PRIORITIES
Ensuring affordable, quality healthcare for all
Linda believes that healthcare is a right and not a privilege. Every Pennsylvanian has a right to be able to access affordable, quality healthcare. She supports protecting the Affordable Care Act and the pre-existing conditions mandate. Linda supports legislation that guarantees access to healthcare for all Pennsylvanians. She also supports expanding supplemental programs that provide crucial healthcare to children --like CHIP, and to seniors and veterans. Our people are our greatest resource and we must have a healthcare system that provides appropriate medical care without bankrupting them. Pennsylvanians should not have to make the difficult choice between providing healthcare for their families or paying for food and shelter. Access to healthcare for all Pennsylvanians will help close income disparity across our state.
Linda was previously endorsed by Service Employees International Union, National Union of Hospital and Healthcare Employees District 1199C, Pennsylvania Association of Nurses & Allied Professionals, Working Families Party and Our Revolution.
Improving public education
Linda believes education is the bedrock of opportunity for our children. A student’s social or economic background or zip code should not be the determining factor for a quality education in Pennsylvania. She will work to ensure all students and teachers receive adequate funding for Pre-K thru 12th grade, college, and vocational training. She supports Fair Funding PA, which is a coalition working to ensure all school funding across Pennsylvania is fair, adequate and sustainable. She supports initiatives for more affordable college tuition and free college tuition for qualifying Pennsylvanians at state colleges and universities. She also supports increased focus on early education programs and vocational programs.
Linda was previously endorsed by American Federation of Teachers and Philadelphia Federation of Teachers.
Preserving our environment for future generations
Linda supports protecting our environment and expanding green spaces. This includes enforcement of strategic preservation of woods and farmland, and more public trails, parks, and wildlife sanctuaries and not uncontrolled development. She believes access to clean air and clean drinking water is a right and not a privilege. The Commonwealth must prevent fracking and gas pipelines from polluting our surface and groundwater. Our district has many rivers, streams and waterways that need to be protected from pollution. It’s our collective responsibility to “Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful.” Linda supports initiatives that will keep our air and drinking water clean and free from harmful pollutants. She opposes the exploitation of our natural resources to the detriment of Pennsylvanians.
Linda was previously endorsed by Conservation Voters of PA, Sierra Club, Clean Water Action and PENNenvironment.
Advancing women’s rights
Linda remains committed to protecting women’s rights in Pennsylvania. She supports women’s access to safe, quality reproductive healthcare for women as a fundamental right. As a career labor union organizer, she staunchly supports equal pay for equal work and raising the minimum wage in Pennsylvania; she will also fight against workplace discrimination based on gender and work to close the gender pay gap. She supports tougher laws to combat sexual harassment and sexual assault as well as more resources to make it easier for women to report these criminal acts in the workplace or at home. She will ensure that students in our schools and colleges are protected from sexual harassment and have a safe and effective way to report incidents.
Linda was previously endorsed by Planned Parenthood, Emily’s List, National Organization of Women, Represent PA, Gang of 100, Montgomery County Women's Leadership Initiative, and Black Democratic Women of Montgomery County and Pennsylvania Association of Nurses & Allied Professionals.
Combating the opioid epidemic
Linda believes we must combat the opioid epidemic with compassion and adequate resources. Our family members and neighbors are dying from these highly dangerous, addictive drugs: we must act now. In 2018, nearly 5,000 Pennsylvanians overdosed from opioids, including heroin, fentanyl and oxycontin. The opioid crisis has affected every county and every community across Pennsylvania. This deadly disease does not discriminate and should not be a partisan issue. Linda believes we must fight together against the opioid crisis with increased funding for treatment and education programs. We need tougher punishment for criminals and industries that profit from the sale and exploitation of opioids. Linda also supports increased funding for understaffed state and local police departments that are tasked with patrolling our counties to keep communities safe from crimes connected to the opioid crisis.
Fixing our ailing Infrastructure
Linda supports fixing our region’s ailing infrastructure. Our many ailing narrow roads, historic bridges and dated transportation systems need to be fixed, updated and modernized for the safety of our travelers. Infrastructure problems have existed for decades and we must act now with urgency to prevent potential future tragedies. Such large infrastructure projects including funding for extending regional rail service to King of Prussia and beyond to boost our local economy and organized labor force. Safe and modern infrastructure will help fuel our local economy.
Linda was previously endorsed by the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO, Laborers District Council, Transportation Workers Union 234, AFSCME and International Longshoremen Association District Council of Philadelphia/Wilmington.
Protecting LGBTQIA rights
Linda supports protecting and advancing the rights of the LGBTQIA community including creating statewide legal protections against discrimination and hate crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity in Pennsylvania. Currently, Pennsylvania has no laws protecting LGBTQIA from hate or bias crimes based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Pennsylvania must also work to ensure the LGBTQIA community has access to housing protections against discrimination.
Linda was previously endorsed by Equality PA.
Pushing for common sense reforms for gun laws
Linda supports common sense reforms that would help decrease the threat of mass shootings such as requiring universal background checks for all gun purchases at the state and federal level; banning the sale of bump stocks, assault rifles, and high capacity magazines; preventing known terrorists and abusers from buying guns; preserving instant background checks on guns through the Pennsylvania Instant Check System (PICS); and closing the gun show loophole as well as imposing a statewide lost or stolen reporting requirement. She also supports focusing on school safety and ensuring that schools are places of learning so our teachers and children will not have to live in fear in the classroom.
Linda was previously endorsed by CeaseFire PA, Moms Demand Action Gun Sense and Orange Wave - Vote for Gun Safety.
Capitalizing on medical marijuana and adult use marijuana
Linda’s position on capitalizing on medical marijuana and adult recreational use marijuana will be reflective of the 17th District. The education of the benefits of legalizing recreational use is imperative. To date, 9 states plus Washington DC have legalized recreational marijuana. New Jersey could legalize as early as Fall 2019.
Pennsylvania could benefit greatly from the revenue generated from recreational marijuana. In a recent report from the Pennsylvania Auditor General, he stated that the state could generate $581 million annually from recreational marijuana to fund critical initiatives in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania is also uniquely positioned to distribute through our established supply chains through our Fine Wine and Spirits stores as one potential option. Legalization for recreational marijuana will also curb the very negative effects that criminalization has placed on minority communities as well as help combat the opioid crisis. Marijuana is an economic opportunity for Pennsylvania with an emerging industry that could create many jobs in Pennsylvania.
Safeguarding fair elections through voting rights and redistricting
Linda supports Fair Districts PA, the coalition calling for redistricting at the state level to stop partisan gerrymandering. She supports early voting, same day registration, extending absentee voting, lowering the voting age to 16 other reforms that make it easier for all Pennsylvanians to vote. She also supports campaign finance reform for increased transparency and accountability for our elected officials.
Fighting for workers’ rights
As a union organizer, Linda has spent her career fighting for worker’s rights. She has also personally negotiated hundreds of employee contracts. She has successfully obtained higher and fairer wages, employee benefits and workers’ rights for hospital workers for some of the largest hospital chains in Pennsylvania. She will continue to fight to raise the minimum wage in the fight for fifteen and protect unions’ rights to organize and collectively bargain.