Alabama 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
- Public funds can be denied to abortion services, but *organizations* that provide life saving, medical treatment need to be sufficiently funded. Abortions are reduced significantly by comprehensive sex education and birth control, which should be a priority for Alabama.

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
- Alabama has an incredibly regressive tax system. Our tax base is 48% from tax on sales and gross receipts. As such the poorest 80% of Alabamaians pay between 8.3% and 10.4% of their family income in taxes. The wealthiest 5% pay only 3.8%-5%. A tax base reliant on sales is also dependent on a strong economy. If it's a good year for sales, we collect a lot of tax. If it's a rough year, the state has less money than needed to spend on essential services. We need a tax base that allows us to be proactive, not reactive.

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
- Campaign contributions are out of control. In Alabama there is no limit to the amount anyone can donate to any state candidate. This makes our legislature ripe for corruption, as evident by the recent removal on corruption charges of the Speaker of the House and Governor. It is far to difficult to tell where a candidate gets their money from thanks to the obfuscating efforts of PACs. Political PACs give effective cover to hide the source of a candidates funding. We need open, transparent government free from the influence of corporate lobbying and special interest groups.

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. Other or expanded principles
- We have an agency responsible for the enforcement of immigration laws. Immigration issues should be left to ICE. State and local police already have a job that they are paid to do and that they need to focus on to protect the public and their own selves. I would not like to be told to do a new job in addition to my current one with no additional pay. This is no different than asking local police to take on the additional role of immigration enforcement.

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?
- No Answer

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 Alabama?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- Requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits is a waste of the state's time and money. Studies show that *very* few recipients fail the drug test and it is expensive and time consuming. Any person working a forty hour week should be able to afford to live. Communities are more successful when individuals thrive. Every city has different needs, therefore cities should be to set their own local minimum wages.

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in Alabama?
- No Answer

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

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Alabama high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No Answer

4. Do you support increasing funding for the state education budget?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- Education standards are necessary but the US spends far too much of it's time testing and not enough time learning. Federal education standards should be carefully reexamined and adjusted before Alabama agrees to adopt them. Fully funding Alabama's First-Class Pre-K is one of the most important investments we could make in the state. It has been shown to have an positive impact on the rest of a persons time in school and in their careers. First-Class Pre-K gives a 7 to 1 return on our investment and creates an educated and capable workforce.

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
- I do not believe in the artificial inhibition of an industry's growth such as we see with the "solar tax" that Alabama Power subjects users of solar power to. Alabama has a high potential for solar energy and we should not limit that potential artificially. Everyone needs clean water and air. Our rivers should not be a dumping ground for industrial waste nor our air for particulate contamination.

Gun

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

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
- "Gun-control legislation" is not what I support. I do support "gun violence reduction" measures. There are many things we can do to reduce gun violence while maintaining the rights of every individual. Licenses and background checks are two such measures. Red flag laws, such as the one proposed by Trip Pittman (R-Senate), are another such measure.

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Alabama'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?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- My answer to "eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations" is actually more complex than yes/no. I believe that those few individuals that truly have a religious reason to exempt form vaccinations should be allowed to. However, far to many people claim to have a religious exemption than actually do have one. Halting outbreaks of preventable diseases is critical to public health. Without so called herd protection, we are vulnerable to deadly, but preventable, diseases. And there are many, many children and adults that are unable to receive vaccinations. We must be vaccinated to protect them from harm.

Social

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

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

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

4. Do you support the removal of Confederate monuments from public spaces?
- Yes

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.
- 1) Expanding Medicaid - gives a 27:1 return on our investment. We give 2.5 times what expansion would cost in tax incentives to businesses each year, so the money is available to invest. 2) Fully Funding Pre-K - gives a 7:1 return on our investment and builds an educated, reliable workforce. The education lottery is a great start to funding this initiative. 3) Removing Corruption from Government - term limits, higher standards of ethics, real regulatory oversight and penalties, and removing money from campaigns. I favor a gap between laving office and eligibility to be a corporate lobbyist.