North Carolina State Legislative Election 2016 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

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

2. Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy?
- No

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?
- No

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

9. Other or expanded principles
- The right of an adult woman and her doctor to make decisions regarding the health and well being of self and child should not be reasonably infringed upon. Other than cases of rape and incest, requiring families to engage in decisions that have lifelong physical and emotional impacts on young women (minors) strengthens our ability help young people make healthy decisions regarding safe sexual practices. Strong families, whatever they may look like, are the key to a balanced approach between a woman's rights and a parent's rights.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Tapping into North Carolina's "rainy day" fund
- Yes

2. Decreasing funding for public universities
- No

3. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
- No

4. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees
- No

5. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- Investing in people and humanistic pursuits is the cornerstone of prosperity for North Carolina.

1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase

3. Environment
- Greatly Increase

4. Health care
- Greatly Increase

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Greatly Increase

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Slightly Increase

7. Welfare
- Slightly Increase

8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

1. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Increase

2. Cigarette taxes
- Greatly Increase

3. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Increase

4. Small business taxes
- Slightly Decrease

5. Gas/Oil taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Property taxes
- Maintain Status

7. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

8. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Slightly Decrease

9. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Slightly Decrease

10. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Slightly Increase

11. Do you support applying sales taxes to all online purchases?
- Yes

12. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Individual
- Yes

2. Political Action Committee
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Party
- No

5. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- Yes

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?
- Yes

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

1. Other or expanded principles
- Voting in NC should be made easier, not harder. While I support identification at the polls as a basic safeguard, we must increase access to participation expanding early voting duration and location, same day registration, and automatic unaffiliated registration.

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- No Answer

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

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

6. Do you support delaying the seizure of assets by law enforcement officials until after a conviction?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- The war on drugs has been a failure in NC and the rest of the US and has created a negative cycle of poverty to prison for many minority communities. NC has a habit of blindly pursuing untested policies, we must proceed with optimistic caution regarding marijuana legalization and study the total impact on communities in which legalization has occurred. I do support the expansion of marijuana to treat medical conditions naturally rather than succumb to big pharmaceutical companies whose only intent is to create lifelong patients to ensure future revenues.

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 increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- Yes

5. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- No

7. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

8. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- Yes

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

10. Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them?
- Yes

11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

1. Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
- Yes

2. Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
- No

3. Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
- Yes

4. Should parents be allowed to use vouchers to send their children to any school?
- No

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 North Carolina high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- When NC properly funds Public Education and invests in best practices, Charter Schools will be unnecessary. However, with equal accountability and transparent standards Charter Schools can serve a specific purpose for some families.

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 the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- Yes

3. Do you support state funding for improvements to North Carolina's energy infrastructure?
- Yes

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

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

6. Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- As a father and teacher protecting our environment is non-negotiable. As a CTE teacher with an emphasis on Green Architecture and Sustainable Energy, I am training NC students to leave our state because we have discouraged the development and investment in the industry that will free us from foreign energy independence and encourage a cleaner future.

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 citizens be allowed to carry concealed guns?
- Yes

4. Should a license be required for gun possession?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

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

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

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- No Answer

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

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

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?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social

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

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

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

4. Based on the religious beliefs of the owners, should businesses be allowed to refuse services to their employees and/or customers?
- No

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

6. Other or expanded principles
- ALL are created equal in North Carolina. Esse Quam Videri. We can not choose who is protected under the law based on intolerant beliefs. North Carolina should not be in the business of defining and legalizing discrimination!

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.
- No Answer