Policy

You know the why. Here's the how. 

This page will update as Barbara holds Listening Tours to better understand where Cache County's needs lie. Visit Get Involved to find out when the next Listening Tour will be held or to volunteer to host a Listening Session.

Housing

The bridge between economic growth and our way of life

A stable housing market supports families, local businesses, and long-term community stability. In Cache County and across Utah, housing shortages are pricing out young families, limiting workforce growth, and pushing the next generation away. Pricing our own young families out of our community undermines our way of life and divides families across state lines.

Barbara supports policy that:

• Expand ownership-first starter housing through local partnerships, allowing cities and counties to opt into faster approvals, smaller home designs, and infrastructure-neutral incentives without mandates or loss of local control.
• Bridge the gap between renting and owning with recyclable shared-equity support, helping first-time buyers afford homes while ensuring public investment is repaid and reused for future families.
• Protect long-term affordability, by pairing new construction with clear price standards, size limits, and basic finish requirements so homes built for Utah families remain attainable.

A first home doesn’t need luxury features. It needs to be a small, affordable, and stable starting point: a place families can own, build equity, and grow into over time.

Fiscal Stewardship

Better money allocation is the gateway to better funded education, better funded public safety, and streamlined public services. Utah is ranked #1 for its economy, yet it is ranked last in areas that directly impact healthcare, housing, and educator compensation.

Barbara is committed to ensuring that when money is appropriated, it is first and foremost put into places that benefit Utah taxpayers. When the economy is as strong as Utah's, taxes shouldn't get tied up in higher courts where legislative lawsuits live, they should end up on the frontlines where Utahns need them the most.

Barbara supports policy that:

• Funds essential public services (like education, land stewardship, public health and safety) first
• Addresses documented needs and requires solid justification for cuts to essentials
• Requires the legislature to follow cost-effective de-escaltory steps before entering into costly lawsuits

Invest In Future Leadership

Legislators will come and go and it's up to the generation now to clear the path for a new generation to take the reins. Clearing roadblocks for new candidates and leaders is the duty and honor of a legislative body that seeks to protect Utah's future.

Barbara supports policy that:

• Removes unnecessary roadblocks for grassroots and independent movements
• Protects voter rights, such as ballot initiatives and appropriate checks and balances

Public Safety: Proactive and Data-Driven Policy

Intimate partner violence, child abuse, and most homicides do not happen in a vacuum.  We recently felt the impacts of this fact when we lost two officers in a shoot out in Garland City last August. Domestic violence calls are the most dangerous call for police officers to respond to. Barbara believes that is a byproduct of weak policy around crimes that have statistically lead to tragedy. Our communities lose entire families, women, children, and peace officers when habitual abusers and criminals are not appropriately handled. 

Barbara supports policy that:

• Addresses the core causes of habitual offense
• Supports rehabilitation over cyclical incarceration while prioritizing victim safety
• Incentivizes support for domestic violence shelters