Wyoming State Legislative Election 2016 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

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

2. Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy?
- No

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

4. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring parental notification before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- No

6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- No

7. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
- No

8. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- No

9. Other or expanded principles
- Abortion is and should remain a personal decision. My problem with this questionnaire, though, is that not all are simple "yes" or "no" questions. Yes, I oppose late-term abortions, but there are times when they are a medical necessity. Again, those decisions should be made by the mother with the input of her health care provider and NOT by the legislature. I would hope that when a minor faces this horrible decision that her parents are involved, but there are times when that is impossible or puts the minor child at risk. These are not simple "yes" or "no" questions.

Spending & Tax

1. Education (higher)
- Maintain Status

2. Education (K-12)
- Maintain Status

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Slightly Increase

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Maintain Status

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Maintain Status

7. Welfare
- Maintain Status

8. Other or expanded categories
- Our Legislature has rejected Medicaid Expansion for several years, costing this state nearly half-a-billion dollars. We need to approve Medicaid Expansion and support local hospitals and health care providers. In terms of education, we have generously funded schools, colleges and universities for years. There are significant efforts to CUT those funds. At minimum, we must protect the investments we've already made, because severe cuts will cost us more in the long-run, when we try to rebuild from the damage inflicted by draconian cuts. Regarding corrections, I am opposed to building new prisons until we take serious steps to reform sentencing.

1. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Increase

2. Gas/Oil taxes
- Slightly Increase

3. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Sales taxes
- Slightly Decrease

5. Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- I support the application sales taxes to online purchases, solely because not to do so puts local businesses at a major disadvantage and hurts local economies.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Individual
- Yes

2. Political Action Committee
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Party
- Yes

5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

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

8. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- No

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime & Public Safety

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

2. Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?
- Yes

3. Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
- Yes

4. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- No

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

6. Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- I support the DECRIMINALIZATION of small amounts of marijuana. Our neighbor to the south, Colorado, has opted to legalize. We should take advantage of that and see what works and what does not. There are still critical issues that need to be addressed in Colorado, including enforcement of DUI prohibitions, which are quite difficult where cannabis is involved. Unlike Colorado, I would oppose the sale and possession of edibles sold in forms that are attractive to children. They sell gummi bears laced with THC in Colorado. That should not happen here ... or there, for that matter.

Economic

1. Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

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

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

4. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- Yes

5. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- Yes

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

7. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

8. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- Yes

9. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage?
- Yes

10. Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them?
- No Answer

11. Other or expanded principles
- Again, none of these qualifies as a "yes" or "no" question. Yes, I support the very selective spending to promote growth, even going so far as to encourage businesses to relocate, establish manufacturing and other facilities. But we have to do that cautiously, I also see education spending as a key element of the promotion of economic growth. 1) New businesses, their employees and, above all, their families will not relocate to a state with poor schools. 2) The best way to re-train workers is to invest in post-secondary education, be it specific training or the attainment of advanced degrees.

Education

1. Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
- Yes

2. Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
- Yes

3. Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
- Yes

4. Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
- Yes

5. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- Yes

6. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- Yes

7. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Wyoming high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- Regarding (g), students who graduate from Wyoming schools should be afforded the opportunity to continue their education. I support helping those students take the steps necessary to becoming legal residents or citizens and becoming productive members of our community. To deny them access to education actually costs us more in the long run.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- Yes

2. Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- Yes

3. Do you support state funding for improvements to Wyoming's energy infrastructure?
- Yes

4. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- Yes

5. Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

6. Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- I believe that fracking, while expanding access to hard-to-reach oil and gas reserves is valuable, I don't believe local residents should find their water resources contaminated by released gasses or fracking chemicals. We need to assess the impact of individual drilling operations and assess their impact on nearby residents and natural resources.

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?
- Yes

3. Should citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- Yes

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- Yes

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- Yes

4. Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- Yes

6. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- No

7. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- Our state has rejected nearly half-a-billion federal dollars by opposing Medicaid Expansion. Wyoming hospitals, health care providers and citizens (those with or without insurance) are suffering the consequences of that largely political decision.

Social

1. Do you support same-sex marriage?
- Yes

2. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Wyoming's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

3. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Wyoming's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- We're the "Equality State." Let's live up to that and treat all of our citizens equally and with respect.

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 three priorities are:1) Medicaid Expansion2) Protection of our existing investments in education and infrastructure3) Rejecting efforts to transfer Federal lands in Wyoming to state control. Currently, the Federal government employs about 3000 Wyoming residents to care for Federal lands in this state. The state cannot afford to assume that financial obligation. That means that the state may eventually consider transferring those lands into private hands, reducing access to our state's most precious resource: our wide and open spaces.