What Civil Rights Attorney, Don Quinn Will Do in Congress

People ask me, "What will you do if you're elected to Congress?"  The answer is complex, but let's start with the basics. 

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As an attorney working in federal court, I understand that changing things at the federal level is a battle of inches. It is incredibly rare, if not impossible, to make wide-sweeping legislative change without that change building over years or decades. It's like building a house. If you're interviewing contractors who tell you it can be done in three months - walk away because it's not possible, and they may give up when they realize what they've gotten themselves into. I'm like the one contractor who gives it to you straight - you may not like that it will take two years and permits may delay things, but at least you know the truth and can plan for it.

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So, what will I do if elected as your U.S. Representative? 

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I will have an immediate opportunity to make an impact by recommending changes to pending legislation that protect Americans by closing loopholes.  Most Representatives aren't aware of how a line in a bill can expose people to legal problems in the future, and that is where most changes in the U.S. are currently coming from - the Courts. Since laws are being written with ambiguous language that is open to interpretation, judges are deciding what laws mean and how they should be applied. Very often, this is not in the best interest of the American public. As an attorney taking cases before federal judges, I know what to look for and what to correct before it becomes law.

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Some of my legislative priorities, where I believe we can find common ground in a reasonable timeframe, are:

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• Caring for our veterans.  

  • I served in the Middle East and have Gulf War Syndrom. From personal experience and from helping veterans as an attorney, I know that it can take seven years for our veterans to receive the healthcare and other benefits they deserve. This is wrong and is caused by a flawed system. We can make changes such as having veterans evaluated by VA physicians - not private contractors who make more money by denying a veteran so they are forced to come back for subsequent evaluations.  I can make a critical impact for our veterans because I understand the system and the process from the inside out. 

• Expanding childcare capacity. ​

  • Democrats and Republicans agree that we need to solve our childcare crisis. As a Democrat, I am worried about childcare affordability and making sure that middle-class families don't spend half their income paying for daycare. My Republican friends have similar concerns and emphasize that people can't fill in-demand jobs if they can't get to work because daycare facilities are full. We can work together to solve this for American families. ​

• Protecting our environment. 

  • We have seen rapid investment in Green Energy as a result of federal programs designed to stimulate this portion of our economy. Even places like Texas are embracing green energy with the world's largest carbon capture project slated for the Permian Basis (our biggest oil and gas producer). This is the impact the federal government can make. We need to continue to invest in programs that make transitioning to green energy possible. ​

  • Everyone in America should have clean water to drink and uncontaminated food to eat. But that's not the case. We need to enforce the laws that exist to ensure everyone has clean water, invest in infrastructure upgrades to keep it that way, and work with experts to find the best way to improve our food supply so it is free from chemicals that are making people sick and causing an increase in food allergies. 

• Making housing affordable. 

  • We have a housing shortage for first-time homebuyers and seniors looking to downsize. The federal government can implement programs that incentivize developers to build this type of housing (or loan programs to help fund the project). If you have a job, you should have access to the American dream of homeownership. 

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Additional legislative priorities that will take more time to develop a consensus include:

• Common sense gun legislation

• Immigration reform that includes a guest worker visa program

• Affordable college tuition

• Access to over-the-counter birth control at a low cost and without a prescription

• Protecting a woman's right to choose

• Protecting workers rights 

• Education reform 

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