PRIORITIES

ECONOMIC JUSTICE

Our economy doesn’t work for working people. Small businesses get shortchanged while corporate profits skyrocket. The working-class experiences stagnant wages while their bosses earn bonuses and stock options. Now is the time for a transformation. I’ll fight for an economy that works for all of us, not just the wealthy few.

As your Congresswoman, I will:

SUPPORT AN INCREASED MINIMUM WAGE

• Nobody should have to work multiple jobs to put food on the table and a roof over their head. 
• I will support legislation to increase the federal minimum and tip wages to $15 per hour, indexed to inflation, to ensure workers get a long-overdue raise. But $15 per hour is a starting point, not the end of the raise the wage movement. In Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, a $15 minimum wage would provide a raise to 39% of our workforce, including 48% of Black workers.
• I will fight for complementary policies to a minimum wage increase such as an expanded Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), permanent child tax credit, increased job training, expansion of the public workforce, policies to generate full employment, and a piloted Universal Basic Income program in the form of recurring COVID-19 relief checks.

GUARANTEE THAT WOMEN ARE PAID THE SAME AS MEN

• Women are bearing the brunt of the COVID-19 economic crisis, all while making pennies on the dollar compared to men. In Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, women earn just 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. Those disparities are even greater for women of color, particularly Black women. Equal pay for equal work is more critical than ever. 
• I will work to end the gender pay gap and pass the Paycheck Fairness Act.
• I will support Representative Grace Meng’s Marshall Plan For Moms.
• I will support elements of the Biden administration’s relief package that will ease the burden on unemployed and working women, including making permanent the $3,000 in tax credits issued to families for each child, a $40 billion investment in child care assistance and an extension of unemployment benefits. 
• I will advocate for a world-class paid family leave program that would benefit and support all parents.

CHAMPION RACIAL EQUITY

• In Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District, Black families earn half as much as their white neighbors and are nearly three times more likely to live in poverty. Nationally, the typical white family holds 10 times more wealth than the typical Black family. We need transformative solutions to right our nation’s history of racial inequity.
• I will support Representative Sheila Jackson Lee’s legislation to study and develop reparation proposals for African-Americans, ensuring that this commission takes into account the interlocking systems of oppression that Black women have faced throughout our country’s history.
• I will fight to distribute aid to our small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially to minority-owned small businesses that are disproportionately impacted.
• I will not only support legalizing marijuana, but also establishing a federal tax and dedicating revenues to assist people most harmed by this failed policy, like reentry programs, job training, and substance abuse treatment, and providing licensing opportunities for the formerly incarcerated to enter the market.
• I will champion tribal sovereignty and lift the voices of Indigenous Tribes in Louisiana like the Chitimacha, the Coushatta, the Jena Band of Choctaw Indians, the Tunica-Biloxi, and the Houma.
• I will stand firm against hate against our Asian-American brothers and sisters and ensure all people of color feel comfortable in this country.

STAND WITH WORKERS

• The economy does not work for the American people. Our leaders continually place the interests of the wealthy over that of the working class. We will only transform our economy if we can rebuild labor strength. 
• I will fight to protect public and private workers’ rights to organize, join a union and bargain collectively. 
• I will support the Paycheck Fairness Act that would strengthen penalties for businesses that pay unequal wages and protect employees from retaliation for sharing information about their salaries.
• I will support the PRO Act that would modernize labor relations and fight back against worker-hostile legislation like Right to Work laws.

MAKE THE ULTRA-WEALTHY PAY THEIR FAIR SHARE

• During the pandemic, millions are unemployed, even more struggle to pay rent, and yet the ultra rich have only gotten richer – the wealth of billionaires has jumped by 40% in the past year alone. That is unconscionable. 
• I will fight to pass the Ultra-Millionaire and wealth taxes in Congress to top the top 0.05%. We can help level the playing field by asking the wealthiest 100,000 households in America to pay their fair share. 
• I will ensure revenue from the wealth tax funds programs in the public interest, such as public education, infrastructure, aid to small businesses, and more. 

