Pennsylvania 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?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- Funding for family planning, birth control education and preventative screenings for women's reproductive health is critically important. It saves lives and efforts to eliminate it are politically motivated and out of touch with Pennsylvania families. Decisions about reproductive health should be determined by a woman, her family, her doctor and her faith, not politicians.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions?
- No

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

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- No

4. An income tax increase on any tax bracket?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- We must increase revenue, which could include taxes, but first we must stop the flow of revenue out of the state, especially losses to the Delaware Loophole. Fairly and responsibly collecting the taxes already on the books should come before raising or instituting additional taxes.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates?
- Yes

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?
- No

5. Do you support allowing early voting in Pennsylvania?
- Yes

6. Do you support reducing the size of the Pennsylvania General Assembly?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- All of these answers are dependent on establishing fair and independent voting districts. Limiting contributions and reducing the size of the legislature without controlling gerrymandering would reduce the influence of individual voters. If I were sure everyone could receive a photo ID and it would not be used to deny anyone or group their voice in our government, I would support the concept.

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?
- No

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

5. Should school safety meetings be made available to the public?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- Immigration laws should not be used to terrorize adults and children coming here for better opportunities or to escape poverty and violence. I believe in the principle of seeking asylum and that we have a responsibility to our fellow human beings to offer them protection. We need to stop referring to immigrants as illegals and instead work for better and faster paths to citizenship.

Economic

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

2. Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

3. Do you support reducing state government regulations on the private sector?
- No

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

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 Pennsylvania?
- Yes

7. Do you support increasing state funding for road repairs?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- We need to fix our regressive tax system and raise the minimum wage.

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in Pennsylvania?
- Yes

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

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

4. Do you support providing virtual charter school alternatives to all K-12 students?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I believe public education is the greatest gift we give our children and the most basic of our Commonwealth's responsibilities. We should be teaching our students to be life-ready, not test- or college-ready.

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 government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

3. Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- There are several options for generating more revenue from our natural gas resources and that revenue could be used to adequately fund the DEP so they can enforce regulations to keep our air, land and water clean; clean up our environment where there have been spills and contamination; and develop new sustainable methods of generating energy for the state.

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- Yes

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- Yes

3. Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom?
- No

4. Should a license be required for gun ownership?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I support the recommendations for reducing trauma from firearms violence as developed by the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma (AAST).

Health

1. Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
- Yes

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Pennsylvania's health care programs?
- Yes

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
- Healthcare is a human right and we need to keep moving toward that as a goal. Many other countries have figured out how to provide a single-payer healthcare system that takes care of all citizens while costing taxpayers less. The ACA is not perfect, but instead of tearing it down, we need to continue making it better.

Social

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

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

3. Do you support greater efforts by Pennsylvania state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- I will always be a vote for civil rights, human rights, fairness and inclusivity.

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.
- PA is a Commonwealth and we need to do a better job of taking care of each other using the shared resources of this great state. We also need to listen to the science and the experts on critical issues instead of doing what we've always done or what special interests, PACs and corporations want. Because when we know better, we should do better. My priorities are on funding public education; protecting our land, air and water; ensuring fair, living wages; healthcare for all; and safety net programs for when the unthinkable happens.