Question 1

Keep Our Families Safe

Accepted Answer

Crime in Missouri, especially in our cities, is on the rise. This is due to prosecutors neglecting their duties and refusing to work with law enforcement. When criminals are allowed to go free without charges, the spillover effect of crime is obvious.

We must protect our families and ensure all jurisdictions in Missouri have access to reliable prosecutorial enforcement that keep our families safe and supports our officers.
 • Expand the jurisdiction of the Attorney General’s office to engage in local prosecution of crimes that are ignored by circuit attorneys
 • Fully fund law enforcement and disincentive local governments from defunding their police forces
 • Keep our schools safe

Question 2

Make Healthcare Affordable and Available

Accepted Answer

Missourians pay too much for healthcare.  The market for healthcare supply is artificially limited by regulations that prevent new providers from entering the market.  Patients suffer medically and economically when options are limited by government regulations.

We must promote free-market reforms to allow new providers and businesses to enter the market, provide additional care, lower prices, and increase availability of medical services.
 • Reduce red-tape around telemedicine to address the shortage of nurses across the state, and promote opportunities for providers to offer healthcare to more Missourians where it is practical
 • Repeal Missouri’s Certificate of Need law which keeps new providers out of the market to protect established providers in Missouri
 • Require healthcare providers to publish pricing information to the public
 • Implement a system of accountability to ensure easy access to cost of care from providers and insurance companies

Question 3

Reform Medicaid

Accepted Answer

Medicaid enrollment in Missouri is at record levels. The system is unsustainable and continues to grow.

We must reform the Medicaid program to ensure financial sustainability by instituting free-market reforms empowering individuals over the Medicaid bureaucrats and administrators. 
 • Expand value-based payment initiatives to encourage high-quality, cost-effective care
 • Reduce waste in the system by upgrading Medicaid’s IT systems, and encourage greater accountability
 • Reduce costs overall through greater free-market healthcare reform, which will lower the price of healthcare for all Missourians, including those on Medicaid

Question 4

Build an Efficient State Budget

Accepted Answer

Missouri’s budget has more than doubled in size over the last 20 years. Missouri’s spending trend is unsustainable.

State lawmakers must be diligent with our tax dollars.  Transparency and accountability will improve our budget by protecting taxpayers and prioritizing long-term fiscal health over the growth of the administrative state.
 • Implement zero-based budgeting
 • Make every agency’s budget documents easily accessible online with readable formats and downloadable PDFs
 • Education and Medicaid account for over half of Missouri’s spending. We must reduce healthcare and education costs through a market-based approach and accountability.

Question 5

Reform Public Employees Retirement Plans

Accepted Answer

Missouri’s retirement plans for public employees have left the state with unfunded liabilities. These liabilities create long-term financial burdens for taxpayers, and make it less desirable for public employees to change careers.

We must provide options for public employees, including teachers, to shift to defined-contribution plans instead of outdated pension models.
 • Allow new public employees to elect defined-contribution plans like 401(k)-style plans, with matching contributions from their school systems
 • Repeal statutes forcing local governments trapped in unsustainable pension models to allow alternative retirement plans that ensure long-term financial health

Question 6

Empower Businesses

Accepted Answer

Local health official crackdowns on small businesses have devastated our economy over the last two years.  Government over-regulation and shut-downs created a hostile environment towards businesses.

We must support our businesses by rolling back red-tape that allows local governments to abuse their powers and shut down our economy.
 • Reform/Eliminate Certificate of Need programs that prevent new businesses from opening up
 • Establish sunsets for professional licenses and licensing boards that don’t serve a direct public safety interest 
 • Reform “state-of-emergency” powers to prevent local government from enforcing healthcare directives that have not been passed by legislative bodies
 • End tax subsidy programs that pick “winners and losers” in the economy and deprive taxpayers of public services

Question 7

Help Missourians Find Good Jobs

Accepted Answer

Missouri’s unemployment system is inefficient and inflexible. Industries across the state have labor shortages.  Missouri should do more to incentivize and help people find better jobs.

We must modernize our unemployment system to encourage work and remove overhead that wastes our tax dollars.
 • Prohibit unemployment payments from exceeding 100% of a worker’s previous wages
 • Reduce the offset rate for partial unemployment benefits from 100% to 50%.
 • Update the reporting systems and require all new hires to be immediately reportable to Missouri Department of Labor.
 • Upgrade IT systems to better track and administer benefits.

My Goals as Your State Rep