WORK TO SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE 2ND CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

• The 2nd Congressional District has unrealized potential as a leader in technology, trade, health sciences, environmental management, and clean energy. According to the NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), The Gulf of Mexico represents one of the largest offshore wind markets in the nation. Louisiana has a unique advantage to accelerate developments as the epicenter of offshore Marine manufacturing and services with expertise in wind.
• I will continue to provide support for the digital media and technology sectors, including the music, film, tv, video gaming, and the start-up technology community. 
• I will push for opportunities in emerging industries like Cybersecurity. Security breaches are more common than ever, and Congress is dedicating tremendous resources in response. We must utilize existing projects like Dillard University’s IBM HBCU Quantum Center and UNO’s Innovation Academy to train workers in this high-paying field.
• I will make sure the needs of the artists, musicians, and food workers that make New Orleans and the rest of the 2nd Congressional District unique are taken into account.
• I will continue to support angel investor tax credits as a vehicle to attract investors to support small Louisiana businesses.
• I will advocate for diverse projects such as the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility for space exploration & advanced manufacturing, which provides unique opportunities for the Greater New Orleans region to be a leader in science and technology.
• I will oppose unsustainable and unjust attempts at developments, like the Formosa Plastics complex in St. James Parish. If a development plan doesn’t take into account the people and the environment, it’s not development, it’s cronyism.

FIGHT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND PREVENT DISPLACEMENT

• The average renter in the 2nd Congressional District spends nearly 36% of their income making rent, well above the 30%% standard of affordability. And even for those with stable rent, a lack of tenant protections leave them at risk of eviction or exploitation. The American dream of home-ownership is now sadly out-of-reach for most working Louisianans. We need a fair and affordable housing market that protects working-class communities of color from displacement and allows for thriving, healthy neighborhoods.
• I will advocate for increased investment in public housing and affordable housing construction and maintenance to ensure that one’s home is a place of security, not stress.
• I will demand full funding of Section 8 benefits as an entitlement and policies to mandate landlords accept the benefit.
• I will support Representative Ilhan Omar’s “Homes for All” act, which would build 10 million new, affordable and public homes in America over the next decade.
• I will ensure that owners and renters live in safe housing conditions free from toxins such as lead.
• I will support policies that protect communities from displacement, whether caused by unwanted gentrification in our cities or environmental hazards in the river parishes.

EDUCATION

Every child deserves a quality education that sets them up to succeed, regardless of zip code. Throughout my career, I’ve been guided by the notion that we must do right by the children in our community, and in order for them to succeed, they need a quality, strong public education system. 

As your Congresswoman, I will:

PUT OUR TEACHERS AND CHILDREN FIRST

• For far too long, teachers have been underpaid and underappreciated by our government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve once again overcome impossible odds. Now, we owe it to them and their students to remove these systemic obstacles and unleash the potential of the next generation.
• I will support Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton’s legislation to establish a grant program to assist States in establishing or expanding universal prekindergarten in public schools.
• I will work to ensure that all students, regardless of zip code or the color of their skin, have access to college and career opportunities.
• I will advocate for affordable child care and increased pay for our teachers and caregivers.
• I will support investing in resources to support teachers and students, like access to technology and broadband, especially in rural areas.
• I will prioritize workforce training for opportunities for students in clean energy, healthcare and the innovative industries of tomorrow. 

