Utah 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
- Not withstanding the above, I am strongly pro-life. I believe that public policy must support bearing and rearing wanted children. I strongly support science and evidence-based sex education in our schools, accessible family planning services and extended, paid parental leave. Expanded Medicaid and CHIP are also critical to supporting infants, children and families. It is only by assuring that all children are wanted that we will continue to decrease the incidence of abortions in the U.S.

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
- We must stop wasting tax dollars on corporate give-aways, ideological battles and lowering taxes on the wealthy.

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. Do you support using primary conventions as the sole method of selecting political party nominees?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- Grand County has had non-partisan elections for 25 years with access to the ballot by petition. That has worked well for us. When the only path to the ballot is via primary party conventions, candidates with extreme views are favored over more moderate candidates.

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
- No Answer

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?
- Yes

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 Utah?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- Public funding for critical infrastructure can be an effective means of promoting economic growth: first as the increased spending acts as an economic stimulus and then as the improved infrastructure is the foundation for economic growth. The Grand County Airport is a good example: improved infrastructure (wider runway, bigger terminal) has not only created temporary construction-related jobs, but has allowed long-term economic growth including over 100 new jobs at the airport.

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in Utah?
- Yes

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

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Utah high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

4. Do you support increasing the state gasoline tax to fund the education budget?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- Quality education is our best investment in our future. Our democracy is strengthened by supporting inclusive public schools.

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. Do you support increasing state funding to improve air quality?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- As the federal government rolls back environmental regulations it has become even more important for the state to step-up to protect our health and environment. Recent research suggests that the babies of women who live in high air pollution areas may suffer life-long disabilities caused by poor air quality during pregnancy. We know that adequate clean water supplies will be the issue of the future as population grows and the climate warms.

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 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
- Sportsmen and women, hunters and gun collectors deserve appropriate access to fire arms. The stranglehold of gun manufacturers on public policy has ill served our nation and should be ended. The notion that owning guns makes citizens safer is contradicted by scientific evidence. Gun (and other) violence should be viewed as public health issue. If free and non-ideological discussion of gun safety is encouraged, Americans are smart enough to develop practical solutions to our problem of epidemic gun violence.

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Utah'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?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- Access to quality healthcare should be seen as a basic right and an imperative for a democratic, equalitarian society. If only the sick and inform buy health insurance, the cost will soon become impossible to afford. Insurance works only when there is a large enough pool of insured to spears the risk.

Social

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- While serving on the Grand County Council, I co-sponsored a strong anti-discrimination ordinance that included protection for gender identity and sexual orientation. It passed more than a decade ago and has not caused any problems.

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.
- My top priority is supporting improved educational opportunities across the board. This includes making teaching a more attractive career by funding increased teacher salaries and real career paths for educators. These efforts should be funded by increasing state income taxes on the most wealthy and ending tax give-aways to corporations.Preserving and protecting our air and water quality by strengthening the state's regulatory agencies is a must. This can be funded by eliminating the wasteful state spending on corporate give-aways and ideological battles like fighting the endangered species act and wresting control of public lands away from the federal government.