Texas 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
- Decisions about reproductive health should be made between a woman and her doctor, not by the Texas Legislature. I believe that the maternal mortality crisis Texas is experiencing indicates that we need to drastically increase our funding for women's healthcare, particularly in poorer urban and rural areas, instead of closing clinics across Texas with partisan intent.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Do you support the creation of a state income tax in Texas?
- No

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. Other or expanded principles
- Texas has the money to pay our state employees, including our teachers and law enforcement, the salaries and pensions they deserve. Texas also has the money to maintain and expand Medicaid benefits - even without the creation of an unconstitutional state income tax. We have the money, but the Legislature has been using it incorrectly, instead dumping that money into tax cuts for mega-corporations. I believe we need to give it to the people who have served our state their entire lives instead.

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. Other or expanded principles
- There's no state in America friendlier to corporate dark money and unlimited campaign contributions free of ethical oversight than Texas. If we bring to light these unaccountable actors, we can deal a major blow to the dark money machine.

Crime & Public Safety

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

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?
- No

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- Marijuana legalization is long overdue. But, legalization is just the first step necessary to overhaul our criminal justice system. Minors should not be prosecuted as adults, Texas prisons should not be privately-owned and for-profit, and immigration enforcement should not be forced onto local and city police against their will.

Economic

1. Do you support state government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- Yes

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 Texas?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- The Texas economy has the potential to be truly great. All that's stopping it is our unwillingness to put people over political partisanship. We've slashed taxes for big businesses instead of for working-class families, cut unemployment and welfare benefits for hardworking Texans while dumping billions into failed border security schemes, and have kept billions of dollars tucked away in the "Rainy Day Fund" while, a year after Harvey, thousands of Texans have yet to see their homes or lives rebuilt. If we work together, and put people first, we can build a better Texas.

Education

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

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

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Texas high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

4. Do you support increasing funding for the state education budget?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- I support increasing funding for public schools and public charters to pre-2011 levels and ensuring that Texas is adequately creating a better future for the next generation. Cities and municipalities have been forced to drastically increase property taxes to cover the lost revenue from the state. I don't just want to see this reversed, I want to see funding to our schools go way up.

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
- Texas is leading the nation in wind and solar energy investments, led by private companies and supported by the state and federal governments. I believe that we should continue investing in our health and infrastructure while preparing Texas for the future by keeping our drinking water clean and our air free of pollutants.

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
- The level of gun violence in this country is indefensible. Passing universal background-checks, gun-free learning environments, and adequate regulations to keep Texas safe are moral obligations.

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Texas'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. Do you support increasing funding for state medical facilities and hospitals in rural areas?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- Healthcare funding in Texas is abysmal, and it has led to a maternal mortality crisis the severity of which United Nations has related to a developing country undergoing civil war. Expanding Medicaid is just a first step; we need a vastly expanded program to address rural healthcare gaps, concrete steps to combat opioid abuse through rehabilitation, and expanded mental health resources.

Social

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

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

3. Do you support greater efforts by Texas state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
- Yes

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

5. Do you support the removal of Confederate statues from public spaces?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- Respecting the dignity and humanity of all Texans should be fundamental, but radical legislators have chosen to challenge this. We should demand better.

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.
- My top priorities are simple. I want to vastly expand funding for public education to lower our property taxes and guarantee a better future for our children, expand Medicaid and increase resources for mental health and women's health, and work to bring civility back to politics by working across the aisle to create a fairer, safer, and more equal Texas. The funding is already there - as long as we don't give any more handouts to massive corporations - we just need to have the courage to act.