Tennessee State Legislative Election 2014 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

1. Do you generally support pro-choice or pro-life legislation?
- No Answer

2. Should abortions be illegal after the first trimester of pregnancy?
- No Answer

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 Answer

6. Do you support requiring parental consent before an abortion is performed on a minor?
- No Answer

7. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
- No Answer

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

9. Other or expanded principles
- Abortion is a matter between a woman, her doctor, and her God. This is a moral and a personal issue, not a political one. We need to do everything possible to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies, teen pregnancies, and abortions. That means teaching our kids not only about abstinence but also about responsible use of birth control. It means preventing abortions late in pregnancy, except when the mother's life or health is in danger. Abortion shouldn't be used as a form of birth control, and it shouldn't be used when a fetus is able to live on its own.

Budget, Spending, & Tax

1. Education (higher)
- Slightly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Slightly Increase

3. Environment
- No Answer

4. Health care
- No Answer

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- No Answer

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- No Answer

7. Welfare
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded categories
- In order to grow our economy with good jobs and good wages, we need to invest in our public schools and universities.

1. Alcohol taxes
- No Answer

2. Cigarette taxes
- No Answer

3. Corporate taxes
- No Answer

4. Gas/Oil taxes
- No Answer

5. Property taxes
- No Answer

6. Sales taxes
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- No Answer

1. Tapping into Tennessee's "rainy day" fund
- No Answer

2. Increasing tuition rates at public universities
- No Answer

3. Reducing or eliminating public worker collective bargaining
- No Answer

4. Reducing state employee salaries AND/OR pensions
- No Answer

5. Instituting mandatory furloughs AND/OR layoffs for state employees
- No Answer

6. Reducing benefits for Medicaid recipients
- No Answer

7. 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. Should candidates for state office be encouraged to meet voluntary spending limits?
- No Answer

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 Answer

1. Other or expanded principles
- I believe everyone should show an ID to vote at the polls. If the state makes a photo ID free and easily available in time for an election, I am OK with requiring a photo ID. However in TN, many students and citizens over 65 do not have a photo ID, and less than half our TN counties have a DMV to obtain this ID, creating a hardship for those who work, don't have a car, or don't drive.

Crime & Public Safety

1. Do you support capital punishment for certain crimes?
- No Answer

2. Do you support alternatives to incarceration for certain non-violent offenders, such as mandatory counseling or substance abuse treatment?
- No Answer

3. Do you support legalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana?
- No Answer

4. Should a minor accused of a violent crime be prosecuted as an adult?
- No Answer

5. Should a minor who sends sexually-explicit or nude photos by cell phone face criminal charges?
- No Answer

6. Do you support the enforcement of federal immigration laws by state and local police?
- No Answer

7. Other or expanded principles
- I believe these questions are too broad and I would need to see specific legislation before answering yes or no.

Economic

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

2. Do you support increased state funding for job-training programs that re-train displaced workers?
- Yes

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

4. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- No Answer

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

6. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- No Answer

7. Do you support an increase of the minimum wage?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- Again, I would have to see specific legislation on these issues. I do believe in financial incentives for our local small businesses.

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

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

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

6. Do you support the state government providing college students with financial aid?
- Yes

7. Should illegal immigrants who graduate from Tennessee high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- No Answer

8. Other or expanded principles
- 1) CCSS implementation has been terrible. I believe in a common set of standards and I believe in high standards. I also believe teachers should be involved in developing these standards and we should have a focus on critical thinking and problem solving rather than teaching our children to be test takers. The current focus is more on testing and data collection rather than teaching and learning, this is not good for our children. 2) There is no research that suggests Charters and Vouchers are consistently successful, there is research that shows consistent success for Community Schools.

Environment & Energy

1. Do you support state funding for the development of alternative energy?
- 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 Tennessee'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. Other or expanded principles
- I believe we should invest in these areas as funding becomes available.

Gun

1. Do you support restrictions on the purchase and possession of guns?
- 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?
- Yes

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?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- I support medical marijuana if it is highly controlled as in the legislation presented last session in Tennessee.

Social

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

2. Should same-sex couples be allowed to form civil unions?
- Yes

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

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

5. Other or expanded principles
- I believe in Equal Rights for everyone and see no reason why anyone should be discriminated against.

Legislative Priorities

In the following area, on an attached page, or via e-mail, 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.
- In a survey with my constituents, the district priorities are jobs/economy, education, and affordable health care. These are the issues I will focus on and already sponsor/co-sponsor legislation to address these issues. I support jobs bills that put Tennesseans to work on state contracts, give incentives to entrepreneurs for start ups, raise the minimum wage, and give equal pay for equal work. I support the Community School model rather than Charters and Vouchers to keep our public tax dollars in public schools and make our schools community centers once again. I support the expansion of medicaid and/or the Tennessee Plan.