EXPAND ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION

• The 2nd Congressional District is home to some of the premier universities in the South – Xavier, Dillard, Southern, LSU, UNO, Delgado, River Parish Community Colleges, Holy Cross, Tulane, and Loyola – but for too many families, the price tag makes the dream of college a financial nightmare.
• I will push to pass Representative Pramila Jayapal’s College for All Act to make public colleges and community colleges tuition-free while also providing generous grants to eliminate or significantly reduce tuition for eligible students at private universities, especially historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
• I will utilize our universities as vehicles for economic development. This includes existing projects like Dillard University’s quantum computing research in partnership with IBM, as well as opportunities for expanding the solar, wind, agriculture, and water industries.
• I will fight for the cancelation of all student loan debt to make sure nobody gets punished for trying to build a better life.
• I will fight to expand access to higher education through Pell Grants and tax credits.
• I will reinstate Pell Grants for incarcerated students.
• I will fight for federal investment in Louisiana’s world-class historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

WORK TO MAKE UP FOR WHAT WE LOST DURING COVID-19

• COVID-19 has laid bare the inequities in our school system. Now more than ever, access to technology and a stable learning environment are key to success in school. Too many students lack the internet access they need for virtual learning. 
• In Congress, I will work to provide investments in technology and broadband.
• I will fight hard to make sure every student has the same opportunity to reach their full potential and ensure our school system has the resources and funding needed to make up for all the lost instructional time during covid. 
• I will support continued COVID-19 relief to help schools reopen safely, offer resources to support students who need to catch up, and support for colleges and universities as they bring students back to campus. 

DISABILITY POLICY

People with disabilities are often treated as an afterthought in policymaking. We must remove obstacles so that people with disabilities have ample opportunity to lead full, happy, and healthy lives unrestricted from societal barriers.

As your Congresswoman, I will:

ENSURE EVERYONE HAS THE POTENTIAL TO THRIVE

• Over thirty years after the Americans with Disabilities Act, we’re long overdue for a new push in support of equal rights and opportunities for people with disabilities.
• I will support rigorous enforcement of non-discrimination protections for people with disabilities in all aspects of life.
• I will fight to ensure equal access to the ballot box and will use every tool available to oppose any efforts to weaken the Americans with Disabilities Act.
• I will advocate for affordable and accessible public transit systems.
• I will always demand full enforcement the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Fair Housing Act, the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, and the Help America Vote Act, among other bedrock statutes protecting the rights of people with disabilities.

LGBTQ+

The LBTQ+ community is a critical part of Louisiana. I have never tolerated hatred and bigotry, and will never be afraid to speak truth to power to ensure members of the LQBTQ+ are treated with dignity and justice, are protected, and have every opportunity to be happy and successful.

I am proud of the work I have done as a state legislator, and there has been no bigger champion for the LGBTQ community in our legislature than me. I have unapologetically championed the LGBTQ+ community against discrimination by using my voice, position and vote to support and advance equality whether in committee hearings, on the Senate floor, or in the Capitol Rotunda. I wrote the Louisiana non-discrimination act way back in 2004 because it was the right thing to do.  

As your Congresswoman, I will:

BE A PROACTIVE ALLY FOR THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY

• Our work is not done until everyone in every part of this country can live their true, authentic lives free from discrimination, hate, violence and bigotry. On my first day in Congress it will be my honor to join Congressman Pocan and the LGBTQ+ Equality Caucus.  
• I will support laws requiring contractors and organizations that receive public funds to not discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
• I will vigorously oppose the exemption of non-discrimination and other laws based on a stated religious belief for individuals.  
• I will continue to stand against hate, violence, and prejudice. 
• I will advocate better funding for LGBTQ+ youth programs.
• I will fight for funding for orgs like the NO/AIDS task force to ensure they have the resources they need. We must do a better job at funding and finally eradicate HIV and end the AIDS epidemic - that work is far from done.
•  I will immediately go to work to pass fully inclusive employment non-discrimination legislation, including housing and public accommodation non-discrimination laws.
• I will also fight to make sure that conversion therapy is outlawed in this country. It is barbaric, against all medical and psychological recommendations and must stop.
• I will stand firm against the transphobic movement to ban trans athletes from competing in sporting events.

COVID-19 Relief

COVID-19 has unearthed deep fault lines in our society – from our economy, to our health care system, to education and more. Disparities in health care access, paid sick leave, environmental quality, in the employment market, child care, and in housing have led to the disproportionate rates of infection and death among people of color in our country, state, and especially within the 2nd Congressional District.

