Affordable High-Quality Child Care

Vermont’s historic Act 76 of 2023, a landmark early education and child care bill, is leading the nation. With its long-term, sustainable public investment, this bill is a testament to our commitment to Vermont’s children and families. By injecting $125 million annually into the child care sector, it will not only stabilize our workforce and economy but also shape future generations and pave the way for a more affordable Vermont. Act 76’s commitment to accountability, through monitoring by the State Advisory Council and an annual report, ensures the success of the expanded child care. 

Free High-Quality Public Education

Education, a potent catalyst for prosperity, forms the bedrock of Vermont communities. Free public education is a cornerstone of our society, offering our youngest Vermonters a pathway to success.  A robust public education system is not just a necessity for Vermont’s well-being, but it also fosters engagement and awareness among Vermonters, thereby enhancing our social and economic well-being.

Affordable Housing

Vermont is grappling with an affordable housing crisis, a problem that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated. The median home price in Vermont reached $325,000 in 2023, up 5% from 2022, and last year, the number of home sales in Vermont was the lowest since 2012. Low-income households and households made up of people of color are less likely to own homes in the state. In Vermont, the white homeownership rate is above 70%, while the Black homeownership rate is around 30%.

This situation makes it nearly impossible for working families to own a home. We need innovative solutions to address this crisis, such as building new affordable housing, tackling evictions, and revising zoning laws to encourage more housing.

Improving the Social Safety Net and Addressing the “Time Tax”

We need to build better social safety nets for our most vulnerable and create systems of care that help Vermonters through complex challenges. We must also simplify state government, making it more user-friendly and accessible for vulnerable Vermonters. State government programs are complex and become administrative burdens with duplicate requirements that often waste countless hours. We need to simplify government systems that are supposed to help Vermonters. Government agencies must invest in consolidating applications, modernizing systems, and modernizing coordinating services and services. We also need to look at these systems from the lens of a recipient of the services and evaluate barriers and requirements. Let’s not rely on businesses, charities, and legal aid groups to perform public administration on behalf of our government. I am committed to finding human-centered solutions that will ultimately benefit all of us by creating social safety nets that work to help and protect Vermonters, especially the most vulnerable.