Maine 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
- Several years ago the US Supreme Court ruled on the legalization of abortions in the United States and that is the law we follow.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Tapping into Maine'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
- During the recent recession we did implement the use of furlough days which I supported due to the extremely serious condition regarding the state budget at the time.

1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase

3. Environment
- Slightly Increase

4. Health care
- Slightly Increase

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Greatly Increase

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Slightly Increase

7. Welfare
- Maintain Status

8. Other or expanded categories
- We have the citizen passed legislation requiring 55% funding of K-12 education, however that level has never been met - attaining that level would address most of the education needs.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Slightly Increase

2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Corporate taxes
- Maintain Status

4. Small business taxes
- Maintain Status

5. Gas/Oil taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease

7. Sales taxes
- Maintain Status

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

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

10. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Maintain Status

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

12. Other or expanded principles
- Of those items I indicated a tax increase - I would require that the revenue generated from the increased taxes would be dedicated to a specific budget line such as supporting lower local property taxes and/or state income taxes.

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?
- No

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

9. Do you support maintaining the provisions of the Maine Clean Election Act?
- Yes

1. Other or expanded principles
- As the former state official responsible for statewide elections for eight years I am fully aware of the potential problems associated with requiring photo ID's especially for the elderly. If a more friendly user system could be developed that didn't require non-photo voters to maintain their right to vote then I would consider it.

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?
- No

4. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- Yes

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. Do you support additional funding for programs intended to reduce drug addiction in Maine?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- I would not support institutionalizing capital punishment in Maine, however for those states who have chosen that option I respect their decision. Occasionally an minor who has committed a heinous crime should be so tried as an adult - based on each individual case.

Economic

1. Do you support government spending as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No Answer

2. Do you support lowering taxes as a means of promoting economic growth?
- No Answer

3. Do you support reducing government regulations on the private sector?
- No Answer

4. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- No Answer

5. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- No Answer

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

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?
- No Answer

9. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage?
- No Answer

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 Answer

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 Answer

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 Maine high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of renewable energy (e.g. solar, wind, thermal)?
- No Answer

2. Do you support state funding for the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- No Answer

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

4. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- No Answer

5. Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No Answer

6. Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry?
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Gun

1. Do you generally support gun-control legislation?
- No Answer

2. Should background checks be required on gun sales between private citizens at gun shows?
- No Answer

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
- No Answer

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- No Answer

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- No Answer

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

4. Do you support Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare")?
- No Answer

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?
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social

1. Do you support same-sex marriage?
- No Answer

2. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in Maine's anti-discrimination laws?
- No Answer

3. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in Maine's anti-discrimination laws?
- No Answer

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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