Virginia State Legislative Election 2017 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. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- Yes

4. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Health care is a right and a woman has a right to adequate health care and to make a choice about her own body.

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
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- The rich need to pay the same percentage of taxes that the rest of the country pays. We are killing the middle class with taxes. Governments also need to work within their budgets and not spend what they don't have.

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Individual
- Yes

2. Political Action Committee
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Party
- No

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

6. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- 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
- The current campaign finance reality is that we elect rich people to office or those that become beholding to their donors for campaign contributions. Donations should be capped at appropriate levels so that offices can't be bought and candidates can equally compete.

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?
- 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. Other or expanded principles
- We are a free country and the seizure of assets should not occur until conviction. States can put a lien on assets during the pendency of a case to ensure that the assets are not liquidates. An exemption would be that the assets can be used for criminal defense.

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 expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- No

5. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- Yes

6. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- We need to develop programs to allow people to stand on their own after assistance. Everyone can fall into an economic hole and may require assistance. Except for disability, assistance should not be a career that lasts forever. We need to give people a leg up so that they can succeed on their own. Education and trade programs are a way to accomplish this. Enrolling in an education or trade program should be a requirement for assistance.

Education

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- The standards of learning have lessened the teacher's ability to teach and have stagnated the children's learning process. We are teaching them to take tests and not to discuss issues and think through processes. Also having an elementary school student sit for more than 3 hours proves nothing. Charter schools will destroy public schools if the voucher system is implemented. Charter schools are now private schools that in Virginia still fall under the specific Education Boards. Vouchers would end public school in my district.

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 open space preservation?
- Yes

3. Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- When our planet is gone, so are we.

Gun

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

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
- In Virginia, we have to apply for a concealed carry gun permit through the court system. It is not a license and I do not believe that we need licenses for gun possession. The 2nd Amendment is a constitutional right.

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- Yes

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- Yes

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

4. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- We need to get a group of professionals together and take the ACA and fix the parts that need fixing. We need to use a scalpel and not an axe.

Social

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

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

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

4. Should individuals be required to use a bathroom that corresponds with the gender listed on their birth certificates?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Everyone is equal and state legislated hate must end.

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.
- Expanding Medicaid would provide health care for 400,000 Virginians who make too much money for Medicaid at current levels, but still can?t afford health insurance. Education helps the public make better decisions for the political future, and an educated American workforce is more capable and competitive in the world market. Education gives people a better chance of securing well-paying jobs. Small businesses with 20 or fewer employees, should reduce employer share of taxes, eliminate yearly property tax on purchased equipment and set a fixed price for business license fees not based on gross revenue.?