During the farm crisis of the 1980s, I worked with urban constituencies to promote policies to keep farmland in the possession of small family producers. I remain committed to protecting family farms and encouraging state policies to conserve our land, water, and soil while producing an abundant, and healthy food supply. I support urban agriculture initiatives, and farm to table direct marketing to encourage local, sustainable food production.

We must ensure that healthy food is available to all. I will continue to oppose cuts to the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP), which provides food assistance to low income Minnesotans. I support policies to encourage young, beginning and immigrant farmers to work and stay on their land. I strongly oppose weakening local control and loosening regulation of the large-scale feedlot and frack sand mining operations that impact rural communities and threaten farmland with pollution and run-off.

Just as in the 1980's farm crisis, Minnesota small farmers are not getting a fair price for their products and large corporations and monopolies are playing an even greater role in the agricultural economy. To address the deepening farm crisis, I support policies to strengthen groups such as the Farmers Legal Action Group and Minnesota Farm Advocates to help farmers with legal help and financial services; loan restructuring; and moratorium on permitting dairies with over 1,000 animals.

I view health care as a basic human right. As such I co-authored legislation known as the Minnesota Health Plan, which envisions a single statewide plan to cover all Minnesotans. I will continue to counter misleading attacks on the Affordable Care Act, and support efforts to expand Medicaid and provide for affordable prescription drug coverage. I strongly support the Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act to hold big Pharma accountable for a crisis they created and profited from. I am a staunch defender of reproductive choice, and oppose efforts to cut public support for Planned Parenthood.

I support a strong health care safety net and medical assistance reforms to ensure that people with disabilities are fully covered by state and federal programs. State policy must also address health care disparities, and health impacts of chemicals in our air, water, and soil.

I am an advocate of lower staff-patient ratios in hospitals and clinics, and increased funding for mental health services. I support additional resources to increase the number of students of color and rural practitioners in the University of Minnesota Medical School and in nursing programs around the state.

I strongly support increased funding for HIV AIDS prevention and treatment.

Addressing the climate crisis by promoting safe, clean renewable energy, and lessening our reliance on fossil fuels are high priority in my legislative service. I am a strong proponent of the Green New Deal, which I developed in consultation with Minnesota climate justice advocates including many students. I have authored legislation to increase the state's renewable energy standard, and incentivize the use of electric and hybrid vehicles. I will continue to support Minnesota's moratorium on building additional nuclear power plants.

I support efforts to promote clean water by reducing agricultural runoff through buffer strips, and reducing the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides. I support efforts to protect pollinators. I oppose the Line 3 dirty oil pipeline and copper-nickel mining.

Prior to my election to the Minnesota House of Representatives, I served as the co-chair of the Barton Open School Leadership Council. In this position I learned first hand of the critical role that teachers, parents and school administrators play in successful academic outcomes for our children. All three of my kids graduated from Minneapolis Public Schools and I am a strong defender of our public education system.

I am particularly proud of my daughter Naomi, who recently started her career as a public school teacher. During her first year of teaching in the 2021-2022 school year, she told me of the challenges of teaching during the COVID era with student mental health, staff shortages and the need for fair compensation. I strongly supported the teachers' position during the March 2022 strike.

I have authored legislation to increase the per pupil funding formula for public schools, as well as legislation to reduce class sizes and reign-in the overuse of standardized testing as an evaluation tool. I oppose school vouchers and other efforts to drain public money to support private education.

I support initiatives to promote universal pre-K early childhood education, and increased state support for childcare programs.

I am a strong supporter of the University of Minnesota and our state community colleges. I am an advocate of reducing tuition for our public college and university system. Funding for public higher education infrastructure needs is a priority for me in discussion of state capital investment legislation.

We face two simultaneous crises in public safety. Our district is at the epicenter of both. Following the murder of Amir Locke in Downtown Minneapolis, we have a special responsibility to re-double our efforts to require accountability and transformation in our policing system. Our communities are also suffering from a rapid increase in carjackings and other forms of violent crime.

Every level of government is responsible for addressing these crises. As a state legislator, I am co-authoring and supporting a number of bills to increase police accountability and promote safe communities. As a co-author of HF 2724 introduced in 2022, I support increased civilian review of law enforcement, and providing police with additional resources to conduct investigations of violent crimes. I also support funding for community-based law enforcement initiatives. I am also a co-author of HF 3398 to limit no-knock warrants.

Safer communities also require us to promote common sense gun violence prevention as envisioned in HF 694 and HF 1654 which I am co-authoring.

We must also ensure community safety though more effective reporting and prevention of hate crimes. I am leading efforts to promote legislation to accomplish this goal. I wrote this opinion piece with my colleague Representative Noor on the anniversary of the Pittsburgh synagogue massacre.

I support policies to promote jobs and a fair economy. Among these are tax and investment policies that lower the tax burden on low and moderate-income people while demanding that corporations and wealthy individuals pay their fair share. I have chief authored bills to close corporate tax loopholes and strongly support efforts to increase paid sick time and family medical leave.

I am an advocate of an increasing the minimum wage and investments in affordable housing. I will continue to fight unfair lending practices, such as triple digit interest rates on payday loans. I oppose efforts to roll back collective bargaining and worker's rights.

I am a staunch supporter of human and civil rights for all. This includes addressing the impacts of racism in our communities particularly in terms of social, educational and economic disparities. I am leading efforts to improve how Minnesota recognizes, responds to, and reports hate and bias-motivated crimes.

I will defend marriage equality and continue to work for LGBT rights.

I support granting driver's licenses for aspiring citizens.

As Chair of the Transportation Finance and Policy Committee, transportation and infrastructure investments are among my highest legislative priorities.

During the 2021-2022 legislative session I led the House DFL's efforts to pass a comprehensive transportation finance package. This includes increasing revenue for roads, bridges, and public transportation systems restoring intercity passenger rail and bike and pedestrian safety and infrastructure. I am a leading advocate of oil and ethanol transportation safety measures and reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector.

I authored the state's ban on texting while driving and last year led the successful effort to enact the hands free cell phone bill to prevent motorists from using hand held devices while driving. I oppose increasing speed limits on state and interstate highways, and for increased enforcement of traffic safety laws.

I strongly oppose efforts to suppress voter participation, particularly requiring a photo ID to vote. I support efforts to expand voting rights, including felon voting, and pre-registration of younger voters.

I support efforts to provide increased transparency for campaign spending, including public release of donors to Super PACs, and reinstatement of the states Political Campaign Refund program. I support efforts to give Minnesotans access to Ranked Choice Voting.

Since on July 1, 2019, I have not accepted contributions from Political Action Committees and lobbyists.