Virginia State Legislative Election 2017 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. Should abortion be legal when the life of the woman is endangered?
- Yes

4. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- Women's healthcare decisions should be between her and her doctor, plain and simple.

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
- No Answer

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Individual
- Yes

2. Political Action Committee
- Yes

3. Corporate
- Yes

4. Political Party
- Yes

5. Do you support requiring full and timely disclosure of campaign finance information?
- Yes

6. Do you support the regulation of indirect campaign contributions from corporations and unions?
- 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. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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

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

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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?
- Yes

3. Do you support reducing 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?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- Lowering taxes should be done on certain income ranges to spur economic growth. The wealthiest among us should always be paying their fair share in taxes.

Education

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

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

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

4. 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)?
- Yes

2. Do you support state funding for open space preservation?
- Yes

3. Do you support government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- I'm also adamantly opposed to unnecessary natural gas pipelines that are being built in my district and across the Commonwealth.

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?
- Yes

4. Should a license be required for gun possession?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

1. Do you support a universally-accessible, publicly-administered health insurance option?
- Yes

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

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

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Social

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

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

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

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

5. 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.
- Education Funding: The 12th District has lost 2.1 million dollars of state funding since 2010. School districts, especially rural, do not have the ability to replace those dollars. Healthcare: Expand Medicaid in Virginia to give 400,000 Virginians access to healthcare, thousands of which are right here in the 12th District Economy: Working to expand economic opportunities across the district. The largest economic driver in the region is in our backyard, Virginia Tech. There is no way we should have suffering localities when this is the case.