$15/Hour Minimum Wage & Equal Pay for Equal Work

As State Senator representing District 16, Jonathon will fight to pass a $15/hour minimum wage and legally require equal pay for equal work. This legislation would include a cost of living provision to make it so that workers are always able to participate and survive in our economy.

Green New Deal & 100% Clean Energy by 2030

Jonathon supports a Green New Deal and will work to move our state to clean energy. He has already signed the Green New Deal pledge along with his Rhode Island Political Cooperative peers and has received the endorsement of Sunrise. As a Central Falls Councilperson, Jonathon sponsored the first green and complete streets municipal ordinance in New England.

Affordable Housing for All

Jonathon will push the state to adopt a yearly line item in its budget for affordable housing. As a Councilperson, Jonathon co-sponsored an affordable housing ordinance which requires any developer seeking a tax stabilization agreement to contribute to the city’s affordable housing fund.

Immigrants and Immigration

As the son of immigrants, Jonathon understands that they are one of our country’s most valuable assets. He supports an end to the criminalization of immigration and the separation of families. At the state level, Jonathon will fight for driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants in order to make our roads safer and their lives easier.

Corporations & the Wealthy Paying Their Fair Share of Taxes

As State Senator representing District 16, Jonathon will roll back tax cuts from the early 2000s for the top 5% of earners, bringing in revenue for critical social programs across Rhode Island and creating a more progressive tax structure. These changes in tax policy will affect the incomes of less than 1% of Central Falls and Pawtucket residents, while positively impacting the lives of 100% of those residents.

Money out of politics

Jonathon will advocate for a more transparent campaign finance system with updates posted quarterly and made available to the public. The current system requires inquiring minds to comb through pages of tedious information. The Secretary of State has already suggested that she wants to make the information more user friendly and easy to access but has met resistance from the incumbent establishment. Additionally, Jonathon will advocate for term limits to limit the number of career politicians and longer term lengths to support the development of expertise without giving into the call for lifelong elected officials.

Criminal Justice Reform, Including Banning For-Profit Prisons

Jonathon will sponsor legislation ending for-profit detention facilities in Rhode Island. As a Councilperson, Jonathon has served on the Juvenile Hearing Board diversionary program for first-time youth offenders with the intent of keeping youth out of our criminal justice system. He has also been an outspoken critic of the Wyatt Detention Center and is a defendant in their lawsuit against the City and its leaders.

Quality Public Education for All Children & Tuition-Free Public College

As a former award-winning teacher and school administrator, Jonathon understands the dire state of our public education system. He will be an advocate for increasing the amount of resources we allocate to public education. He will revisit the funding formula and provide more support for special populations, low income students, and English language learners. Jonathon will also work on expanding the RI promise program to include all public colleges and universities. He believes that all Rhode Islanders should have access to a tuition-free college education.

Common Sense Gun Control

Jonathon is an advocate for common sense gun control. He will support legislation barring the possession of concealed firearms on school grounds.