PATTY ACOMB
On the Issues
Environment
In Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, protecting our water and air needs to be a top priority. I’m committed to conserving and restoring our environmental resources for future generations. I bring a background in natural resources and experience working with our environmental agencies to ensure we maintain our cherished environment for all Minnesotans. In the Minnesota House, I chair the Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Committee, co-Chair of the Legislative Energy Commission, and member of the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources.
Healthcare
Access to quality and affordable health care should be a right for all Minnesotans. As a breast cancer survivor, I understand and appreciate the need for comprehensive, quality health care. All Minnesotans should have access to timely care, regardless of preexisting conditions. We can reduce health care costs with a variety of strategies moving forward, but the high quality of health care that Minnesotans expect to receive should not rely on income or insurance status.
Education
All children deserve a quality K-12 education to help them graduate ready to succeed in the next stage of life. I support strong public schools, in the interest of every child in Minnesota. Both of my sons attended local public schools. I want everyone who grows up in our state to have the same opportunity for a high quality education they had. I’ll work to close the achievement gap, fully fund special education programs, and place mental health resources in schools to support our students.
Public Safety
All Minnesotans deserve to live in a safe, comfortable environment. Rising crime is at the forefront in many people's minds, and I am working with my colleagues in the Minnesota House to expeditiously deliver resources to help local officials, police chiefs, prosecutors, and community organizations working on the ground team up to address violence occurring across Minnesota.I support measures to increase public safety by supplementing police departments with needed mental health, social services and other resources. The U.S. House and Senate recently passed bipartisan gun violence prevention legislation for the first time in decades. That's a step in the right direction. However, there’s so much more we need to do to keep our communities safe, I support criminal background checks, extreme risk protection orders, safe storage laws and requiring notification of stolen weapons.
Reproductive Rights
All women deserve the right to make decisions for their own bodies. The recent decision by the United States Supreme Courts makes it more vital than ever to support candidates who support women's right to choice. That includes easy and affordable access to regular reproductive health care services such as STD testing and treatment, cancer screenings, birth control, abortion, and comprehensive sex education. At the State Capitol, I oppose legislation that would limit reproductive rights.
Racial Equity
Systemic racism has devastated too many people’s lives for too long in our nation. We must work to achieve equity in our communities, and end practices that discriminate against our neighbors on the basis of race. I will work to support and protect people of all races and ethnicities to create a more welcoming and safe environment. We must find solutions to ensure that people can feel safe and welcome in every Minnesota community. At the State Capitol, I introduced a bill to fund Black Men Teach Twin Cities, in order to establish partnerships with eight school district elementary schools or elementary charter schools with a goal of increasing the number of black male teachers to 20 percent of the employees at each school site. In addition, I supported and advocated for equal rights and protections for all Minnesotans by working on police accountability and criminal justice reforms, and I supported a statewide resolution declaring racism a public health crisis.
PATTY ACOMB
In the Community
