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Joan Heckaman

D

North Dakota State Senate, District 23 (2007 - Present)

Secretary/Treasurer, District 23 (1998 - Present)

Quick Facts
Personal Details

Joan Heckaman (b. April 30, 1946) is a Democratic member of the North Dakota State Senate, representing District 23. She was first elected to the chamber in 2006. Heckaman currently serves as state Senate minority leader.

Heckaman previously served as assistant minority leader.

Heckaman ran as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor of North Dakota in 2016. She was defeated in the general election on November 8, 2016.

Heckaman earned her B.S. in education from Valley City State University in 1967 and her M.S. in special education from Minot State University in 1995. Her professional experience includes working as a special education teacher for East Central Special Education from 1985 to 2004.

Education

  • MS, Special Education, Minot State University, 1995
  • BS, Education, Valley City State University, 1967

Professional Experience

  • MS, Special Education, Minot State University, 1995
  • BS, Education, Valley City State University, 1967
  • Teacher, Special Education, East Central Special Education, 1985-2004

Political Experience

  • MS, Special Education, Minot State University, 1995
  • BS, Education, Valley City State University, 1967
  • Teacher, Special Education, East Central Special Education, 1985-2004
  • Minority Leader, North Dakota State Senate, 2017-present
  • Senator, North Dakota State Assembly, District 23, 2007-present
  • Secretary/Treasurer, District 23, 1998-present
  • Former Assistant Minority Leader, North Dakota State Senate
  • Candidate, North Dakota State Senate, District 23, 2018
  • Candidate, North Dakota State House of Representatives, District 23, 2004

Former Committees/Caucuses

Former Member, Appropriations Committee, North Dakota State Senate

Former Member, Human Services Committee, North Dakota State Senate

Current Legislative Committees

Member, Budget Section

Member, Committee on Committees

Member, Education Funding Formula Joint Review Committee

Member, Joint Advisory Committee on Legislative Revenue

Member, Joint Committee on Administrative Rules

Vice Chair, Joint Committee on Government Administration

Member, Joint Committee on Legacy Fund Earnings

Member, Joint Committee on Legislative Management

Member, Joint Committee on Legislative Procedure and Arrangements

Member, Joint Committee on Tribal Taxation Issues

Religious, Civic, and other Memberships

  • MS, Special Education, Minot State University, 1995
  • BS, Education, Valley City State University, 1967
  • Teacher, Special Education, East Central Special Education, 1985-2004
  • Minority Leader, North Dakota State Senate, 2017-present
  • Senator, North Dakota State Assembly, District 23, 2007-present
  • Secretary/Treasurer, District 23, 1998-present
  • Former Assistant Minority Leader, North Dakota State Senate
  • Candidate, North Dakota State Senate, District 23, 2018
  • Candidate, North Dakota State House of Representatives, District 23, 2004
  • President, East Central Education Association, 2003-present
  • Chair, Administrative Board, United Methodist Church, 2000-present
  • Member, Eagles Auxiliary, 1985-present
  • Board Member, Central North Dakota Steam Threshers
  • Member, Eastern Star
  • Board Member, Eddy County Museum
  • Attendee, First Lutheran Church
  • Member, Governor's Autism Task Force
  • Member, Legislative Procedures and Arrangements
  • Member, New Rockford Book Club
  • Member, New Rockford Golf Club
  • Member, Prairie Rose Quilt Guild
Policy Positions

North Dakota State Legislative Election 2004 National Political Awareness Test

Abortion

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding abortion.

1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer

2. Abortions should always be legal.
- No Answer

3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- X

4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- No Answer

5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- No Answer

6. Prohibit public funding of abortions and of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Budget, Spending, and Tax

State Budget: Indicate the funding levels (#1-6) you will support for the following general categories. Select one level per category.

