Cost of Living

Rising housing, healthcare, and childcare costs are outpacing wages and squeezing Massachusetts families. The affordability crisis is forcing seniors, young families, and workers out of the communities they call home, and Beacon Hill needs to act now to fix it.

As your State Representative, I will:

• Fight to cap utility cost increases so families aren't forced to choose between heating their homes and feeding their families.

• Fight to expand down payment assistance programs so more working families can afford to buy homes and build long-term stability in their communities.

• Fight to expand healthcare caps in order to limit out-of-pocket healthcare costs.

We are facing a crisis of affordability throughout the Commonwealth and across the country, as costs rise on everything from gas to housing. More must be done at the state level: capping utility costs to put money back in residents' pockets, increasing down payment assistance so more people can buy homes, and expanding healthcare caps to keep out-of-pocket costs down.

Energy & Utility Costs

No family should open a utility bill and feel their stomach drop. It is not a luxury purchase, it is heat in January and lights to do homework by. The hidden fees and price spikes buried in monthly bills have become a hidden tax on working people.

As your State Representative, I will:

• Support legislation to eliminate hidden fees on utility bills and curb the seasonal price spikes that hit hardest in winter.

• Push back on rate structures that protect corporate and shareholder profits at the expense of ratepayers.

• Support renewable generation and efficiency programs that lower long-term costs while cutting emissions.

• Demand real transparency, so residents can see exactly what they are paying for and why.

Healthcare Costs

Health care you cannot afford to use is not health care. Families across the 6th Plymouth are paying more in premiums, deductibles, and copays every year while getting less in return, and too much of that money never reaches a doctor or a nurse at all.

As your State Representative, I will:

• Support legislation to strengthen primary care and rein in costs.

• Fight to cap prescription drug prices and out-of-pocket expenses.

• Cut insurance red tape and administrative waste that drives up premiums without improving care.

• Protect MassHealth and community health centers, which are the front door to care for thousands of our neighbors.

Housing

People should be able to grow up, raise a family, and retire in the place they call 'home.' Right now young families cannot afford to buy their first homes in our towns, and seniors are struggling to afford the cost of living in their homes.

As your State Representative, I will:

• Fight to expand down payment and first-time homebuyer assistance so working families can buy in, not get priced out.

• Support diversifying our housing inventory by building more starter homes, senior housing, and workforce housing so supply finally starts to meet demand.

• Support smart-growth development that puts new housing where infrastructure can support it.

Childcare

Childcare is workforce infrastructure. When a family cannot find or afford care, a parent leaves the workforce, an employer loses a worker, and the whole economy takes the hit. This is personal for me: I left the workforce for this exact reason when my youngest was born. I was lucky that I had that option, but the long-term financial and professional impacts were real, and women are disproportionately impacted by this difficult reality. . 

As your State Representative, I will:

• Support and sustain C3 operational grants that keep providers open and stable.

• Expand Child Care Financial Assistance eligibility and create a taper-down system, so families don't lose all support the moment they earn a dollar over the threshold.

• Grow the number of childcare slots through: supporting people who want to enter the field, funding renovation and construction of childcare centers, and creating incentives for large employers to build or partner with providers.

• Support better wages for early educators, because you cannot expand access while the workforce is leaving for better-paying jobs.