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Former Chair, Children, Families & Seniors Subcommittee, Florida State House of Representatives
Former Member, Criminal Justice Subcommittee, Florida State House of Representatives
Former Member, Health and Human Services Committee, Florida State House of Representatives
Former Vice Chair, Health Care Appropriations Subcommittee, Florida State House of Representatives
Former Member, Judiciary Committee, Florida State House of Representatives
Former Member, Judiciary Committee, Florida State House of Representatives
Former Member, Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, Florida State House of Representatives
Member, Children, Families, and Elder Affairs Committee
Chair, Health Policy Committee
Member, Joint Committee on Public Counsel Oversight
Member, Military and Veterans Affairs and Space Committee
Member, Subcommittee on Criminal and Civil Justice
Vice Chair, Subcommittee on Health and Human Services
Names of Grandchildren:
James, Jupiter, Justice, Nicole, Anna, Aaron, Tyler, Nicholas
— Number of Grandchildren:
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 pregnancy results from incest, rape or the life of the woman is endangered.
- X
5. Abortions should be limited by waiting periods and notification requirements as decided by each state government.
- No Answer
6. Prohibit the dilation and extraction procedure, also known as "partial-birth" abortion.
- No Answer
7. Support "buffer zones" at abortion clinics by requiring demonstrators to remain a certain distance from doorways and driveways.
- X
8. Prohibit public funding for abortions and organizations that advocate or perform abortions.
- No Answer
9. Other
- X
1. Education (Higher)
- Slightly Increase Funding
2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase Funding
3. Environment
- Maintain Funding Status
4. Health care
- Maintain Funding Status
5. Law enforcement
- Maintain Funding Status
6. Transportation and Highway infrastructure
- Slightly Increase Funding
7. Welfare
- Maintain Funding Status
8. Other
- No Answer
1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status
2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status
3. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status
4. Gasoline taxes
- Maintain Status
5. Inheritance taxes
- Eliminate
6. Intangible taxes
- Eliminate
7. Property taxes
- Maintain Status
8. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status
9. Vehicle taxes
- Maintain Status
10. Other
- No Answer
11. Should Internet sales be taxed?
- No
12. Would you support returning any operating surplus to Florida taxpayers?
- No
13. Would you support placing any operating surplus into a "rainy day" fund?
- Yes
1. Increase state funds for construction of state prisons and for hiring of additional prison staff.
- No Answer
2. Support contracting with private sector firms to build and/or manage state prisons.
- No Answer
3. End parole for repeat violent offenders.
- X
4. Support the use of the death penalty in Florida.
- X
5. Support a moratorium on the death penalty.
- No Answer
6. Implement penalties other than incarceration for certain non-violent offenders.
- No Answer
7. Inform communities when a convicted sex offender moves into the community.
- X
8. Support programs to provide prison inmates with vocational and job-related skills and job-placement assistance when released.
- No Answer
9. Decriminalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
- No Answer
10. Strengthen penalties and sentences for drug-related crimes.
- X
11. Support .08 blood-alcohol-content limit defining drunk driving.
- X
12. Prosecute as adults, youths accused of a felony.
- X
13. Increase penalties for crimes committed on school grounds.
- X
14. Require that crimes based on gender, sexual orientation, or disability be prosecuted as hate crimes.
- No Answer
15. Support programs that provide job training and placement services for at-risk youth.
- X
16. Ban the use of racial profiling by law enforcement officers.
- No Answer
17. Ban the execution of convicts found to be "mentally-retarded".
- X
18. Allow police officers to pull over drivers for not wearing seat belts.
- No Answer
19. Support a state study of racial bias in death penalty cases.
- No Answer
20. Require all jailed convicts to serve probation upon their release.
- X
21. Grant post-conviction lawyers in death penalty cases full access to all criminal investigation records on their clients.
- No Answer
22. Other
- No Answer
1. Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
- X
2. Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
- X
3. Support the designation of letter grades (A-F) to Florida public schools.
- X
4. Provide parents with state-funded vouchers to send their children to any participating school (public, private, religious).
- No Answer
5. Support charter schools where teachers and professionals receive authorization and funding to establish new schools.
- X
6. Increase state funds for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings and infrastructure).
- X
7. Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers.
