Gender inequality has deepened across the country since the COVID pandemic. 

 

Today, we continue to witness violence against women, a dismantling of reproductive health services, the failure to help children living in the Texas foster care system, and Texas’ refusal to

accept $450 million of free federal dollars that could have fed so many of our children during the summer months whose families cannot afford to give them three meals a day when school is not in session. McLennan County deserves an advocate who will address structural policy change to ensure women and children find full recovery and economic security.

To address gender inequality in McLennan County, I will work to raise awareness of the issues and the policies that perpetuate them. 

 

I will advocate for:

• fully fund our public schools, where 95% of our students are educated

• address McLennan County’s lack of child care options for women, which prevents so many women from re-entering the workforce after child birth

• support legislation that supports women's access to healthcare services, so that women can make informed decisions about their health and future

• advocate for stronger laws to prevent and punish violence against women, so that everyone in the county can live in a safe and secure environment

 

Texas’ foster care system has been placed in a court ordered receivership because it is so poorly run in Texas. When elected, I will work to strengthen the foster care system in the county by partnering with local organizations to create a network of support for foster youth. Additionally, I will volunteer to serve on the committee that has oversight over Texas’ foster care system so that I can work first hand to find solutions to our broken foster care system.

 

 Over 70% of the senators and representatives in Texas are men.  With these vitally important issues impacting the lives and health of women, it is time that we elect a senior attorney, who is also a woman who has walked in these shoes, to represent this community in the Texas House.  For the women of McLennan County, and the men who love them, please vote for Erin Shank for Texas House on November 5th.