Values

I believe in “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” and that government exists to “provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity.” When government does more or less than this, it is not fulfilling its purposes. The Constitution and Bill of Rights must be defended, not only on the battlefield, but also in our state legislatures.

• Government should serve the people, not the other way around. I will be a bulwark against government over-reach, over-taxation, over-regulation, and bureaucracy.

• Freedom of speech and religious freedom are currently under assault nationally and internationally. We must defend these principles to remain the land of the free.

• I will protect our Second Amendment rights, which are very succinctly stated: “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

• I seek to preserve freedom where it exists and re-establish freedom where it has been usurped. When voting on a bill, I ask two questions: Is this the proper role of government? Does this bill make us more free, or less free? Then I vote accordingly.

• The worth and dignity of every individual and family cannot be overstated. Individual liberty and family autonomy must be reflected in and shored up by the laws of Utah.

Education

Education is critical to our future as a state. Having a well-educated workforce brings employers to Utah and qualifies students for higher paying jobs. A well-rounded education that includes the arts gives students a significantly better quality of life. As a legislator, I am committed to:

• Properly funding K-12 schools, public trade schools, and higher ed institutions throughout the state.

• Prioritizing teacher pay over other K-12 expenses, because a good teacher is the most important factor in receiving a good education. (Self-preparation and a willingness to learn are other very important factors.)

• Ensuring local control, including parental control over their children’s education.

• Preventing “discrimination by zip code” so that all children in Utah receive a good education regardless of where they live.

• Promoting civics, history, language arts, math, science, and the arts, among other valuable subjects.

• Encouraging children to learn coding and foreign languages to enhance their learning opportunities.

• Protecting the Pre-K space from government mandates.

Non-Partisan Issues

Many people do not know that Republicans and Democrats in Utah agree on bills more than 84% of the time. This is a list of some of the bi-artisan issues I support:

• Clean Air - All residents of Salt Lake Valley can agree on this one, though we may not always agree on what causes bad air or how to address it. I am a member of the Clean Air Caucus, where we discuss air quality issues and solutions. In 2018, I passed a concurrent resolution commending the Jordan School District for its environmental leadership, fiscal management, and health sensitivity for having the state’s largest fleet of natural gas school buses.

• Intergenerational Poverty - Utah has made great strides in reducing poverty that is inherited from one generation to the next. Home affordability and ownership as well as education and apprenticeships are key to breaking the cycle. Utah is #1 in upward mobility among the 50 states.

• Suicide and Mental Health Issues - During my tenure in the House, we have passed multiple bills to address suicide and mental health in our state. Everything from the SafeUT app, to staffing a 24/7 suicide hotline, to providing more school and telehealth counselors, to addiction recovery for people experiencing homelessness, to mental health alternatives to incarceration, to veterans’ courts. This list could go on and on!

• Protecting Children - Research shows that parents can prevent a broad swath of lifelong problems for their children by proactively protecting them from ten specific Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACEs, which have been shown to contribute to mental health issues, criminality, drug use, even physical illness later in life. Promoting a secure, healthy childhood for all children in Utah will pay off in the not-too-distant future when they become secure, healthy adults.

• Inmate Families - It’s important to be compassionate to the parents, spouses, and children of incarcerated individuals, remembering that they have not been accused or convicted of any crimes. I ran the bill that ended predatory phone rates, because inmate families bore the burden of payment. Strong family connections outside the prison prevent recidivism and improve inmate behavior. Treatment programs, educational opportunities, and job training help rehabilitate inmates, preparing them to contribute to society and provide for themselves and their families upon release.

• The Right to Protest Peacefully - Every American has the right - in some cases bordering on obligation - to protest peacefully when he or she believes the government is acting in error. This right is specifically mentioned in the First Amendment: “the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Violence, vandalism, and the destruction or theft of property are not included in this right, but the right to protest peacefully must be protected.

States’ Rights

The Founders recognized that the closer government is to the people, the more responsive it will be to their concerns. The 10th Amendment states that any powers not specifically delegated to the federal government within the Constitution are reserved for the States.

• I support states’ rights, because the people of Utah should have the laws they want, not laws imposed upon them from Washington, D.C. or the unelected, and therefore unaccountable, judiciary.

• More than 66% of Utah’s land is federally controlled, meaning that 66% of our land cannot generate revenue in the form of property taxes, sales taxes, or income taxes. We are funding state government with one arm tied behind our backs. Though Utah is 13th in size among the 50 states, if federal lands are subtracted, we rank 41st, or roughly the size of South Carolina. I am actively working with other Utah legislators to secure “payment in lieu of taxes” (PILT) from the federal government so that we may be more self sufficient as a state in funding education and improved infrastructure. The federal government pays, at its discretion, just over one dollar per acre of land it controls in Utah, while most other states received ownership of all of their lands at statehood.

Taxes and Fiscal Responsibility

Taxation should be equitable, simple, and minimal.

• I support eliminating income taxes on Social Security income.

• Taxes are necessary so that government services may be performed, but all bills, including appropriations bills, must answer the following question: Is this the proper role of government?

• It’s my duty as a legislator to ease the burden on taxpayers by preventing over-taxation and over-spending. Legislators must ensure that tax dollars are used wisely and conservatively.

• I support freezing property tax increases for people who’ve reached retirement age and choose to remain in their own homes. I also voted to increase the cap on the Property Tax Circuit Breaker, which is available to low income seniors. [See https://tax.utah.gov/relief/circuitbreaker]

• Being wise stewards of public funds includes compassionately providing services in support of our indigent elderly and disabled populations.

• Governments, unchecked, tend to grow larger and larger, and more and more bureaucratic. They become less accessible and accountable to the people they are designed to serve. Legislators must keep state government in check by reducing spending and ensuring courtesy and efficiency.