Alabamians should not have to live in fear of an inadequate healthcare system that will allow an unexpected medical emergency to end the lives of them, or their children.
This matter of labor and delivery departments closing at many hospitals in rural areas does not serve a greater good when the mother and infant’s lives are in danger because of the distance that must be traveled to get to a major hospital in the state.
Educational opportunity for all has always been a defining progressive value in our country. A quality education is the surest chance to escape poverty and strengthen our communities. Every child deserves that chance.
Averhart is committed to programs, policies, and initiatives that ensure access to quality education for all. With Alabama facing many educational hardships, Averhart will advocate for students and teachers. Students deserve to receive a quality education that prepares them for the real world. It is imperative for students to have a well-developed curriculum, a conducive learning environment, and highly qualified teachers. He will work to develop programs that assist with teacher retention.
Environmental policy involves governmental actions at the federal, state, and local levels to protect the environment and conserve natural resources. The environmental policy includes laws and policies addressing water and air pollution, chemical and oil spills, smog, drinking water quality, land conservation and management, and wildlife protection, such as the protection of endangered species.
Averhart will support policies and initiatives that strengthen the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. Averhart is committed to ensuring budget appropriations that give the EPA the necessary resources that have long been denied.
Averhart is committed to fighting for sensible policies to support the growing industry of Agriculture. As a critical building block in our country’s foundation, Alabama’s agricultural industry is one of the top industries in the state, contributing over $70 billion to the state’s annual economy. Producers, distributors, processors, and retailers all play an important role in our food system to get products from farm to table, both domestically and internationally.
As an active participant in the agriculture industry himself, Averhart understands firsthand the plight of the industry and will work tirelessly to ensure the industry thrives. There are several policy issues Averhart will closely watch. These issues include Farm Bill, Immigration Reform, Farmland Preservation, Food Safety and Labeling, Innovative Crops (i.e., industrial hemp), Tax Reform, and Farmer Aging and Transition. Averhart is dedicated to standing by those who play a key role in our agriculture system to ensure its prosperity and longevity.
Averhart, a decorated Marine Veteran, understands the issues surrounding military personnel. Averhart proudly supports the men and women of the United States Armed Forces who sacrifice to keep the nation safe and secure.
As your Representative in Congress, Averhart will advocate for policies and initiatives to improve the quality of life for the brave men and women who have sacrificed to serve our nation. Averhart will support issues such as the enhancement of state military economies; the improvement of justice outcomes for veterans and their families; the prevention of veteran suicide; and a path to employment for veterans with disabilities.
Millions of people in this country live in poverty. The hardships and material deprivation experienced from poverty lead to stressors that inhibit intellectual and emotional development. Alabama has the sixth-highest poverty rate in the United States. This is unacceptable and the status quo must be changed.
Averhart is committed to supporting wage-support policies that will impact the economy by raising the federal minimum wage, and work-sharing programs that will prove to reduce unemployment.
Averhart, like you, understands that the U.S. labor force is the pillar of our nation’s strength. We must protect and advance the rights and benefits that our labor force needs to work with dignity and create better lives for themselves and their families.
Averhart has witnessed several middle-class families work harder than ever without seeing any gains, resulting in fewer people who can work their way into the middle class. As your Representative in Congress, Averhart will support policies designed to strengthen the middle class, realizing that this is key to building a robust economy.
Averhart is committed to making sure that everyone has a chance to enjoy a comfortable quality of life. Averhart will be dedicated to establishing policies to raise wages, increasing job training programs, providing sustainable support to small businesses, supporting equal pay for equal work, and exploring the feasibility of expanding paid family leave. Working families make up the backbone of our economy. Therefore, it is imperative that working families prosper, so that our country prospers.
Averhart is an avid proponent of protecting civil rights as one of the most important responsibilities for Members of Congress. Averhart believes that all people have a right to participate in our government and our society without fear, oppression, or discrimination. It is unfortunate that we still encounter instances of some who are working to turn back the clock and undo the hard-won victories of our nation’s civil rights heroes.
As your Representative in Congress, Averhart will remain zealous in the effort of working with Congressional colleagues to establish policies that will preserve and expand protections for all Americans, empower voters, and ensure that our nation’s civil rights legacy is protected.
Our criminal justice system is deeply flawed, infected with bias, and in urgent need of reform on a statewide and national level. This isn’t something Averhart wasn’t taught, it’s something he’s always understood. Growing up with a stroller-eye view of the civil rights movement, his parents instilled in him the belief that justice was something you had to fight for.
Averhart will commit to being a voice for people who need an advocate and to make changes to the system from within.
As your Representative in Congress, Averhart will continue to fight for end-to-end criminal justice reform. To ensure accountable and constitutional policing, he will fight to increase the civil rights sector, renew and expand pattern and practice investigations, enforce consent decrees, and support legislation to end racial profiling.
Alabama’s crime rate is the 15th highest in the United States.
Averhart, like you, is concerned with the infestation of crime in our communities and will support policies to ensure an adequate presence of law enforcement and first responders in our communities.