- X
8. Endorse teacher-led voluntary prayer in public schools.
- No Answer
9. Support posting the Ten Commandments in public schools.
- No Answer
10. Require public schools to administer high school exit exams.
- No Answer
11. Support national standards and testing of public school students.
- X
12. Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
- X
13. Provide state funding to increase teacher salaries.
- X
14. Guarantee Florida students ranked in the top 20% of their graduating class admission to Florida state universities.
- X
15. Eliminate all factors other than academic performance for admission to state universities.
- No Answer
16. Provide state funds to hire more K-12 public school counselors.
- X
17. Other
- No Answer
1. Provide low interest loans and tax credits for starting, expanding, or relocating businesses.
- X
2. Reduce state government regulations on the private sector to encourage investment and economic expansion.
- X
3. Support limits on cash damages in lawsuits against businesses and professionals for product liability or malpractice.
- X
4. Increase funding for state job-training programs that re-train displaced workers or teach skills needed in today's job market.
- X
5. Other
- No Answer
1. College and university admissions
- Undecided
2. Public employment
- Undecided
3. State contracting
- Undecided
4. Other
- No Answer
5. Do you support the One Florida Initiative?
- Yes
1. Encourage further development and use of alternative fuels to reduce pollution.
- X
2. Support "self-audit" legislation which creates incentives for industries to audit themselves and clean up pollution.
- X
3. Require a cost/benefit analysis to determine the economic impact of proposed environmental regulations before they are implemented.
- X
4. Require states to fully compensate citizens when environmental regulations limit uses on privately owned land.
- X
5. Support funding for recycling programs in Florida.
- X
6. Request added flexibility from the federal government in enforcing and funding federal environmental regulations.
- No Answer
7. Suspend participation in un-funded, federally-mandated environmental protection legislation.
- No Answer
8. Restructure the electric utility industry to allow consumers to choose their power companies.
- X
9. Implement slow speed zones for boats in areas where manatee travel has been documented.
- X
10. Use the high water mark to define the boundaries of public and private land on lake and river shorelines.
- X
11. Other
- No Answer
12. Should state environmental regulations be stricter than federal law?
- Undecided
13. Should state government regulate urban growth?
- Undecided
1. Do you support the current limit on terms for Florida Governors?
- Yes
2. Do you support the current limit on terms for Florida State Senators and Representatives?
- Yes
3. Individual
- Yes
4. PAC
- Yes
5. Corporate
- Yes
6. Political Parties
- Undecided
7. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes
8. Do you support imposing spending limits on state level political campaigns?
- Yes
9. Do you support partial funding from state taxes for state level political campaigns?
- No
10. Do you support voting on-line?
- No
11. Do you support on-line voter registration?
- No
12. Do you support creating a non-partisan commission for legislative redistricting?
- No
13. Do you support increasing the number of justices on the Florida Supreme Court?
- No
14. Do you support amending the Florida Constitution to transfer criminal court jurisdiction from the state Supreme Court to the Governor?
- No
15. Other
- 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.
- No Answer
6. Require manufacturers to provide child-safety locks on guns.
- No Answer
7. Require background checks of gun buyers at gun shows.
- No Answer
8. Require a license for gun possession.
- No Answer
9. Require all guns to be sold with trigger locks.
- No Answer
10. Prohibit the carrying of concealed guns on health care facility grounds.
- No Answer
11. Other
- No Answer
1. Provide tax incentives to small businesses that provide health care to their employees.
- X
2. Ensure that citizens have access to basic health care through managed care, insurance reforms, or state funded care where necessary.
- No Answer
3. Transfer more existing Medicaid recipients into managed care programs.
- X
4. Use state funds to continue some Medicaid coverage for legal immigrants.
- X
5. Limit the amount of damages that can be awarded in medical malpractice lawsuits.
- X
6. Support a patient's right to sue his or her HMO.
- No Answer
7. Support a patient's right to appeal to an administrative board of specialists when services are denied.
- X
8. Guaranteed medical care to all citizens is not a responsibility of state government.
- No Answer
9. Require health insurance plans to provide coverage for contraceptive drugs.
- X
10. Allow insurance companies to consider medical history of all private sector employees when determining premiums.
- No Answer
11. Eliminate the Negative Drug Formulary, a list of name-brand medications for which pharmacists may not offer a generic substitute.
- No Answer
12. Increase prescription drug subsidies for low-income senior citizens.
- X
13. Allow third parties to pool together small businesses to negotiate lower premiums on health insurance.
- X
14. Limit damages that can be awarded in nursing home malpractice lawsuits.
- X
15. Other
- No Answer
1. Provide tax credits for businesses that provide child care for their employees.
- X
2. Increase state funds to provide child care for children in low-income working families.
- X
3. Deny or suspend state-issued permits and licenses to parents who are delinquent in paying court-ordered child support.
- X
4. Increase state funding for Head Start in order to serve additional children and/or increase services from a half to a full day.
