Amy Paschal

How does your experience make you qualified to represent the people as State Representative for District 18? 

The most common challenge district residents describe to me is the cost of living and providing opportunities for their family. I’m a mother to two children, a daughter to two aging parents, a software engineer, and a wife to my husband who started a software company. Those experiences shape my perspective on the issues.  

I will be a representative who focuses on creating practical solutions to real problems, not on culture wars and drama. As an engineer, I take a disciplined approach to problem-solving, creating evidence-based solutions and repeatedly refining those solutions based on measured results. I will listen to my constituents and work hard on their behalf to create tangible results that impact their daily lives. 

What are your top policy priorities as State Representative for District 18? 

I have two young adult children. They and their peers express a sense of hopelessness I believe stems from a lack of opportunity. The cost of housing, education, and healthcare have skyrocketed while wages have remained stagnant. It’s no wonder we are also in the midst of a mental health crisis as many feel they are failing. They’re not failing - they are fighting a broken system. We owe them better than that. We must strengthen the ladders of opportunity that have traditionally been the path to a vibrant middle class - great schools, affordable housing, and well-paying jobs.  

Further, we must invest in the infrastructure needed to catch up and keep up with our rapid growth but do so in a way that’s both economically and environmentally responsible. 

What will your approach and thoughts on how we will address immigration issues facing our country and Colorado? 

While immigration impacts our daily lives, it is first and foremost a federal issue. The petty actions of state leaders across the country of shipping human beings to sanctuary cities like cattle so they can score political points with their base is inhumane and does nothing to address the root causes of our immigration challenges. Nor does it result in an effective use of state resources. Congressional Republicans must come back to the table and make a sincere effort to pass a bipartisan immigration package. 

Lacking that, state leadership must continue to support community programs that integrate new immigrants as best and as rapidly as possible while the federal immigration court system works its way through the backlog of cases providing each asylum seeker a fair hearing. 

Coloradans are feeling the pinch for the cost of living because of skyrocketing inflation. What do you think needs to be done to help families? 

First, we need to acknowledge what is driving up the cost of living. Data shows us that housing, healthcare, and education are major sources of cost growth. We must enable smart, sustainable development so that sufficient housing is available to keep pace with population growth. That said, even if our local communities authorize more development, the data also shows that we have a major shortage of skilled tradespeople along the front range needed to build at the pace required. Expanding apprenticeship and workforce development programs is critical to sustaining the skilled workforce we need, and would minimize the need to take on significant student debt in pursuit of a high-income career. The local healthcare workforce is also insufficiently scaled for our population. Therefore similar efforts should focus on the specific needs of that unique workforce development pipeline. Healthcare, however, has the added complexity of our insurance markets, and the fee-for-service profit incentives that fail to result in higher quality outcomes for patients. Our state government must work with insurers to identify and root out those flawed profit incentives to increase the overall efficiency in our healthcare markets and put the resources toward the care that will actually improve healthcare outcomes, not those that will just make the most money for insurers. 

What role do you believe the state government has in addressing gun violence? What are your ideas on implementing gun policies?  

Citizens have the right to own firearms for sport, hobby, and protection. Our primary focus should be on gun safety - safe handling, safe storage, and keeping firearms out of the hands of bad actors and those with potentially dangerous mental health challenges. I’m in favor of counties using Colorado’s red flag law to prevent tragedy, thorough background checks, waiting periods, proper safety training, and the banning guns and gun equipment that have no credible use in sport or protection.  

Do you have any ideas on what can be done on the state level to increase affordable housing?  

Local communities must take a hard look at their planning processes and zoning laws to ensure they are making the most efficient use of the available land.  

The state can support local government by supporting and expanding apprenticeship programs for construction trades; providing funding options and incentives for affordable housing; streamlining administrative requirements and providing tort reform to remove financial and insurance barriers to construction.