I’m proud of the work I’ve done in the state senate with my staff, including advising decision makers in regards to disaster response, securing personal protective equipment for the most vulnerable, and working with constituents to get them access to the services they need throughout the pandemic.

In Congress, we need a COVID response that protects working families, small businesses, frontline workers, and those hit hardest by the pandemic.

As your Congresswoman, I will: 

INCREASE VACCINE AVAILABILITY 

• We must increase vaccine availability in hard-hit communities while taking equity into account. We must base vaccine distribution plans on factors such as COVID-19 impact and socioeconomic, demographic, and occupational characteristics.
• I will push for a federal mandate to collect complete, high-quality race and ethnicity data when administering vaccinations. If booster vaccines are needed in the future, we must learn from the racial inequities present in our initial rollout.

PUSH FOR COMPREHENSIVE COVID-19 RELIEF 

• The COVID-19 crisis is a national emergency, and Congress must do everything we can to make sure we’re sending resources to those hurting most. 
• I will fight for comprehensive COVID-19 relief, including recurring, $2,000 stimulus checks for every person each month through the end of this crisis. This would offer an opportunity to study the impacts of a potential Universal Basic Income program.
• I will support making significant, immediate grants and loans to help small businesses make payroll, pay rent and other expenses, and keep their doors open when possible. We must ensure that small businesses are able to get the relief they need to reopen safely, smartly, and stay open. 
• I will prioritize support for Black entrepreneurs, other entrepreneurs of color, and women, including by expanding funding for community development financial institutions (CDIFS) and other proven programs that invest in low-income communities and communities of color. 
• I’ll support the RESTAURANTS Act to provide our local independent restaurants with the dollars they need to continue to feed our families and pay their employees.
• I will ensure that federal dollars are spent to keep workers on payroll, not enriching CEOs or shareholders. We must impose rigorous oversight on big corporations seeking financial assistance to weather this pandemic.
• I will work to rectify disparities in the economic effects of the pandemic. Few have been impacted more than women of color. In December 2020, Black and Latina women accounted for all net job losses.

FIGHT FOR WOMEN STRUGGLING DUE TO THIS CRISIS

• Other countries have safety nets – the U.S. has women. During this pandemic, women have been more likely to lose their jobs, face health disparities, and take on more household responsibilities. Women of color in the 2nd Congressional District are in a double bind: they face the highest risk of job loss AND the highest rate of low-paying, essential jobs. While we rebuild from this crisis, we have to fight for an equitable recovery for women and mothers.
• I will work to establish high-quality, free child care and universal preschool through federal investment.
• I will fight to guarantee all workers access to permanent, comprehensive paid family, medical, and sick leave.
• I will push to increase funding for child care assistance at the state and local levels to support both families struggling to afford child care for their young children and rebounding businesses who need access to a reliable workforce. 
• I’ll fight to maintain expanded eligibility for essential workers to the Child Care Assistance Program, enabling parents in our most critical fields to afford quality care while they work. 
• I will push to direct any additional COVID-19 related federal investments toward supporting child care providers with keeping their doors open and rates affordable as they balance increased health and safety requirements, higher operational costs, and lower enrollment capacities.

THE GREEN NEW DEAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Nowhere in the U.S. has already felt the devastating impacts of climate change and pollution more than Louisiana, especially Cancer Alley and our coastal communities. My support for the Green New Deal is nothing new – I stood with organizers from the Sunrise Movement back in 2019 when I called for a Presidential climate debate. I’ll fight for a Green New Deal to protect the future of our country, hold toxic polluters responsible, and bring high-paying, clean energy jobs to the 2nd Congressional District.

