State House District 18
I’m Amy Paschal and I’m running to be your next House District 18 representative. I’m a mom, a software engineer and an avid volunteer with the Democratic Party, having held vice chair positions at the county and state levels.
I’m passionate about protecting democracy through fair, secure and accessible elections. I’ve been Deputy Director of Voter Protection for the Colorado Democratic Party and a poll worker and canvass board member with the El Paso County Elections department representing the Democratic Party.
When I’m elected to the house, my priorities will be:
First, an economy that works for everyone including our youngest generations and our unhoused.
Second, Infrastructure that catches up and keeps up with growth while still being environmentally responsible.
Third, protection from the threat of wildfire through mitigation, evacuation preparedness and rapid response
And I of course stand for cementing a woman’s right to choose here in Colorado.
I’m proud to say I’m endorsed by incumbent Representatives Marc Snyder, Representative Stephanie Vigil, Colorado Springs City Council Members Michelle Talarico and Yolanda Avila, and former City Council Member Richard Skorman.
I would be honored if you, too, would select me to be your next House District 18 Representative.
Candidate Responses
1: Strongly Disagree
2: Somewhat Disagree
3: Does Not Apply to the Position
4: Somewhat Agree
5: Strongly Agree
Yes, entirely.
Yes, entirely.
- Economic Policy, Job Creation and Social Justice
- Energy, Environment, and Climate
- Infrastructure
Do you believe that healthcare is a human right?
Everyone should have access to at least a basic level of healthcare with incurring heavy debt or needing to file medical bankruptcy.
Will you support the expansion of Medicaid and the Colorado Health Care Option to cover more uninsured and underinsured Coloradans?
Healthcare should be affordable to everyone.
Will you create/support policy to address the rising costs of prescription drugs and medical services?
Prescription drug prices are out of control and much of that cost is going to Big Pharma executive compensation. I applaud the cap on insulin and epi-pen prescriptions but more needs to be done.
Do you support access to comprehensive health care that includes reproductive freedom for people with uteruses?
Medical decisions should be made by the patient in conjunction with their doctor and advisors of their choosing. Medical decisions should NOT be made by the government.
Will you ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to education, employment, health care, and social services in Colorado?
Absolutely. Everyone deserves access to these systems.
Do you support the separation of church and state and the protection of religious freedom for all faiths and beliefs?
We do not have a state religion in the United States by design and that should remain so.
Will you fight to address and correct the systemic racism and discrimination that affects communities of color in Colorado?
Our country needs the talents, intellect and creativity all of our citizens to be the best version of itself. Discrimination is not only immoral, it’s a lost opportunity to let someone’s gifts shine.
Will you ensure that LGBTQ+ Coloradans are treated with dignity and respect in all aspects of society?
Calling someone by their preferred name and pronouns is just basic decency.
How will you protect and expand the civil rights and liberties of all Coloradans?
I will avidly protect and enhance the Colorado election system which does an excellent job of allowing all citizens to safely and conveniently vote. I would like to enhance our laws to *require* an independent redistricting committee for county commissioner redistricting. I will staunchly protect reproductive freedom.
Cost of living, housing costs, and homelessness were the top issues in a recent Colorado Polling Institute Poll. What would you propose to remedy and address these issues?
We must increase affordable housing. We can do so by incentivizing developers and changing zoning to encourage an increase in dense housing such as townhomes, condominiums and apartments and allowing tiny homes. We also need to discourage the acquisition of properties for rent by corporations.
Do you support workers’ rights to organize, bargain collectively, and earn a living wage?
Unions built the middle class. The drop in union membership from a peak of about one third in the 1950s to today’s rate of about 10% is part of the reason for the shrinking middle class and resulting wealth gap. Workers must have the right to organize and earn a living wage.
Will you work to reform the tax system to make it more progressive and fair?
The top 20% of Americans by income have seen their share of wealth increase substantially since the 1970s, widening the gap between the haves and have-nots and shrinking the middle class. This trend has been, in part, fueled by tax cuts to the wealthy. We must increase taxes to the wealthy to rebalance the system.
Will you fight to fully fund public schools?
A strong democracy requires educated voters. Our public school system absolutely needs to be fully funded and our teachers paid like the professionals they are. I would also require any school receiving tax payer dollars to have a curriculum based on subject matter expertise.
Will you fight to ensure that every child has access to early childhood education, universal pre-K, and full-day kindergarten?
Quality early childhood education is critical. Every child must have access.
Will you advocate for the expansion of public higher education opportunities and affordability?
Yes. We must bring down the cost of public higher education including affordable access to trades programs.
How will you support the implementation of high academic standards and assessments that measure critical thinking and problem-solving skills?
Yes, I would also include the ability to assess the quality of information and a practical understanding of probability and statistics.
Will you combat the climate crisis and advocate for renewable energy?
The climate crisis is undeniably real. As an electric car owner and a past owner of solar panels, I’m a very strong supporter of renewable energy. It makes both environmental and economic sense. Further, ultimately eliminating our dependence on foreign fossil fuel would make an enormous positive impact on foreign policy.
Will you protect Colorado’s water quality and quantity, especially in the face of drought and population growth?
Water is our most precious resource here in Colorado. Having sufficient, high-quality water is paramount.
Will you fight to preserve and enhance Colorado’s public lands, wildlife, and biodiversity?
We absolutely must be excellent stewards of the environment including maintaining biodiversity. A huge part of our high quality of life and our economy in Colorado is due to our wealth of access to public lands which must be maintained.
Will you promote environmental justice and ensure that all communities have a healthy and safe environment?
Everyone deserves a healthy and safe environment. Locating hazardous infrastructure such as coal plants, polluting factories and hazardous mining operations near those least able to defend themselves is immoral. It’s the government’s responsibility to make sure this doesn’t happen.
What is your position on the current immigration policies and practices of the United States?
We definitely need immigration reform. We need a shorter , more streamlined path to citizenship. We need to allow more work visas for employment sectors in need of labor such as agriculture and construction. And most importantly, we need to enforce the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, meaning we need to substantially penalize any business that hires undocumented labor.
How will you ensure that the state of Colorado is ready and robust to face the threats of natural disasters, cyberattacks, terrorism, and foreign aggression?
Yes. These are all critical areas that require readiness. In Colorado, especially along the Wildland Urban Interface, we are under constant threat of wild fires. We must maintain sound programs for mitigation, evacuation preparedness and rapid response. Cyber attacks are a huge and growing threat from bad actors both foreign and domestic. Our biggest challenge will be growing and maintaining a large enough workforce with the necessary training and skill set. With 6 military installations in the Colorado Springs area, terrorism is always a possibility. Our legislature must work with the military to ensure we are prepared to respond quickly to acts of terror. This includes creating and maintaining transportation infrastructure appropriate to the size and density of our population.
How will you ensure that Colorado is a state with social and economic safeguards to maintain a decent standard of living and adequate nutrition for our aging population?
With elderly parents, I realize how truly expensive assisted living, nursing care and home health care are. Further, many employees of senior living facilities are poorly paid making it difficult to find and keep quality workers. We must ensure medicare and social security are fully and adequately funded, and that senior living facilities are properly regulated to prevent elder abuse and low quality care. Colorado must also ensure that PERA remains adequately funded and increase participation in the Colorado SecureSavings program. Lastly we must fully fund property tax exemptions for qualifying seniors.
