Summary
Current Position: Law clerk
Affiliation: Democrat
Candidate: 2020 US Representative for US House District 6
Nicholas Betts has worked in construction and landscaping, as a graduate teaching assistant, a substitute teacher, a contract manager for a small family business, and now as a law clerk in Roanoke, Virginia. He knows what it is like to work hard and to achieve goals in the face of adversity.
If elected to Congress to represent the 6th District of Virginia, Nicholas Betts will fight hard for Freedom, and he will go to Washington to work, not to play politics.
Source: Campaign page
OnAir Post: Nicholas Betts
About
Source: Campaign page
Nicholas Betts has lived in Virginia virtually his entire adult life. He moved to Virginia when he was 18 years old to attend Virginia Commonwealth University, where he met his wife, Lindsey Betts, during their Freshman year of college in 2008. Their relationship continued after college, they were married in 2015, and they currently live in Lexington, Virginia.
Contact
Email:
- Campaign – nicholas.betts@bettsforcongress.com
Offices
Campaign
Phone: 1 (804) 709-8331
Web
Campaign Site, Twitter, Facebook
Politics
Source: none
Issues
Economy
Americans have approximately $1.6 Trillion in student loan debt, which inhibits economic growth. Federal student loans should be offered at 0% interest rates because the Federal Government should not profit from student loans. I want to fix the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, so applicants who have made a good faith effort to meet the program requirements have their student loan debt forgiven as promised. I support changing bankruptcy laws, so that student loan debt is treated like any other type of debt. Finally, I support changing the tax code, so after paying for the required amount of time, students have their student debt forgiven tax free.
Climate Change is a real concern in America and across the World. The United States should be the world leader in clean energy technology development in the 21st Century. This can be accomplished by giving tax credits for developing solar and wind energy sources. This will help create jobs in clean energy, create economic growth, and help protect the environment. We cannot afford to fall behind other countries in clean energy development if we want to remain the world’s leading economy in the 21st Century and beyond.
Education
We need to increase the Federal Government’s Investment in education. Funding education is crucial to America maintaining its position as the world leader in the 21st Century and beyond. Education affects everything from Economic Growth to National Defense. We need to invest in an expansion of public early childhood education programs and we should increase investments in public K-12 education to increase teachers‘ salaries, as well as to hire more teachers to decrease classroom sizes. We should increase Federal program funding in order to increase program accessibility for Americans who want to pursue career and technical education. Additionally, higher education should be made affordable and accessible for everyone who chooses to pursue it.
Health Care
We must make sure that all Americans have access to a public healthcare option, but Americans who want to keep their private health insurance should be able to do so. Establishing a low-cost public healthcare option that is accessible to all Americans will cause private health insurance providers to lower their prices to compete. Such a reduction in overall prices of healthcare ensures access to essential care for all Americans, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
Infrastructure
All Americans should be able to access the internet from their home. Internet access is crucial to education, work, healthcare, civic engagement, and nearly every area of life today. The Federal Government should partner with States and Localities to expand internet access.
Safety
Second Amendment Rights and Safety Solutions
I support the rights of all law-abiding citizens to own firearms, including semi-automatic firearms. I also support passing legislation for universal background checks at the Federal level. Additionally, I support a 1% Federal Sales Tax on Ammunition, so that the revenue raised can fund violence prevention programs.
I believe that properly training police officers can save lives. Police departments should review their training programs and make sure that police officers have extensive training on not using unnecessary force and how to prevent or stop other police officers from using it. Better training will not address all situations, but this is an area where positive changes can be a step toward helping to build stronger and safer communities. The Federal government should develop a training program that can be utilized by local police departments. There should be increased transparency through federally mandated body camera usage and reporting of statistics regarding police department use of force. I support a national database of police misconduct.
Veterans
We should increase Federal grants to help veterans start businesses. I want to ensure that all veterans in the private sector are aware of this potential source of business funding and that these grants are easily accessible to the men and women who served our Country. Additionally, we must make sure that veterans have access to the healthcare resources they need to thrive.
Federal Laws to Protect the LGBTQ+ Community
All Americans should be free to live their lives without being discriminated against, regardless of who they love or how they identify. We must pass laws which explicitly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Federal Decriminalization on Marijuana
The Federal Government should decriminalize marijuana and allow States to legalize it. The Federal Government is missing out on a huge source of tax revenue and wasting resources enforcing the prohibition on marijuana.
Pro Choice
The government has no business regulating women’s bodies, women should have the right to choose. I believe in our Constitution and I do not believe elected officials should impose their religious beliefs on others. I am Catholic and have my own personal beliefs, but I respect the 1st Amendment, I support Roe v. Wade, and I believe women have the right to make their own decisions.
ERA
I support the Equal Rights Amendment. Everyone deserves the same respect, the same rights, and the same pay for the same work.
