Ohio 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
- No Answer

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Tapping into Ohio's "rainy day" fund
- Yes

2. Decreasing funding for public universities
- No

3. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
- No

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

5. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- Ohio's budgetary shortfalls are due to the gutting of Ohio's Local Government Fund. I would work to restore stable and sustainable funding to our local townships and municipalities that have seen reductions in their public services, schools and infrastructure.

1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase

3. Environment
- Slightly Increase

4. Health care
- Maintain Status

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Slightly Increase

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Greatly Increase

7. Welfare
- Maintain Status

8. Other or expanded categories
- I believe the greatest increases in state funding should be allocated for our public school system and infrastructure projects. These two areas are severely ignored by the current General Assembly.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Small business taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Gas/Oil taxes
- Greatly Increase

6. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

7. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

8. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Slightly Decrease

9. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Slightly Decrease

10. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Greatly Increase

11. Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases?
- No

12. Other or expanded principles
- I support raising new tax revenues for the State of Ohio by imposing a new tax structure on fracking and natural gas profits. I also support raising income tax rates on high-income families who make over $500,000.00.

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

1. Other or expanded principles
- I do not support Voter ID laws because it adds an unnecessary expense and hurdle to many voters. There are thousands of individuals that may lack or have expired identification that have age, transportation or health concerns that prevent them from getting such identification. Unless the State of Ohio is willing to give such identification to every adult at no cost with a suitable grace period I will not support such provisions.

Crime & Public Safety

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

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?
- No

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

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. g Do you support additional funding for programs intended to reduce drug addiction in Ohio?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- A) I would support capital punishment in very limited circumstances where the victim is a child and there is indisputable evidence of guilt. C) I support legalized medicinal marijuana. D) I only support trying minors as adults in violent crimes and if the minor is at least 16 years old. E) State and local police's jurisdiction is state and local laws. Immigration is a federal issue that needs extensive reform before we can even discuss state enforcement of federal laws.

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?
- No

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

11. Other or expanded principles
- A) I support government spending on infrastructure and public education; two areas that investing in will generate economic growth with increased jobs and a smarter workforce. B) I would lower taxes on middle and working class families in Ohio. G) I support incentives to hire veterans in the private sector. I would also support incentives for companies that hire in economically distressed neighborhoods. I would be open to discuss small business incentive legislation. I) I support raising Ohio's minimum wage to an amount so that a 40 hour work week is above poverty standards.

Education

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

2. Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
- No

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?
- No

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

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

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

8. Other or expanded principles
- A) I do support having a base level of math, reading and critical thinking standards for students. However, I do believe that the assessment models used in the previous Common Core model needs revision. B) I don't support teacher pay based on standardized test results. However, I am open to school district merit pay systems if they are based on an objective assessment of teacher instructional skill and experience. C) In order to achieve tenure a teacher must show appropriate education, professional experience and continuing education.

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)?
- No

3. Do you support state funding for improvements to Ohio'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
- B) I support the continuation of existing traditional domestic energy but believe that any new monies for development should be directed toward renewable energy industries. F) I support regulations on fracking that at a minimum replicate federal environmental standards. I also believe that fracking profits are a good source of new revenues for sustainable public school funding.

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 citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- I support background checks on all firearms purchases; retail, trade show, private and online. I support penalties on individuals that sell firearms to people that do not pass a background check. I support investments in biometric technology, such as fingerprint triggers, on newly manufactured firearms.

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
- No Answer

Social

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

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

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

4. 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) Public School Funding. I support finding new revenue sources to achieve sustainable and sufficient funding for all public school districts. 2) Restoring funds to local governments and municipalities. This would allow local areas to invest in public safety, services and transportation. 3) Investments in Ohio's Infrastructure. Improving our outdated roads, utility and technology infrastructure not only creates jobs but improves quality of life for all residents.