Mark Williams

Civil Rights

While the US has made remarkable strides on LGBTQ rights, there is still much to do to fight discrimination. I will sponsor the Equality Act and the Every Child Deserves a Family Act to ban discrimination in employment, housing, credit, education, public programs, and adoption. Learn more

Criminal Justice / Public Safety

I will fight to end racial profiling, reverse mandatory minimum sentencing, ban for profit prisons, demilitarize the police, and revamp police academies and training. Learn more

Economy

The success story of the Mondragon Cooperative Corporation demonstrates unequivocally that inter-cooperative enterprises like these, based on community-public funding, nurture both community members and the world they inhabit. To this end, we should establish just such an integrated network of social-economic enterprise incubators along the Front Range, with an initial incubator hub in the City of Boulder that houses a financial resource center together with facilities for training, education, workshops, and community meetings. These two elements of the incubator hub should, between them, be capable of assisting innovative community-centered social economic enterprises in developing all the way from seed enterprise up to full maturity; along with satellite and mobile incubators and roadshows providing access in every city in CD-2 that elects to participate in the initiative. Learn more

Education

I support paid training during working hours for all school food service personnel in order to ensure students receive nutritious meals at school Learn more

Environment / Energy

I support: Colorado Rising’s 2,500-foot setback initiative protecting communities from the dangers associated with fracking., This initiative creates a 2,500 foot buffer zones between oil and gas development and occupied buildings, such as homes and schools, and vulnerable areas, such as playgrounds and drinking water sources. Learn more

I commit to 100% renewables, eliminating tax giveaways to the fossil fuel industry, STOPPING fracking in Boulder County, and fully supporting workers impacted by this transition. Learn more

I believe we need a Clean Ground Act that would end the poisoning of our land through fracking, ground killing pesticides and other toxic health hazards. Learn more

I propose: To realign our government and economy with sustainable energy, especially solar, to quickly transition away from carbon fuels. That means not only providing homeowners and small businesses with substantial solar tax credits, but would create millions of new jobs. Learn more

I support: Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (HI-02) recently introduced H.R. 3671, the Off Fossil Fuels for a Better Future Act (OFF Act), which will put the United States on a pathway to replace fossil fuels with 100 percent clean energy generation and use by 2035. This legislation eliminates tax giveaways to the fossil fuel industry, and provides support to transitioning workers who will be impacted by this generational change. Learn more

I oppose: Fracking and the use of any toxic chemicals anywhere in the United States that endangers the health and welfare of people and the environment. Learn more

I support: Ending all direct and indirect subsidies for oil and gas companies. Learn more

I commit to being a zealous guardian of our public lands and advocate for laws and policies that support the interests of Colorado, now and into the future. Learn more

I oppose: Hamstringing the EPA so that it cannot enforce environmental regulations. Learn more

Government Reform

Citizens United must be overturned and laws passed to increase donor transparency, remove untraceable dark money and eliminate special interest contributions. Learn more

Guns

What works for drug addiction is not humiliation, stigmatization and punishment, but  treatment programs that help reconnect people to other people and restoration to the life of the community. Portugal decriminalized the use of all drugs in 2001. Weed, cocaine, heroin, you name it — treating drug use as a public health issue, not a criminal one. The drugs are still illegal, but getting caught means a small fine and a referral to a treatment program — not jail time and a criminal record. Learn more

I support lifting the 1997 the “Dickey Amendment” that bars the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention from studying firearm violence and how to prevent it. Learn more

In addition, I also … … oppose concealed carry reciprocity unless there is a national certification program that includes “Shoot – Don’t Shoot” situational training. … oppose the rollback of an Obama Administration directive allowing designated mental health and medical providers to report names of mentally ill patients to the federal background check system. …. support mandatory law enforcement training to conduct welfare checks to determine if someone has become mentally unstable and may be suicidal or threat to others. … propose gun safety training and qualification for civilians through mandatory weapons safety courses and tactical range qualifications from certified organizations. Learn more

I support public education on warning signs of someone planning to carry out an attack. Learn more

I support banning assault weapons. Learn more

I support banning gun sales to those on the no-fly list, to violent felons, or those convicted of domestic violence. Learn more

I support mandatory universal background checks for all gun sales and coordination between all Federal and State agencies to share pertinent data. Learn more

I oppose rolling back restrictions on silencers or machine guns. Learn more

I support banning bump-fire stocks and large capacity ammunition magazines. Learn more

Healthcare

Suicide, says the report from the CDC, is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S., and it is a treatable problem: at a minimum, we must move to provide the level of psychiatric services that permit early diagnosis and treatment of incidences of mental illnesses that frequently precipitate, not only high levels of suicide, but also multiple other occurrences of suffering in society as well – including addiction and homicide Learn more

I support the expansion of access and increasing funding for Medicaid and CHIP. Learn more

I will act to protect the exiting Medicare system from encroachment and attacks of attrition. Thus, I oppose converting Medicare to a voucher system, sometimes referred to as “premium support. Learn more

I commit to fighting for not just Medicare for All, but for an Improved and Expanded Medicare for All that is a single-payer health system. Learn more

I support maintaining tax exclusion for employer-sponsored health coverage. Learn more

I would also support health insurance protections for LGBTQ people to ensure no discrimination by healthcare providers. Learn more

I will fight the Trump administration’s attacks on Title X, which provides low-income women (and some men) access to family planning services. Learn more

Immigration

As a US Representative, I will support proposals that: Fight harsh deportation and detention policies; Expand Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans (DAPA); Provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants looking to better their lives; Reform our current immigration and visa system; and Fight unfair criminalization of immigrants. Learn more

Social Services

The success story of the Mondragon Cooperative Corporation demonstrates unequivocally that inter-cooperative enterprises like these, based on community-public funding, nurture both community members and the world they inhabit. To this end, we should establish just such an integrated network of social-economic enterprise incubators along the Front Range, with an initial incubator hub in the City of Boulder that houses a financial resource center together with facilities for training, education, workshops, and community meetings. These two elements of the incubator hub should, between them, be capable of assisting innovative community-centered social economic enterprises in developing all the way from seed enterprise up to full maturity; along with satellite and mobile incubators and roadshows providing access in every city in CD-2 that elects to participate in the initiative. Learn more

I support ensuring healthy nutrition standards for school meals and snacks, such as the standards outlined in the Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act. Learn more

I oppose any cuts or attempts to block grant funding for school meals and child nutrition programs, particularly the Community Eligibility Provision. Learn more

Wages / Job Benefits

I will fight tirelessly in Congress to pass equitable pay legislation. Learn more