As your Congresswoman, I will: 

TAKE ACTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND POLLUTION

• Too many low-income families and communities of color are drowning in cancer-causing pollutants. Our response to pollution and climate change has to be rooted in the understanding that environmental and climate justice is linked to racial justice, economic justice, and health justice.
• I will fight against the construction of the Formosa Plastics complex in St. James Parish. This is another example of environmental racism in our state and signals the need not just for environmental protection, but environmental justice.
• I will support a federal jobs guarantee that ensures a robust public, unionized workforce who will make the Green New Deal a reality.
• I will fight to protect the Clean Air Act and the Clean Water Act from industry attacks and aggressively enforce penalties to ensure we hold polluters accountable for violations.
• I will support immediate action to reverse the Trump Administration’s dangerous and destructive rollbacks of critical climate and environmental protections. 
• I will hold fossil fuel companies accountable for cleaning up abandoned oil and gas wells and industrial sites, so these facilities no longer pollute local environments.

BRING HIGH-PAYING, GREEN JOBS TO THE DISTRICT

• In Louisiana, we’ve failed to realize our potential in wind, solar, and green industries. With a Green New Deal, we can build a thriving, equitable, and globally competitive clean energy economy that puts workers and communities first. Workers and communities of color endured the brunt of the effects of climate change and have been left out and left behind for generations. The Green New Deal will prioritize these groups by giving hard-hit communities priority access to new job opportunities, cost savings, pollution cleanup projects, and climate resilience initiatives.
• I will fight for federal investments in the wind and solar industries, which will create thousands of new, high-paying green jobs and reduce our carbon footprint. 
• NREL projects that supporting the construction and operation of a single 600 megawatt offshore wind project in the Gulf could result in approximately 4,470 construction jobs, 150 direct jobs, with a market value of $445MM during construction, and $14MM annually from operations and maintenance.

BUILD CLIMATE-RESILIENT INFRASTRUCTURE 

• Our infrastructure wasn’t built for the extreme weather events that are becoming the norm due to climate change. We must take urgent action to repair our crumbling infrastructure, from water systems, to bridges, to energy and transportation. I will fight for investments to update and upgrade existing infrastructure using American-made materials to make it climate resilient, while ensuring that all new infrastructure is built to withstand climate impacts.
• I will support investing and modernizing our freight infrastructure, including ports, rail, and maritime freight, in order to reduce air and water pollution, improve public health, create jobs, and improve economic competitiveness.

PROTECT OUR COAST

• Thanks to rising seas, more powerful storms, and decades of oil and gas activity, Louisiana is losing the coastal wetlands and barrier islands that are a crucial part of our natural storm protection system. There’s a massive effort underway to protect and rebuild our coast, but climate change and sea level rise threatens to undo that work. Louisiana’s own Coastal Master Plan says that the key to saving our coast depends on drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the next 10-12 years. I agree with scientists and public health experts that the United States—and the world—must achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions as soon as possible.
• I will support measures in the Green New Deal to achieve net-zero U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 – the urgent action we need to stop sea level rise. 
• I will secure federal funding to adapt to sea level rise and rebuild our coastal wetlands. 
• I will support restoring protections for irreplaceable public lands and waters, especially our natural storm protection system of wetlands and barrier islands.
• I will advocate for federal partnerships with Louisiana and local communities to make smart investments to restore our wetlands, which are critical for protecting our coastal communities.
• I will ensure that climate refugees – like the people of the Isle de Jean Charles in Southern Louisiana – receive substantial, recurring relocation and resettlement payments from federal and state governments. Many of these climate refugees will be Indigenous Tribes and other communities of color – it is our national duty to stand with them.

IMMIGRATION

I believe all people, no matter their immigration status or nationality, are created equal and deserve dignity and respect. I support the executive orders issued by the Biden–Harris administration that go a long way to repair the moral crimes committed by the previous administration. But we still have more work to do to ensure our nation’s immigration policies reflect our highest values. 

