Michigan 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
- The most effective way to reduce the number of abortions is to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies especially amongst teenagers and we can do that by promoting health education and safe methods. Making abortion illegal will not actually stop abortions from happening - it will just make them happen in unsafe conditions which will kill more mothers.

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?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- When Governor Snyder took office he slashed the corporate (not small businesses) tax rate and promised that it would bring big corporations to the state. Instead, it has led to crumbling infrastructure and a decline in our schooling system which has giant corporations like Amazon telling Michigan publically that they would not build a headquarters here because we lack an educated and qualified workforce and our infrastructure would not support their business. I think we need to rebalance the tax burden from individual workers a little back towards corporations.

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. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes

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
- No Answer

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?
- Yes

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 Michigan?
- Yes

7. Do you support increasing state funding for improving Michigan's roads and bridges?
- Yes

8. Do you support eliminating Michigan's mandatory no-fault auto insurance?
- Yes

9. Other or expanded principles
- Michigan's auto-insurance is in desperate need of reform.

Education

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- I do not support funding for charter schools that are for-profit.

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. Do you support decommissioning the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline, which carries oil from Canada to the U.S.?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- Line 5 carries Canadian oil through our great lakes by the Mackinac Bridge and then back to Canada. Michigan gets no benefit from this and carries all of the risk of the pipeline which is decades beyond its end of life expectations.

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?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- I believe in the 2nd amendment but also in the safety of the public so I support reasonable measures to reduce gun violence like red flag laws that follow due process.

Health

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

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

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

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. Do you support using state funds to provide public health services to citizens exposed to lead contamination in the Flint Water Crisis?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social

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

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

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

4. Should able-bodied "food stamps" (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) recipients meet a work requirement to be eligible for benefits?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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.
- The top three issues I hear about at the doors are healthcare, education, and infrastructure. I think we need to work together to find bipartisan issues to these solutions. Michigan has been under complete Republican control for 8 years and we have only fallen down in the national rankings in all of those categories. It is time to stop the partisan politics that only support the ultra-rich donors and pass legislation that benefits the people of Michigan.