1. Education (higher)
- Maintain Status

2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Slightly Increase

5. Law enforcement
- Maintain Status

6. Transportation and highway infrastructure
- Maintain Status

7. Welfare
- Slightly Increase

8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

9. Should North Dakota allocate $50 million of state revenues to develop "centers of excellence" at its public colleges and universities?
- Yes

10. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

State Taxes: Indicate the tax levels (#1-6) you will support. Select one level per tax.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Capital gains taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Maintain Status

7. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Maintain Status

8. Inheritance taxes
- Maintain Status

9. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

10. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

11. Vehicle taxes
- Maintain Status

12. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

13. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- Undecided

14. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance and Governmental Reform

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding campaign finance and government reform.

1. Do you support limiting the number of terms for North Dakota governors?
- Undecided

2. Do you support limiting the number of terms for North Dakota state senators and representatives?
- No

Do you support limiting the following types of contributions to state legislative and gubernatorial candidates?

1. Individual
- No

2. PAC
- No

3. Corporate
- No

4. Political Parties
- No

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

6. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- No

7. Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying, and ensuring accuracy of votes?
- Yes

8. Do you support prohibiting the reporting of media exit polling results until all polling locations in North Dakota are closed?
- Yes

9. Should North Dakota recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- Yes

10. Should North Dakota restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
- Yes

11. Should North Dakota allow non-family members to become shareholders of a family farm in the state?
- Undecided

12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding crime.

1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- X

2. Implement the death penalty in North Dakota.
- No Answer

3. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X

4. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- X

5. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- No Answer

6. Decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
- No Answer

7. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- X

8. Minors accused of a violent crime should be prosecuted as adults.
- X

9. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X

10. Increase funding for state and local emergency agencies to prevent and to respond to terrorist attacks.
- No Answer

11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding education.

1. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- No Answer

2. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any public school.
- No Answer

3. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any private or religious school.
- No Answer

4. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- X

5. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- X

6. Support teacher testing and reward with merit pay.
- No Answer

7. Endorse voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer

8. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- No Answer

9. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- X

10. Increase funding for Head Start programs.
- X

11. Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
- X

12. Support sexual education programs that include information on abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods.
- X

13. Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
- No Answer

14. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Employment and Affirmative Action

Employment: Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding employment.

1. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers and teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X

2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector in order to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- No Answer

3. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- X

4. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X

5. Require an annual report listing the assistance provided, actual jobs created, and average wages paid for all state economic development programs.
- X

6. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X

7. Include sexual orientation in North Dakota's anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer

8. Increase the state minimum wage.
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Affirmative Action: Should race, ethnicity or gender be taken into account in state agencies' decisions on:

1. Public employment
- No

2. State college and university admissions
- No

3. State contracting
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Environment and Energy

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding the environment and energy.

1. Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
- X

2. Support increased production of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, and oil).
- X

3. Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
- No Answer

4. Support funding for open space preservation.
- No Answer

5. Enact environmental regulations even if they are stricter than federal law.
- No Answer

6. Other or expanded principles
- X

Gun

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding guns.

1. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- X

2. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

3. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer

4. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- No Answer

5. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- No Answer

6. Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
- No Answer

7. Require a license for gun possession.
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding health.

1. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state-funded care where necessary.
- X

2. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- No Answer

3. Limit the amount of punitive damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- No Answer

4. Support patients' right to sue their HMOs.
- No Answer

5. Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- No Answer

6. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer

7. Legalize physician assisted suicide in North Dakota.
- No Answer

8. Allow doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Welfare and Poverty

Indicate which principles you support (if any) regarding welfare.

1. Support increased work requirements for able-bodied welfare recipients.
- X

2. Increase funding for employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X

3. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- No Answer

4. Support current limits on benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- No Answer

5. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer

6. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to extend health and child care subsidies to the working poor.
- X

7. Support marriage promotion programs for welfare recipients.
- No Answer

8. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Legislative Priorities

Please explain in a total of 75 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.
- No Answer

State Bills