Priorities

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Equality and Justice

I have spent my career in public service fighting for equality, justice, and progress. I came to North Carolina to attend law school and later became an attorney, civil rights advocate, and state legislator. As a progressive leader in Raleigh, I worked to pass the South’s first anti-racial profiling bill, fought to reform juvenile justice programs, passed laws to expand voting rights, and opposed laws that would take our state backward, including anti-LGBTQ Amendment One. In Congress, I’m honored to serve on the House Judiciary Committee and as the Vice Chair of the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.

The right to vote is a cornerstone of our democracy. It’s imperative that we work to strengthen voting rights – not make it more difficult for North Carolinians to cast a ballot. That’s why I voted for and cosponsored the For the People Act, a sweeping package to protect and expand voting rights, restore integrity in government, and put the needs of the American people ahead of the priorities of powerful special interests.

I also voted to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, crucial legislation to restore the fundamental guarantees of the Voting Rights Act and prevent discriminatory voting practices, like racial gerrymandering and restrictive voter ID laws. 

In addition, I voted to pass the Equality Act, which will prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. This historic legislation protects LGBTQ Americans from discrimination in the workplace and other public fields like education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing and public accommodations, and more.

As a Vice Chair of the Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties, I am working to shed light on hate crimes against Asian American communities. Last year, our Subcommittee held the first hearing since 1987 on discrimination and violence against Asian Americans, focusing on incidents of hate spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic. I voted to pass the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which would facilitate an expedited review of hate crimes related to COVID-19, as well as a resolution condemning hate and bigotry against Asian Americans in the wake of the shootings in Atlanta, Georgia on March 16.

Access to Affordable Health Care

Our fight for affordable, accessible health care is more important than ever. The coronavirus’ disproportionate impact on disadvantaged communities reminds us that our current healthcare system still does not serve all Americans and that we all have a personal stake in the health and well-being of our friends and neighbors.    

No one should ever have to decide between life-saving care and paying their household bills, yet many North Carolinians still face this devastating choice every day. That’s why I support creating a comprehensive public option for health insurance, expanding Medicaid in North Carolina, taking steps to reduce the high cost of prescription drugs, and implementing other reforms to ensure affordable and equitable access to care for every American.   

We cannot go back to the days when insurance companies ran the show. I have worked successfully to require health care companies to cover basic services like contraception, mental health, and autism treatment. I helped expand coverage for children’s health care, and I continue to fight to expand Medicaid coverage for over 500,000 uninsured North Carolinians and provide relief for our rural hospitals facing closures. 

I am co-leading the Medicaid Saves Lives Act, legislation that will close the coverage gap by providing health insurance to low-income residents of North Carolina and the 11 other states that have refused to expand Medicaid. Over a decade after the passage of the Affordable Care Act, which gave states the opportunity to expand Medicaid, it is time for the federal government to step in to enable low-income people in all states to access health care. 

I voted to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, an historic, commonsense package to reduce the threat of gun violence across the country and protect America’s children and schools.

Education & Opportunity

K-12

A quality education is the key to success in our highly competitive 21st century economy. That’s why as both an attorney and a state legislator, I fought for quality public education for all students, working to reduce class sizes, raise teacher pay, and increase investment in early childhood education. The federal government plays an important role in ensuring that all our students have access to a high-quality public education, including by providing critical funding to support Title I schools and students served by the Free and Reduced Lunch program. In Congress, I am fighting for greater federal resources for our schools as well as free, high quality pre-K programs for all our children. Last year, I helped to secure robust support for local governments through the American Rescue Plan, which is expected to yield more than $200 million in additional funding for the Wake County Public School System. I strongly believe an investment in our students is an investment in our shared future.

