Taylor’s Take on the Issues that Impact Vermonters
Affordable, safe, and accessible healthcare
Vermont is a national leader in connecting state residents to health insurance, but we know that access to health insurance does not guarantee equitable healthcare. We need to move away from the structure that ties health insurance to employment, and instead transition to a single-payer system for statewide healthcare access.
Setting a livable minimum wage
The continued impacts of the pandemic highlight the vital importance of our front-line workers, many of whom are working minimum-wage jobs and receiving compensation that does not adequately address their living expenses. I firmly believe—and promise to support legislation that affirms— that all working Vermonters should have access to a fair and livable wage.
Access to housing and homeownership
All Vermonters deserve a fundamental right to housing and shelter without fear of forced eviction and the burden of homelessness. Safe, secure, and affordable housing statewide means that our neighbors and fellow community members are better equipped to contribute to the great potential—economic, social, and beyond—of our state.
Protect Our Planet & Our Future
In order to save our planet, and state, we must commit to climate action and justice now. We need to make a statewide plan to divest from and ban fossil fuel infrastructure. Our future is investing in the infrastructure and protections necessary to ensure renewable energy statewide. I will work to pass a Green New Deal for Vermont, which will advance us towards an economy that prioritizes a future for us and our planet.
Addressing Public Safety
We must increase the training and education for our law enforcement, including implicit bias and de-escalation skills, and remove officers from our education system. By restructuring our funding priorities, we can improve our schools and youth homelessness services, enhance mental health response teams, and support community violence prevention programs.
Mental Health & Addiction
Addiction is a symptom of our community’s mental health crises. The continued war on drugs must end, and our priority should instead be on improving our mental health services. Implementing innovative, evidence-based practices to address this public health crisis will improve the collective health and safety of our community. We must support our syringe exchange programs, fund overdose prevention sites, and decriminalize drug use.
Progressive Education Funding
We need to reimagine the way we fund education in our state. In order to create a more progressive education funding stream, we must reduce the property tax on primary residences, and shift to an income tax system to ensure that Vermonters pay an equitable share in supporting Vermont’s future.
Support Vermont’s Families
Child care and early education funding is integral in building our state’s capacity to support our families. Our state must improve support for our child care providers and increase wages to be commensurate with K-12 educators in order to fully recognize and value these professionals. This is an integral step as we work to build continuity and stability within this important component of our workforce.
Improve Statewide Curriculum
Our community continues to learn about the ever-present disparities for marginalized Vermonters. I will work to implement and fully fund the Vermont Coalition for Ethnic and Social Equity recommendations for ethnic studies curriculum standards. Our schools must integrate the full scope of all ethnic, racial, gender, and other marginalized identities into the K-12 curriculum.