Ensler unveils policy priorities
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Special to the News
On Wednesday Phillip Ensler, state representative (HD74) and Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, gave a detailed speech unveiling his priorities for the lieutenant governor’s office.
See Ensler’s full remarks below.
“Good morning. Thank you to everyone for coming out today.
As the second highest elected office in Alabama, the lieutenant governor plays an instrumental role in shaping policy. He works with the legislature and the governor on legislation and initiatives that meaningfully impacts the lives of people all across the state.
In my last four years as a legislator, I’ve worked hard to build relationships with Democrats and Republicans, in the House and Senate, to pass tough legislation and secure funding for critical needs. My reputation and my track record speak for themselves; I’ve been able to get things done that many thought couldn’t be done.
These are serious times that require serious leaders: leaders who want to solve problems rather than divide and distract.
The people of Alabama deserve transparency from their elected officials.
That’s why I’m here today: to be transparent about my vision for our state.
My platform is based on what I’ve heard from everyday Alabamians, teachers, nurses and doctors, law enforcement, laborers, over the course of this campaign and throughout my years as a public servant. Politicians ought to listen to the people, and they ought to turn what the people are telling them into policy.
Year after year, Alabamians have made it clear that they want the right to vote on a lottery. But year after year, a handful of politicians have denied that right. I sponsored a bill to let you vote on a clean lottery, and as Lt. Governor, I will keep fighting to get that question on the ballot. Every day we wait, we’re losing potential tax revenue to Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, and Tennessee instead of generating that revenue here and using it to fund vital services. We could even use that revenue to send rebate checks directly to hard-working Alabamians to help ease the burden of rising costs and inflation.
Speaking of costs, let’s talk utility bills. There’s nothing wrong with a utility company earning a profit, but there is something very wrong with a utility company raking in billions, with almost no transparency about how rates are set, when Alabama families pay some of the highest utility bills in America. We need real transparency in rate-setting, the freedom to pursue alternative sources of energy, and the basic guarantee that every family can afford to have heat on a freezing winter night and AC on a blistering summer day.
Wages. We’re one of the only states with no minimum wage law. If it weren’t for federal law, working Alabamians would have no wage protection at all. That’s not what freedom looks like, that’s what it looks like when a state abandons its people. Raising the minimum wage isn’t just good for our workers, it’s good for our economy. When Alabamians make more, they spend more.
Taxes. Our tax code is backwards in so many ways. We still tax groceries, which means we tax people for feeding their kids. The grocery tax is regressive and we should eliminate it. We should also put an end to the tax on overtime pay. Alabama led the nation on this idea, President Trump even followed our lead. Then Montgomery lawmakers yanked it away, effectively imposing a tax hike on the working class folks willing to put in extra hours to help their families make ends meet. I know House Minority Leader Anthony Daniels is ready to bring this bill back, and I’d be happy to help him get it across the finish line.
Childcare. The best investment we can make is the investment in our children. Too many parents want to work but can’t because the money they’d make wouldn’t be enough for them to afford the childcare they’d need if they were working. We made real progress with the Child Care Tax Credit Act and, as Lt. Governor, I’ll fight to renew it and pair it with real investment in the childcare workforce.
Now, healthcare, because in Alabama, healthcare is on life support. Our providers have to work with some of the lowest reimbursement rates in the country. We need to raise those rates. Most of our rural hospitals are operating at a loss, and twenty-or-so of our hospitals are on the edge of closure. When a hospital closes, you don’t just lose a place close by to get emergency care, you often lose the biggest employer in the area. A lot of this is because Medicaid – and apparently Medicare and Social Security, too – are under attack. Doug Jones and I will fight to protect these programs from politicians in Washington and Montgomery who want to gut them. And we have to expand Medicaid, which Doug has promised to do on day one.
We also need to invest in mental health and telehealth, so a teenager in the Black Belt has the same access to care as one in Mountain Brook. And we need to create incentives that make the best doctors and nurses want to come to our state to practice. When we have a world-class medical school in the heart of the state, there’s no reason we shouldn’t have some of the best healthcare in America.
Education. Let’s talk about our schools. I’ve never heard a teacher ask to be called a hero, but I’ve heard just about all of them say they need better pay. We should at least pay them enough to keep up with the cost of living and to be able to one day retire with dignity.
Instead of treating our teachers right and strengthening our public schools, our current leadership is using our tax dollars to pay for private school vouchers. It’s a government handout that drains public schools of resources and mostly benefits families who can already afford private school. If people want to send their kids to private school, that’s their right, but it shouldn’t be the rest of our jobs to pay for it.
I don’t want to imply that we haven’t gotten some things right. Our First Class Pre-K program has been a real success story for those who can access it. As Lt. Governor, I would work to expand pre-K to make it available to every family in the state.
Public safety. Guns are the leading cause of death for Alabama’s children. If people with kids want to have a gun in the home, that gun should be safely stored. When someone is going through a mental health crisis, loved ones should be able to take action to keep a gun out of their hands. And, if we actually respect law enforcement, we should bring back the permit requirement for carrying in public. None of this is an affront to the Second Amendment.
And as to law enforcement and first responders, those who run toward danger, we need to show our appreciation with things like signing bonuses, loan forgiveness, and housing assistance.
We also need to keep funding conflict resolution programs. Programs that teach our young people to solve problems with words instead of guns or fists.
And when it comes to our prison system, we need to make sure that it actually keeps us safe in the long run. We can’t do that if we don’t focus on rehabilitation and reentry.
We also need to talk about an issue that’s sprung into focus this year: data centers. Communities across this state are watching these massive, hyperscale data centers try to come to town in the dark of night and under the cover of non-disclosure agreements. They’re asking questions, but they’re not getting any answers. This has to stop until there is transparency. This is why I, and future Governor Jones, are calling for a moratorium on new data center construction until we have real rules in place to make sure our communities are protected. Developers should cover the costs, not ratepayers; facilities should be closed-loop; the jobs created should be union jobs; and communities should get an actual seat at the table.
This isn’t about stopping development. It’s about trust. Politics doesn’t work when people don’t trust that their government works for them. But it isn’t the people’s job to grant trust where trust isn’t warranted; it’s the job of elected leaders to make the government trustworthy.
Trust is why I also support term limits, so that fresh voices aren’t drowned out by career politicians who’ve become out-of-touch with everyday people.
Trust is why I support a reasonable cap on political contributions, so a small business owner’s voice holds as much sway as a Super PAC’s.
Trust is why I support banning stock trading by elected officials, because you can’t serve the public and your own portfolio at the same time.
Trust is why I’ll fight gerrymandering, so voters choose their politicians rather than the other way around. And trust is why I’ll defend the right to vote, because we owe it to the next generation to keep the promises of the Civil Rights Movement that formed right here in Montgomery.
The things I’m proposing are not Republican or Democratic issues. They’re human issues that people of all backgrounds can support.
It’s time we elect leaders who are committed to working in a bipartisan manner to advance reasonable policies that actually help people.
My opponent seems to think he can hide from tough questions and debate. Alabamians deserve to see us side by side, debating our competing visions, so that they can make an informed decision about which path they want for their state.
I am confident that, come November, a majority of Alabamians will support our vision for an Alabama for all.
Thank you all, and I’m happy to take questions.”
