Issues

The economy is not an abstract thing – it’s people. Nevada families were hit hardest by the Great Recession and Howard’s family was no exception – his own dad was forced to short sell his home. While by many measures Nevada has recovered, those gains were uneven and too many have been left behind. Here are some things we can do to ensure the economy works for ALL Nevadans:  

• Raise the minimum wage

• Require employers to provide paid sick leave

• Expand access to retirement plans

• Protect the right to form a union and bargain collectively

• Support small businesses and economic development, with a focus on veterans, minorities, and lower-income communities.

Howard was born two months premature and spent the first month of his life in the neonatal intensive care unit at Sunrise Hospital. Though the medical costs were ample, his parents weren’t forced into bankruptcy because they had good, Culinary Union health insurance. We are lucky to live in an age when so many ailments can be treated, if not cured. Nobody should suffer or die because they can’t afford healthcare – it should be a basic human right. Until Congress creates a national universal healthcare system, here’s what we can do in Nevada:

• Create an in-state, nonprofit public health option by allowing any resident to opt-in to Medicaid with affordable premiums

• Improve and fully fund our mental health programs

• Protect the right of women to control their bodies through family planning and access to abortion care

• Study and stem the epidemic of gun violence - this is a public health crisis

There’s no doubt that humans have altered the climate. That’s particularly bad for Nevada, the driest state in the nation with triple-digit summers. If we don’t act, we’ll keep getting hotter and drier, facing a decreased water supply, health impacts from extreme heat, and the loss of habitat as a result. Nevada can lead the nation down a smarter path. We can leave a sustainable legacy to future generations that also diversifies and strengthens our local economy:

• Chart a path to 100 percent renewable energy use in the coming decades and require half of our energy to be renewable by 2030

• Ban fracking

• Protect rooftop solar customers and expand access through community solar programs

• Ensure we have the smartest and most sustainable water use laws in the country

• Protect and promote access to our public lands and waters

Howard had a variety of educational experiences in Nevada – public, private, homeschool, magnet, and public university. Most of his experiences were positive, but it’s undeniable that kids are being left behind and we have some catching up to do. Education is the foundation of our state – it trains workers, develops entrepreneurs, and crafts smart and caring citizens. Here’s how we can strengthen the state’s education system:

• Determine how much a quality public education costs – and fund it

• Ensure every school district provides medically accurate and age-appropriate sex education

• Hold charter schools to the same accountability standards as public schools, since they are receiving public dollars

• Keep public dollars out of private schools

Democracy is the root of American society. We make better decisions when everybody’s voice is heard. While we’ve made great strides even since the country’s founding, we still have room to improve. People should pick their representatives, not the other way around. We need limits on the influence of big donors and more transparency in campaign finance and government activity. Nevada’s election system is among the best in the country, with major advances in the last legislative session. Howard wants us to be number one by making voting as accessible and efficient as possible while preserving the system’s integrity. He supports these measures to strengthen our democracy:

• Create an independent redistricting commission of experts to draw our political boundaries, with input from the public

• Improve the state’s public records and campaign finance disclosure laws

• Establish a systems for automatic and same-day voter registration

We must make our community as safe as possible while respecting civil liberties and due process for all. While people should be held accountable for their actions, in many cases they also deserve a real opportunity for a second chance. Howard supports the following reforms to increase every resident’s access to justice:

• Reform the bail system

• Repeal the death penalty

• Treat drug use as a health issue instead of a crime

• Protect immigrant communities and tell Congress to provide a path to citizenship for our undocumented residents now

• Protect all of our residents from discrimination and harassment