MT House Of Representative Republican Candidate Introduction

Dear Editor,

My name is Joyce Stone and I'm your Republican candidate for the Montana House of Representatives serving District 33, which spans the Hi-Line from Glasgow to Havre. I had planned to personally introduce myself to each of you, but campaigning door to door has been suspended due to the social distancing rules in place to slow the spread of the Covid19 virus.

I am a wife, mother, registered nurse, and a breast cancer survivor. As a registered nurse, I managed the Glasgow Clinic for 4.5 years before returning to inpatient nursing where I continued to work while fighting breast cancer. I am now a Certified Emergency Room nurse; one of the many hats nurses in rural Montana wears. As an ER nurse, I am trained to work through crisis, both in leadership roles and as a team member.When I fought breast cancer, I was overwhelmed by the compassion and support I was surrounded with by the generous people of Northeast Montana, and I want to give back in every way I can. I decided to run in this race because I was disappointed by many of the votes that our current Representative cast last session.

Critical access hospitals are essential to our quality of life in rural Montana and are part of the backbone of our communities. While we wait for Congress to fix Obamacare, our current representative voted against funding that would be essential to keeping our hospitals viable and that would have, at the same time, reformed Medicaid Expansion by allowing for work requirements and asset testing. You can imagine how many of us on the frontlines of our current healthcare crisis feel when we realize our current representative didn't vote to ensure our rural hospitals remain open.

He also voted for a number of "anti-vaccine" pieces of legislation. Legislation that, if passed, would have required daycares to accept unvaccinated children, even in home-based daycares, and that would have allowed foster children to remain unvaccinated while in state care. Many remember how we have been saved from the ravages of diseases like small pox or polio by life-saving vaccines. We also know that vaccines will be part of our long-term strategy for combatting our current Covid19 healthcare crisis.

In addition to healthcare, I am also a passionate advocate for our schools, our private property rights, our veterans, and our rural economy. I believe in reducing the size and scope of government,in protecting our Second Amendment rights, and I want you to know I will be a tireless champion for our agriculture producers, sportsmen, and for protecting our Montana way of life.

I know we share many of these priorities and I will share more of my ideas and values with you in the weeks to come. In the meantime, please stay safe and do all that you can to help flatten the curve and slow the spread of Covid19.

Sincerely,

Joyce Stone, RN

Republican Candidate Montana House of Representatives District 33

[email protected]