Today we are talking about U.S. Congressional District 9 in Indiana. This district covers the following counties: Brown, Clark, (some of) Crawford, Floyd, Harrison, Jackson, Johnson, Lawrence, Monroe, (some of) Morgan, Orange, Scott, Washington. Due to redistricting, or gerrymandering, some counties are split up into different districts. To find your current representatives and your district, visit the 115th Congressional webpage.
Running for Congress in this district is
Dan Canon (D)
HISTORY
- Grew up in Clark and Floyd counties
- Dropped out of high school at 17 and worked toward GED
- Worked as a music teacher for a decade while working toward college degree
- Graduated law school in 2007 with an Honors Degree
- Has been working as a Civil Rights lawyer since
THE ISSUES
Criminal Justice Reform
- Abolish private and for-profit prisons
- Remove Marijuana from Schedule I Substance list
- Cease all federal criminalization of cannabis
- Eliminate systematic racism in criminal just through legislation
- Abolish the death penalty
Education
- Oppose bills that take funding away from public schools
- Increase Title I funding to research positive and negative effects on public education
- Full federal funding for the IDEA Program
- Decrease emphasis on standardized testing
- Transparency on school spending
- Protect and strengthen teachers’ associations
Election Reform
- Campaign finance reform
- Nationwide automatic voter registration
- Legislative end to partisan gerrymandering
- Independent, third party drawing of district maps
- Abolish the electoral college
- Move to low-cost, publicly financed campaigns
Environment
- Legislative strengthening of the EPA such as; addressing “Flint-type water crises”; ensure breathable air, drinkable water, and clean soil
- Take measures to address, stop, and reverse climate change
- Introduce and support legislation to transition to 100% clean energy
- End subsidies to the fossil fuel industry
Gun Violence
- Universal background checks
- Basic safety screening for new gun-owners
- Comprehensive mental healthcare nationwide
- Repeal the Dickey Amendment of 1996 to allow the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to research gun violence
Healthcare
- Universal healthcare for all
- Improve healthcare options for veterans
Immigration
- Transparency in immigration detention systems
- Prohibit moving immigrants to detention facilities more than 100 miles from where they were detained
- Path to citizenship for Protected Status immigrants as well as qualified undocumented immigrants and family members
- A clean DREAM Act
- Keep for-profit companies out of detention facilities
- Civil and criminal penalties for employers who take advantage of immigrant employees with wage theft and other “abusive practices.”
Improve Employee Wages
- Increase minimum wage to $15/hour nationwide
- Supports Raise the Wage Act
- Strengthen Davis-Bacon Act
- Institute “mechanisms to better enforce laws and regulations prohibiting payroll fraud and wage theft.”
Opioid Crisis
- Nationwide prescription drug monitoring
- Increase mental health and addiction therapy
- Increase availability to Naloxone (Narcan)
- Overdose outreach and education programs
- Access to “safe, natural, non-addicted opioid alternatives, including medical marijuana.”
Organized Labor
- Supports Employee Free Choice Act
- Support measures to prevent retaliation against employees who wish to organize
Protect Working Families
- Nationwide parental, family and sick leave
- Support legislation that bans discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity
- Implement long-term strategies to address growing job losses due to automation such as universal basic income programs
- Guaranteed public jobs program for eligible and willing workers that focuses on infrastructure, public transportation, energy grids, rural broadband access, and environmental cleanup and preservation
Racial Wealth Gap
- Encourage support for minority-owned businesses
- Support and encourage diverse political candidates
- Demilitarize local law enforcements
- Commission to Study and Develop Reparations Proposals for African-Americans Act
Student Debt
- Fully subsidize higher education nationwide
- College for All Act *Note* I linked the bill that was submitted in 2015 by the 114th Congress because the 115th Congressional 2017-2018 version does not currently have description
- Automatic repayment plans with a sliding-scale based on income
- 10-Year Repayment Cap
- Easing of bankruptcy restrictions for current student debt
Reproductive Rights
- Support data-based policies that reduce unwanted pregnancies
- Safe and legal access to abortions
- Repeal the Hyde Amendment
- Fully subsidize contraception and pre-/post-natal care
- Each Woman Act
Trade
- Negotiate trade deals to ensure the well being of American workers and small farmers, rather than the profits of corporations
Wall Street
- Break up monopolies
- Make Wall Street pay their fair share in taxes
LEARN MORE ABOUT DAN CANON
Blue Hoosier 