Averhart, as your Representative in Congress,
will work with Congressional colleagues to establish policies that will ensure the appropriate placement of resources thereby ensuring communities are safe places to live, work, and play.
Access to quality and affordable housing is critical for low to middle-income families in Alabama’s 2nd Congressional District. Averhart is committed to working hard to build strong communities through housing programs that work for all low to moderate-income residents. Additionally, Averhart will support programs and policies that will assist qualified residents with mortgage financing options most appropriate for their varying financial circumstances.
I look forward to working with individuals, businesses, and environmental advocate groups to continue restoring the Alabama Gulf Coast’s environment, economy, and communities.
The coastline is critical to the Gulf Coast. Averhart will work to find ways to improve water quality which will enhance the local commercial fish population, protect the coastlines from the detrimental impacts of climate change and storms, and create jobs in the fishing, tourism, and boating industries.
Averhart believes universal health care, in its truest sense, cannot be achieved unless we work together to protect women’s reproductive health and rights. As your Representative in Congress, Averhart will work hard to support policies that will protect a woman’s decision, as espoused by the U.S. Constitution to ensure a woman’s socioeconomic well-being and overall health.
The citizens of the 2nd District, have seen first-hand the destruction that can come to our coastlines when our communities are not properly protected, and we are not prepared for a natural disaster. Averhart is committed to ensuring that our communities receive the protection and risk-reduction systems that they deserve.
Alabama’s maritime industry has always played a vital role in connecting people, goods, and information worldwide. Every day the industry facilitates trade, and commerce creates jobs that help secure our borders, provide energy resources, support our military, and serve as a steward of coastal resources.
Few themes have shaped global discourse since the turn of the millennium as much as terrorism. While protecting America and our interests abroad from the reckless behavior of our enemies, we must remain vigilant, determined, and united. As your Representative in Congress, Averhart is dedicated to supporting foreign and domestic policy efforts designed to ensure success with the War on Terror at home and abroad.
Averhart is keenly aware that as the cost of living increases, paychecks struggle to keep up, while big corporations and the top 1% reap the bulk of the benefits. Averhart’s position is very clear: We have an opportunity and a duty to make sure our economy works for the working people.
Averhart believes we need to evoke a renewed interest in advancing Alabama’s working families — to increase paychecks, decrease the cost of living, and eradicate sexism, racism, and corporate favoritism in our State to ensure every Alabamian gets a fair shot.
Voter suppression remains a serious threat to civil rights in 21st Century America. We have witnessed marathon voting lines for low-income and minority groups, reduced early voting hours, voter purges, and voter registration restrictions. Voter suppression remains endemic.
Averhart is dedicated to supporting policies that will alleviate instances of voter suppression plaguing our communities. It is imperative that voting rights are never abridged. As your Representative in Congress, Averhart is committed to working tirelessly to mitigate instances of disenfranchisement of different groups through effective policy development, in partnership with fellow members of Congress.
America has always been a nation of immigrants. People from other Nations—many who have arrived on these shores, both with and without documentation—have enriched our society and made tremendous contributions to our economy. Averhart believes that America’s diversity enriches our culture, grows our economy, and spurs innovation. However, our current immigration system is broken and unfairly tears many families apart.
As your Representative in Congress, Averhart is committed to serving as a staunch advocate to establish policies for comprehensive immigration reform. Averhart is dedicated to fighting for legislation that protects our national security, while bringing immigrant families together, rather than tearing them apart. This includes supporting legislature regarding the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, a landmark bill that will create a path to citizenship for dreamers and protect Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients from being forced to leave the country they love.
Averhart will oppose all efforts to change Medicare from an entitlement to a voucher program for individuals aged 54 and under. It is simply unfair to balance the budget and make cuts to this vital entitlement program without even considering all options to balance the budget. This voucher program does not keep pace with medical costs, shifting thousands of dollars of costs onto individuals.
Gun violence is not just a statewide problem but a national epidemic and a public health emergency. In 2021, there were a total of 48,830 firearm deaths, an increase of 3,608 or 8% from 2020 in America.
We no longer have the luxury of waiting for a good idea or policy. We no longer have the luxury of waiting for another tragedy to occur. We have and continue to witness the worst human tragedies ever imagined. We no longer have the luxury of waiting for elected officials in Washington, DC to exert the fortitude necessary to stand up for the protection of people despite special interests. Candidate Averhart’s message is simple: We do not have the luxury of waiting any longer. Averhart, as your Representative in Congress, will work with Congressional colleagues to develop comprehensive gun safety legislation to include universal background checks, an assault weapons ban, and the repeal of the NRA’s corporate gun manufacturer immunity shield. This is just part of the gun safety agenda Averhart will pursue as your Congressman. In addition to enacting background checks, renewing the assault weapons ban, and repealing the gun manufacturer immunity, Averhart will work hard to establish policies making gun trafficking a crime. Averhart will support policies that ban high-capacity magazines and prohibit those convicted of hate crimes from purchasing firearms.
