Goals for the Upcoming Session
My experience as an elected official at the local level (Payson City Council for 5 years and State Representative), President of the Utah Association of Japanese Teachers, President of the Utah Debate Coaches Association and more speak to my ability to work well with others across a wide range of issues. I also worked in sales until I was 30 years old. I am familiar with the budget process, working with stakeholders, staying in conversation to find the best solutions.
President Biden’s disastrous economic and environmental policies have increased fuel prices to record highs. Shutting down the Keystone Pipeline, freezing natural resource exploration on our public lands, and the war in Ukraine have driven prices up. The US has the resources to be energy independent. Utah also has tremendous amounts of natural resources. Unfortunately, California and others have done their best to shut down coal, oil, and natural gas production. I am pleased to have voted for legislation that would protect the ability to use the natural resources found in Utah. I support technological advances but not at the cost of the government picking winners and losers. In addition to opening access to Utah’s fossil fuels, we should encourage and support innovation to have an all-of-the-above energy policy that ensures our energy independence—this is the true solution to tackle rising gas prices.
I am a firm believer that men and women are inherently different and oppose efforts that compromise our youth. Biological males should NOT be competing against women. In 2021, I voted for HB302 which banned transgenders from competing in athletics outside their gender at birth. Most recently, I also voted to override the governor’s veto of the bill prohibiting males from competing against females. And I voted for HB3001 which will indemnify school districts from liability for enforcing the policy of preventing biological males from competing against biological females. While I have sympathy and concern for our transgender youth, further blurring of the lines between genders and creating unfair playing fields is not the answer. I stand firmly against allowing biological males to compete against biological females.
While inflation continues to be a major concern as it decreases our buying power and puts a cramp on our personal and governmental budgets, Utah has been able to decrease taxes due to sound financial planning and saving. While other states are increasing taxes to offset increased expenses due to inflation, Utah is cutting taxes and returning money to residents. I am proud to have voted for tax cuts in a year of increasing inflation to ease the burden on Utahns.
Utah continues to rank as one of the best economies in the country! Our low unemployment rates and high growth rates continue to lead the way. This speaks to the industrious nature of Utahns, government staying out of the way, and our conservative culture.
I am a strong supporter of 2nd Amendment Rights. The Founders were inspired in their inclusion of the ‘right to bear arms’ in the Bill of Rights. The right to protect our families and country should not be infringed upon. I voted for Constitutional Carry and I am pleased it passed. Additionally, as a member of Payson City Council and now in my role as state representative, I am proud to announce that Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is looking at building a marksmanship park/gun range here in District 65. I am pleased to be working with Mayor Wright, Mayor Olson, and Representative Burton on this project. It will be a state of the art facility.
This last session the legislature voted to reduce taxes by $190 million dollars by reducing the income tax and taxes on social security and veteran pensions. I was pleased to vote for these tax cuts. I look forward to continued tax reform over the next several years.
I am proud of the work our law enforcement officers do on our behalf. These men and women provide an invaluable service to our community. They are good people. As a member of Payson City Council, I advocated for increased pay for our officers and for improved access to mental health services. Last year, I opened a bill file to address retirement concerns for our law enforcement. In addition to more community and political respect (Utah generally does a good job here), we need to find ways to recruit and retain quality law enforcement officers. This will be a priority for me in the upcoming session.
One of the hallmarks of a strong economy is an educated workforce. This can be traditional collegiate education or vocational education. I have worked as an educator for the past 16 years. It has been humbling to work with parents and children in this position of trust to help educate the next generation of Americans. Education truly works best with parents, educators, and students all working together. I support innovation in education and am grateful for the work being done in charter, traditional public, private, and homeschool education. Each child is different and I support innovation and solutions to provide the best education possible to our youth. I am proud of of my work as an educator and grateful for the opportunity to support parents in the education of their children. Nothing is more rewarding than seeing a child’s eyes light up as they learn, grow, and gain confidence.
My experience and the relationships I’ve built as a city council member and a state legislator have allowed me to work more effectively with local, state, and national leaders to help District 65. We know growth is coming. Having strong relationships already in place is vital as we address growth issues at a local and state level. Here are some examples of how I have worked with other partners:
I firmly believe in limited government and personal responsibility. A government with the power to give you everything also has the power to take everything. This is why the government must be limited. While government has an essential role to play in our lives, it should be limited and allow for maximum freedom and personal responsibility. I am pleased to note that the majority of the bills I have authored address reducing regulations and increasing transparency in government.
I am in support of actions to secure our elections. This includes audits and other measures. Election security should be reviewed and updated regularly. I am pleased to have voted for HB 313 that enhances the security of our elections. The institution of free and fair elections is paramount to our system of government and voters must have confidence in the election process.