Joey believes that our Lakeshore Communities are the best place to live, work, and raise a family. However, our region is facing many obstacles from a declining population, high cost of housing and services, and a need for more jobs that pay family-sustaining wages.
THE ANDREWS AFFORDABILITY AGENDA
WORKING FAMILIES FIRST: Every policy decision should center workers and their families, putting worker protections and organizing rights first along with a progrowth economic development strategy.
Joey’s plan:
- Restore Project Labor Agreements and Repeal the “Death Star” local pre-emption on worker protections.
- Fix the misclassification of independent contractors, ensuring that workers are receiving fair pay and benefits for their work.
- Enshrining protections for workers from union busting tactics by banning captive audience meetings and banning replacement workers from strike lines.
- Invest in an economic development strategy that draws the jobs of the future to Southwest Michigan to Kickstart the engine of growth again.
QUALITY EDUCATION: The path to family-sustaining jobs begins with investments in high-quality schools and community colleges and drawing in the highly skilled jobs of the future.
Joey's plan:
- Increased pay for teachers and support staff to address our teacher shortage
- Promoting the science of reading and individual tutoring so every kid can read by 3rd grade
- Continue to expand Michigan Reconnect and free community College so every high school graduate and beyond can go to a local community College at no cost.
- Pass a law that requires the K-12 school aid fund only be spent on K-12, stopping the raiding of the K-12 fund to pay for unrelated budget priorities.
TACKLE HIGH PRICES: Bad policy decisions in Washington are crushing our families. High housing prices and energy bills are destroying the middle class.
Joey's plan:
- Reign in restrictive zoning and cut red tape that's preventing housing from being built, recognizing we need all types of housing to meet demand.
- Invest in expanded first and second-time home buyer programs and missing middle housing development.
- Enact Performance Based Ratemaking framework to ensure grid reliability and affordability is at the core of all ratemaking decisions.
- Invest in grid hardening and underground infrastructure to future-proof our grid against the rising cost of natural disasters.
HEALTH CARE THAT WORKS: The federal government's reckless decision to end the ACA subsidies and slash Medicaid is making the cost of health care unsustainable.
Joey's plan:
- Continue to backfill Medicaid to keep insurance costs from rising even more, protecting our most vulnerable families
- Fund free primary care so every Michigander can see a doctor without having to worry about how to pay for it.
- Expand nursing scope of practice to reduce wait times and alleviate costly delays in receiving medical attention
- Enforce mandatory minimum staffing ratios so our nurses are guaranteed safe working conditions and are able to provide the highest quality of care
SUPPORT OUR FAMILIES: As a father, I know that more than ever the cost of starting and raising a family is higher than ever. We must invest in families from the very beginning.
Joey’s plan:
- Expand Rx kids, giving every pregnant woman and new mom access to funds to pay some of the high costs of prenatal care and early essentials like diapers and formula
- Paid family leave for every mother and father
- Increased funding for Head Start and other child care programs.
- Expand access to universal pre-K for all 3 and 4-year-olds.