South Dakota State Legislative Election 2018 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- Pro-life

2. Should abortion be legal when the pregnancy resulted from incest or rape?
- No

3. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for organizations that perform abortions?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- Life begins during the process of conception and ends with natural death, at no point should it be tampered with.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions?
- Yes

2. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees?
- Yes

3. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients?
- Yes

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Campaign Finance & Government Reform

1. Do you support any limits on campaign contributions to state candidates?
- No

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?
- No

4. Do you support requiring a government-issued photo identification in order to vote at the polls?
- Yes

5. Do you support South Dakota transitioning to an open primary election system?
- No

6. Do you support prohibiting out-of-state contributions to state ballot initiative committees?
- Yes

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- Yes

2. Do you support the legalization of marijuana for recreational purposes?
- No

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

4. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- Yes

5. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Economic

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

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?
- Yes

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

5. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- Yes

6. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage of South Dakota?
- No

7. Do you support legalized state-sponsored sports betting in South Dakota?
- No

8. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

1. Do you support adopting federal education standards in South Dakota?
- No

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

3. Should immigrants unlawfully present in the United States who graduate from South Dakota high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No

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)?
- No

2. Do you support state government regulations of greenhouse gas emissions?
- No

3. Do you support increasing state funding for clean drinking water initiatives?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Gun

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

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

3. Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom?
- Yes

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- Obviously not every teacher would want to carry a gun at school or even want the responsibility, however, the ones who do should be allowed the responsibility and training necessary to responsibly carry, an emergency plan put in place, and a procedure to follow in the case of a shooter on campus.

Health

1. Should the state government increase funding for treatment facilities to combat opioid abuse?
- No

2. Do you support Medicaid expansion through South Dakota's health care programs?
- No

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

4. Do you support legislation that grants citizens the right to choose to die through euthanasia?
- No

5. Do you support eliminating religious exemptions for vaccinations?
- No

6. Other or expanded principles
- One of the issues we have is too much government in all areas. The citizens of this country have the ability to solve the issues of the day but too much "government intervention" has created a dependent society. The original design was spelled out and implemented so as to allow the citizen to make their own way, whether they succeed or fail was up to them. Government interference has caused our society to become weak, put government back in it's place and things begin to settle back into the correct order.

Social

1. Do you support the inclusion of sexual orientation in South Dakota's anti-discrimination laws?
- No

2. Do you support the inclusion of gender identity in South Dakota's anti-discrimination laws?
- No

3. Do you support greater efforts by South Dakota state government in closing the pay gap between men and women?
- No

4. Other or expanded principles
- I believe there are legitimate reasons for the average of women's pay being less than that of a man and not looking at the reasons creates the issue; Not based on right or wrong but based on circumstances that figure into the average.

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.
- There are several things I would like to work on: our government has a tendency to spend more every year and I would like to change that. Also,the property tax in this state is out of hand so I will work to reduce taxes. Our education system seems to be "dumbing down" our kids instead of helping them reach for their potential, I would like to be apart of the education committee to effect the change necessary to turn that around.