Issues and Solution

Expanding Access to Healthcare for Every Wisconsinite

Rising healthcare costs and a lack of access to health care impact everyone in our community, expanding Medicaid to cover more families in our community and pursuing policies that will expand access to healthcare for everyone in Wisconsin is a top priority. Goodwill supports policies that will lower the costs of insurance, medical treatment, and prescription drugs, and he believes healthcare should be comprehensive, including mental health care, and dental and vision care. Everyone deserves access to the care they need to be in good health, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed vulnerabilities in our healthcare system.

 

$15 MINIMUM WAGE

The 48th district is made up of many blue- and white-collar workers who are struggling to get by. Goodwill believes that the current state minimum wage ($7.25 an hour) is a poverty wage and wants to increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Cost of living has gone up, worker productivity has gone up, but our wages have remained stagnant.

 

Goodwill believes all workers deserve a livable wage, including tipped workers.

 

 

Affordable Housing

Housing is a human right. Without safe and stable housing, it is hard for families to maintain their physical and mental health, jobs, and an education. We're facing a housing crisis in Dane County, which often manifests itself in the displacement of Black women & their families, along with LGBTQ+ youth. On New Year's Day. Goodwill spent his time at the Homeless Male Shelter on the far east side of Madison to interact with and understand their needs. During conversations with them, he quickly realized that most of those individuals were employed but couldn’t afford to pay for rent due to unnecessary requirements by some landlords. Working together, we can implement stronger eviction-prevention programs and increase legal representation so that more people can stay in their homes.

 

Homelessness is a policy choice. Goodwill is committed to making sure that there are enough resources to address workforce development so that people can be trained to secure a job, increase the minimum wage to a living wage so that people can afford a place to live, as well as provide greater access and coverage for mental health care and addiction recovery so that people can keep and maintain their homes.

 

 

 

Investments To Strengthen Our Community

Goodwill will fight to ensure our district gets investments that strengthen our community, including funding for better transit and road infrastructure to address our traffic gridlock in Dane County, investments in our libraries, social services, public safety, colleges, universities, and trade schools, and healthcare systems. Goodwill will work with our local business community, Madison, Sun Prairie, and Dane County Government to help deliver state funding for key priorities that our local leaders have set.

 

 

Mental Health

Goodwill recognizes that mental health is in a state of emergency in Wisconsin.       Some of these programs were the last hope for citizens and the alternative is not an option. He has seen how mental health has been underfunded for years. No Social Worker or Clinician should have to do food delivery or drive a taxi as a way to supplement their income. As an employment recruiter, he knows the challenges it is to recruit and retain qualified employees due to low wages, and little to no work-life balance. If elected, he will work with other elected officials and the governor to declare a state of emergency for mental health. He will also introduce bills that provide adequate funding for Mental Health.

 

Abortion

Goodwill believes in equality and that everyone should be given the right to their bodies. According to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, they provide over 100,000 patient appointments each year. The overwhelming majority of these appointments are for birth control services, STI testing and treatment, urinary tract infections, miscarriage management, breast exams, and pap screenings. Many of their patients are at or below the federal poverty level, creating additional barriers to quality health care. Goodwill will ensure that people's fundamental rights are not violated.