What can be done to improve the business climate in Connecticut while COVID-19 continues to be a risk?

Continue to build consumer confidence by wearing masks, washing hands, and social distancing where possible: strong public health metrics will bring consumers back; increase connectivity so that businesses can maintain connection with larger markets outside of the state, and can continue to build online markets.

With so much uncertainty ahead about COVID-19, how would you ensure that the people's business – both at the legislature and in all of our elections – will be conducted effectively, and with full participation, in the safest possible manner for the foreseeable future?

Public participation in local government has actually increased during the pandemic, as many have discovered how easy it is to participate virtually. We should consider making that permanent.

With higher education facing major changes because of the pandemic, what steps will you take to make sure that Connecticut’s residents have access to college and/or other job training that won’t leave them tens of thousands of dollars in debt?

We must look for ways to fund free community college, which provides both targeted job training and a bridge to a four-year college degree.

What specific legislation would you support to reduce racism in Connecticut?

In my overwhelmingly white district, there was overwhelming support for taking action to fight racism, as evidenced by a large number of well-attended and peaceful rallies. I supported the police accountability bill, which was a tough but necessary step in recognizing and beginning to address problems of systemic racism in policing. Another area I look forward to returning to work on is how we treat the formerly incarcerated (an overwhelmingly black and brown demographic), and their access to job training, housing, and mental health treatment, for example.

What is one specific policy you support to help protect African Americans as an at-risk group during the pandemic?

We must do everything we can to ensure that each and every resident of CT has access to quality healthcare, including preventive care. Lack of access to care hits hardest on the same communities who are most at-risk during the pandemic.

Connecticut’s revenues will sharply decline as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and, unlike Congress, Connecticut has a balanced budget requirement. What changes would you make to balance the budget? (If you want cuts, be specific what will be cut. If you want to raise taxes, be specific about which taxes.)

I would very much like to see CT look holistically at its tax system, including income, sales, and property taxes, to make it clear who in our community bears the burdens. The top 1% of earners in CT received all of the gains in the last economic recovery, leaving everyone else behind. There is nothing "natural" about that: it is the result of systematic policies that favor investors and capitol over workers and labor. I don't think there's evil intent here, but a fairer system would rebalance that.

What should Connecticut do to re-tool our public health for COVID-19 and the possibility of future pandemics, while also addressing other chronic illnesses that put people at risk every day?

Public health means that everyone gets quality care, including prevention. That's more cost-effective, and enables those who are healthier to be more financially stable.

How can Connecticut lower healthcare costs while also improving quality and access to care?

Everything we do to move away from a fee-for-service system, toward a system that rewards health outcomes, produces both better health and more cost-effectiveness. There are numerous state-based models out there that have demonstrated that, and we need to take a hard look at them.