Pennsylvania 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
- I don't support any legislation that under minds Roe v. Wade.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Tapping into Pennsylvania'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
- Budgets are statements of priorities. It is incumbent upon legislators to seek other ways to balance the budget that does not include layoffs, reducing wages or benefits for workers or seniors.

1. Education (higher)
- Greatly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase

3. Environment
- Greatly Increase

4. Health care
- Greatly Increase

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Slightly Increase

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Greatly Increase

7. Welfare
- Slightly Increase

8. Other or expanded categories
- The above answers are self-explanatory. Educated and well trained citizens benefits the future of the Commonwealth. Protecting the environment ensures the future of Pennsylvania. We should be investing in drug rehabilitation, improving education in prisons, and not spending more money to simply incarcerate people. Investing in transportation infrastructure creates jobs and improves traveling on roads and bridges in PA. Investing in job training for welfare recipients will lead to increased employment and a decrease in welfare recipients.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Greatly Decrease

2. Cigarette taxes
- Greatly Increase

3. Corporate taxes
- Greatly Decrease

4. Small business taxes
- Greatly Decrease

5. Gas/Oil taxes
- Slightly Increase

6. Property taxes
- Greatly Decrease

7. Sales taxes
- Slightly Increase

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

9. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Maintain Status

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

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

12. Other or expanded principles
- The Johnstown Flood Tax should be eliminated on the sale of alcohol. To fund education on the backs of home owners is unsustainable. We need a severance tax on natural gas to reduce property taxes and to fund education. I am also in favor of slightly raising the sales tax and PIT to fund education and reduce property taxes. I support Gov. Wolf's plan to cut the corporate tax rate to 5%. I also support eliminating the Delaware Tax Loophole. This loophole allows corporations to claim their HQ in other states avoiding taxes in PA.

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

9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- No

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?
- Yes

4. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- No

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

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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?
- Yes

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
- No Answer

Education

1. Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
- No

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 Pennsylvania high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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 Pennsylvania'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
- No Answer

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?
- Yes

5. Should private organizations be able to sue municipal governments over the local regulation of firearms?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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?
- No

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 Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws?
- Yes

3. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Pennsylvania'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.
- LGBT equality is a priority. The Commonwealth cannot move forward until all of our citizens are equal. I support funding education at fifty-percent on the state level and reducing the burden of funding education solely on the backs of home owners. We pay for this by implementing other measures such as a severance tax on natural gas, increased sales and PIT. I support raising the minimum wage to $10.10 and implementing staggered wage hikes until we are paying workers family sustaining wages. Raising wages stimulates the economy. Tax credits for small businesses will enable then to pay the higher wage.