Delaware 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?
- No

6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- No

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
- No Answer

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Tapping into Delaware's "rainy day" fund
- No

2. Decreasing funding for public universities
- No Answer

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
- The choices you list are 100% one-sided..they are restricted to expense reduction, with no choices of revenue raising choices. This is very disturbing. I believe that higher education funding can be considered, however I expect that the magnitude of state spending on higher education is warranted, but could be better directed to programs that are focused on areas helping the state the most.

1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Maintain Status

3. Environment
- Maintain Status

4. Health care
- Slightly Increase

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Slightly Decrease

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Slightly Increase

7. Welfare
- Slightly Increase

8. Other or expanded categories
- No Answer

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Cigarette taxes
- Slightly Increase

3. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Increase

4. Small business taxes
- Slightly Increase

5. Gas/Oil taxes
- Slightly Increase

6. Property taxes
- Greatly Increase

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

8. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Maintain Status

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

10. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Individual
- Yes

2. Political Action Committee
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Party
- Yes

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?
- No

1. Other or expanded principles
- I co-prime sponsored a bill to bring a bipartisan body to develop legislative district maps every ten years.

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?
- Yes

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?
- No Answer

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

7. Other or expanded principles
- I support the state and local police in assisting federal officials enforcing immigration laws. The federal agency should be leading these efforts. I co-prime sponsored a bill to end civil forfeiture of assets prior to convictions.

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?
- No

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?
- No

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?
- No Answer

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?
- No Answer

11. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

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

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

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?
- No

5. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- No Answer

6. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- No Answer

7. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Delaware high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

8. Do you support allowing parents to opt their children out of state standardized testing?
- Yes

9. Other or expanded principles
- I support teachers' collective bargaining units determining how they would like pay to be allocated among their members.I am generally skeptical of tenure for K-12 teachers. I feel that it is beneficial at the college level, to ensure academic independence.I support public funding of charter schools, however this should be coupled with better controls on diversity within Delaware's charter schools, diversity which our charter schools have failed to achieve.

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)?
- No

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

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. Do you support regulating Delawarean businesses more strictly in order to reduce water pollution?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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?
- No Answer

4. Should a license be required for gun possession?
- No Answer

5. Other or expanded principles
- Our state constitution is even more protective of gun owners rights than the US constitution. I have supported reasonable restrictions on gun possession, including at city council meetings. I am more concerned with open-carry of firearms in Delaware than concealed carry, due to 1) the intimidation which open carry can cause, and 2) the presence of owner due diligence in Delaware's concealed carry process.Given the range of firearms, specifically handguns and hunting rifles, I am more comfortable with limiting licenses to handgun owners.

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?
- Yes

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

5. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- Yes

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

7. Do you support allowing doctors to prescribe marijuana to their patients for medicinal purposes?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- I have championed the issue of permitting medical doctors to prescribe life-ending prescriptions for mentally aware patients who are within six months from death.I led successful efforts to eliminate the health insurance 'prior authorization' abuse, whereby insurance companies would retroactively deny authorizations, and would change authorized medicines and procedures without notification to providers and patients.

Social

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- I have served as the Treasurer for Equality Delaware, and have cosponsored all LGBT equality legislation in Delaware since my election.

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.
- I feel that my call as a State Representative is to serve as the voice of those Delawareans who have the smallest voice in our legislative process. This has included championing rights for owners of manufactured homes on leased land, expanding Delaware's medical marijuana program to those with terminal illness, promoting medical aid in dying legislation, and expanding Delaware's earned income tax credit.