer programming. Libraries are essential partners in helping children and families access learning opportunities close to home.

I supported Act 114's (2024) protections for students experiencing sexual misconduct in higher education. The law requires access to confidential support services, prevention programming, and amnesty policies for certain related school policy violations when students report or participate in a sexual misconduct process.

I will keep working for schools that serve as community hubs, equitable access to educational opportunities, and support for educators and students. Addressing costs must include the actual pressures facing schools—health insurance, special education, student mental health needs, and aging facilities—with local educators, families, and communities involved in shaping the solutions.

Protecting Democracy and Making Voting Accessible

Democracy must include everyone. Your ability to vote and help shape your community should never depend on whether you can attend a meeting in person, disclose a disability, or overcome barriers that government has failed to remove.

I supported the Act 126 (2026), the Voter Protection Act. It prohibits interference with voters and election officials and strengthens protections against voting practices that deny or diminish voting rights based on race, membership in a language minority group, or disability. It also gives Vermont’s Attorney General authority to challenge those discriminatory practices.

I supported earlier steps toward more accessible participation, including Act 1's (2023)  temporary options for municipal voting and remote meetings, and 2025’s Act 1 clarification that towns can choose Australian ballots for any or all local offices.

Act 133 (2024) updated Vermont’s Open Meeting Law, requiring hybrid meetings for State nonadvisory public bodies and expanding recording and access provisions. These changes help people follow public decisions, but they do not ensure that everyone can participate in local democracy.

I also supported Act 75 (2026), which requires disclosures for certain deceptive synthetic media distributed shortly before an election. Voters deserve to know when realistic-looking political images, audio, or video have been manipulated to mislead them.

Protecting democracy also means defending people’s rights against government overreach. I supported Act 87 (2026), which creates a State legal avenue for people to seek damages and court orders when government officials violate their federal constitutional rights. I also supported Act 150's (2026) protections against civil arrest in sensitive locations, including polling places, schools, libraries, health care facilities, and places where people receive essential services.

There is more work to do. Consistent with the priorities raised by disability rights advocates, I will pursue legislation requiring final votes on local offices, budgets, and public questions to use Australian ballots, with accessible early and mail-in voting options. Community discussion should remain available through accessible in-person and remote participation, while everyone has an equal opportunity to cast a private ballot.

As the current federal administration and Republicans threaten rights and democratic institutions nationally, I will keep working to strengthen Vermont’s protections. Every Vermonter deserves the freedom to participate in public life, live peacefully, and thrive.