Erin Petrey

Environment / Energy She will propose requirements for data center developers to build or fund a minimum percentage of the electricity they consumer. Government Reform Implement ranked choice voting: vote your values and beliefs, not just who you think has the best shot at winning. Guns She will support legislation that requires background checks and mandatory waiting periods because no one needs to buy a gun right now. She also supports safe storage mandates, such as Ethan’s Law and a ban of assault style weapons. She will also work with experts on both sides of the gun control issue to better learn how to create lasting, impactful reform. Education Erin knows the value of a strong public school education as a graduate of Fayette County Public Schools. Schools are the heart and lifeblood of our communities and the foundation for our kids’ futures. That means making sure free and reduced lunch programs stay fully supported - no child should ever have to learn or live on an empty stomach - and protection of Title I schools. Education Teacher pay also must be preserved and increased. Kentucky ranks 48th in starting teacher pay and 49th in support staff pay. Teachers dedicate their lives to growing future generations, so we should dedicate more dollars to letting them do their jobs well, without having to reach into their own pockets. Investing in our schools and our students is investing in the future. And we should be doing that without nickel and diming taxpayers along the way. Criminal Justice / Public Safety Erin supports not just eliminating private prisons, but also supports restoring voting and other rights to returning citizens. Environment / Energy She will push for minimum job creation and community investment standards, as data centers often create minimal jobs. Housing Erin is committed to championing legislation to limit private equity from purchasing affordable housing only to flip them for a profit or turn them into short-term rentals. This would include instituting limits on purchasing, mandatory waiting periods to allow for individual home buyers to purchase housing before investors with bags of cash can, repurposing vacant commercial real estate into affordable housing units, and improving rates for first time home buyers. Education Erin will also champion legislation for national support for Pre-K for All, just like Governor Beshear is doing right here in Kentucky. Economy Erin will champion policies that encourage major employers in legacy and emerging industries - from advanced manufacturing to the auto industry - to choose Kentucky for future expansion. Social Services Programs like SNAP, Medicaid, WIC, and beyond are there to help when people need it most. Erin believes these programs shouldn’t exist in a vacuum, and should be bundled with programs to help families eventually graduate off of these programs. She will work to enhance funding for navigators to help recipients find better paying jobs, find upskilling and reskilling opportunities, and build stronger, more abundant lives. Environment / Energy Our need for energy will only grow, so our means to create it must grow with it. This means leaning into all possibilities: renewable natural gas, wind, solar, geothermal, battery storage, hydro, and nuclear. Traditional natural gas is also an accessible source of baseload energy with a lower carbon footprint in the interim. Environment / Energy She will champion national efficiency standards so communities understand the energy, water, and raw critical materials impacts of new developments. Economy She will also push for programs to make Kentucky’s workforce globally competitive, from investing in early childhood education, like Pre-K for All, to upskilling and reskilling current workers as part of investment agreements. Creating more good jobs will not only keep our young people here at home, but it will bring many Kentuckians back. Environment / Energy She will also sponsor mandatory sustainability reporting for companies with more than 1,000 employees. Criminal Justice / Public Safety We must also work to give reformed citizens the chance to re-enter society fully. Second chance employment programs deserve deep investment and Erin supports banning the box on job applications. Healthcare Healthcare is a human right, and should not be a profit engine. Basic preventative and primary care should be free and accessible to all. Insurance companies should not have more say in a patient’s treatment than their doctor; that’s just absurd. Erin supports Medicare for All because as the wealthiest country in the world, we have no excuses not to. Government Reform Ending gerrymandering: we must create independent or non-partisan redistricting commissions in every state to prevent “cracking” and “packing” districts. Government Reform Uncap the House of Representatives: did you know 435 was an arbitrary number passed by Congress in 1929? Our country has grown but our representation hasn’t. Environment / Energy Erin also supports passing sweeping permitting reform to allow for new energy facilities to be built and come on line faster, rather than spend years and dollars on legal fees and lobbyists to provide vital energy supply. She also believes that expanding and upgrading distribution and transmission needs to be done now to future proof capacity.