New Hampshire State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-choice

2. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- Yes

3. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- It is not the role of government to interfere with the medical decisions of private individuals. Furthermore, restricting access to reproductive services puts women at risk for harm by receiving care from unlicensed persons. Having said that, I do not believe that these reproductive services should be paid for by taxpayers.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions?
- Yes

2. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees?
- No

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- Expanded Medicaid only downshifts the cost to Granite State taxpayers. These federal social programs are not financially solvent. Individuals should have more choice in the insurance market and the state should remove regulations or barriers for access to more affordable premiums that offer better coverage.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates?
- No

2. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- Yes

3. Do you support the use of an independent AND/OR bipartisan commission for redistricting?
- Yes

4. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- Yes

5. Do you support imposing penalties on state legislators who fail to attend legislative sessions?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- I absolutely support ending the monopoly of "big money" in politics, but I do not want to see the freedom of individuals, who choose to contribute to their preferred candidate, restricted by blanket stipulations from the state. Corporations are not people and Citizens United needs to be repealed.

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- No

2. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- Yes

3. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- Yes

4. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- We need immigration reform at all levels and it should not be as difficult as it is to gain citizenship to this country. I do not want my answer to this question to be misconstrued as support for open borders because I do not want open borders for the United States. However, our immigration system is unnecessarily burdensome.

Economic

1. Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

2. Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

3. Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector?
- Yes

4. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- No

5. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- No

6. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of New Hampshire?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in New Hampshire?
- No

2. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from New Hampshire high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- We need to end the state monopoly over the education system in this state. Most of what is paid in property taxes goes to the school system and the quality of the education does not improve whether we throw money at it or not. Parents need to have the choice to send their child to a school that offers the best possible education without being forced to send their children to public school because the alternative is cost prohibitive.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- No

2. Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No

3. Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- It has been shown that whenever the government tries to fix something, it usually makes it worse. There are dozens of non-profit organizations that can handle environment issues apart from the state with better results. Also, when the government subsidizes environmental issues through state agencies, funding becomes the number one priority to pay for everything else BUT the issue they were tasked with. Millions have been funneled to state departments with little results. This is not a responsible use of taxpayer money.

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No

3. Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom?
- Yes

4. Should a license be required for gun ownership?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- The 2nd Amendment was very specific about the right to bear arms not being infringed. New Hampshire has some of the most relaxed gun laws in the nation, yet our crime rate is one of the lowest. Everyone has the right to self-defense and their property.

Health

1. Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
- No

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through New Hampshire's health care programs?
- No

3. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- No

4. Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia?
- Yes

5. Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- I would rather not see treatment facilities become subsidized because it would increase administrative and other overhead costs instead of focusing on treating their patients. There are many free market alternatives than state-sponsored programs that might not provide adequate care. I wholeheartedly support the right of terminally ill patients to end their suffering through medical aid in dying.

Social

1. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

2. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in New Hampshire's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

3. Do you support greater efforts by New Hampshire state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- There is no such thing as a "gender pay gap". Federal law already exists to prevent employers from paying their employees a different wage based on race or gender. There are many factors as to why men and women might not make the same money, including different fields of work, hours worked, education level, experience, etc. It is not the role of the state to "level the playing field". Individuals are free to associate with whatever company they choose in a free market.

Legislative Priorities

In the following area, please explain in a total of 100 words or less, your top two or three priorities if elected. If they require additional funding for implementation, please explain how you would obtain this funding.
- My top two priorities in my second term will be continuing to repeal erroneous and unenforceable regulations and criminal justice reform. I have had success with repealing two unenforceable laws in 2018 and want to streamline state government even more. Additionally, I believe criminal justice reform to be one of the biggest issues in New Hampshire. We need to legalize marijuana, change the way we enforce and incarcerate individuals based on non-violent drug offenses and repeal the death penalty.