What Amanda Cares About
Healthcare for All
- Establish State-Funded Subsidies: Create state subsidies to maintain affordable insurance premiums when federal ACA subsidies are reduced, ensuring all North Carolinians can afford health insurance.
- Focus on Preventive Care: Invest in preventive care programs to reduce long-term health costs and improve overall health outcomes.
- Enhance Mental Health Services: Expand mental health and substance abuse programs to provide comprehensive behavioral health support.
- Improve Rural Healthcare Access: Increase investments in telehealth services and mobile health clinics, ensuring residents in remote areas have reliable access to healthcare.
- Advocate for Affordable Medications: Push for policies that reduce prescription drug prices, making essential medications more accessible and affordable for all North Carolinians.
- Addressing the Current Crisis: Recognize that the pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges within healthcare. Guilford County, rich with resources like dedicated teachers, staff, and community members, must overcome the prevailing fear and "otherness" that keeps potential helpers on the sidelines.
- Support for Educators: Tackle the de-professionalization of teachers and the overwhelming workload on classified employees, and resist the encroachment of private industries on education funding. Although the Guilford County School Board has limited power, it must utilize its authority to galvanize and unify the community for the greater good.
Education for All
- Quality Childcare Funding: Provide funding to ensure families can afford quality childcare, helping parents work or pursue education while knowing their children are in safe, nurturing environments.
- Nutrition Access in Schools: Guarantee that all public school students have access to a free, healthy breakfast and lunch, reducing hunger in schools and improving student concentration, participation, and overall well-being.
- Enhance Public School Programs: Prioritize funding to proven programs within the North Carolina public schools that enhance educational outcomes and provide equitable opportunities for all students.
- Increase Teacher Salaries: Raise public school teacher salaries to levels comparable with other professionals to acknowledge their vital role and to attract and retain the best educators.
- End Subsidies for Private Schooling: Cease subsidies to families who choose private schooling for their children, redirecting those funds to public schools to improve education for all students across the state.
- Support for Special Education: Expand resources and funding for special education programs to ensure that students with disabilities receive tailored support and high-quality education tailored to their needs.
- Career and Technical Education Expansion: Increase investment in career and technical education programs to provide students with practical skills and pathways to high-demand jobs, enhancing their employment prospects post-graduation.
- Mental Health Resources in Schools: Implement comprehensive mental health programs in schools, providing students with access to counselors and mental health professionals to support their emotional and psychological well-being.
Equal Rights for All
- Protect and Expand Voter Access: Advocate for laws that protect the right to vote and make voting more accessible to everyone through automatic voter registration, extended early voting periods, and no-excuse absentee voting.
- Combat Voter Suppression: Actively work against any legislation that would disproportionately disenfranchise any group of voters, ensuring that all citizens have a fair and equal opportunity to participate in our democracy.
- Support Reproductive Freedom: Defend a woman's right to make decisions about her own body, including access to contraception and safe, legal abortion.
- Promote Equal Pay: Push for stringent enforcement of equal pay laws and support new legislation that addresses wage disparities between men and women.
- Anti-Discrimination Laws: Sponsor and support legislation that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, and public accommodations.
- Support for Transgender Rights: Advocate for policies that protect and affirm the rights of transgender individuals, including healthcare rights and safe access to public spaces.
- Police Reform: Support comprehensive police reform measures that include better training, accountability, and community oversight to build trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.
- Address Systemic Inequality: Implement policies aimed at eliminating systemic barriers in education, healthcare, and employment that disproportionately affect communities of color.
- Accessibility and Inclusion: Promote legislation that enhances accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities in all aspects of public life, including updates to ADA compliance and increased support for assistive technologies.
- Protecting Seniors: Advocate for policies that protect seniors from abuse and exploitation, and support initiatives that provide better healthcare and living conditions for our aging population.