What I’ll Fight For
I’m running on a simple promise: invest where it matters and lift the pressure off working families. That means fully funding our public schools so every child, rural or urban, gets a first-rate education; safeguarding seniors and veterans with real relief on medicine and property taxes; equipping first responders with modern gear and fair pay; and super-charging the tools small businesses already have so local diners, farms, and machine shops thrive instead of shuttering.
Why?
Because Kentucky’s per-pupil state funding has fallen roughly 30 percent behind inflation since 2008, the gap between our wealthiest and poorest districts is now wider than when the Supreme Court struck down the old system in 1990; schools are coping with larger class sizes, chronically under-funded bus fleets, and the nation’s third-worst starting-teacher pay while vacancies soar.
So–
On Day One, I’ll introduce an “Education Excellence Act,” which immediately boosts our SEEK school‐funding formula by at least $300 per student to catch up with inflation and which locks in automatic, annual inflation adjustments so the funding never falls behind. We’ll protect and maintain vital add‐ons for transportation, small rural schools, special‐needs programs, after/before school program, and prohibit any year‐end SEEK surplus from being swept into the general fund. To pay for this without raising local property taxes, we can redirect existing state surpluses, dedicate a portion of sports‐betting revenues, and leverage the Education Improvement Fund – getting more dollars directly into classrooms, teacher paychecks, and the supports our students need.
Why?
Our seniors deserve to age with dignity and honor, not stressing if they can afford enough groceries and their medicine next week.
So-
Two practical ideas already moving in Frankfort show how we can ease seniors’ day-to-day costs right now. First, Kentucky’s 2021 insulin-copay cap put a $30 ceiling on a 30-day supply; lawmakers are now eyeing follow-up bills to extend similar caps to other high-need drugs, which would keep fixed-income retirees from having to choose between refills and groceries. Second, Senate Bill 23 – on track for the 2025 ballot – would freeze any future property-tax increases on the homes of Kentuckians aged 65 and over, shielding those living on Social Security from inflation-driven assessment hikes. Supporting these two measures delivers immediate relief at the pharmacy counter and in the tax bill, honoring our promise that older Kentuckians can age with dignity instead of financial worry.
Why?
Our first responders deserve more. More than bare-minimum equipment. More than bare-minimum raises.
So-
State-level momentum is already building: the current budget bumps the annual law-enforcement training stipend to $4,562 by FY 2026, and legislation would direct a slice of the insurance-premium surcharge into a new EMS Professionals Foundation Fund to help ambulance services recruit, equip, and keep qualified medics. I’ll back both measures – and, just as important, work hand-in-glove with the Hardin and Breckinridge fiscal courts so local dollars are lined up to match every state grant. That partnership will let departments offer competitive retention bonuses and retire aging radios, turnout gear, and ambulances, giving our first responders the pay and equipment they need to keep every neighborhood safe.
Why?
Small businesses are struggling, they’re closing down from pressure due to tariffs and the spiraling costs of supplies, labor shortages, and higher interest rates – pressures that are squeezing margins so tightly many owners can’t keep their doors open.
So-
Kentucky already has good tools, we just need to super-charge them. I’ll push to increase the Kentucky Small Business Tax Credit cap from $25,000 to $40,000 per year and streamline the paperwork, expand the KEDFA Direct Loan and KSBCI 2.0 funds with a state-financed interest-rate buy-down, and set a 10 percent “buy-local” goal in state procurement so Main-Street firms have a guaranteed customer close to home.
To ease the hiring crunch, I’ll support HB 590, which would raise the apprenticeship credit from $1,000 up to $2,000—$3,500 in rural incentive counties – giving small employers real help with training costs. I’ll pair that with a refundable child-care expense credit and a state match for the federal Work Opportunity Tax Credit. Bigger job-creation credits, cheaper capital, built-in state contracts, and smart workforce incentives – that’s how we keep neighborhood diners, machine shops, and farm-supply stores open and thriving.