Issues
Healthcare
As a healthcare professional, Jo understands that every Missourian deserves access to quality, affordable health care. She strongly supports Medicaid expansion to bring home over a billion dollars from Washington, D.C, create thousands of jobs, and increase healthcare access to over 200,000 Missourians.
Education
As a member of the Webster Groves Board of Education, Jo understands the opportunities a public school education can provide for a child, and wants build a future where every child in our community can receive a great education. Since joining the school board, Jo helped pass a $22 million bond issue to improve safety and accessibility in Webster schools, and also worked to help improve teacher pay.
Gun safety
Jo is a member of Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement of Americans fighting for common sense measures to protect people from gun violence. She supports eliminating the “gun show loophole” and requiring background checks on all firearms sales. Jo believes that perpetrators of domestic abuse should be prevented from possessing firearms after a criminal conviction or while under a restraining order.
Labor and Wages
Jo understands that a unionized workforce means better pay, benefits, and working conditions for union and non-union workers alike. She opposes so-called “Right-to-Work” legislation that will lead to lower wages and a weaker middle class. Jo believes that one job should be enough for every Missourian and supports a $15/hour minimum wage.
Reproductive Freedom
Jo believes a woman’s healthcare decisions should be left between her and her doctor, and will be a champion for reproductive freedom in Jefferson City. That means standing up for paid family leave, fighting pregnancy discrimination, upending abortion restrictions across our state, and working to dismantle the systemic racism in our healthcare system.
The Opioid Epidemic
As a mother of three, Jo hurts for the families in our states that have been torn apart as a result of the opioid epidemic. She supports expanding proven community programs that intervene to stop addiction. Jo will oppose legislation that promotes discriminatory or ineffective practices that impede the treatment of those suffering from substance abuse disorders.
LGBTQ Community
Missouri is one of 26 states where you can be fired for being a member of the LGBTQ community. Jo supports the Missouri Nondiscrimination Act (MONA), which would add sexual orientation and gender identity to Missouri’s Human Rights Act. The LGBTQ community is under attack by Missouri Republicans, and Jo will do everything within her power to hold them accountable in Jefferson City.
Racial Equity
Jo recognizes that white supremacy has always infected life in America, and that we must work intentionally to root it out. Closing the racial wealth gap, improving maternal health disparities, and investing in affordable housing are some of Jo’s top legislative priorities to help level the playing field for communities of color in Missouri.
Public Safety
Jo understands that crime cannot be reduced without first addressing its root causes, particularly poverty. Investing in poverty reduction and mental health services must be at the center of any public safety solution. She intends to be a champion for criminal justice reform in Jefferson City, one of the few issues with true bipartisan momentum.
Environment
Protecting Missouri’s natural resources is critical both to the public health and economic wellbeing of our state. Jo believes in climate science, and understands that we must act quickly to preserve our environment for future generations. That's why she supports the Sierra Club’s Ready for 100 Initiative to equitably transition Missouri to 100% clean, renewable energy. Jo also understands that climate change solutions should be integrated into workforce development, and wants to help make Missouri a leader in creating new clean energy jobs.