Washington 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?
- Yes

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- Though I am generally pro-life, I will not work to overturn the status quo that already allows abortion. It's already legal and I don't think it will be changed. Yet taxpayer money should not go to pay for abortions because there are many taxpayers who believe it is religiously prohibited, and the Bill of Rights guarantees freedom of religion. There are plenty of private organizations who would be happy to fund abortions for women who can't afford them on their own. I do believe partial birth abortions and third term abortions should be prohibited except in extreme circumstances.

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. Other or expanded principles
- Layoffs should only happen if the employee is not doing his or her job. Allowing state employees to choose whether to belong to the union or not would be enough to help with the state budget without taking away current employee hours, benefits, or salaries.

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. Other or expanded principles
- The question of photo ID for voting is irrelevant in Washington since we have mail-in ballots. If we changed to another method of voting, then it might be worth re-considering this question.

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
- Capital punishment should be reserved for the most extreme criminals like serial rapists or mass murderers. A minor should only be prosecuted as an adult for the most extreme criminal cases as well. I personally believe that illegal immigrants should only be deported if they commit an actual crime, but the state and local police are obligated to enforce ALL the nation's laws, not just the ones we like in our state. Immigration has to be addressed on the federal level because immigration and borders are not within the realm of state law.

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 Washington?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

Education

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

2. Do you support state funding for charter schools?
- Yes

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

4. Do you support increasing funding for the state education budget?
- No

5. Other or expanded principles
- The state budget already granted a great deal of money for education, and there need to be more standards for how that money will be used. We must require measurable results before any more money is given out to the schools. The state should be supporting more education options like charter schools in order to ensure that schools must produce results before handing out blank checks. The education standards should be set by local authorities, however, not the federal government.

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?
- No

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- Washington is already one of the greenest states, and it already has plenty of regulations about emissions and clean water.

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?
- Yes

3. Should teachers be allowed to bring guns into the classroom?
- No

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- I believe that we should work harder to enforce the gun control laws we already have before we add a lot more gun control regulations. On the other hand, I did support the initiative to keep guns away from the mentally ill and firmly believe in background checks and licenses for gun owners and gun sales. We already have laws about those things and just need to really enforce them.

Health

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

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

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
- No Answer

Social

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- Washington law already prohibits discrimination or different pay scales for people of different genders and sexual orientations or gender identities. We don't need new laws on the subject.

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.
- 1. Using the money spent on homelessness for mental health and addiction treatment instead of low-barrier housing and welfare payments2. Driver safety- stronger penalties for actual DUIs and required vehicle headlight inspections3. Auditing and re-writing the budget to use government resources more efficiently and allow stronger law enforcement