On the Issues

Education
Every child has the right to a great education regardless of race, zip code, or income level. And we know that teachers and public schools play a crucial role in bringing Arizonans together and preparing every child to have a happy and successful life.

Yet too many teachers can no longer afford to teach in our state. Arizona’s investment in our children’s public schools has been in the national basement for the past fifteen years. As a result, one-third of our children no longer have a permanent, qualified teacher in their classroom.
That’s a disaster for all of us who want to live in a safe, healthy, and thriving community.

Republicans’ decision to drain $1 billion from public schools into academically and financially unaccountable private schools that allow owners to pocket our tax dollars with impunity is only making things worse.

We need to make a significant and lasting investment to make sure every child gets their chance to thrive. To do that, it’s essential that we first lift the 1980-era spending cap on school districts which led to the teacher shortage crisis so that we can increase teacher and staff pay to the national median, reduce class sizes that are among the highest in the nation, and fulfill the state’s long-promised funding to repair or replace outdated school facilities.

Reproductive Freedom
Politicians have no business in our personal business.

In fact, the Arizona Constitution explicitly guarantees our right to privacy, and Judy will protect that right for every Arizonan. That applies to having the right to make our own decisions about our bodies, including the right to abortion. With the Repeal of Roe, Arizona is left with laws that could prevent a doctor from even assisting your wife or daughter experiencing a miscarriage until they were close to death.

Judy’s own son and daughter-in-law struggled for years to have a child, so they were overjoyed when they became pregnant, and then heartbroken when they learned the fetus couldn’t live past birth. Thank goodness they were able to have a safe procedure to end the pregnancy, with no state legislator looking over their shoulders to blame, judge, fine, or even jail them or their doctor for this most personal decision. People should have the fundamental freedom to make their own decisions including in complicated, life-threatening situations.

As your legislator, Judy will protect everyone’s right to privacy and a woman’s right to choose.

Jobs & The Economy
Prices for everything are way too high!

And yet instead of working for ways to ease the burden on everyday working families, the Republican majority in the Arizona legislature has focused time and again on benefits for the richest people in our state.

This past year, they gave away $2 Billion in state revenue to the wealthiest Arizonans, and have created a system of tax breaks that allow the majority of corporations in our state to pay the minimum of $50 in state taxes,

We need to stop shifting the tax burden for maintaining our infrastructure, roads, schools, public safety, schools, and other vital services we all depend upon to the middle class. Everyone should pay their fair share.

We should be prioritizing our local businesses and the everyday people of Arizona so we can build a strong economy that works for all of us.

Healthcare
No one should go bankrupt because they get sick. That’s why Judy supports Prop 209, the Predatory Debt Collection Protection Act that would protect homes, cars and savings and cap interest rates at 3% for people facing often unexpected medical debt.

Additionally, perhaps like you, Judy has friends who find it impossible to afford health insurance, despite doing everything right: sacrificing to get an education, pursuing their dreams, and working hard in respected careers. When they wind up in emergency rooms, it’s financially disastrous for them.

That is why Judy believes Arizonans should have access to quality affordable healthcare, regardless of pre-existing conditions. She will work to allow consumers to buy into AHCCCS, the state’s Medicaid agency, increasing the program’s bargaining power to reduce premiums for everyone. She will stand up to insurance companies that are taking advantage of families, and fight to protect essential benefits such as maternity care, cancer treatments, and mental health care.

Recent federal legislation that caps prescription drug costs for seniors, and the cost of insulin at $35 is a great step, but we need those kinds of solutions for everyone.