Wyoming State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life

2. Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy?
- Yes

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?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- Yes

7. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
- Yes

8. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- Yes

9. Other or expanded principles
- Ideally, there should be no abortions for any reason.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Maintain Status

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Slightly Decrease

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Maintain Status

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Slightly Increase

7. Welfare
- Slightly Decrease

8. Other or expanded categories
- The Medicaid and some other public health programs need some restructuring to provider better services more efficiently.The mental health/corrections overlap needs to be addressed, but I'm not sure that this is a problem of funding.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Gas/Oil taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Individual
- No

2. Political Action Committee
- No

3. Corporate
- No

4. Political Party
- No

5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- No

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?
- No

8. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- Yes

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?
- No

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

5. Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges?
- Yes

6. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- I support decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana, but not legalization.Whether or not a minor should be prosecuted as an adult depends on the case and the situation.All laws should be enforced by all levels of law enforcement; local LE should enforce whatever laws they find to have been broken, however federal LE should do their part and not abandon illegal situations to the efforts of the local LE.

Economic

1. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- Yes

2. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- No Answer

3. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- No

4. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- No Answer

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

6. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- No

7. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- Our state does a good job providing job training; the program does not need more funds.I support the investment of state funds in local projects in the form of loans that have a positive return to the state coffers, as opposed to just investing in stocks and bonds of out-of-state corporations. I also support the grant process to local communities for business-ready infrastructure and community enhancements.

Education

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

2. Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
- Yes

3. Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
- No Answer

4. Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
- Yes

5. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- Yes

6. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- Yes

7. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Wyoming high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- I support higher standards for K-12 schools. The national CC standards were an improvement to Wyoming's standards. I do not think our current standards adoption process is adequate.I think the teacher training and evaluation processes are more of a concern than the tenure process. I support a merit pay program if it can be developed to fairly reflect all the classroom and subject matter variables.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy?
- No Answer

2. Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- No Answer

3. Do you support state funding for improvements to Wyoming's energy infrastructure?
- No Answer

4. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- Yes

5. Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No Answer

6. Other or expanded principles
- I support state funding of independent and university research programs for alternative and traditional energy. Any individual company that wanted a loan could apply through the normal Business Council process.I support state funding and tax incentives for preservation of open space, habitat, agricultural use, and recreational public access. If greenhouse gases are to be regulated I prefer state regulation over federal regulation.

Gun

1. Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- No

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No

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
- Felons convicted of violent crimes and persons adjudicated mentally ill should be restricted from possessing firearms.

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- No

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- Yes

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- Yes

4. Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act?
- No Answer

5. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- No

6. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- No Answer

7. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- I would support ACA Medicaid expansion if the state expansion had a sunset, a trigger clause, and program flexibility; also if the federal government were to shift to a block grant system. (Or even better, reduce federal taxes and leave the money in the states for a state healthcare program.) I am working to increase access to primary care and mental health services.I support monetary limits on non-economic damages in malpractice lawsuits.I support federal authorization of clinical research on cannabis and prescriptions of pharmaceutical THC, but current prescription programs are underregulated and have negative incentives.

Social

1. Do you support same-sex marriage?
- No

2. Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?
- No Answer

3. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Wyoming's anti-discrimination laws?
- No

4. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Wyoming's anti-discrimination laws?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Ten years ago I would have supported civil unions, but now SSM activists are not accepting a "civil-union only" legal environment, so it seems pointless.

Legislative Priorities

In the following area, on an attached page, or via e-mail, 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.
- Increased access to primary care and mental health providers.Innovation and improved standards in K-12 education.Continue efforts in economic development.Increase transparency and public understanding of state budgeting process.