Leanne's #1 goal is to help create a healthy, happy and sustainable Vermont that meets the needs of families and working-class people. She knows that many Vermonters in our most rural areas feel left behind and unable to make a living in an increasingly expensive economy. Leanne wants to make sure that the voices of her rural neighbors are heard in Montpelier, and that our stories, struggles, and community values are reflected in our state legislative solutions.
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You can track bills that Leanne has sponsored HERE
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Key Priorities
Environmental Stewardship
Leanne wants to pass legislation that will keep our local lakes and rivers healthy and safe for swimming, sailing, kayaking, fishing and other recreational activities of appropriate size and scale on our small bodies of water. She is supportive of our local lake associations' joint efforts to regulate wake boats in order to prevent cross-contamination of invasive species, disruption of loon nesting sites, and endangerment of swimmers and smaller water vessels.
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Climate Change Response
Leanne also recognizes the increasing frequency of natural disasters in our area caused by climate change, and the devastating impact this has had on our local communities. She will work to help find the resources that make our towns stronger and better prepared for the environmental challenges ahead, and will contribute to the development of improved statewide systems for responding to the needs of our communities when these disasters do occur. Additionally, Leanne wants to find ways to mitigate climate change that are affordable for all Vermonters
Support for Public Education
Leanne has been a public school teacher for more than a decade, and is the mom of two elementary school children. She wholeheartedly supports public education and will fight for our rural schools to be able to provide an equitable and meaningful education for students at a price that Vermonters can afford. As a member of the House Committee on Education, Leanne is committed to working with state agencies and executive leadership to rethink education funding and state structures that will ensure quality standards across all Vermont schools. She believes that local communities should have a strong say in how their children are educated and that teachers deserve the support of our legislators to continue their important work of shaping Vermont's future citizens.
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Access to Housing
Leanne believes that housing is a human right, and that accessible, affordable housing should be available to all Vermonters. She supports providing homeowners with incentives to build auxiliary dwelling units, and helping communities to find the resources to restore unoccupied buildings and invest in new housing projects. Leanne is also in favor of generating additional revenue to support housing by asking more of Vermont's wealthiest taxpayers to offset the costs of those who can no longer afford to live here on more modest incomes. Homeownership should not be an impossible dream for young people growing up in Vermont and those working hard to contribute to our economy. If more families can find homes in our state, populating our schools and working in our local businesses, our whole community will benefit.
General Affordability
Leanne knows that Vermonters are feeling the pain of rising property taxes at a pace that they can no longer afford, coupled with too many other costs of living, such as healthcare, energy costs, childcare, and groceries to name a few. Leanne will look for ways to keep more dollars in the pockets of the people. She supports legislation to end all taxation on social security income, to lower the cost of prescription drugs and other access to healthcare, to increase access to childcare assistance for more Vermont families, and to find new sources of revenue for our state that don't rely on increasing the tax burden for those already struggling. She is ready to explore new ideas for funding our public schools, such as shifting from a property tax to an income tax, and looking for places to cut unnecessary spending. Vermonters should not just be surviving. They should be thriving.
Equity, Inclusion and Bodily Autonomy for All People
All Vermonters should feel safe and welcome in our communities, and in control of their own futures regardless of race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any other protected classes. Unjust laws that prevent people from being their authentic selves, achieving happiness, or get in the way of economic independence, access to education, intellectual freedom, healthcare, and any other basic human rights are laws that deserve to be changed. Leanne will stand up for those whose rights are being denied and invite everyone to the table so that all voices can be heard in the conversations that shape our society. She supports D.E.I. practices in our public institutions both here in Vermont and across the country, access to reproductive freedom, and national accountability for creating a better, safer, and more inclusive world for the next generation.