As your Congresswoman, I will:

FIGHT FOR COMPREHENSIVE IMMIGRATION REFORM

• For decades, congressional immigration reform has fallen short of passage. With unified control of the Congress and the Presidency, we must act swiftly to re-imagine our immigration system from the ground up. Politicians like Donald Trump claim that our national interest stands in opposition to immigrants and refugees. This is the opposite of the truth. Doing right by others does right for ourselves.
• I will work to pass comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship and the reversal of all Trump-era “zero tolerance” policies. This work is vital for our country to heal and stop the exploitation of millions of people.
• I will support legislation that decriminalizes immigration. No human is illegal.
• I will support Representative Pressley and Representative Tlaib’s BREATHE Act, which would divest resources from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Agency (ICE) and re-invest them in programs that welcome immigrantion and refugees. We can ensure national security without criminalizing and terrorizing vulnerable communities.
• I will support the U.S. Citizenship Act’s proposal to offer an eight-year path of citizenship for the nearly 11 million people who have worked and lived in our communities for years.
• I will stand against any policy by any politician that separates children from their parents at the border.
• I will ensure workplace protections for undocumented workers who are awaiting citizenship. This includes increasing funding for OSHA, removing farmworkers from exemptions from the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act, and providing all workers – no matter their status – a $15 minimum wage and Medicare for All.

HEALTHCARE

America’s healthcare system is fundamentally broken, and the COVID-19 pandemic we’re facing has exposed even more of the failures. Right now, families are going bankrupt from medical bills, Black women are dying at disproportionate rates in childbirth, and too many are forced to beg their neighbors and friends for expensive treatment. In the legislature, I proudly served on President Obama’s White House Task Force on the Affordable Care Act and fought to expand Medicaid to over 600,000 Louisianans. This was an essential first step that showed us the benefit of publicly funded healthcare. Now, it’s time for Medicare for All.

As your Congresswoman, I will:

FIGHT FOR MEDICARE FOR ALL 

• It is too costly to delay passing Medicare for All. Each year, corporations make billions in profits while Americans die of preventable diseases and face financial bankruptcy just to survive. Looking across the world, we know what system works best, and now it’s time to deliver healthcare as a human right to the American people.
• I will support Rep. Jayapal and Rep. Dingell’s Medicare for All Act of 2021. Medicare For All, a single-payer health insurance program, will eliminate copays, deductibles, and premiums and will cover medical, dental, vision, hearing, prescription drugs, maternity care, comprehensive mental health services and substance abuse treatment. Medicare For All will also lower prescription drug prices by allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices and issue compulsory licenses to allow generic production if a pharmaceutical company refuses to negotiate.
• I will take aggressive action to address the maternal mortality crisis. In Louisiana, 72 Black women died for every 100,000 births – the highest number in the nation. Medicare for All will increase access to quality care, confront the racial and gender disparities in our system, and invest in health infrastructure so every community has access to care.

PROTECT REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE

• Every person should have the freedom to make their own decisions about their health, families, and future. I’ll push to protect and expand access to health care  – including reproductive care like abortion services.
• I will fight for the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, which currently forbids federal funding from going towards abortion services. In Louisiana, this is devastating for Medicaid-recipients, who are forced to pay out-of-pocket for necessary medical care.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM

The protests in the summer of 2020 told the country what many of us have known for a long time: our criminal justice system is racist and unjust. Now is an unprecedented opportunity to reimagine criminal justice and policing in our country.

As your Congresswoman, I will:

REIMAGINE PUBLIC SAFETY

• Communities are at their safest when their people are healthy, educated, and have access to fruitful employment, not when they are patrolled by militarized law enforcement. We have the money and resources for a safe, vibrant society – we just have to put it in the right place.
• I will support Representative Pressley and Tlaib’s BREATHE Act, which seeks to invest funds to build a new model of public safety and create a new Community Public Safety Agency which will use grants to replace the harmful criminal legal systems locally with evidence-based public safety infrastructure.
• I will champion legislation that updates the use of deadly force standard by the police from “reasonable” to “necessary.”
• I would push for investment in genuine community policing to build trust between the community and the police and invest in resources for police to properly be able to do their jobs. We need to invest in policies that actually work rather than attempts to militarize our police force. 
• I will support sensible gun safety reforms to get guns off our streets by expanding background checks and banning the sale of assault weapons. 
• I will support legislation to end excessive sentencing and eliminate mandatory minimum sentencing.

