Andrew Gillum

Young Elected Officials Making Progressive Change

Young elected officials are innovative progressive problem solvers. YEOs all over the country are producing some of the best ideas around. Below is just a sampling of what young elected officials are doing around the country.

Affordable Housing
Like many other communities around the country, the housing market in Tallahassee, Florida is growing increasingly unaffordable and inaccessible for the average wage worker. Realizing that our communities' teachers, fire fighters, police officers, and other essential workers will no longer be able to afford to own a home, I joined with the Commissioners (namely Allan Katz) to pass an inlcusionary housing ordinance. As a result of this ordinance, at least 10 percent of the housing units in the development must be priced no higher than $159,378 (locally calculated affordable housing rate) and sold to eligible households or 15 percent of the housing units must be rented at affordable rates and rented to eligible households.

Stem Cell Research
Michigan State Representative Andy Meisner is currently building a statewide coalition to repeal Michigan's restrictive laws regarding stem cell research. Meisner believes the current laws impede important research that has the potential to change the entire face of medicine, which could lead to cures for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and spinal cord injuries. His previous legislation has been endorsed by Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm and other prominent leaders throughout the state.

Health Care
Perhaps only second to education, health care has become the most important issue to working families and policy makers in this country. A startling 45 million Americans lack health care, of which more than 75 percent are working people. Massachusetts State Representative Carl Sciortino and Texas State Representative Joaquin Castro are just two of the YEOs in our Network working to improve health care in their states.

Representative Sciortino (MA) was part of the landmark Massachusetts Plan-- health care reform legislation recently passed by the Massachusetts legislature and signed by the governor. Sciortino vowed to be there every step of the way, ensuring that statewide health care initiative are carried out in its intended form. On the other side of the country, Representative Castro (TX) recently passed a bill requiring companies with more than 100,000 employees to disclose the number of those with federal or state health care. The numbers have provided a snapshot of the state's problem, but Castro continues to monitor the health care concerns in Texas and is confident positive strides will be accomplished.

For more information on innovative policy YEOs across the country are working on, visit the YEO Web site and read through our monthly newsletters. You'll find their personal stories, ground-breaking legislation, and progressive successes.

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Posted at 10:49 AM, Aug 25, 2006 in
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