Robert "Tommy" M. Tomlinson (b. December 4, 1945) is a Republican member of the Pennsylvania State Senate, representing District 6. He was first elected to the chamber in 1994.
Tomlinson served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1991 to 1994 and was a member of the Bensalem School Board from 1978 to 1990.
Tomlinson earned his B.S. from West Chester State College in 1970 and his B.S. in Mortuary Science from Miami Dade University in 1971. His professional experience includes working as a funeral director.
Member, Community, Economic and Recreational Development
Chair, Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure
Member, Education
Member, Rules and Executive Nominations
Member, Transportation
1. Abortions should always be illegal.
- No Answer
2. Abortions should always be legally available.
- No Answer
3. Abortions should be legal only within the first trimester of pregnancy.
- No Answer
4. Abortions should be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape.
- X
5. Abortions should be legal when the life of the woman is endangered.
- X
6. Eliminate public funding for abortions and public funding of organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer
7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase Funding
2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase Funding
3. Environment
- Greatly Increase Funding
4. Health care
- Greatly Increase Funding
5. Law enforcement
- Greatly Increase Funding
6. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- Greatly Increase Funding
7. Welfare
- Maintain Funding Status
8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
1. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Increase
2. Capital gains taxes
- Maintain Status
3. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Increase
4. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status
5. Franchise taxes
- Maintain Status
6. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status
7. Income taxes (incomes below $75,000)
- Slightly Increase
8. Income taxes (incomes above $75,000)
- Slightly Increase
9. Inheritance taxes
- Maintain Status
10. Property taxes
- Greatly Decrease
11. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status
12. Vehicle taxes
- Maintain Status
13. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer
14. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- No
15. Do you support spending a portion of the "rainy day" fund to help alleviate budget shortfalls?
- Yes
16. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Do you support the current two term, eight year limit for Pennsylvania governors?
- Yes
2. Do you support limiting the number of terms for Pennsylvania state senators and representatives?
- No
1. Individual
- No
2. PAC
- No
3. Corporate
- Yes
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 partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- No
8. Do you support voting on-line?
- Undecided
9. Do you support adopting statewide standards for counting, verifying, and ensuring accuracy of votes?
- Yes
10. Do you support prohibiting media exit polling of voters until all polling locations in Pennsylvania are closed?
- Yes
11. Should Pennsylvania recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- No
12. Should Pennsylvania restrict marriage to a union only between a man and a woman?
- Yes
13. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- X
2. Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
- No Answer
3. Oppose the use of the death penalty in Pennsylvania.
- No Answer
4. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- X
5. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- X
6. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- X
7. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer
8. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- X
9. Lower the .10 blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
- X
10. Minors accused of a felony should be prosecuted as adults.
- No Answer
11. Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
- X
12. Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
- X
13. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X
14. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- X
2. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
- X
3. Support state funding to online charter schools.
- X
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 teachers with merit pay.
- X
7. Support posting the Ten Commandments in public schools.
- X
8. Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
- X
9. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- X
10. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- No Answer
11. Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day.
- X
12. Provide state funding for tax incentives and financial aid to help make college more affordable.
- X
13. Support age-appropriate sexual education programs that teach about abstinence, contraceptives, and HIV/STD prevention methods.
- X
14. Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.
- No Answer
15. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X
2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector 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 their employees.
- X
5. Increase state funds to provide child care for children of low-income working families.
- X
6. Include sexual orientation in Pennsylvania's anti-discrimination laws.
- No Answer
7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. College and university admissions
- No Answer
2. Public employment
- No Answer
3. State contracting
- No Answer
4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Promote increased use of alternative fuel technology.
- X
2. Use state funds to clean up former industrial and commercial sites that are contaminated, unused, or abandoned.
- X
3. Do you support funding open space preservation?
- Yes
4. Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
- Yes
5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Ban the sale or transfer of semi-automatic guns, except those used for hunting.
- No Answer
2. Maintain and strengthen the enforcement of existing state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- X
3. Ease state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
4. Repeal state restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns.
- No Answer
5. Allow citizens to carry concealed guns.
- X
6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- X
7. Require background checks on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows.
- X
8. Require a license for gun possession.
- No Answer
9. Other or expanded principles
- X
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 damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- X
4. Support patients' right to sue their HMOs.
- X
5. Support patients' right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- X
6. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer
7. Legalize physician assisted suicide in Pennsylvania?
- No Answer
8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
1. Support current time limits on welfare benefits.
- No Answer
2. Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X
3. Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- X
4. Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- X
5. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- X
6. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer
7. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer
8. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
- X
9. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer
In a total of seventy-five (75) words or less, please explain what your two main legislative priorities will be if elected. Please explain how you would obtain any additional government funding needed to implement these priorities.
- I have been successful in bringing home millions of dollars in educational funding that eases the local property tax burden. Further, I am fighting for a plan that will control spending by local school boards while decreasing property tax by an average of 50%.
We must also provide good job opportunities, while at the same time protecting our precious open spaces. I will continue to my work create jobs while saving our open space.
Type: bill Chamber: upper
Type: bill Chamber: upper
Type: bill Chamber: upper