DECRIMINALIZE SEX WORK

• Sex workers are among the most vulnerable people in our society. Because sex work is criminalized, workers are hesitant to report instances of abuse, exploitation, and sexual assault. No matter the profession, the government must treat all people with dignity. In Louisiana, I’m proud to support State Representative Mandie Landry’s push for decriminalization.
• In Congress, I will support Representative Ro Khanna’s SAFE SEX Workers Study Act to determine what further legislation would prove most effective in protecting this vulnerable population.

BAN PRIVATE PRISONS 

• Louisiana still has the world’s largest number of incarcerated people, a trend that's exacerbated by racist policies and a for-profit model that demands more bodies in cells in order to succeed. In the Louisiana state legislature, I introduced a bill to ban private prisons. In Congress, I’ll do it again.
• I will support legislation ending the prison industrial complex and banning private, for-profit prisons, including those used by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE).

LEGALIZE MARIJUANA AND EXPUNGE PAST CONVICTIONS 

• It’s fundamentally wrong that our criminal justice system criminalizes communities of color for marijuana related offenses, while white-owned businesses make millions doing the same damn thing.
• I will work to deschedule marijuana at the federal level to let states set their own policies without federal interference. At least 16 states have already legalized marijuana with more on the way.
• I will right the wrongs of an unjust system by expunging past convictions for marijuana-related offenses.
• I will push to put our money where our mouth is on criminal justice reform by establishing a federal tax on marijuana and dedicating revenues to assist people most harmed by this failed policy, through reentry programs, job training, and substance abuse treatment for men and women leaving the system so that we can reduce recidivism.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Any Louisianan who has had to deal with potholes, boil advisories due to water main leaks, and unreliable or nonexistent public transit knows that we have to take action. We’re long overdue to repair and update Louisiana’s crumbling roads, bridges, water systems, and more. 

As your Congresswoman, I will: 

INVEST IN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

• A strong public transit system is essential for livable communities. People deserve easy access to their jobs and to services such as health care, shopping, and entertainment. Federal investment in transit infrastructure and maintenance projects can ensure affordable, efficient, and reliable transit as well as reduce harmful emissions.
• I will revive federal support for a high speed rail corridor between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. This public transit project – scrapped by Bobby Jindal – is vital to protecting and strengthening local economies, will provide thousands of jobs, and will dramatically ease the growing congestion of the District 2 corridor.
• I will ensure that transportation authorities prioritize equity in their services. 

IMPROVE OUR WATER SYSTEMS AND PROTECT OUR AQUIFERS

• We must effectively regulate the withdrawal of water from the Southern Hills Aquifer so that saltwater encroachment can be reduced and the supply of fresh groundwater can be sustained. In Congress, I will support regulations that protect our drinking water from industrial exploitation.
• Louisiana’s 2nd Congressional District faces a health crisis from our drinking water. The preventable and unrectified tragedy in Flint, Michigan, demonstrates the need for significant public investment in our water systems.
• I will support an infrastructure bill that provides funding to improve our water supply system, reduce water main leaks, and replace lead service lines so all families have healthy, usable drinking water.

DEFEND THE UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE

• The U.S. Postal Service is the most popular agency in the federal government and is an essential service, delivering vital medicines, ecommerce packages, and 65 million mail-in ballots in the last election. 
• I will support the Postal Banking Act to ensure to grant USPS the power to provide basic financial services. Millions of poor and working-class Americans are locked out of traditional financial systems. We need a “public-option” for banking.
• I will push to ensure a vibrant public postal service by repealing the onerous pre-funding mandate responsible for the bulk of the USPS’ recent financial losses