- X
5. Increase state funding for community centers and other social agencies in areas with at-risk youth.
- X
6. Support state funding of programs for at-risk youth such as guaranteed college loans, and job training and placement.
- X
7. Provide public funds to build stadiums for Florida's professional sporting teams.
- No Answer
8. Require background checks for all child care workers.
- X
9. Prohibit gambling cruise ships from docking in Florida.
- No Answer
10. Limit the interest rate payday loan companies can charge.
- X
11. Other
- No Answer
12. Should physician assisted suicide be legally available in Florida?
- No
13. Should Florida include sexual orientation in its anti-discrimination laws?
- No
14. Should Florida recognize civil unions between same-sex couples?
- No
15. Should Florida restrict marriage to a relationship only between a man and a woman?
- Yes
1. Maintain current time limits on welfare benefits.
- X
2. Maintain the requirement that able-bodied recipients work in order to receive benefits.
- X
3. Increase employment and job training programs for welfare recipients.
- X
4. Provide tax incentives to businesses that hire welfare recipients.
- X
5. Provide child care for welfare recipients who work.
- X
6. Increase access to public transportation for welfare recipients who work.
- X
7. Allow welfare recipients to remain eligible for benefits while saving money for education, starting a business, or buying a home.
- No Answer
8. Limit benefits given to recipients if they have additional children while on welfare.
- No Answer
9. Eliminate government-funded welfare programs.
- No Answer
10. Redirect welfare funding to faith-based and community-based private organizations.
- No Answer
11. Use federal TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families) funds to expand state services to include the working poor.
- X
12. Restrict taxpayer-supported social services to only U.S. citizens and legal immigrants.
- X
13. Other
- No Answer
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.
- No Answer
Type: bill Chamber: lower
Type: bill Chamber: lower
Type: bill Chamber: lower
Treasure Coast Palm - "Gayle Harrell: Ready to lead in D.C. on day one" The Treasure Coast needs a strong voice in Congress, someone who knows and understands our community. I was disappointed the editorial board of Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, our local newspaper that has endorsed my candidacy six times prior, chose to endorse another candidate for Congress. For the better part of my lifetime I've worked to improve the lives of people. Serving our community is central to who I am, what I've done, and what I intend to do in Washington. I started my career in education, teaching and preparing the next generation for leadership. Then, joining my husband, Dr. James Harrell, an Ob.Gyn physician, I entered the health care profession, working to restore people's health and improve their lives. As much as possible, I've worked and volunteered to make things better, wherever I've found a need. As a community leader I've spent 37 years helping in various roles, including president and chairman of many local and school organizations. Looking back, I realize I have always enjoyed serving my community. Most recently, voters granted me the honor and privilege of serving the citizens of Florida as a member of our state's House of Representatives. This kind of experience is needed right now in Washington. Clearly, I know what works in a legislative setting and how to get things done. In Tallahassee, I've been called the "poster child for perseverance" for my tenacity and for standing up for my principles. I'll take on lobbyists or good-old-boy factions, of either party, to do what's right. I spent four years fighting well-funded lobbyists a fight I won to bring an Open Heart Center to Martin Memorial Hospital, and additional beds to Lawnwood Hospital and St. Lucie Medical Center. I was one of only two Republicans in the Florida House to vote against the largest sales-tax increase in Florida's history, and I drew a line in the sand on the illegal-immigration issue. While the U.S. Congress has fiddled, without much to show for it, I've been working on breakthroughs for eight years in the Florida House and on changing the way government does business. Working with then-Gov. Jeb Bush, we passed the landmark Seaport Security Act to secure Florida's seaports. This legislation became a national model after 9/11. As chairman of three health-care committees, I have advanced major health care legislation, and I have become nationally recognized as a leader in health information technology and was selected as one of four legislators nationally to sit on the National Governors' Association State Alliance on e-Health. Working closely with Newt Gingrich, I have brought innovative solutions to Florida, and I am ready to tackle the tough problems Congress faces as it addresses the health-care needs of our nation. I am humbled to have been won legislative awards from more than 20 groups, including, among others: the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, the Florida Medical Association, the Children's Forum, Mother's Against Drunk Driving, the Police Benevolent Association and the Florida Medical Association. I have also received the Faith and Family Award from the Christian Coalition, have an "A-plus" rating with the National Rifle Association and an "A" ranking from the Florida Chamber of Commerce. I am the only candidate running for this seat who has done this, the only conservative who's run in a large section of this congressional district and won, time and time again, the only candidate endorsed by Senate President Ken Pruitt, and the only Republican leader ready to serve and lead on day one. I respectfully ask for your vote Aug. 26. Harrell is a Republican candidate for U.S. House District 16.
