Pennsylvania 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
- Public funds should be available for organizations but the funds can only be used for education, birth control and women's health services. Availability of birth control through our health plans is one of the most important measures in preventing unwanted pregnancies. Only by giving women these resources will we see an end to the heart wrenching decision of abortion.

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?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- We need to increase tax revenues to balance the budget by identifying new revenue streams: 1. Severance tax on fracking: $300 million. 2. Legalize & tax recreational marijuana : $200 million. 3. Fair Share tax on non-wage income (i.e. dividends, patents, royalties, etc) up to $2 billion.

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 allowing early voting in Pennsylvania?
- Yes

6. Do you support reducing the size of the Pennsylvania General Assembly?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- We need to expand voter participation. Mail-in voting is now 100% in Oregon and Colorado. In the 2016 election Colorado had 71.3% voter participation while the national average was 58.2%. At a minimum, Pennsylvania should allow for "no-excuse necessary" absentee ballots. An independent committee for redistricting is absolutely necessary to protect the power of every citizen's vote. A committee consisting of 4 Republicans, 4 Democrats and 3 idependent/3rd party members, requiring a final majority vote of at least 1 from each of the groups should provide much fairer districts then those currently drawn by the politicians themselvs.

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes

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?
- Yes

4. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- Yes

5. Should school safety meetings be made available to the public?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- 59% of PA voters approve of legalizing recreational marijuana. If we legalized it and expunged criminal convictions related to marijuana we would save money on our law enforcement, criminal justice and prison systems. We pay $36,000 per year to incarcerate someone. We should not be wasting our money on something that's about as bad as drinking alcohol. Also, when Colorado legalized recreational marijuana they saw a 6% drop in opioid related deaths and a substantial drop in opioid usage. Another bonus: potential of $200 million in sales tax and up to 18,000 jobs created.

Economic

1. Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No

2. Do you support lowering state taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

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 Pennsylvania?
- Yes

7. Do you support increasing state funding for road repairs?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- One of our most vexing economic issues is the "Delaware Tax Loophole" where corporations set up a shell company in Delaware where corporate taxes are low but do business in Pennsylvania and avoid paying their share of taxes in Pennsylvania. We must close this loophole. I support increasing the minimum wage to $12/hour.

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in Pennsylvania?
- No

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

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

4. Do you support providing virtual charter school alternatives to all K-12 students?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- An educated and skilled workforce is vital to the economic vibrancy of our state. We must provide a good education through our public school systems (approximately 492 systems in PA). We must ensure those public school systems are not compromised by charter, home schooling or virtual schools syphoning off public funds. Better public schools is the goal, not a haberdashery of freewheeling alternatives that have questionable educational standards.

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. Other or expanded principles
- Development of a diverse energy portfolio is critical to the future of Pennsylvania. We currently generate only 4% of our energy from renewable sources. While we will always have some portion of out energy come from fossil fuels, we must work towards making that as minimal as possible to extend the longevity of our limited fossil fuel deposits. To continue using fossil fuels at current rates will deplete them in about 50 years.

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 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
- As a gun owner, I fully support the 2nd amendment, but there is a place for guns and a place where no guns should be allowed. I think guns in schools pose more potential for bad than good. I believe every gun purchase should be subject to a criminal background check. I believe anyone convicted of domestic violence should lose there right to own a gun for the rest of their lives.

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Pennsylvania'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?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social

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

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

3. Do you support greater efforts by Pennsylvania state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
- 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.
- Our public school systems in economically disadvantaged areas need funding for pre-K programs. Programs like Headstart are critical to getting students off to a good start in achieving lifetime educational accomplishments. Many of our small towns have blighted property problems. We need to provide resources to help with demolition and re-purposing of these properties that have become public safety hazards to help reinvigorate the local economies. We should have a severance tax on fracking, legalize and tax recreational marijuana and pass a Fair Share tax on non-wage related income (i.e. dividends, patents and royalties) to pay for this.