College Affordability

Tens of thousands of North Carolinians are grappling with crippling student loan debt that undermines their economic security and prevents them from buying homes and starting new businesses. That’s why I fought for and won changes to our tax code that made it easier for families to save for college when I was a state legislator. In Congress, I’m prioritizing common-sense proposals to address college affordability, including an increase to the maximum Pell Grant award, enabling graduate and professional students to access subsidized loans, placing a cap on collection fees charged to borrowers who have defaulted on their loans, and loan forgiveness. I will also continue to fight back against lenders and institutions that make false promises and defraud our students.

Community colleges open new doors of opportunity for thousands of students in Wake County every year. They also play a critical role in preparing our workforce for the jobs of tomorrow. I strongly support tuition-free community college, which offers disadvantaged students a fair shot at a great education and future professional success.

During my first two months in Congress, I introduced the bipartisan Protecting Job Opportunities for Borrowers (JOBs) Act, legislation that will prevent states from suspending, revoking, or denying state-issued driver’s licenses, teaching licenses, and other professional licenses solely because borrowers are behind on their federal student loan payments.

Investing in our Shared Future

Every week, I hear from families juggling child care and work, older Americans who need accessible home care, families struggling to afford quality health care, and people who are worried about the climate crisis. I voted to pass the historic Build Back Better Act to improve access to life-saving medical care; deliver affordable health care, child care, and home care; expand affordable housing and education; and launch the most significant effort to combat the climate crisis in American history. With this legislation, we are making long overdue investments in our people for generations to come – investments in our children, parents, and grandparents.

Retiring with Dignity

Every American should be able to enjoy a comfortable and secure retirement. Our seniors have paid into Social Security and Medicare over a lifetime of hard work, and I won’t stop fighting to protect these earned benefits. In Congress, I’m working to strengthen Social Security and will strenuously oppose any attempt to turn Medicare into a voucher program. I also support lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60.

Supporting Our Economy & Workers

I am fighting for an economy that works for everyone. As a state legislator during the Great Recession, I advocated for an earned income tax credit aimed at returning tax dollars to working families, supported raising the minimum wage, and sponsored paid sick leave legislation. I also supported tax breaks for small businesses and passed legislation to spur economic development here in Raleigh. I have always been a champion for working people and I am proud to have the support of workers and unions. We must prioritize our workers and small businesses as we rebuild our economy, making sure that relief dollars go to the small businesses and working families that need it most. 

I cosponsored and voted to pass the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Extension Act of 2021, which extended the coverage period for businesses utilizing the PPP. I also voted to pass President Biden’s American Rescue Plan which included $7.25 billion in additional funding for PPP and expanded eligibility to 501(c) nonprofits of all sizes and types. Crucially, this legislation created a nearly $29 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund to offer assistance to restaurants and bars hard hit by the pandemic. I continue to advocate for additional assistance to our small businesses and restaurants.

Combating Climate Change

Climate change is an imminent threat to our country and our planet, and we must take immediate action to address it. As a state legislator, I voted to support clean energy alternatives, halt fracking, and implement measures to reduce emissions in North Carolina. In Congress, I was proud to vote to pass the Build Back Better Act, in part because it represents an unprecedented effort to combat the climate crisis. This transformational legislation will reduce carbon pollution, bolster community resilience, and strengthen the American clean energy economy. 

In addition, I am an original cosponsor of the Defend Our Coast Act, which will protect the coasts of North Carolina from being leased for exploration, development, and production of oil or gas. I also cosponsored the Arctic Refuge Protection Act, a bill to permanently protect the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas drilling.

Further, I led a bipartisan effort to urge the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to lease offshore wind energy areas off the coast of North Carolina. Our state is particularly well-positioned to meaningfully contribute to the offshore wind industry, ranking first among east coast states in both technical potential for offshore wind generation capacity and manufacturing workforce. I continue to push for passage of the Restoring Offshore Wind Opportunities Act to overturn former President Trump’s 10-year moratorium on offshore wind energy leasing off our coast, set to take effect in 2022. 

