Idaho 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
- Making the very difficult decision about whether or not to have children must remain a personal decision. The government has no right to interfere with this decision which will affect a woman for the rest of her life, and will often affect the lives of children, too. Laws passed by states restricting abortion services, or causing women's health facilities to close, leaving many women without health care. This impacts ALL women's health care, not just the ability to get an abortion. Many women rely on organizations like Planned Parenthood for ALL kinds of health care, not just abortions.

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?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- It is absolutely unfair to balance the budget on the backs of state employees through salary/benefit cuts or furloughs, especially while cutting taxes to other individuals or businesses. State employees in many professions are already paid less than they might earn in private industry. Reducing Medicaid benefits is also not a good option--we need to expand Medicaid not cut it to "close the gap" and bring about $4million we are paying in our federal taxes and not getting back for our state's program. I would support a tax increase on the wealthiest individuals and large businesses.

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?
- No

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
- I think getting "dark money" out of politics is a very high priority for government at all levels. Citizens United has allowed wealthy individuals and big corporations to buy elected officials and take control of our governments at all levels. I feel strongly that we need campaign reform. We have also seen the impacts of decades of gerrymandering on our government and it is essential that we institute methods for redistricting nationwide PRIOR to the post-2020 census so the next decade will begin the process of making everyone's votes count.

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. Do you support the legalization of Cannabidiol Oil (CBD) for medical purposes?
- Yes

6. Do you support prohibiting the use of handheld electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- There are some areas in this series of questions where I am torn -- where simple "yes" and "no" answers are inadequate. For example, I would like to see studies of the benefits and impacts of legalizing recreational marijuana from states where this has already been done, so we can make the best decisions in other states. On the immigration issue, I am opposed to the handling of immigration at the federal level. State and local law enforcement can't, and shouldn't, take on responsibility for aiding federal enforcement. Doing so would take them away from local law enforcement duties.

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?
- No

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 Idaho?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- Many of these questions are difficult to answer with simple "yes" or "no" answers. The questions are too broad and there are too many implications of each of them to give responses that can be applied across the board. If elected to the Legislature, I would look closely at any proposals in these areas before voting for or against any measures that would affect these important issues. For example, in general, I do not support reducing state government regulations on the private sector because I think most regulations are made for good reasons, but I would consider each case.

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in Idaho?
- Yes

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

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

4. Should elementary students' reading test scores influence teachers' pay raises?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Schools should definitely adopt federal standards because people are so mobile in our society that students and graduates must be prepared wherever they might go for K-12 or college educations. Regarding charter schools, I think it is appropriate for them to receive state funding, but charter schools should be held accountable to ensure that the students are receiving an excellent education. Their admission policies should be equitable so all students can apply. I am not in favor of vouchers for private schools. Vouchers would take funds away from public schools and some would cross the line between church and state.

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
- I absolutely support state funding and other incentives to develop and expand renewable energy. I also support state regulations of greenhouse gas emissions, not only to slow climate change but also because we have unhealthy air quality in parts of Idaho much of the year. Water is our most precious resource and protecting our drinking water is critical to public health. Whatever it takes to ensure that we protect our water sources is a very high priority! If that requires increased funding, we need to consider that seriously -- look what happened in Flint, MI when they cut corners!

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
- I am strongly in favor of stronger gun control regulations and licenses should be required. Contrary to popular belief, that doesn't mean anyone is coming to take away everyone's guns. But better background checks on ALL gun sales and closing the gun show/private sales loophole is also important. We should be able to track guns and we should be able to look seriously at an individual's history for such things as mental health issues or a history of criminal and violent behavior. Teachers should not be allowed or required to have guns in school--they are there to teach!

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Idaho'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?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- Increasing funding for treatment facilities for those who abuse opiods and other drugs is the smart thing to do for these individuals but also for our communities. Prisons do not rehabilitate drug users and in the end cost us more than proper drug and mental health facilities would. I absolutely support Medicaid expansion--it's crazy that Idaho has resisted this for years, losing millions of federal dollars to other states while leaving 62,000 Idahoans without affordable health care. I support granting citizens the right to make a personal decision to choose death with dignity, particularly if they are terminally ill.

Social

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- I think it is a sad commentary on our state that the Legislature has refused to even bring legislation to a vote to add sexualy orientation and gender identy to our state's human rights laws. What are they afraid of? Adding the words doesn't give special rights or privileges to anyone, it just ensures equal protection under the law. There should be no pay gap between men and women--it should be a given that employers have to provide equal pay for equal work.

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.
- o Expanding Medicaid and improving access to affordable health care (which includes creating incentives to get make more services available in rural areas).o Bringing our education system up to par to meet the needs of our changing economy and ensure that our graduates are able to earn good, living wages. Offering teachers competitive salaries/benefits.o Ensuring our infrastructure is maintained and our environment protected so our safety, quality of life, our public lands and outstanding environmental characteristics are not lost as a result of irresponsible elected officials who are unwilling to act. This includes better regulations on oil/gas industry!