Maine 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
- A woman's choices about her medical needs and her decisions about those needs should be between her and her health care provider.

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
- I believe we need to restore a fair but progressive income tax system. The last eight years have seen tax reductions to Maine's highest earners at the expense of low wage earners and property tax payers.

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. Do you support prohibiting out-of-state contributions to state ballot initiative committees?
- No

6. Do you support repealing Maine's ranked-choice primary election system?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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. Should the legal age for purchasing tobacco products be twenty-one years of age?
- Yes

6. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

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 Maine?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

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

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

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from Maine high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- 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 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
- 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 teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom?
- No

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Health

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

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through Maine's health care programs?
- Yes

3. Do you support requiring individuals to purchase health care insurance?
- No Answer

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. Other or expanded principles
- I did not answer C because I believe in universal health care in a single payer system.

Social

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

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

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

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.
- One of my top priorities is to reduce the property tax burned placed on Maine home owners. Due to a 60% reduction in mandated revenue sharing, municipalities are forced to try to provide need services with far less revenue. These costs are added to the property tax burden. We need to restore revenue sharing.We also need to meet the voter mandated obligation of the state to provide 55% of public education costs. The revenue for this would come from changes to our tax code.