Women & Families

It is shameful that women in America are still paid less than men for the same work. As a state representative, I co-sponsored the 2013 Equal Pay Act, a bill that would have allowed women in the workforce to receive retroactive pay for up to two years and prohibited retaliation against employees seeking equal pay. In Congress, I voted to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act to eliminate gender-based wage discrimination and ensure that women in America receive equal pay for equal work. 

I also championed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 (VAWA). This bill makes vital improvements to programs and laws dealing with gender-based violence, addressing gaps in current law based on extensive consultation with victim service providers, law enforcement, and other experts. The House passed two of my amendments to VAWA, which will help protect survivors in public housing and expand access to care from sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE nurses) following sexual assault.

In addition, I strongly believe no politician should come between medical providers and their patients. That’s why I have worked for decades to protect a woman’s right to reproductive freedom. In Congress, I am a proud cosponsor of the Women’s Health Protection Act which will ensure that reproductive rights are protected at the federal level so that all people can have access to reproductive health care regardless of where they live.

Infrastructure

Many of our communities struggle with connection. We have roads and bridges in disrepair, and too many people across North Carolina still don’t have access to broadband. One of the fastest ways to help our economy recover, increase opportunity, and create jobs is to invest in infrastructure projects that put people to work immediately. 

When I first started as an attorney, I specialized in municipal bond law to help local governments fund critical infrastructure and public work programs. I went on to work for our regional transit agency with a mission of improving public transportation options. In Congress, I am working to drive investment in transportation and infrastructure projects and increase renewable energy options in pursuit of a more carbon-free future. I proudly voted to pass the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a transformational law that will upgrade the nation’s aging infrastructure and create good-paying jobs in North Carolina. 

Wake County is one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S., but unfortunately, our infrastructure has not grown with our community. This historic legislation will fund transportation projects that will improve the everyday lives of Wake County residents. It will provide fully $1.2 trillion in dedicated funding for projects in our state, investing in our roads, bridges, water systems, high-speed internet, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure. 

Included in the infrastructure package is a bill I co-authored that will bring key stakeholders together to make recommendations for the safe and effective development, adoption, and integration of electric vehicles into the transportation and energy systems of the United States. 

Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Nothing is more important to me than keeping all families safe and secure. My district is home to a large immigrant population. These students, families, and workers contribute to our communities, our culture, our economy, and our institutions of higher education. In Congress, I am committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform to keep families together, provide a fair pathway to citizenship, and meet our nation’s economic needs.

I am committed to defending the Dreamers, undocumented young people brought to this country as children. They attend American schools, work for American companies, and run businesses and raise families in American communities. In short, they are American in every respect except on paper.

I am a proud original cosponsor of the American Dream and Promise Act, a bill that offers protection from deportation and a fair path to citizenship for eligible Dreamers. These talented young people deserve a secure future here in America – the country they love and call home.  

Crucially, the Dream and Promise Act also creates a path for eligible individuals with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) to obtain full LPR status and the opportunity to apply for citizenship five years later.  

Another top priority for me in Congress is passing legislation to enable the so-called Documented Dreamers to remain in the United States. North Carolina is home to thousands of children and young adults who came to the United States at an early age as dependents of work visa holders. Unfortunately, once they turn 21, their dependent visas expire and they can be forced to self-deport to a country they often don’t even remember. 

I introduced the America’s CHILDREN Act to protect Documented Dreamers from aging out of temporary protections and becoming vulnerable to deportation by providing a pathway to citizenship. We have so much work to do to fix our broken immigration system and ensure that our country has a fair path to citizenship. Passing this bill will be a step in the right direction to protect more than 200,000 young adults and ensure all families are treated with dignity and respect.

I am also working to support the guest farmworkers who keep our nation’s agriculture industry strong. Last year, I voted to pass the Farm Workforce Modernization Act, which establishes a program for agricultural workers to earn legal status through continued employment in the agricultural sector. This bipartisan bill will help stabilize our farm workforce and promote fair wages and working conditions for the guest workers who contribute so much to our nation.