Montana State Legislative Election 2016 Political Courage Test

Abortion & Reproductive

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

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

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

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

7. Do you support the prohibition of public funds for abortion procedures?
- Yes

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

9. Other or expanded principles
- Abortion is at an all time, historical low in the United States. Legislation trying to limit access is an expensive solution in search of a problem. It's also important to know many people who choose to terminate a pregnancy are married *couples* who already have children. When we know responsible people who want children are one of the largest demographics seeking abortion, we know they are making incredibly difficult decisions. Complicated, intensely personal medical decisions belong to women, their spouses and their doctors. When unqualified lawmakers pass irresponsible and dangerous legislation against abortion, women die as proven in Texas.

Spending & Tax

1. Education (higher)
- Greatly Increase

2. Education (K-12)
- Greatly Increase

3. Environment
- Slightly Increase

4. Health care
- Slightly Increase

5. Law enforcement/corrections
- Maintain Status

6. Transportation/infrastructure
- Slightly Increase

7. Welfare
- Maintain Status

8. Other or expanded categories
- The National Education Association released the results of a 10 year study that shows national spending for education has stagnated, if not decreased, while spending for jails, prisons, Pentagon and miliatary contracting has increased more than 300%. And even though spending has increased in those areas, the salaries of people serving in the miliatary and law enforcement have not increased - the spending on private contractors has. We need to shift our priorities if we expect to compete in a global market and/or simply survive as a country and society. History has proven spending on education and healthcare are effective.

1. Alcohol taxes
- Maintain Status

2. Cigarette taxes
- Maintain Status

3. Corporate taxes
- Slightly Increase

4. Small business taxes
- Slightly Decrease

5. Gas/Oil taxes
- Maintain Status

6. Property taxes
- Slightly Decrease

7. Income taxes (low-income families)
- Slightly Decrease

8. Income taxes (mid-income families)
- Slightly Increase

9. Income taxes (high-income families)
- Slightly Increase

10. Other or expanded principles
- Our middle class is disappearing while working poor are growing in numbers and those few very wealthy become increasingly more and more wealthy. The disappearance of our middle class was created by an unfair system of taxation that gives corporations and the very wealthy tax advantages granting lower rates of taxation and tax loopholes that are not available to the middle and working class. If we want to see our economy turn around and create a higher quality of life and standard of living we need to increase wages and lower taxes for our middle and working class.

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?
- Yes

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

1. Other or expanded principles
- When the SCOTUS allowed unlimited amounts of money as political speech, the gave unfair advantage the wealthy, to corporations and to the dark money groups they support. Citizens United was the most detrimental blow to our democracy and until we limit money in the political process, demand transparency and accountability, we will continue to have an unfair political system that gives advantage to the wealthy and to corporations while also silencing the voices and the depleting rights of the citizens of our country. We must have a government of the people, by the people, not big corporations and the wealthy.

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
- We cannot risk executing innocent people. We need to stop incarcerating non-violent because incarceration is detrimental to rehabilitation and contributes to recidivism. Counseling, substance abuse treatment along with vocational training and other applicable services will not only facilitate rehabilitation, but will lower taxes. Incarceration is much more expensive than rehabilitation especially over the long term when the formerly incarcerated become working, tax paying members of our communities. We need to start modeling our criminal justice system after successful models in other countries that cost far less and are much more effective.

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?
- No

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

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

5. Do you support expanding access to unemployment benefits?
- Yes

6. Do you support requiring welfare applicants to pass a drug test in order to receive benefits?
- No

7. Do you support providing financial incentives to the private sector for the purpose of job creation?
- Yes

8. Do you support providing direct financial assistance to homeowners facing foreclosure?
- Yes

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

10. Should employers be able to ask about applicants' criminal history before interviewing them?
- No

11. Do you support transferring the control over some federal land to the Montanan state government?
- No

12. Other or expanded principles
- LIMITED government spending for SHORT period of time has proven to promote economic growth. Lowering taxes on the wealthy and corporations has not promoted economic growth, but lowering taxes for low and middle income earners does promote economic growth. When we repealed Glass Steagall, it allowed the financial crisis of 2007 which was created by unethical behavior, that was unfortunately legal. If we would cut the overspending in bloated budgets making military contractors wealthy we could afford more supports for working Americans. Drug testing TANF applicants have costly by court costs incurred due to unconstitutionality of the testing.

Education

1. Do you support the national Common Core State Standards initiative?
- Yes

2. Do you support a merit pay system for teachers?
- No

3. Is the tenure process for public school teachers producing effective teachers?
- Yes

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 Montana high schools be eligible for in-state tuition at public universities?
- Yes

8. Other or expanded principles
- People are confusing NCLB with CCSS. CCSS allows teachers more time for student needs and learning and moves away from the expense and ineffective testing of NCLB. Merit pay would be too costly, invasive and subjective creating more problems than solutions. People think tenure eliminates termination of bad teachers - it does not. Vouchers have proven ineffective and wasteful in other programs why would we use them for education? State funding for private education is illegal under the Montana Constitution because it is unethical. History has proven spending for education is our best use of tax dollars.

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 the development of traditional domestic energy sources (e.g. coal, natural gas, oil)?
- No

3. Do you support state funding for improvements to Montana's energy infrastructure?
- Yes

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

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

6. Do you support increased regulations of the hydraulic fracturing ("fracking") industry?
- No

7. Other or expanded principles
- The market demand for energy based on nonrenewable natural resources is disappearing. People don't want to buy energy that is not based on renewable sources like wind, solar and hydro, so spending on development of something with dwindling market demand would be foolish. Open space preservation is critical to our Montana values for outdoor recreation and also supports our $6.4 billion dollar outdoor recreation industry.

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
- I believe in second amendment rights to own firearms. Farmers and ranchers in Montana need firearms as a way to protect their investments and their safety. Background checks are required for so many other things, it is common sense to require them for firearms. People who complete background checks and training should be allowed to carry concealed weapons. I do not support reckless and irresponsible legislation like the bill asking to allow all firearms on college campuses in any area. If we would set aside vitriol and approach gun violence with common sense we could stop countless unnecessary deaths.

Health

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

2. Do you support expanding access to health care through commercial health insurance reform?
- Yes

3. Do you support interstate health insurance compacts?
- No

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

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

6. Do you support monetary limits on damages that can be collected in malpractice lawsuits?
- Yes

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

8. Other or expanded principles
- A single payer health insurance option would immediately and dramatically lower costs and increase accessibility of healthcare. Interstate health insurance compacts threaten vital programs like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid because they allow an agreement between states to deny federal funding for these programs and more. Caps on malpractice suits should certainly bring down healthcare cost. Medical marijuana is proven to stop seizures and increase the longevity of life for those with epilepsy and to also eliminate nausea from chemotherapy treatment, just to name a couple of its benefits. It is an effective, necessary, and cost effective pharmaceutical.

Social

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

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

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

4. Other or expanded principles
- People confuse same-sex marriage with religious marriage that may or may not be sanctified within their own religion and/or church. Confusing religious law with secular law is dangerous because it opens the door to religious rule and threatens personal and religious freedom. Including sexual orientation in anti-discrimination law is not only the moral and right thing to do, it is also the fiscally astute thing to do. Many corporate policies provide protections because without them corporations risk liabilty and will not do business in a state that doesn't protect their employees nor their bottom line.

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. Addressing the aging/graying of our state, otherwise known as the "silver tsunami."2. Protecting our public lands and access to them.3. Finding smart solutions to the costs of healthcare while also providing quality healthcare and access in rural areas.